As of late, I’ve been on an open-world games kick, but as with everything else, it’s nice to have a variety of interests. Ubisoft Quebec’s Immortals Fenyx Rising caught my interest when the game was first announced in 2019 under the title Gods and Monsters. I found the trailer itself interesting and being familiar with the team behind it, I kept an eye out for a release date. Leading up to its release, the title was changed to Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is an upcoming action-adventure game. The story starts off with you learning about a great enemy named Typhon and why he’s corrupting the world above. Shortly after this, you find Zeus meeting with Prometheus to talk about the great enemy. After learning many gods have been affected by Typhon’s destruction (including Zeus), Prometheus informs Zeus there is still one person who can save the day: Fenyx, aka your character. Little is known of this person, but it’s obvious from their clothing that the time period is set in ancient Greece.
Fenyx has survived a shipwreck and is attempting to make sense of the island they woke up on. While exploring the island, odd things start happening–people turn to stone and mythical creatures appear, amongst other oddities. After a short time, you’ll meet a mysterious character, who plays a significant role in the story; through further gameplay, you do discover who this person is.
Weapons and Leveling
During your playthrough of the game, you’ll unlock an assortment of weapons including a sword, an axe, and even a bow. These are all great items, that you’ll be using quite a bit. After some time in the game, once you advance to the next area, it will grant you the opportunity to upgrade your weapons, armor, stamina, or health. Other upgrade opportunities occur when you find items that change the appearance of your weapons and gear. Keep an eye on how the stats also change.
I will state some areas of the world, including bosses, will force you to upgrade your items in order to survive. I learned this the hard way. The world itself is very huge and has many activities, puzzles, and other quests. Immortals Fenyx Rising gives you the opportunity to learn more about Greek Mythology while completing all of these tasks while learning the significance behind some of the items you are tasked to find. In a way, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a bit like a history lesson on the Greek Gods, but granting you the chance to enjoy the adventure and save the world.
Graphics
As for the graphical look of Immortals Fenyx Rising, the style has changed from when it was first shown in 2019. Even so, the game still looks amazing in all parts of the world. There hasn’t been a time I haven’t used the picture mode within Immortals Fenyx Rising to show off standing on top of tall areas and showing off the environments of the world. When you play, you’ll be able to see on the overworld other pictures users have taken.
Ubisoft Quebec’s artist team has done a very good job of providing just the right amount of work over each of the areas you explore. Some areas come off a little darker in terms of it may be an area with harder enemies or even the land itself shows the signs of destruction. The overall look of each area provides the means of being in an entirely new location of the world as you progress through the game.
Music / SFX
When it comes to Immortals Fenyx Rising’s music, as well as ambient sound, I’m very pleased. This ranges from the change of areas you get into, the story itself, being in the areas for puzzles, and boss battles. As someone who grew up playing in a school band, I’ve always appreciated the work behind the scores. The work behind these scores really shows and in its own way provides what’s needed to flesh out the ongoing story. The game does have limited voice acting, which is limited to the Gods speaking and Prometheus narrating your story as you do quests. Overall this doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Controls
As for the controls, they are very easy to learn, although it may take some time to get some mechanics memorized; however, after about an hour or two it will become second nature to be able to use your godly powers. The controls adapt to be able to use these powers, building on what you were able to do from the beginning. You also have to use your powers wisely as using them affects your health stats, such as stamina. I won’t go into more detail about the powers to avoid spoilers.
Replay Value
Immortals Fenyx Rising does provide a unique means of replay value. As you progress through the game, you will learn about tasks you can do to earn in-game “credit” to buy things like new items, in addition to doing tasks to gain resources to craft health potions. When I first learned about this feature after coming back to the Hall of the Gods, I was pleased, as I was often running out of these potions. When it came to crafting these items normally, it would be up to chance if I actually find the items needed to craft them while exploring, and hoping I didn’t use them before transforming them into a potion or two.
Please note, some of these tasks are timed, and from the looks of it, reset to a new task at some point in time. The next reason the game has so much replay value is that the world itself is very extensive; finding all the chests, hidden treasures, random puzzles, legendary enemies, and all the Ambrosias hidden within the world. The task alone of finding 100% of all items will be a daunting one, but I feel it will be very rewarding. Especially since many of the upgrades will help you in the long run.
Minor Negative aspects
As I was playing through the game at times I did grow tired of constant side quests; however, as you play through Immortals Fenyx Rising, these side quests are a means to learn more about the gods and mortals from Greek Mythology. At first, I thought these side-quests were unnecessary and thought of it as a con during the review. However, with more time I put into Immortals Fenyx Rising, I was able to see why it’s important. Other than being able to purchase items with real money, I haven’t noticed many things that have pushed me away from the game.
Conclusion
Immortals Fenyx Rising provides a one-of-a-kind experience in both providing a greater look at Greek Mythology and using an Action-Adventure style to move the game. If you’re looking for a unique game, where you’ll be spending hours diving into Greek Mythology, Immortals Fenyx Rising is the perfect fit. Ubisoft Quebec has done a good job of finding what works with Immortals Fenyx Rising and has me to the point where I’ve enjoyed my hours spent with the game.
From its massive landscape and musical scores to its art style, Immortals Fenyx Rising is quite something many will enjoy. The puzzle perspective on some of these tasks is very pleasing and rewarding, which is another reason I’m enjoying the game. While some games toss in puzzles to figure out, Immortals Fenyx Rising grants you the opportunity to learn a bit in the process. I personally can’t wait for any future content of this title, as I will be spending many more hours playing the game.
A review code for Immortals Fenyx Rising was provided by Ubisoft for review purposes. If you’re looking into other Ubisoft titles, check out our reviews of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion.
