Immortals Of Aveum review: No fluff, pure gaming in this first-person shooter with a focus on magic

You play as Jak, who can draw magic from leylines to fuel his powers, and who must end the Everwar to save Aveum. (Image from Immortals of Aveum/Ascendant Studios)

Reviewed on Playstation 5. Also available on Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S and Windows Review code provided by Games The Shop.

It’s 2023, you’re seeing video game developers battling it out to bring shocking narratives, stunning graphics, going the extra mile with accessibility, and creating mammoth universes with their products. However, in this race to bring hundred-hour games, debut developer Ascendant Studios brings Immortals Of Aveum – an action-packed, satisfying moderately long video game that simply provides exactly what it is – a no fluff, pure gaming experience that everyone loves and that stays with you forever. After nearly 20 hours of being placed at the edge of the seat, here’s our review of Immortals Of Aveum.

Run And Gun Magic

Remember the games that you could simply pick up, dive into and go for it with none of the adrenaline compromised? Immortals Of Aveum offers precisely that except this first-person shooter focuses on magic in its run and gun experience. If you were a gamer back in the early 2000s, you’d remember underrated gems Bulletstorm, Wolfenstein: The New Order or Shadow Warrior. Immortals Of Aveum offers a very similar vibe while still remaining fresh in this zone with its different approaches to enemies, skill trees and character development. You’re introduced to the simplest of mechanics in your arsenal that expands over time and gets progressively harder to master. Presence of mind is everything in this game, knowing which skills to use in which situations and when to pop that extra mana or health.

Satisfactory story

We won’t lie, the story is a little complicated right off the bat. The nomenclature feels like they’ve worked extra hard to create names that would probably never stick with you, but an attempt has been made nonetheless that somehow fits the bill. You play as Jak, a young magni who can draw magic from leylines to fuel his powers. The world, Aveum, is in a perpetual conflict known as the Everwar and it’s up to to Jak to bring this to a closure and save the world. Yes, that’s a lot to draw already but it all falls in place as you beast through the pandemonium that ensues.

The studio has also spared no expense with the cast bringing the powerhouses Darren Barnet of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever fame and Gina Torres from hit TV Series Suits to play the main protagonist and supporting character, respectively. Powerful voice acting with familiar voices delivers the mood that the developers have tried to set and overall makes a rather mediocre story enjoyable.

Gina Torres from hit TV Series Suits plays the supporting character in Immortals of Aveum.

On-The-Fly Weapon Shifting

Weapons, known as Sigils in the game, are magic shooters that are colour-coded. Simple to remember, blue is your purposeful singular shots like a classic bolt-action rifle, green is akin to mini-guns which offer higher fire rates and lower damage while red is a slower-paced slug shot like a double barrel at close range. Each weapon has its own pros and cons, upgradeable as per your playstyle and comfort. Mix and match based on the situation on the battlefield to emerge victorious over the challenging enemies. You also have support weapons such as a lash that grapples enemies – bringing them either closer to you or pulling yourself closer to them if they’re big (yep, very Bulletstorm). You also have a stun bolt as well as vials that slow down enemies and the world around you. Your block is limited and can break by taking damage over time. How you utilize all these features is totally up to you.

I especially loved the swapping animation between sigils making it extremely aesthetic on the fly. The whole gamut of sigil options can begin to seem overwhelming but take your time to go through them before making purchase decisions. You also have multiple gear such as totems, rings and bracers which give added stats to your character’s strengths and powers. Upgrade or craft them as you see fit based on your play style.

The weapons, or Sigils, are colour-coded.

Robust skill tree

As is expected with three different magic types, you also have three different skill trees. Each one offers their own advantages in terms of damage output, cooldown times, additional dodges and more. The good thing about the game is that it lets you carefully peruse each skill tree before making purchase decisions so that your playstyle is met. You’re given the option to reset your skill tree but it does come at a cost.

Visual and auditory gem

Immortals Of Aveum truly shines in its combat moments, particularly in brighter areas. Selectively, the cutscenes too tend to look brilliant but sometimes can hilariously fail with facial expressions. But being more focused on the gameplay, this can easily be forgiven since the game itself is extremely enjoyable.

The sound design with sigil switches and shooting is thoroughly satisfying. Put on a pair of 7.1 headsets to get the most of this as the immersion of it only keeps you glued to the controller.

(from Immortals of Aveum)

Simplistic world with secrets in every corner

Once you’ve progressed through a fair amount of the story, you are free to go back to previously discovered locations. This is where the world design truly shines, with multiple treasure chests to be found with your new skills and paths unlocked based on the puzzles you solve. The map structure has a lot of verticality to it, meaning you have to carefully peer over caverns and cliffs to find hidden secrets. Achievement hunters are sure to love this one.

Several locations also offer special areas called Shroudfanes. These are mysterious regions that offer different kinds of challenges to gain special rewards. Be sure to check every one of them out to gain an advantage in the main story.

Should you play Immortals Of Aveum?

Immortals Of Aveum offers that great old-school game feeling with a modern touch. Pick up, blitz through it at a stretch and come out of it feeling absolutely fulfilled. There’s a lot to love in a great run and gun first-person shooter experience that stands out in the crowd and little to look down upon in the sea of sameness that it could have been a part of if not for the care put into it by the developers.

Note to readers: At the time of publishing, news reports say independent American Ascendant Studios has laid off nearly half its staff following low sales. This news has not affected this review, which is based purely on the writer's experience of playing it for roughly 20 hours.