Immortals of Aveum is the latest high-fantasy single-player game, earning comparisons to games such as Godfall or shows such as League of Legends’ Arcane. In a setting and genre such as this, it is easy to be overwhelmed by how immense its world and lore could be, and Immortals seems to throw a lot of terminology at fans all at once. Trailers explain that Jak joins the Order of the Immortals as a new champion battlemage of Lucium and an elite Triarch Magnus. That may be a lot to process without proper knowledge of the narrative, but its gameplay will feel familiar to Ghostwire: Tokyo fans.
Indeed, Immortals’ bread-and-butter is magical FPS gameplay. Jak and other characters wield devices on their forearms that seemingly allow them to cast magic, which is fired and summoned through dual hand sign casting. The gameplay shown from Immortals’ official reveal trailer seems fluid with a lot of enemies and magic spells being cast at any given time. These hand animations are perhaps one of the most interesting parts of what was shown, and it would not be surprising to hear if Ghostwire: Tokyo had been an inspiration in deciding to have Immortals’ magic cast this way.
Ghostwire: Tokyo Brought Cool Hand Sign Casting to FPS Games
Besides its Japanese folklore and Tokyo setting, Ghostwire: Tokyo is easily most known for its dual hand spell-casting. Possessed by an allied spirit, Ghostwire’s protagonist can cast elemental spells from his hands, and in doing so the game becomes a magic-wielding FPS where the hands seen on screen perform intricate signs when casting. This was a unique means of hand animation for an FPS game; Ghostwire shows why a Doctor Strange game with similar mechanics would be enjoyable. Hand casting is particularly satisfying in Ghostwire when players yank Visitor cores out of their chests, which conjures ethereal strings the player pulls on and bends in order to pry each core free.
However, Ghostwire’s Ethereal magic was relatively simple in terms of what players could cast since it all revolved around different elements. Immortals’ abilities are not clearly defined, though it does appear as if it has a Lash ability where players can reel in enemies to close the distance. There are many fun implementations of hand spell-casting in Ghostwire, and that could take off as well as a unique visual feature in Immortals of Aveum.
Immortals of Aveum’s Storytelling Will Make or Break How Stylish It Looks
Ghostwire: Tokyo had a lot fewer particles, colors, and effects on the screen at once, but maybe that is in Immortals of Aveum’s best interest. Ghostwire had fun enemy encounters, but climactic or deeply engaging battles are few and far between compared to Immortals' hectic battles that fill the screen with magic properties. Much of Ghostwire also had to do with idle exploration of a modern Tokyo, and Immortals may be more action-dense. Immortals may have taken no inspiration from Ghostwire at all, but the similarities in their hand casting is unmistakable.
Either way, this is an incredibly fun and distinct way to issue magic-based FPS gameplay, particularly in a world that is teeming with the most luxurious and ethereal fantasy imagery EA can muster. Otherwise, Immortals seems to be dipping heavily into cinematic cutscenes with identifiable acting talent to round out its storytelling, cementing it as a single-player EA game that could help turn attention away from a swathe of recent multiplayer games.
Immortals of Aveum launches July 20 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.