Immortals of Aveum hands-on preview: A magical dose of originality

Ascendant Studios is redefining what an independent video game can look like through its staggeringly ambitious debut title Immortals of Aveum. With a near-fathomless universe ripe for storytelling opportunities, an addictive mix of gameplay systems promoting an entirely original moment-to-moment experience, and blockbuster production values tying every unique thread together, it’s shaping up to be one of 2023’s biggest surprises.

Immortals of Aveum is something new. A new world with new rules of engagement while also being a brand new challenge for a brand new team of developers. On paper, it defies all logic.

When we consider the term ‘indie game’, we immediately think of smaller studios carving their own path with innovative ideas and eye-grabbing concepts. We don’t necessarily think of big-budget productions standing toe to toe with industry juggernauts. Though that’s a mold Ascendant Studios is looking to break with Immortals of Aveum.

While technically defined as an independent studio, a team with full creative control and no external parties in which to oblige, don’t let the label fool you. “We’re definitely a startup, but we’re not indie,” Founder and CEO Bret Robbins told me.

Having toiled away in silence over a half-decade stretch, their first project is just weeks out from launch. The world of Aveum is coming to life and we’ve now ventured through a solid chunk of its war-torn lands. Bold, risky, yet unapologetic in its creativity, Immortals of Aveum is already an astonishing accomplishment. From the beginning to the end of our few-hour hands-on session, I was left in awe of not only the game itself, but the very fact such a game even exists in the current landscape.

Shattering independent expectations with a breath of fresh air

Video games aren’t cheap to make. The more intricate, the more expansive, and the more visually appealing we get, the bigger the budgets become. Your favorite AAA blockbusters may very well have cost upwards of $100 million to make. Thus, with expenditure ballooning, and development cycles taking years longer than in previous generations, studios are much more risk-averse nowadays.

It’s the reason the gaming industry is so reliant on franchises. Sequels and spinoffs, for the most part, are safer bets than new IP. It’s easier to hedge a nine-figure sum on an established property than to risk it all creating something new and hoping it finds an audience. So when the latter does come along, it’s well worth paying attention.

Ascendant Studios isn’t taking an easier route with Immortals of Aveum, quite the opposite. With the team’s debut project, they’re effectively creating an original universe while having players navigate it through a fresh, inventive mix of gameplay systems. Nothing about the project is ‘safe’, yet the dev team is unwaveringly pushing forward with its bold ideas, leaning into its originality more than I could have imagined, and giving us something truly unique despite the inherent risks.

It’s one thing to tackle a new IP with a small crew and tight budget. It’s another thing entirely to do so with more than 100 employees, over a five-year period, with what can only be described as a blockbuster-equivalent budget. Put simply, games like Immortals of Aveum very rarely come to fruition in today’s landscape. It’s an absolute delight to see a project this creative yet of such an industry-leading quality enter the market.

As Bret Robbins clarified in our interview at a recent hands-on event in San Francisco, don’t get the independent label twisted. While this enormous project has been brought to life by a new studio with its own authority, Immortals of Aveum is very much on par with today’s biggest launches, not what you would expect from the term ‘indie’. From breathtaking visual fidelity to staggering set-pieces and top-notch performances underlying it all, the game’s immense production value can’t be mistaken.

This is no bog-standard FPS with a linear, 6-8 hour campaign experience. It’s an “epic”, as Robbins put it. What you get is an enormous open world to explore backed by a narrative spanning multiple years with further decades of lore layered on top. Pushing you along is an expansive progression system, optional puzzles, and boss battles to overcome, all bolstered by a heaping serve of customization features letting you tailor the frenetic ‘magic-shooter’combat to your liking. There’s a lot to digest here. It’s a considerable package. With our roughly three hours of playtime, we were barely able to scratch the surface.

A whole new world at your fingertips

What blew me away more than anything during my time with Immortals of Aveum was, well, Aveum itself. Although we’re only just getting our first glimpse at this fantastical world at war, the universe has a rich history you can’t help but be enveloped in. Factions in conflict, forces battling over territorial claims, magical origins, malevolent forces beyond the mortal plane, there are centuries of learnings just waiting to be unraveled.

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Dropped into the midst of the ‘Everwar,’ effectively an eternal power struggle over the control of magic, we enter the fight as Jak (Darren Barnet), a rare Triarch Magnus capable of manipulating all forms of magic where others only engage with just one or two. Though having only discovered his capabilities later in life, he falls under the tutelage of General Kirkan (Gina Torres). Together, alongside the rest of the Immortals, the group is among the final remnants of a defensive effort opposing Sandrakk, our key antagonist leading the Rasharn territory to utter domination.

The first chunk of our preview session focused on Jak’s humble beginnings as he starts learning of his own powers. The second showed us a section much later into the game, years in the future, in fact, where we now see Jak as a much more experienced and thus confident magic-wielder. Exactly where the main narrative goes, how the Everwar evolves, what becomes of the Immortals, and most importantly, what Aveum’s future holds, is what propels you forward. Long after finishing the demo, I’m still wrapped up in the possibilities, more than curious to see what happens next.

Yet beyond that, I’m equally excited to learn of this world’s rich history. This conflict is nothing new, as the name ‘Everwar’ implies. But how did we get to this point? What happened between the five realms? How did Rasharn claim its power? I’m so desperate to learn more and thankfully, the game is ready to deliver. Be it through optional conversations, lengthy exchanges with fascinating characters, environmental storytelling, and of course, ample lore entries to collect, the worldbuilding throughout our session was phenomenal. We even got Robbins to spill the beans on an upcoming lore book in the works, one I can’t wait to get my hands on. It’s clear the devs know they’ve crafted a special world here, one they’re hoping can continue to be explored for years to come.

Given the focus on magic and its surrounding conflict, Immortals of Aveum is obviously a fantasy story at its core. Much like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings before it, imagination runs wild here as otherworldly designs and mystifying sights leap off the screen. Rather than relying on fantasy purely as set dressing, however, a key strength of Aveum is how it really leans into the quirkiness typified by the genre.

I laughed at one point as Kirkan began talking to me from another location. How does she communicate from across the battlefield you ask? Why, through a magical floating rock that displays her face, of course. No further explanation required. It’s perfectly fantastical and just works for the game. How Aveum channels this over-the-top energy works wonders. While there is a very serious war raging on, one with dire consequences mind you, the game never loses focus of that ‘fun’ element, not taking itself too seriously at every turn as to become tiresome and drab.

Addicting FPS gameplay with a shockingly high skill ceiling

In case you hadn’t yet pieced it together from our gushing over the story, the world’s depth, and the business risks in play behind it all, Immortals of Aveum is actually a video game, and a damn good one at that.

If you’re an FPS savant, you’ll feel right at home here despite peculiarities on the surface. As a Triarch, Jak is capable of wielding all three types of magic present in Aveum. It’s on you to pick and choose how you harness these distinct powers and how you optimize their use in any combat scenario.

One type may feel similar to a semi-automatic rifle, allowing you to pick off targets from afar. Another can blast enemies back from close-range, effectively serving as a shotgun. Across the board, fundamentals are rock solid as the team at Ascendant spent a full year nailing down and refining the core gameplay loop before adding new variables to the equation. Casting each ability is fast and snappy, damaging targets with each magic type is tactile and responsive, and movement is exceptional as you reposition between actions. It’s on par with the best in its class in terms of pure FPS mechanics.

Thanks to some fairly aggressive AI along with a diverse range of enemy types, you’re constantly on your toes while exploring Aveum. Around every corner is a new challenge as a number of targets sense your presence and force a reaction. Cycling through magic types is the name of the game. Which piece of your arsenal is best to solve the problem before you? What ability may turn the tide in your favor? Where can you reposition to find the best vantage point before chaos ensues? It may look incomprehensible while spectating, but with a controller in hand, it becomes somewhat of a rhythmic puzzle-solving act, one you’re always seeking to optimize.

It helps too then, that the game prioritizes fluidity. Nothing ever really halts your momentum. Need to heal up? That can be done at the press of a button while retaining full control over your weapons and movement. No slowing down. Looking to brace for impact as enemy fire comes your way? Again, touch a button and your shield will emerge, yet still keeping the rest of your kit in play without ever bogging you down. It’s smart game design that promotes constant engagement in the heat of the moment, opposed to more passive play where you stay in one place and take potshots on repeat.

Nowhere is this exemplified better than in the game’s boss fights. While standard encounters test your skills, nothing pushes you to innovate quite like these specially designed challenges. Whether they’re fast-moving beasts with varied attacks or slower targets with colossal health pools, the rush of figuring out a solution with your expansive toolkit is always a treat. In some cases, these fights essentially become bullet-hell levels though from a first-person perspective. How you survive is entirely down to you. Player expression is paramount in Aveum and it often feels like your own approach is just one of many strategies that could be employed.

Through all of this, we haven’t even mentioned an expansive loot pool on offer, one that boasts not only new stat lines with upgraded gear, but even game-changing new abilities and different weapons too. At one stage in the latter half of the demo, I found a new option for my blue magic. Before, I would tap the trigger for semi-auto long-range shots. With this new piece of equipment, I could instead hold the trigger down to charge a powerful javelin. It completely changed how I thought about using that particular part of my arsenal.

On top of that, there’s an enormous list of upgradeable talents to pick and choose as well, all of which can help benefit your preferred playstyle. And again, this is just what we came across in our brief session from two vertical slices. It’s safe to say there’s plenty of meat on the bone here and that the promise of a 25-hour FPS ‘epic’ is indeed accurate.

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Even with this lengthy write-up, there’s still so much more left to discuss with Immortals of Aveum. From the gameplay itself to the unbelievably well-defined universe that surrounds it, there hasn’t been a AAA-caliber release bursting at the seams with creativity like this in quite some time.

It’s already an awe-inspiring achievement the dev team at Ascendent Studios should be immensely proud of, not only for pulling it off, but for doing it their way. If the full release sticks the landing on July 20, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see this next EA Originals gem sneak its way onto some Game of the Year lists down the line. I truly can’t wait to dive back in and see what the full game has in store.