After Ghost Recon: Breakpoint's launch troubles, Ubisoft decided to delay a number of games, including Gods and Monsters, which fully re-emerged today with a new name, Immortals: Fenyx Rising. Game Rant got the chance to go hands-on with Immortals during a remote press event ahead of Ubisoft Forward, and after spending a few hours with the game, it's clear that the extra time in the oven was worth it.
Ubisoft notoriously has trouble when debuting new franchises. The first Assassin's Creed set the stage for the vastly improved AC2, many of the complaints surrounding Watch Dogs were addressed in its sequel, and so on. It's reasonable that fans might be a bit apprehensive about Immortals given that it's a first try, but we walked away from our nearly 3-hour demo excited to see more.
Fans of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Breath of the Wild are going to feel right at home here, because Immortals: Fenyx Rising is essentially a combination of the two. It features the vast open-world and climbable surfaces of Breath of the Wild, but the combat mechanics and gear system of Odyssey. Not only that, but by mixing and matching some of the elements of each, Fenyx Rising addresses many of the complaints found in both games.
There is no weapon degradation, so players don't have to worry about swords splintering into one thousand pieces after a few swings. Some of the best quality of life improvements found in other Ubisoft titles — like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's transmog outfit system — are already present, so Ubisoft is incorporating tried and true systems along with these bold new elements.
The game features a variety of regions, each one inspired by a different god and distinct in its own way. During the demo, we got to explore Hephestaios' region, the god of fire, hammer, anvil, and forge. The inspiration here is immediately clear, as the region is earthy with embers floating about in some areas, and our primary mission had us firing up a massive forge. Off in the distance, we could make out some of the game's other regions, and they did look distinct from one another, at least at a distance.
Combat is fast-paced, similar to what one would expect from the newer Assassin's Creed games, though the abilities were a bit more fantastical and often inspired by the gods themselves. In the demo, we weren't allowed to swap out abilities, though they will be customizable when the full game drops. However, we were able to slam down a massive hammer that would erase a significant portion of a health bar, call in a bird companion to attack enemies, rapidly dash into opponents, and had the ability to shoot massive spears out of the ground.
The combat abilities generally felt fun to use, each one consuming stamina that's regained through combat, making fights feel speedy. Dodging is just a button away, and timing it properly will slow the game down to allow for counter-attacks against a foe. Enemies vary in size by quite a bit, from common footsoldiers to three-headed dogs, and even massive ones like Lieutenant Brontes, a huge glowing cyclops that appeared as part of a world challenge.
Abilities don't stop at combat, either. Fenyx is able to glide through the world with wings and make objects levitate for puzzles and challenges. One of the most versatile was the bow, which allows players to steer arrows in a similar fashion to the Assassin's Creed games. Rather than being just for combat, the bow is used in a number of world puzzles in Immortals and in a variety of ways.
Fenyx Rising lets players climb almost any surface, too, the exception being certain dungeons. The movement while climbing didn't feel as fluid as Breath of the Wild's, but it didn't feel bad, either. There's a stamina bar that ticks down as players move, though it can be refilled using potions, which are refilled at stations around the world.
There's a certain allure to climbing the structures in Fenyx Rising because of how interesting they are. It's handy to be able to climb up a cliff face out of a valley, sure, but making the way to the top of a massive statue of a god then gliding off is far more entertaining of an endeavor, and the game captures that well.
If combat and climbing aren't quite a player's favorite flavor, there are other puzzles and challenges scattered throughout the world too. One of these involves unlocking orbs from smaller puzzles in a specific area, then arranging them as a constellation. The puzzles aren't overly challenging, but they do require players to consider their entire toolset, something few games manage to do successfully, but it works well here.
One of the more interesting aspects of the game is its overall tone. Despite the apocalypse scenario of Typhon returning, the game is pretty lighthearted, being narrated by Zeus and Prometheus as they playfully interact with each other. Some of it is legitimately funny, and it's refreshing to see a game not taking itself too seriously.
There are areas where the game could be improved, of course. With such a big open world to explore and the open-ended nature the game offers, it would be nice to see some more systemic design makes it way in. For instance, shooting an arrow through fire will ignite it, but that fire can't spread throughout the world as one might expect. Features like that would greatly expand player's capabilities, though with the range of abilities in the world, there may be reasons that it was omitted.
Overall, Immortals Fenyx Rising shows a lot of promise for Ubisoft. It's bound to draw comparisons to Breath of the Wild from multiple angles, which puts it in an interesting position. It's a lot more structured, with clearer quest objectives and reliable equipment, but those that enjoyed Breath of the Wild's reactive world may not find it as enjoyable.
Of course, the game still isn't finished yet, so a lot could change between now and release. Based on our demo, Immortals is one of the more interesting projects of the year, and there are plenty of places that Ubisoft could choose to take it.
Immortals Fenyx Rising will release December 3 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.