The realm of first-person shooters is largely home to military and sci-fi themed games. In recent years, other themed FPS games—especially fantasy—have been somewhat lost. Join the Immortals of Aveum, a big, bright and beautiful high-tech fantasy shooter by EA and developer Ascendant Studios based in San Rafael. Focusing on a single-player campaign in a carefully crafted, lore-rich world, Aveum’s Immortals is looking to give the beloved genre a new life. We had a chance to watch the game and talk to the director of the game, and we were mesmerized.
You may not be familiar with Ascendant Studios, but you are probably familiar with some of the previous games the staff has made. Ascendant CEO and Immortals of Aveum director Bret Robbins has a legacy of working on multiple titles, including the Legacy of Kain series, the original Dead Space, and several Call of Duty titles. It was during the development of CoD that the idea of Immortals was born: when looking at the level design for CoD, he instead thought about what the setting would be like in a big fantasy setting, show off.
An imaginary world
The world of Aveum is a land divided — literally — by the Millennium’s War for control of the magical veins. As the conflict continues, a bottomless rift known as “The Wound” grows larger and larger, with a towering, mysterious statue at its center seemingly staring at everything. Here you control Jak, an aspiring Immortal who was stripped of his life as an orphan in the slums to become a battle mage Magnus. He has the rare ability to use all three “colors” of magic: Triarch, as he calls it. With these skills, he battles the almighty magical forces of Rasharn, a superpower vying for control of the earth vein with Jak’s hometown of Lucium. But what are these long-buried mysteries and secrets of Everwar?
What exactly is an Immortal? Despite the traditional definition, these Immortals do not possess eternal life. It was a name meant to instill fear in the hearts of enemies—after all, who was less afraid of death than someone to whom the concept did not apply?
“They’re basically the Navy SEALS of our wizarding world,” says Robbins. They’re up against Rasharn’s forces, but human soldiers aren’t the only threats they’ll face: the Elemental, Magical Animated Buildings, and the fearlessly resilient Archon. But some of the most memorable encounters will be battles against other spell specialists. According to Robbins, “When you have a battle between witches and wizards, that’s when it all comes down to Actually get mad.”
Tools of the Immortals
The settings in Aveum are impressive in terms of visuals and gameplay intensity. You won’t become a back row witch casting magic behind a larger buffer unit — you’ll need to get up close and personal with waves of ferocious enemies, all eager to attack Magnus’ enemy. While the fantasy setting is different from the genre standard, longtime FPS players will find plenty of skills with a familiar feel in Jak’s magical arsenal. For example:
- Breachfire works similar to a shotgun.
- Stormshards are fast-firing guided projectiles.
- Javelin launchers are rechargeable projectiles that you can throw at enemies.
“The more you play with them and see how they work, the more insightful, unexpected and interesting you will find,” says Robbins. “The challenge (in design) was to make these spells feel as good, or even better, like shooting.”
Jak also has plenty of ways to move around comfortably, as Robbins explains. “You can double-jump, hover over enemies, cast a Lash spell so you can latch onto an anchor in the arena or pull enemies closer, and even dodge teleportation. time.” Jak also has a shield spell when you need some extra defense. Robbins continued: “I didn’t want to make a stealth shooter where you hide and shoot—I wanted the player to feel more powerful, like a shooter. “You can walk into an arena, really appreciate it and own it.”
Depth of magic
Enhancing these magical abilities is an intensive equipment and character enhancement system. Jak can find or buy Marks, an important focus for his magical powers. These Marks help boost and aid stats, and can change the way certain spells work, effectively altering loadouts. Totems are another part of the magic toolkit that apply various enhancements, although they focus more on mobility. Magic Rings enhance and transform Fury spells like grenades. Finally, there are Bracers, gloves that enhance Jak’s defense. Combine all of these gear with the Talent Tree to power various magical colors and you’re looking at a substantial amount of customization.
But finding everything will require careful exploration—levels are filled with secrets, puzzles, and hidden areas, so you’ll want to spend some time looking around. Robbins eagerly told us all about Aevum’s hidden treasure. “Once you get a new spell, you can go back to previous areas and unlock new things. We also have Shroudfanes: hidden in-game dungeons with specific challenges or unique bosses—they have some of the best gear in the game.”
Ultimately, the gameplay and story elements all serve to create a unique fantasy gameplay experience unlike any other. “I want players to really love the world,” says Robbins. “We created a great story and a great combat system, all wrapped up under the Aveum umbrella. I really hope players will come to enjoy this world and the story and characters we’ve written.”
Expect to be the best enchanter around July 20th when Aveum’s Immortals launches on PlayStation 5.
