With Immortals of Aveum, EA will release a shooter in summer 2023 that completely dispenses with classic firearms. But can that go well?
What kind of game is this? Immortals of Aveum is an upcoming first-person shooter that is being developed by Ascendant Studios and published by EA Originals. The release is already on July 20, 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series and PC (Steam, Epic, EA).
The special thing about the single-player title is that Immortals of Aveum does without guns and instead relies on magic – even though it’s a first-person shooter.
You take on the role of Jak, a talented young man who has joined an elite group of battle mages to save the world from destruction. On your way, you will use your magical powers to fight hordes of enemies and fight boss battles.
You can see the first gameplay trailer for Immortals of Aveum here:
Immortals of Aveum – First gameplay trailer
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Can a shooter go well without guns?
What players say: Some users express doubts on YouTube under the gameplay trailer. Many are bothered by the magical attacks. It seems as if these have no effect on the opponents (via YouTube).
In general, there was some criticism for the gameplay shown. One user writes, “I don’t see anything particularly compelling about the gameplay.” Others find that the gameplay shown has too many colorful effects and it is difficult to see what is happening to the opponents behind the effects.
Such a problem usually does not exist in a normal shooter when firing a shot at an NPC with a rifle. With magic attacks comes chaos, says one commenter: “When the player casts magic, it’s chaotic, so many things are happening at the same time.”
Are there comparable shooters? Yes and no. A shooter that does completely without weapons and instead shoots magic attacks out of its hands seems like an innovative idea. Despite this, some games have similar aspects, such as the hero shooter Overwatch.
In Overwatch there is not only chaos and lots of bright colors, but heroes whose weapons are not classic rifles. The geneticist Moira doesn’t use an assault rifle, but rather a beam that either gives or takes life. The monk Zenyatta uses his spiritual power to create “Orbs of Destruction” and shoot at enemies with a wave of his hand.
On top of that, loot shooters like Destiny and Outriders have class abilities that do area damage with fire attacks, for example. Of course, assault rifles and pistols play a decisive role in both titles, but individual skills show that it is also possible without them.
Who could this be interesting for? The gameplay of Immortals of Aveum is aimed more at shooter players who are also fantasy fans. If you like realistic games like Escape from Tarkov and Squad, then you may not be happy with the magic adventure.
However, if you switched over to Elder Scrolls Online after the Titanfall 2 story, you should probably have no problem with the magic shooter. The title may also be interesting for players of Overwatch 2, Destiny 2 and Outriders.
Ultimately, the quality of delivery will also play a role in the success of Immortals of Aveum. Criticized aspects such as the hit effect or the disproportionate effects should be addressed before the release if EA wants to avoid another anthem.
The most recent example of a less than optimal “EA Originals” release is the hunting game Wild Hearts, which wanted to innovatively expand the genre with a building system:
5 reasons why EA’s new €80 game is such a bad flop – Despite scoring 80% on Metacritic