This unique and lighthearted take on Greek mythology sees you adopt the role of Fenyx. Fenyx is a demigod tasked with helping four Olympian gods who have been robbed of their godly powers. It is up to Fenyx to help retrieve these godly powers. To do this, he has to topple the formidable Typhon in this stunning, sprawling open-world adventure from Ubisoft. Read on for our Immortals Fenyx Rising review.
Among gods
The Olympian gods have their godly powers and essences taken by Typhon. Typhon has been imprisoned under a mountain by Zeus but managed to escape to exact his revenge. It is up to Fenyx to retrieve these powers in order to stop Typhon from continuing his takeover. With each successful mission, Fenyx is rewarded with all manner of things. From Zeus’s Lightning bolts to treasure and even godly powers of his own. These all help Fenyx prepare for the final showdown with Typhon.
The story begins with Zeus and Prometheus conversing. The latter is telling Zeus the story of how Fenyx came to be washed up on the Golden Isle following a shipwreck. Fenyx discovers that all of the residents have been turned to stone and he sets out to learn why.
Explore to your heart’s content
As with most open world titles, exploration is key, and the same is true of Ubisoft’s Immortals Fenyx Rising. You’ll explore the sprawling world before you either by foot, wing or even mount. During your exploration, several new missions and tasks will make themselves known as you happen by them. You will soon have a plethora of tasks to choose from. Each of these tasks adds a little more to the story and overall experience than the last.
Combat feels fast-paced yet well-defined as mere button-bashing won’t be enough to win most battles. To be successful, you have to fight smart. Stringing attacks together (often against numerous powerful enemies simultaneously), determining the best places to stand, take cover and attack from and deciding which godly powers to invoke (and when) all make for an enthralling battle each and every time.
Becoming a god
There does come a point when Fenyx is so powerful that each battle is over in mere seconds regardless of the enemies’ level. A perfect example of this is when battling Typhon. I spent over 100 hours building Fenyx’s abilities and attributes up to a point where he went into the final battle as the more powerful opponent! This is why difficulty levels exist. They should be adjusted to whatever you feel gives you the most rewarding experience.
Fenyx’s stamina level is the key to success in Immortals Fenyx Rising. It is used to enable Fenyx to enact powerful moves against foes. It is also used to climb structures and to also traverse the map by air. The longer you do these activities, the more your stamina depletes. When there is nothing left, you will float straight down to the ground or whatever awaits below.
Spread your wings
Flying is probably the best and most gratifying way to travel in Immortals Fenyx Rising. One of the most satisfying aspects of the game is standing on top of an enormous structure and then leaping off. Spreading your beautiful wings and gliding, quite literally, across the lush and vibrant landscape below.
As Fenyx earns more rewards throughout the game via trials, Vaults and missions, he is able to level up several abilities and characteristics. This includes his stamina and health. Keep this up, and soon enough Fenyx will have enough stamina to battle effortlessly. It will also allow him to soar further and faster through the air than he has before.
A challenging solo experience
There is no multiplayer mode in Immortals Fenyx Rising, which could lead to some battles becoming tedious due to their difficulty and having to go in solo. It would be great to be able to call upon friends to drop in and assist where needed. Like in The Division 2, as some elements require concentration to complete and a second pair of hands – or wings – would be helpful. Achieving 100% completion requires a lot of effort, most likely across multiple playthroughs. There is so much to find, do, achieve and complete that it is rare for anybody to do it in a single playthrough.
The main thing that comes to mind are Vault tasks – these are typically multi-layered puzzle challenges of varying difficulty that require a significant amount of time to complete in some cases, so to achieve top marks in each one is unlikely. As such, some may wish to return to said Vaults once they have completed more of the story. The only caveat with that is that once you complete the story, to play again would reset the entire story but there is no need to worry as you will still possess all of your abilities, powers and levels – the story will simply start over again.
Aesthetically complex
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a beautiful game. The graphics are stunning and all of the characters have smooth, cartoon-like features and qualities, although the level of complex detail is truly remarkable; this sparks a simultaneously perfect junction between simple and complex elements alike. The best example of this is demonstrated in the skin of the gods – you will notice a golden sparkle to their skin and, in some cases, what appear to be star charts dotted within them too.
The voice acting and sound effects are expertly executed – every character sounds as one would imagine they should sound and each swish of the sword and sweep of the axe sounds sublime. In addition to that, the background music is exquisite; it not only plays discreetly in the background, but it also adjusts flawlessly according to the scenario that Fenyx is in. For example: if Fenyx is exploring, the music is gentle and subtle, yet when Fenyx happens upon some enemies, the music melts perfectly into a faster, more tense beat, often featuring drums and even bells in some cases.
Conclusion
I have been gaming for over three decades, and given how much there is to do in Immortals Fenyx Rising, this is still one of the most relaxing and pleasurable gaming experiences that I have ever had. The art is stunning from the very onset, the voice acting, sound effects and music are spot-on and the story is simply remarkable.
Whether you want to fight your way through one horde of enemies after the next or quite literally glide around on any set of numerous wings and explore the vast, stunning landscape, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a true gem of a gaming experience and will live on in your mind long after the final axe swing. That was it for our Immortals Fenyx Rising review.
Pros:
- Unique and immersive puzzles.
- Utterly stunning scenery (hence the photo mode).
- Completing Vault puzzles feels especially rewarding.
- The slow-burn build-up to battling Typhon throughout the game is perfect.
Cons:
- No multiplayer
- Some Vault tasks are complex, can lead to frustration and will require several attempts.
Grade: 9
Immortals Fenyx Rising is playable through Amazon Luna, GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. This review was made by Mus from PapaBear Gaming. You can check out his channel right here.