Last Thursday, and seemingly out of nowhere, Ubisoft released a demo for their upcoming Open-World Adventure Epic, Immortals: Fenyx Rising on…Stadia. Yes. The demo is available exclusively through Google’s Stadia streaming platform until the 29th. Thankfully, you don’t need a pro membership and can still play the demo via a free account. So kudos for that.
I was already sold on Fenyx Rising after its Gameplay deep-dive last month, where we got to see a ton of combat, exploration, skill trees, and really get an overall sense of the game’s themes and aesthetic. Now, having played a fair amount of the demo, I can whole heartily say that my opinion has not changed, but rather been emboldened. I wouldn’t fault you for thinking that Immortals seems like something ripped right out of the mid-2000s playbook, because in all honesty, it really is.
The cartoony character models mixed with exaggerated animations, brightly colored combat flourishes, and goofy dialogue all lends itself to classics like Beyond Good & Evil, Jak & Daxter, Maximo, and The Legend of Zelda. In fact, it’s very clear that Immortals has taken inspiration from Breath of the Wild. However, much like this year’s Genshin Impact , Immortals takes those inspirations and uses them to become its own game, and dare I say, improve on some of Breath of the Wild’s mechanics.
For starters, traversal feels weighty, which I like. Every leap, every cliff face climbed, every object interacted with gives substantial feedback and makes the world feel tangible. Fenyx has access to wings that she can not only hover with, but can dash through the air and even use them for tricky maneuvers in combat. Fenyx can also call up her steed (which there will be multiple kinds of) at any time without having to remember where she parked it. Convenient indeed. You can definitely feel the Assassin’s Creed engine doing its thing behind the scenes as even the default controller mapping is the same as those games. Not a terrible thing, but it does feel odd to have RB as the basic attack button for this type of game.
Speaking of attacking, let’s get into combat. This is where Immortals definitely has a leg up on its predecessors. Whether targeting a specific enemy or opting for free movement, you can unleash combos and flashy attacks by hammering away at the attack button. Then you have your heavy attack which is a comically large axe for Fenyx’s size that can help deal with multiple enemies at a time and deal some extra damage. That’s all good and well until enemies with shields and moves that need to be dodge or parried come into the mix. Dodging an attack at the last second initiates a Bayonetta esque Witch Time that slows the world down for a few seconds so you can reposition yourself or get a few extra hits in. Parrying functions as you expect. Time it correctly and your opponent will be temporarily stunned and at your mercy.
Now, where things start getting interesting is when you launch your enemies by holding the attack button (very similar to the original God of War trilogy’s combat mechanic), or using a skill such as Aries’ Rage which causes the ground around Fenyx to erupt with massive spears that cause good damage, can launch enemies, or even keep them airborne for longer. Fenyx can extend her combos mid-air much like in Devil May Cry and pull off some fancy maneuvers. Remember when I said she can use her wings in combat? Yep. Some enemies like Harpies and Griffins actually require you to master this technique in order to square off with them and have any degree of success.
It didn’t take long before I was dodging, parrying, launching enemies, zipping through the air, and following up with Fenyx’s massive Hammer slam. It all feels familiar, but no less entertaining for it.
Something I really appreciate is Immortal’s less than serious tone. Sure, the stakes are high (supposedly), but you can’t help but chuckle at some of the banter between Zeus and Prometheus whom narrate Fenyx’s adventure. There is a point in the demo that involves one such conversation and poor Fenyx can do nothing but shake her head in dismay at the nonsense that ends up involving murderous chickens ensuing. Fenyx herself also has an interesting bit of characterization; Not only in her dialogue, but also in the way she interacts with the world around her.
Opening chests result in any number of randomized animations from Fenyx drumming on the chest for good luck, kicking it open, to even mimicking a familiar, green tunic wearing hero’s actions. Speaking of; The demo also gives us a little taste of what to expect in the form of dungeon crawling and puzzle solving. No particular puzzle felt too difficult and usually involved some form of environmental interaction, but they didn’t feel arbitrary or annoying either. The islands that the game’s world is divided into all hold their fare share of secrets to unearth as well, with little space feeling empty or unused. I think I’ve gone into enough detail at this point. If you’re really interested, the demo is live until the 29th and, in my humble opinion, is well worth a look if you don’t mind letting your browser be hostage to Stadia for a little while.
