Immortals Fenyx Rising is a game that has a lot of ambitions. It starts off with an interesting premise and builds up from there. Casting the player into an open-world adventure that is brimming with opportunity and experimentation, this is easily one of the better titles to enjoy if you are looking for something fun, easy, and enjoyable to close off 2020.
The game is developed by Ubisoft Quebec, best known for their work on the Assassins Creed Series, and if anyone is capable of handling an open-world adventure game, it would have to be them.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a brand new IP but still feels familiar. With rich causal and comedic aesthetics, the game definitely could become a feather in the cap for the studio.
Story:
The story takes place in mythical Greece. Where the great Titan Typhon has broken free from their eternal prison and has sought revenge against a God. A flustered Zeus heads toward Prometheus and seeks advice on defeating the Titan without his abilities, and this is where the two place a wager on one mortal – Fenyx.
Fenyx a mere mortal, is an ordinary shieldbearer who is the only survivor from the wreckage. With the rest of the world turned to stone, it’s up to Fenyx embarking on a journey to free the Gods trapped by Typhon to restore order and save the world from befalling the Titan’s sinister plot.
Aided by Hermès, Fenyx is given various gifts of the Gods on his perilous journey to ensure victory as he embarks on this great odyssey. Along the way, you will fight many popular mythical Greek enemies – You will fight centaurs, cyclops, Gryphons, and more! You will also go about making friends with Greek Ally’s as well. This includes the Gods you’re aiming to free and more.
The game does a great job of depicting Greek Mythology in an intriguing an entertaining manner. The entire game is narrated by Prometheus with Zeus always interjecting and inserting his ego where he can, putting them at an odd-couple like relationship, that gives the player a good laugh now and then.
Gameplay:
This is where the game draws a lot of inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and while that is something that a lot of fans are going to be quick to notice, it also does them in a very sincere way, without really making it feel like a gimmick or s quick rip-off.
Yes, the game follows the approach, if you can see it, you can climb it. It also employs the atypical stamina bar that can be increased by collecting the necessary items and all the atypical aspects of an open-world RPG.
This is a living breathing world that is inhabited by creatures that want to kill you, but also one that begs exploration. As you climb the highest peaks or swim through the waters of the island, you will find hidden treasures, secrets and much more around the island. All of this encourages you to go off the main quest and explore side quests, search for collectibles, and more.
While you replenish your health with potions and eating fruits like pomegranates, you can also tame various mounts and summon them at your whim like Darksiders by holding down the summon button. You can get your first mount as early as 20 minutes into the game, depending on how fast you are.
The main difference between this title and Breath of the Wild is the skill tree. Fenyx is able to improve their abilities by upgrading said skill through the in-game skill tree to be a more formidable foe to the enemies around him.
You can also use the environment and other power ups to help you combat monsters you encounter in the open-world, opening up new and creative ways to tackle different obstacles and challenges that can impede your progress.
There is also a great depth of puzzles involved in solving puzzles in the world and also for boss fights, some of these are real head-scratchers and others are fairly linear or very easy to figure out. There is also a difficulty in dungeons which helps give you an idea about the time you’re going to spend there.
You can find all you need to level up and power up Fenyx by doing dungeons in the open-world that reward you various items and even rewards if you’re willing to solve the optional puzzle if the dungeon has one. The dungeons are fun and varied, and require you to use a specific item or skill you acquire while playing the story, so don’t worry about getting into some dungeons and feeling lost.
Graphics:
Playing this on the PS4 was still a great experience and offered some pleasing visuals. The game will definitely look more appealing if you choose to play it on the PS5 or the Xbox Series X. However, if you are still unable to obtain any of the next-gen consoles, you only have to bear with the loading times between dungeons and loading into the game from the main menu.
Even on the PS4, the draw distance and level of details were all very appealing. The world is luscious, and brimming with life, and despite being released amid a new console generation, holds up spectacularly. The frame rate was also steady and even in intense combat/boss fights, held up pretty well.
However, the framerates, resolution, and load times on the next-generation hardware will definitely fare much better and would make for the ideal home for a title like this. When you can experience the game with better graphics, load times, and other bells & whistles, the game becomes a completely different experience.
Admittedly load times are pretty well on the system, but this was to be expected as the current generation is becoming dated very fast and this was to be expected. However, the solid visuals still made it a joy to explore.
Conclusion:
All in all, if you are familiar with Ubisoft Quebec’s works (Assassins Creed Odyssey, Origins, etc) then you already have a fair idea of what the game is going to be like – sans Assassins. Add in a brand new IP mixed with a great story, a memorable cast, and plenty of other great features to keep you attentive until another title comes along to take the throne.
If you also are an ardent fan of open-world games with plenty of player agency, this is definitely a game you should consider picking up. With an enjoyable story, a living and breathing world, and other intriguing facets make this one of the more enjoyable casual games to help close off 2020.
If you are also a fan of Greek mythology, the constant narration by Prometheus and Zeus’s inflated ego makes for a great way to make the game feel even more alive.
I haven’t had this much fun with an open-world Ubisoft game in a long time, and this is definitely something I can recommend as a fun experience if you’re looking for something fun, casual, easy-going and entertaining.
