I first caught a trailer forImmortals of Aveumduring a games showcase. The idea of having magic function like the guns of afirst-person shooterwas fascinating to me as a concept, and then came some of the game’s humorous dialogue, which was decently funny.
I’ve seen a lot of people compare Immortals of Aveum toCall of Dutyand other well-known FPS games, but the unique gameplay hook and the quips reminded me personally of a cult classic by the name ofBulletstorm. And after getting my hands on the game, I have to say, I’m shocked at how close I called it.
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Bulletstorm deserves more of an introduction than “cult classic”; it was a gritty comedy byPeople Can Flythat offered tons of unique gameplay elements along with fun guns, and it took more than a few potshots at FPS games of the time. The story and characters were full of clichés, also of the time, but it managed to be loved by a lot of the people who played it. This did not translate to sales.
So fans of the game like myself have lamented its death, despite also having a great remaster and a recent announcement of a VR port. And now, on top of all of that, Immortals of Aveum happens to carry on some of the gameplay legacy.
The biggest gameplay feature the two have in common is the Lash ability. Early on in both Bulletstorm and Immortals, you gain a device on your left hand that shoots a long blue whip that brings far away enemies directly to you. Yep, same color and same hand! My reflexes from Bulletstorm immediately came back to me; I started to slaughter enemies by Lashing them and blowing them apart with Red magic, which is Immortals' magic version of a shotgun.
Or Lashing them straight into a melee attack, which is something I also think is worth comparing. In Bulletstorm, your melee attack was a kick that could send enemies far back, and while the melee in Immortals is a punch, the force behind it is nearly as strong. Lash an enemy into a punch, and they sometimes end up halfway back to where you Lashed them from in the first place. Perfect for all those times the space between you and the enemy is a bottomless pit.
The Lash is the biggest similarity between the two games, and consideringElectronic Artswas the publisher on both, I do honestly think this may be an homage. We’ll have to wait for a developer to confirm or deny this idea, but either way, it does perfectly capture why this mechanic was so much fun. It’s different from the grappling hooks that many modern games include, flinging enemies towards you instead of you flying to them (unless you Lash larger minibosses, so fair warning on that), and it’s rarely a traversal tool outside forced moments.
Speaking of modern games, the most significant difference between Immortals and Bulletstorm is how modern Immortals feels, and that still makes it come across as a spiritual sequel in my eyes. No, I’m not stretching a definition to prove my point—remember I said Bulletstorm was a game made of its time that poked fun at current FPS games and was riddled with then-current storytelling tropes? Immortals is instead a game with a unique gameplay hook in a genre that was previously overcrowded, full of richer character moments, dialogue packed with quips that bring levity for some of the heavier story bits, and weapon and items drops that come in different rarities with a color code to match.
As in, it’s a game that feels very of-the-time.
Even within the confines of adhering to modern gaming, Immortals and Bulletstorm both managed to take traversal ideas you just didn’t see with the genre. In Bulletstorm, believe it or not, you could not jump. A controversial idea, despite the game beingdesignedaround the fact you couldn’t naturally jump, instead having context-sensitive moments and usually asking you to slide instead. These power slides also let you slam into enemies.
As for Immortals, not only can you jump, but you can double jump and later add a hover to that. I won’t claim Immortals is the first to use these ideas for the genre, but the combat opens up by having these features. Just like how I often started fights in Bulletstorm by seeing enemies and sliding into them from far away, I entered a lot of fights in Immortals by double jumping over them and blasting from above. I use double jump to dodge far more than I use the shield, and after getting hover, I practically dance above the enemies as I wipe them out. Both are vastly different approaches to the common concept of jumping, but both manage to be uniquely fun replacements, even if Immortals also features a regular jump.
Immortals of Aveum honestly feelsexactlylike if Bulletstorm finally got that sequel all these years later—just as quippy, still swearing when it felt like it, but shredding a lot of the now-outdated concepts Bulletstorm had to settle with. LessGears Of Warand moreDestiny, if you will. Not that either is better; just that Bulletstorm was about light mocking of current FPS games while alsobeinglike those games. I dare say the double jump is now the only way I’d want a second Bulletstorm to add jumping! Either stay without it or go hog wild now that someone else did it first.
If the sequel hook at the end of Bulletstorm still leaves you wanting, it’s a little too easy to pretend this is that sequel. As for players of Immortals itching for more uniquely funny FPS games that occasionally make you care, you may have something to check out too. I feel fans of one game are destined to be fans of the other. They had even more in common than the trailers hinted, and this is a niche many will be happy finally got filled.
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