There's no doubt that Immortals Fenyx Rising is inspired by Nintendo's smash hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. To say otherwise would be to miss the obvious: the similarities between Ubisoft's game and one that features an elf-eared hero are frankly impossible to ignore. However, it is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game, so building on its already impressive foundation is a smart move. Thankfully, Immortals Fenyx Rising (previously known as Gods & Monsters) does more than just remove an existing formula. In fact, I think it's a game that Ubisoft should really market more, it's much more accomplished than the upcoming Watch Dogs Legion, for example, and after my two hour demo I really want to play it. Further.
Of the gods
You play as the titular Fenyx, a red-haired mortal who can perform various godlike abilities and use exotic weapons. It's up to Fenyx to restore order to a fantasy world thrown into chaos by Typhon, one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology. "Immortals Fenyx Rising takes a much more comedic and colorful take on a subject that has been told countless times before." Fans of Greek myths will recognize many gods and monsters that inhabit the game: you'll fight Cyclops, Medusa, the whole gang is there. What he certainly did not expect was to read the comments of the legendary Zeus. The Greek god provides a stunning fourth narrative as you complete various tasks, which some may find off-putting, but I've found it only helps reinforce the game's light-hearted feel. So it's not a serious coming-of-age story like God of War. Immortals Fenyx Rising takes a much more comedic and colorful take on a theme that has been told countless times before. However, it's a creative move that seems refreshing and will make the game more accessible to players of all ages.
Take me to greek
![Fenix inmortal en ascenso]()
(Image credit: Ubisoft) With the promise of being able to approach the game's story and quests as you see fit, I got to walk around and explore a small part of the sprawling game world that includes seven different biomes, each filled with fascinating puzzles to unscramble and unscramble. menacing monsters. defeat. Fortunately, moving around is quite nice. Fenyx can run, fly through the air like Hermes himself (wings included), magically summon a mount at any time for riding, and scale cliffs with complete ease. While at the mercy of a stamina bar like in Breath of the Wild, it's easy to bite into some blue mushrooms in half to avoid a frustrating fall to the ground. In the two hours I spent with the game, I was tasked with reigniting the Hephaestus Forge while taking down huge villains along the way. The first one was pretty straightforward, as I was guiding fiery arrows through extinguished furnaces and solving basic logic puzzles. Encounters with enemies were certainly more complicated, which made them much more attractive. You'll need to perform powerful special moves, parry attacks, and time your dodges correctly. Do so and you'll trigger a brief slow-motion window where you can deal additional damage. It's a satisfying yet familiar affair, and one that many players will find instantly intuitive. Fenyx's fierce companion, Phosphorus, will also aid you in battle, unleashing ferocious attacks from above.
Improve people, improve
If you want to save the gods and overcome the game's many challenges, Fenyx will need to become stronger and more proficient in combat and through time. So it's lucky that the world is filled with gleaming treasure chests and nearby upgrades, making the lure of the unknown a constant temptation. Fenyx is fully customizable, so the desire to research new armor and the best weapons available will likely consume many Completionists. "The completely made-up world of Immortals means its gameplay takes center stage." Various dungeons and points of interest are also scattered throughout the world, each offering a unique challenge that makes the most of Fenyx's abilities. From activating floating platforms to avoiding spiked traps, I found each of the dungeons I tackled a rewarding experience. Immortals Fenyx Rising may get a lot out of another good title, but there's no doubt that I enjoyed my time with the game. Unlike most of Ubisoft's best-known titles, which seem to focus on nailing a certain period or place above all else, the completely made-up world of Immortals means its gameplay takes center stage. I'll be keeping an eye out for this one when it launches on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on December 3, 2020.