Two years in the past as we speak, probably the greatest video games of 2023 launched. No, it is not the one you are in all probability pondering of. Not that one both. It is Immortals of Aveum, child, Ascendant Studios’ 2023 FPS that answered the query, “How ‘bout capturing with magic as a substitute of weapons?”
The reply to that query, it turned out, was a convincing “oh, hell yeah!” Spearheaded by a former Name of Responsibility dev, you may really feel that collection’ ethos coursing by way of the marketing campaign, although utilizing magic for weapons is frankly approach cooler than sniper rifles or SMGs. The magic in Aveum‘s world falls into three classes: blue, inexperienced, and pink, which management like precision rifles, automated firearms, and shotguns, respectively. Most characters on this planet of Immortals of Aveum can solely make the most of one kind of magic, however you play as Jak, the sport’s Particular Boy who can use all three colours of magic to quell his enemies.
Swapping between the three magic varieties throughout battle provides a lightweight puzzle mechanic to your typical gun fights. You need to match Jak’s magic to a foe’s color-coded well being bar to greatest take them down, serving to to maintain Immortals‘ fight from feeling senseless and including a pleasant wrinkle that’ll hold you engaged.
Jak additionally obtains a magic protect, grappling hook, and a blast wave capacity, amongst others, as the sport progresses, making certain his arsenal isn’t mild on methods to filter out enemies. He can unleash a robust magic beam that makes use of all three colours of magic, and all of this successfully makes Jak-without-a-C a one-man military.
I gained’t extol the virtues of Immortals of Aveum’s story; it’s serviceable, and does its job in shifting Jak and the opposite characters from one encounter to the following. However we ain’t right here for the story; we’re right here as a result of we wish to shotgun an enemy to the face with Jak’s magic arm growth cannon.
Immortals of Aveum launched precisely two years in the past as we speak on Aug. 22, 2023. That yr was a giant one for video video games (maybe you’ve heard of Baldur’s Gate 3, I don’t know), and late summer time to early fall was an particularly good time to be a gamer. Baldur’s Gate 3, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Sea of Stars, and Starfield all got here out inside weeks of one another on both facet of Immortals of Aveum, and that’s to say nothing of later releases like Alan Wake 2, Lies of P, or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. So, I’m not shocked Immortals of Aveum struggled to search out an viewers on the time.
It took a swing in bringing some originality to the FPS style, even when FPS followers are simply going to gravitate towards a brand new Name of Responsibility or Battlefield anyway. Immortals of Aveum might have swung and missed when it launched, but it surely’s sport nonetheless value celebrating, in a approach — even when celebrating solely means making an attempt it out for an hour on Recreation Cross or PS Plus. (For individuals who like proudly owning video games, it’s incessantly on sale, and is $10.49 for Xbox in the meanwhile.)
So, transfer over, Be An Angel Day and Nationwide Surgical Oncologist Day. We’ve obtained a brand new vacation to have fun on Aug. 22: Comfortable Immortals of Aveum Day, y’all.

