Immortals of Aveum (PC) Hands-On Preview

wccftech.com:

When it comes to gritty realism in a fantasy setting, peoples’ thoughts typically turn to the low or high fantasy works of medieval governments or mystical artifacts. Bringing a fireball to a gunfight isn’t typically at the top of the list, especially when it’s in the likes of your Battlefields or Call of Duty’s. Ascendant Studios aims to change that with their upcoming EA Original Immortals of Aveum and we had one of the first open demos of the magical FPS during Summer Game Fest.

Immortals of Aveum opens with players assuming the role of Jak, a low ranking grunt whose first missions see him diving directly into the field of combat while his commanding officer barks the usual generic banter and orders players have heard a hundred times across other FPS campaigns. Jak similarly has the usual one-liners and the expressive dialogue of any high-and-tight wearing protagonist of the past decade. Swap the magical vambrace for an M16 and you’ve got the typical action hero on your hands. If nothing else, Jak’s character comes as a detriment to the narrative and pushes the fact that perhaps Immortals of Aveum really is just another dudebro shooter despite the novel presence. I’m willing to stand corrected and experience a narrative that grows far above and beyond the genre’s roots into something that properly fits into the fantasy world Ascendant Studios has built.

Obviously what sets Immortals of Aveum apart from any regular shooter campaign is the inclusion of spellcraft and the high fantasy setting. Of the three basic spell schools available to the player as the campaign begins, each functions adjacent to a firearm of similar caliber. The blue-imbued magic functions as a semi-automatic battle rifle with a first at each tap