by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer
Immortals of Aveum marks the first release of Ascendant Studios, a video game developer founded in 2018. It is certainly an ambitious way to enter the scene, but to suggest the minds behind the project are rookies would be a gross misrepresentation of their impact on the gaming industry. Founders of the organization were key players in the creation of several Call of Duty and Dead Space titles. Ascendant Studios also gave home to many exceptional talents who were left jobless after Telltale Games (The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us) went under. This team certainly has the potential to make an exceptional high-budget game with inventive mechanics and an emotionally impactful narrative.
I first want to thank the developers for providing a finished game with minimal bugs. It seems like the bare minimum, but smooth launches are becoming more and more rare each year. Admittedly, I haven’t completed the game. As per usual, I want to get these reviews out in a timely manner and have been overwhelmed by the start of a new career. I have logged a little over 10 hours at this point, but it is going to take me a minute to complete the 25-hour long campaign, especially since I prefer to stop and smell the roses when I dive into a game of this scale. So far, I have only had one instance where I found a genuine bug, and it was mainly a graphical issue during a big boss fight in Chapter 6. Maybe I just got lucky and was sent a particularly crisp copy by Amazon. Maybe consoles (I played this on PS5) are handling the launch a little bit better. Either way, I was genuinely impressed by how smoothly the game ran during the first week of launch.
Mechanically, I found Immortals of Aveum to be fresh and engaging. I haven’t found anything particularly groundbreaking yet, but the spell system keeps the combat enjoyable and adds a lot of life to the world they are establishing. But the enemies and threats are unfortunately a little basic. Aside from one or two minor exceptions, it feels like all the non-boss enemies you fight are redundant and uninspired. There are some slight variations in attacks or movement patterns, but not nearly enough to make anything stand out. The quality of the combat is completely carried by the player’s spells and abilities, which is great at first, but could grow stale once the magic loses its novelty. The threats may gain nuance deeper into the story, but I was definitely hoping for a bit more variance 10 hours in.
Earlier, I briefly mentioned my high expectations for the game’s story. Telltale Games is responsible for The Wolf Among Us, which is my second favorite game I’ve played. The narrative in that game, as well as their more popular release, The Walking Dead, are simply next level. Character relationships are rich and genuine, payoffs are perfectly timed, choices have weight, and the world is always alive. I was really hoping to find those details in this brand new world. I must admit it is a completely different ballgame. The scope of Immortals of Aveum absolutely dwarfs that of the aforementioned titles. Not to mention the fact that both of those games were adaptations of beloved graphic novels. Unfortunately, I still feel underwhelmed with the result of Ascendant’s first release. I want to stress that I have not completed the game, so I can’t judge the story in its entirety. My issue so far is the lack of connection I feel to the world. The main character, Jak (Darren Barnet), has a great name, but unfortunately failed to draw me in otherwise. Many of his choices within the story feel forced or inconsistent. The supporting cast feels equally stiff. Fantasy games have so many side quests and quirky characters, so it is genuinely challenging to create auxiliary characters that have a lasting impact or connection with the player. I’m hoping to find intriguing characters as I continue my playthrough, but as it stands, I’m underwhelmed.
Gameplay wise, this game is sound. The spells are interesting and offer variations that allow for some genuine variety and creativity. The smooth frame rate and lack of game-breaking glitches make it a bright spot in a rather dim era of AAA titles. There is some great music and a handful of locations that make Aveum feel unique and realized. However, paint-by-numbers character work, lackluster diversity in the enemies, and a story that failed to really hook me makes it feel like the game will lack staying power. I enjoy it while I am playing it, but struggle to engage with the cutscenes, and don’t have any drive to slot the game in when I am doing something else. I think this studio has delivered a solid product that displays true potential.
Rating: Liked It
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