Unleashing Magic: Immortals of Aveum's Hexen Heritage

EA's commitment to single-player experiences is evident in their upcoming fantasy-themed first-person shooter, Immortals of Aveum. The game has garnered increasing anticipation since its announcement earlier this year, thanks to the impressive pedigree of the development team - which includes veterans from BioShock, Borderlands, Call of Duty, and Metal Gear Solid - and its unique take on first-person shooting in a fantasy setting. The game features magic and spell casting instead of the traditional firearms, and the combat and puzzle-solving gameplay showcased in the trailers help to establish it as the latest addition to a long line of magic-based FPS games, tracing their origins back to the 1995 title Hexen.

Heretic, released just one year after Doom in 1993, was an atypical game in the burgeoning first-person shooter genre. It differentiated itself from other Doom clones by utilising a dark-fantasy setting and armaments. Heretic was also one of the first games in the genre to allow players to use items from an inventory, as well as look up and down. Raven Software, through a publishing partnership with id Software, developed and released a sequel to Heretic in the form of Hexen a year later. Hexen iterated on the groundwork laid in Heretic and went on to inspire an entire subgenre of magic-themed first-person shooters, of which Immortals of Aveum is the latest.

From Heretic to Hexen to Amid Evil and Beyond

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The impact of Doom on the gaming industry cannot be overstated. It not only popularized one of the most important and successful video game genres, but also completely redefined PC gaming. Following its success, many other developers tried their hands at first-person shooters. Although many of these early FPS titles were shameless Doom-clones, some stood out enough to be recognized as genre classics in their own right.

id Software recognized Raven's potential in both Heretic and Hexen, and partnered with the team to publish both titles through GT Interactive Software. Hexen differentiated itself from other contemporary FPS by incorporating a dark-fantasy setting and not just medieval melee weapons and magic, but also three distinct player classes. The groundwork laid by Hexen would go on to influence other magic-themed FPS such as Powerslave on the Sega Saturn and the critically-lauded indie FPS from 2019, Amid Evil. Now, in 2023, fans have Immortals of Aveum to look forward to as the torchbearer of magical first-person shooters.

How Immortals of Aveum Can Reinvent Dark Fantasy-Themed FPS

The limited footage of Immortals of Aveum reveals a game that sets itself apart from other fantasy-themed first-person shooters. The protagonist casts spells and "reloads" between bursts of magic while using a magic whip or grappling hook for traversal and puzzle-solving. The game is influenced by BioShock, promising a unique experience compared to retro-styled FPS games like Hexen.

Incorporating branching skill trees and upgrade paths for the player character would give Immortals of Aveum an RPG element, adding choice and character customization to its already promising mechanics. Ascendant Studios has been transparent about the games that influenced Immortals of Aveum, boasting an impressive pedigree of titles. If the trailers are any indication, fans of dark-fantasy and first-person shooters have another exciting title to look forward to, following the path paved by Hexen nearly two decades ago.

Immortals of Aveum launches July 20, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.