EA’s renewed commitment to single-player experiences continues with its upcoming fantasy-themed first-person shooterImmortals of Aveum. Since the game’s announcement earlier this year, anticipation for the title has steadily grown thanks to the pedigree of the development team (who countBioShock,Borderlands,Call of Duty, andMetal Gear Solidvets among its staff) as well as the unique spin on first-person shooting in a fantasy-themed setting, using magic and spell casting instead of firearms. The combat and puzzle-solving gameplay showcased in the trailers forImmortals of Aveumhelp to establish it as the latest game in a long line of magic-based FPS that can trace their origins back to one title in particular -Hexen.
Released just one year afterDoomarrived in 1993,Hereticwas an atypical entry into the burgeoning first-person shooter genre and differentiated itself from otherDoom-clones thanks to its use of a dark-fantasy setting and armaments. Additionally,Hereticwas one of the first games in the genre to allow for players to use items from an inventory as well as look up or down. Through a publishing partnership with id Software, Raven Software would develop and release a sequel toHereticin the form ofHexena year later, which iterated on the groundwork laid inHereticand would go on to inspire an entire subgenre ofmagic-themed first-person shooters inspired byDoom, of whichImmortals of Aveumis the latest.
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From Heretic to Hexen to Amid Evil and Beyond
The impact ofDoomon the gaming landscape cannot be overstated, as the title simultaneously popularized one of the most important and successful video game genres while also completely redefining PC gaming.Doom’s success, like many other titles before and after it, led to a host of other developers trying their hands at first-person shooters in an attempt to strike while the iron was hot. While many of these early FPS titles wereshamelessDoom-clones, a few of them stood out from the pack enough to be recognized as genre classics in their own right.
id Software recognized that Raven had something special in bothHereticandHexenand partnered with the team to publish both titles through GT Interactive Software.Hexenseparated itself from other contemporary FPS through its dark-fantasy setting and incorporation of not just medieval melee weapons and magic but also three distinct classes for players to choose from. The groundwork laid byHexenwould go on to influence other magic-themed FPS such as the criminally-overlookedPowerslaveon the Sega Saturn and the critically-lauded indie FPS from 2019,Amid Evil. Now in 2023,fans haveImmortals of Aveumto look forward toas the torchbearer of magical first-person shooters.
How Immortals of Aveum Can Reinvent Dark Fantasy-Themed FPS
Not content to rest on the laurels of the games that came before it,Immortals of Aveumalready appears to be quite different from other fantasy-themed first-person shooters in the limited footage that has been revealed so far. The combat showcased in trailers shows the protagonist casting spells and even “reloading” between firing off bursts of magic, but also shows some interesting traversal and puzzle-solving elements including the use of a magic whip or grappling hook. Considering thatBioShockis listed asone of the primary influences onImmortals of Aveum, it promises to be a very different game fromHexenor any of the retro-styled FPS it inspired.
HopefullyImmortals of Aveumwill lean into its fantasy setting in its mechanics by incorporating branching skill trees and upgrade paths for the player character, offering an element of choice and character customization that would see the title dip its toe into RPG territory in the process.Ascendant Studios has been open regardingthe games that influencedImmortals of Aveum, and it’s quite the pedigree of titles for it to stand shoulder to shoulder with. If the developer can deliver on the promise shown in the trailers, fans of dark-fantasy and first-person shooters have another title to look forward to that walks on the pathHexenpaved nearly 20 years ago.
Immortals of Aveumlaunches June 07, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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