Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: Ubisoft
- Full Name: Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Release Date: December 3, 2020
- Released on: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
- Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
Greek mythology has always been one of my favorite subjects, so when I saw Immortals Fenyx Rising embracing that lore, I was immediately intrigued. The promise of exploring a world filled with gods, monsters, and mythical tales was too good to pass up. The humor and colorful visuals also set it apart from other mythological games, making it feel fresh and fun.
While the game delivers on many of those promises, it doesn’t come without its flaws. If you know your Greek myths, you’ll appreciate many of the references and jokes, but even that knowledge might not save you from some repetitive gameplay and a bloated open world.
Story and setting
Plot overview
The story follows Fenyx, a mortal tasked with saving the gods from Typhon, a monstrous Titan who seeks to overthrow Olympus. Along the way, Fenyx encounters gods like Zeus and Hermes, and battles legendary creatures from Greek mythology. The narrative is framed as a comedic retelling by Zeus and Prometheus, which adds a humorous twist to the classic tales.
While the humor is entertaining at first, it can become a bit overbearing. The constant jokes sometimes undercut the more epic moments, making it hard to take the story seriously. However, the game does a great job of weaving in Greek mythology, and if you’re familiar with the myths, you’ll enjoy spotting the references and twists.
World building and immersion
The world of Immortals Fenyx Rising is vibrant and filled with areas inspired by different gods, each with its own unique theme. Exploring the Golden Isle is rewarding, with plenty of secrets, puzzles, and challenges to discover. However, the world can feel a bit empty at times, with long stretches of travel between points of interest.
Character development
Fenyx is a likable protagonist, and the interactions with the gods add personality to the story. The gods are portrayed as flawed and humorous, which is true to their mythological roots. However, character development takes a backseat to the gameplay, and most of the narrative beats are fairly predictable.
Emotional impact
The story doesn’t hit the emotional highs of other games in the genre. It’s more focused on humor and lighthearted storytelling, which works well for the game’s tone but may leave players wanting more depth.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 7
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The gameplay is a mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. Combat is fast-paced and satisfying, with a variety of weapons and abilities to unlock. The puzzles, scattered across the world in the form of Vaults of Tartaros, are reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s shrines.
The puzzles are fun at first, but they can start to feel repetitive, especially since many of them rely on similar mechanics. The game also includes a stamina system for climbing, swimming, and gliding, which can be frustrating at times, especially early on when your stamina is limited.
Difficulty and balance
The game offers a fair challenge, with difficulty options that allow players to tailor the experience to their preference. The boss fights against legendary creatures and Greek heroes are highlights, requiring strategy and skill to defeat. However, the regular enemies can become repetitive after a while.
Pacing of the game
The pacing is a bit uneven. The main story moves along at a decent pace, but the open-world design encourages exploration and side quests, which can slow things down. Some players may enjoy the freedom to explore, while others might find the game’s length a bit bloated.
Innovation and uniqueness
While Immortals Fenyx Rising borrows heavily from other games, particularly Breath of the Wild, it does enough to set itself apart with its humor and Greek mythology theme. The combat and puzzle mechanics are solid, but they don’t feel particularly innovative.
Controls and user interface
The controls are responsive and intuitive, which is crucial for a game with platforming and combat. The UI is clean and easy to navigate, though the menu system can feel a bit cluttered at times.
Microtransactions
The game does include optional microtransactions for cosmetics and in-game currency, but they’re not intrusive or necessary to enjoy the game.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with an 7.5.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The game’s art style is colorful and cartoony, which suits the humorous tone of the story. The world is beautifully designed, with distinct areas inspired by different gods. However, the graphics aren’t particularly groundbreaking, and some textures and character models can look a bit simplistic.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly on most platforms, with no major performance issues. The load times are reasonable, and the animations are fluid.
Environment and design uniqueness
The world design is creative and visually appealing, but it lacks the sense of wonder and discovery found in some other open-world games. The environments are beautiful but can start to feel repetitive after a while.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 8.0
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is pleasant and fits the game’s tone well. It’s not particularly memorable, but it adds to the atmosphere.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are well-done, with satisfying audio cues for combat and exploration.
Voice Acting
The voice acting is solid, with the performances from Zeus and Prometheus standing out. However, the constant banter can get a bit tiresome.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 7.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The game offers plenty of extra content, including side quests, challenges, and collectibles. There’s also a New Game+ mode for those who want to replay the story with their upgraded character.
Extra Content
If you really want some new content, there is some DLC for new vaults and additional modes to play, but I have not played them, so I have no idea how long these DLC packs are.
Replay value
While there’s a lot to do, the repetitive nature of the gameplay may deter some players from fully exploring everything the game has to offer.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Immortals Fenyx Rising with a 7
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
- Add more variety to puzzles to keep them fresh throughout the game.
- Reduce the amount of filler content to improve pacing.
- Provide more meaningful character development and emotional moments.
Comparisons
Immortals Fenyx Rising draws heavy inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it manages to carve out its own identity with its humor and mythological theme. It’s also similar to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but with a more lighthearted tone.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
One of my favorite moments was fighting Greek heroes like Achilles and Theseus. These encounters felt epic and added a nice touch of mythology to the game. The game’s humorous take on the gods also made me chuckle at times, particularly when Zeus and Prometheus bickered over the story.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Immortals Fenyx Rising, I give it a personal rating of 7,5
Last words
Pros
- Great use of Greek mythology.
- Satisfying combat mechanics.
- Fun puzzles, especially in the Vaults of Tartaros.
- Beautiful, colorful world design.
- Responsive controls.
- Plenty of extra content to explore.
- Humorous storytelling with likable characters.
- Boss fights against Greek heroes are a highlight.
Cons
- Puzzles and gameplay can become repetitive.
- Humor can overshadow serious moments.
- The open world feels a bit bloated.
- Microtransactions, while optional, feel unnecessary.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a fun and lighthearted take on Greek mythology that offers plenty of content for fans of open-world games. While it doesn’t reach the heights of the games it draws inspiration from, it still delivers a solid experience. If you’re familiar with Greek myths, you’ll appreciate the references and humor even more. However, the repetitive gameplay and bloated world may wear thin over time.
FINAL RATING
7
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Finished this game as well and felt similarly to the points you made. The puzzles and all the dungeons were especially irksome when the reward I got at the end was some normal set of armor that had the same effect I think as another pair of armor I had that that point.