Underneath its colorful fantasy aesthetic many elements of Ascendant Studio’s Immortals of Aveum will feel familiar to seasoned shooter fans. From rifle-like spells that eliminate enemies from a distance to clearing out rooms of foes at close range with devastating blasts of red magic that pack the punch of a shotgun, many of Triarch Magnus Jak’s magical abilities handle like traditional firearms. Despite these similarities, though, the first-person spell-shooter fails to include one core FPS feature that’s been a staple of the genre since its start: an easy-to-read ammo counter.
Ascendant Studios traded machine guns and pistols for magical powers in Immortals of Aveum, but Jak’s weapons still function like firearms when it comes to how long players can keep their fingers on the trigger. No matter which of the three types of magic in Immortals of Aveum players choose, they’ll still have to deal with running out of ammo and being forced to reload. Since Immortals of Aveum provides only a small, easily missed on-screen indicator, it can be difficult to judge when a reload is required. This can not only lead to frustration in particularly heated firefights but also represents a missed opportunity to present the player with a diegetic ammo display befitting the game’s magical setting.
Immortals of Aveum’s Lack of An Ammo Counter Isn’t A Problem Until It Is
When blasting through antagonist Sandrakk’s minions as a soldier in Immortals of Aveum’s Everwar, the lack of an obvious in-game ammo counter typically isn’t a huge issue. Ascendant Studios chose to forego making ammo an in-game resource, instead equipping Jak with magical sigils that either refill automatically or with a reload button. This endless supply of ammo combined with the Immortals of Aveum’s run-and-gun nature means gamers never have to worry about having their favorite weapon run completely dry, but having to unexpectedly reload mid-fight still presents a problem.
Even though ammo for Immortals of Aveum’s sigils can’t completely run out, the difficulty in determining how many shots are left before a recharge can become frustrating during effects-heavy firefights that can quickly obscure the ammo counter. Different enemy types are vulnerable to different types of magic, so having the most effective weapon for a particular foe run out of ammo in the middle of combat can leave players at a significant disadvantage. When going up against Immortals of Aveum’s most powerful enemies, even the small amount of time needed for a reload can mean the difference between life and death.
A Diegetic Ammo Counter Would Have Been A Perfect Fit For Immortals of Aveum’s Fantasy Aesthetic
One way that Immortals of Aveum could have avoided this problem would have been by including the game's ammo counter in a diegetic in-game UI rather than using such a small indicator. Popularized by titles like Dead Space, which tracks most of the game’s vital readouts on protagonist Isaac Clarke’s suit, diegetic displays present in-game information in a way that fits with the setting. In the case of Immortals of Aveum, this could have been accomplished by having spells use up an item atop the sigils or even having the glow of each weapon diminish in brightness as players depleted their ammo.
A diegetic ammo counter would have made it easier for players to quickly see when their sigil is due for a reload while also fitting in well with the game’s fantasy setting. Over the course of the 15-25 hours required to beat Immortals of Aveum, most in-game actions, from deploying a shield to throwing projectiles, are presented in a way that fits the theme even if they’re fairly standard shooter mechanics. Giving players an ammo readout with this same attention to detail would have been an eye-catching, and indisputably helpful, addition to the game.
Given how polished the presentation is throughout the rest of Immortals of Aveum, the lack of a straightforward in-game ammo counter is a somewhat disappointing oversight. Despite the inability to easily see just how many shots remain in their sigil, though, players should still find plenty of fun unleashing their abilities on the game’s magical minions.
Immortals of Aveum is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
