Summary
Between the recentImmortals of Aveumand the one-two punch ofForspokenandHogwarts Legacyearlier in the year, there’s been no shortage of games that feature combat built around spellcasting instead of melee weapons or firearms. WhileHogwarts Legacyis anchored to one of the most popular and successful IP in pop culture history,ForspokenandImmortals of Aveumare ambitious in that they’re both new IPs releasing in a year crowded with titles from legacy franchises. Not only isImmortalsthe first game from its developer, it also happens to be resonating more strongly with critics and fans thanForspoken.
Arriving in February 2023 to mixed reception,Forspokenwas the first title from in-house Square Enix studio Luminous Productions after its work onFinal Fantasy 15. After proving its ability to salvage a troubled development onFF15and successfully shipping the game, Luminous got a shot at its own original IP in the form ofForspoken. Unfortunately, that game would face several delays due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The end result was a dual blow ofForspokennot performing well critically or commercially and theabsorption of Luminous Productionsinto Square Enix’s CBU2. While the core concepts are similar, the critical difference betweenForspokenandImmortals of Aveumis in their execution of comparable mechanics and gameplay elements.
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Immortals of Aveum’s Linearity is Its Strong Suit
Despite both games taking anywhere from 15 to 25 hours to beat,Immortals of AveumandForspoken’s campaigns could not be more different. WhileForspokenthrust players into a vast open world,Immortalsis a linear experience with players bouncing from chapter to chapter. There is no open world inImmortals, but instead individual maps that vary in size and house rewards for players willing to venture off the beaten path. Rather than succumb under the weight of its own open world inthe way thatForspokendid, one ofImmortals of Aveum’s greatest strengths is its focus on a curated experience.
Since the release ofForspoken, the conversation surrounding open-world titles has been reignited, with the game becoming a cautionary tale against using an open world as a primary selling point.The world ofForspokenwas large, and the game placed an emphasis on making traversal entertaining, but with a distinct lack of meaningful activities to pursue across the game’s map, players were left with little incentive to do so. Conversely,Immortals of Aveum’s pre-release press firmly established exactly what players would be in store for from the outset, leveling expectations and delivering on its promise of a focused first-person-shooter campaign.
Immortals of Aveum’s Protagonist Sells the Dialogue in a Way that Forspoken’s Did Not
One element shared betweenImmortals of AveumandForspokenis both games' reliance on frequent comic relief to dispel any tension coming from the primary conflict. While many found this to be grating inForspoken, it seems to have the opposite effect inImmortalsdue to one key difference. WhereasForspoken’s Frey was always in on the joke and providing her own sarcastic quips,Immortals of Aveum’s protagonist Jakalways maintains a sense of earnestness in how he is reacting to the world and characters around him. It might not seem like much, but this one shift in tone completely changes the dialogue to a level of heartfelt silliness.
Both games can count some incredible talent on their writing staff, withgame industry legend Amy Hennig(Legacy of Kain,Jak and Daxter,Uncharted)contributing toForspokenandImmortals of Aveumscripted by Michael Kirkbride, whose credits include not onlyThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionbut also the curation and consolidation of theElder Scrollsuniverse’s lore. However, between its confidence in what it is and a tightly-focused experience,Immortalsis proving to be a great palette cleanser between massive 2023 releases whereForspokenmight have been a few pages short of a grimoire.
Immortals of Aveumis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
