Immortals of Aveum is an upcoming ambitious project from Ascendant Studios, one that fuses FPS gameplay akin to Call of Duty with magic perhaps more fitting to Magic: The Gathering. Immortals of Aveum looked to past games like Hexen, while trying to forge ahead with something truly unique for the studio.
In a recent interview with Jim Ingraham, the UI Lead at Ascendant Studios, Game Rant got a glimpse into Immortals of Aveum’s magic gameplay and the efforts the team is putting into making it a truly immersive and fun experience.
Immortals of Aveum is set in a fictional world defined by wars over the control of magic. The game follows Jak, who joins the Order of Immortals and sets out to defeat the Rasharnian nation. Jak is known as a Triarch Magnus, a rare kind of spellcaster that can cast all three colors of magic: red, blue, and green.
During the interview, Ingraham discussed the power and spectacle of magic in the game. In a five-year journey of collaboration and iteration, Ingraham explained that the team sought to deliver an experience that packs a punch and leaves players in awe. According to Ingraham, the team worked hard to ensure Immortals of Aveum's visuals were a spectacle all their own. He further explained this was due primarily to the team’s strong communication and ample feedback that ultimately helped them through the development process.
“The key thing that I love about our studio is we really work closely together, all of us. We're always talking to each other, we're always playing the game, we're always looking at different things, and we're giving feedback to each other. All the departments collaborate to give that feedback and also receive that feedback and say, like, ‘Hey, how can we tweak this’ or ‘how can we tweak that’.”
The magic in Immortals of Aveum is not just a tool, but an extension of the protagonist, Jak. Ingraham explains that early in the game, Jak's magic manifests in a wild and uncontrollable manner, akin to X-Men's Cyclops without his visor. However, through the use of Sigils, Jak gains the ability to harness and control his magic, transforming it into focused and devastating spells.
“So how it kind of works is that the spells are coming from Jak himself, like the magic is being manifested by Jak. As a Battle mage, he's got all this power, and early in the game, that's shown where it all of a sudden manifests in him. We call it Wild Magic, where you have this power but you can't exactly control it.”
To achieve the impactful and satisfying feel of using magic in combat, the team drew inspiration from the punchy weapon mechanics of Call of Duty, leveraging the expertise of individuals who had worked on the popular franchise. Immortals of Aveum aimed to fill the void often seen in magic-based games where the strength and impact of magic can sometimes feel lacking. The team at Ascendant Studios invested significant time and effort in crafting effects that deliver both the power of a CoD weapon and the spectacle of magic. The result is a combat experience that packs a punch and leaves players in awe of their own abilities.
“We also have a lot of other people from Call of Duty, and those always bring a big punch. That's one of the major sorts of pillars, if you will, of that gameplay experience. We really wanted to do that, too, and that's one of the things that we recognize as lacking overall. In games with magic, whether it be MMOs, RPGs, or whatever, that strength is something that's lacking. Being able to provide that then was paramount for us.”
According to Ingraham, the Immortals of Aveum team also aimed to provide players with distinct gameplay styles that cater to different preferences, which ultimately ensured an even more powerful experience. The interplay between these magic colors, along with control spells, fury spells, and sigils, further alongside the spectacle and power of its spellcasting, creates a wealth of gameplay variation, ensuring that players can find their preferred playstyle and enjoy a truly dynamic and engaging experience.
Immortals of Aveum launches July 20, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.