Looking back and thinking about the good feelings it caused me Immortals Fenyx Rising in his ad, when he was still Gods & Monsters, I doubt that he was even the least bit close to imagining what he was going to play more than a year later.
Immortals Fenyx Rising not only has it shown me to be one of the covered games of the year, of those games that arrive without making too much noise and turn out to be a big surprise, has also become overnight one of the funniest, most addictive and interesting open worlds that have passed through my hands.
A little here and a little there, but with a lot of personality
Which pointed to a questionable but successful mix between the formula Assassin’s Creed Y The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild it has proven to be much more. The resemblances and inspirations are undeniably there – its creators have publicly acknowledged it – but this precious world and decaffeinated history they do their best to make their mark wherever they step.
The adventure of Fenyx is full of rhythm, good ideas well executed, a story with a touch of humor never seen in this type of games, great fights and hilarious puzzles. An example of affection towards the kind of game they want to do and one more example of how much it shines Ubisoft when you leave behind the Excel tables of your managers.
What 15 hours are more than enough to complete the main story of a huge open world of seven zones and hundreds of secondary objectives gives a good account of that. Here there are no boxes to check to satisfy anyone, just a game as accurate as possible in each of the challenges that arises.
It still lacks something, either due to ambition or because of how much part of its visual design continues to screech at me, which makes it far from a race towards GOTY in which it would have little to do, but believe me when I tell you that the surprise in many respects has been capital
A memorable final stretch
And in that display of enthusiasm, and the desire to do things to your liking, breaking the mold, there are not only the first sections of the game, much more traditional in terms of open worlds. Also a last third that, without mincing words and completely unleashed, it seemed to me spectacular.
Too bad we can’t talk at length about it – there will be time – but imagine what would happen if the map of an open world were a straight line in which to see everything at once. Maintaining a certain freedom of action and decision about what tasks you want or not to face, but a logical path full of secrets that you don’t want to see end.
It is difficult to convey the idea without falling into spoilers or taking control, but keep in mind that for the most part Immortals Fenyx Rising it’s a pretty traditional open world when it comes to style Ubisoft. And that’s where it breaks the mold a bit.
With areas controlled by a fog that covers them on the map, only the ascent to the statue of the god that dominates that part of the stage will allow us to clear it. With the missions already marked by default on the map, this is the perfect time to look down and to the horizon and start marking all the secondary objectives that are scattered.
Hundreds of activities to complete
Giant liras in which to play a song with the stroke of an arrow, speed challenges in which to get from one point to another before the prize disappears, chests guarded by enemies that we must eliminate before accessing the prize, jigsaw-style puzzles in the to move pieces from here to there to form an image, challenges in which to meet different challenges based on physics to be able to access the treasures that a temple keeps and, in addition, cracks from which to access Tartarus where to complete tests in the purest style sanctuary of Breath of the Wild.
The string is long, and despite this there are still things to include in the form of collectibles and challenges, but far from being a way of unnecessarily lengthening the story, they are simply things that are there. You are on your way to the main mission and, if you feel like it or it catches your attention, you get closer to discovering what it is that shines on top of a hill.
Going to some from time to time is more than recommended to be able to upgrade Fenyx skills and abilities with the prizes you get from those activities, but I have reached the end of the adventure having touched a tiny part of everything that is offered in the game and I have had no problems winning without sweating too much.
Not because I didn’t feel like approaching them, quite the opposite. I have done it to be able to enjoy them a posteriori with the tranquility that having closed the game gives you and, despite not being something usual in me, with the intention to reach a 100% that normally I do not think or raise in these kinds of adventures.
Better thought progress
Based on armor, helmets and weapons with different skins and bonuses, Immortals Fenyx Rising He manages so that any prize is well received and the player is encouraged to complete sets. Something very similar happens with the skill tree, which seems terribly bland at first and then adds importance to each of the actions of the protagonist.
What apparently you had no intention of acquiring because it seemed completely useless, suddenly becomes a tool that makes things much easier for you and, although your objective should be to continue with the main mission, you get lost jumping from one challenge to another to try to acquire said upgrade.
Something that, to my surprise and despite being well loaded with materials and bonuses for constantly losing myself between the challenges of the game, has happened to me on more than one occasion. Funny because, as in the case of those same secondary challenges, It is not essential acquire these skills, but they are so useful and appetizing that it’s hard to deny them a hole in your inventory.
Too bad that, on the other hand, so much bonuses as abilities are powerful enough to end up finding the cheese – the trick apparently not explicitly proposed by the creators – that allows you to ventilate any bug in the game without messing up your hair.
The fighting, the section to improve
That, the combat, is probably what I would most like to see improved in a possible sequel. Fenyx
By little variety of enemies, which despite this is expanding as you arrive in a new area, the fights can end up being somewhat repetitive if you do not cling to a devastating combination like the one we mentioned a few lines above.
In my case I have passed the game from beginning to end without touching the sword that is responsible for the loose attack, focusing on jumping and attacking with the ax in the air to take advantage of the multiple air attack buffs and with that weapon that I had at my disposal in The inventory.
Leaving enemies in a daze for a few seconds constantly has been a matter of tune the parry and the dodge, so only one or two monsters have managed to really become a challenge. Part of the fault may have been mine, but it would have been a good thing to have a somewhat deeper system that invites experimentation.
iGamesNews’s opinion
Despite its pluses and minuses, including the already commented lack of charisma of its protagonist in any of its aspects, I find it very difficult not to recommend Immortals Fenyx Rising to anyone who is minimally attracted to the game.
Because of his humor, and how he sometimes falls into a blacker pit than expected due to his cartoon appearance, the idea of being a Assassin’s Creed For children it is already a bit far away, but seeing how acid and satirical the conversations are, it will be difficult for a child to be able to grasp what the hell is being talked about. Be it the tight story of how the gods are born according to Zeus or the marital problems of Aphrodite and Hephaestus.
For anyone looking for the perfect mix between classic, puzzle, platform and action adventures, and the rise of the open worlds of recent generations, Immortals Fenyx Rising proves to be a superb choice.
It may lack a bit more drive and cohesion of ideas to be a perfect recommendation, but the surprising break with everything we already take for granted in the games of the French brand is what makes it one of the funniest open worlds that Ubisoft has given birth.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Platforms | Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC and Xbox Series (analyzed version) |
---|---|
Multiplayer | No |
Developer | Ubisoft |
Company | Ubisoft |
Launching | December 3, 2020 |
Price | 59,90 dollars |
The best
- A huge and beautiful world
- Nice story mode approach and additional objectives
- The humor that bathes the whole story
Worst
- In combat something more depth is missing
- Animations and characters are below everything else
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