Immortals Fenyx Rising Review: Funny, Beautiful, and Over Before Its Time

Immortals Fenyx Rising asks a simple question: what if Assassin’s Creed Valhalla had a sense of humor? The answer is a game about a demigod who breaks the fourth wall, climbs on statues, and solves puzzles while talking to himself. It is also a game about Greek mythology that spends more time with a talking eagle than with most of its gods. The result is a strange, occasionally brilliant adventure that never quite commits to being either serious or silly.

Trailer, via Ubisoft.

The Setting

The game drops you on the island of Batatia, a fictional patch of earth that stands in for ancient Greece. You play as Fenyx, a demigod whose father is Zeus, and your job is to wake the gods from their slumber by collecting golden apples. That premise is thin, and the game knows it. Characters joke about the lack of plot, and the world itself is full of pop-culture references that range from Monty Python to The Lion King.

The island is divided into regions, each tied to a god. Olympus, Hades, Poseidon, and others each get their own theme and their own set of challenges. The presentation is bright and cheerful, with a color palette that leans on gold, blue, and green. It is a pleasant place to walk around, even when the missions beneath it feel repetitive.

Combat and Exploration

Fenyx moves through the world with a grappling hook, wings, and a dash ability. The movement system is fluid, and the parkour sections are some of the best in the genre. Climbing statues, sliding down chutes, and swinging between platforms feels natural, and the game rewards exploration with hidden shrines and collectibles. The controls are tight, and the camera rarely gets in your way.

Combat is simpler. You have a sword, a bow, and a handful of elemental attacks that can stun enemies. Boss fights are the highlight, with each god requiring a distinct approach. One fight asks you to dodge and counter, while another demands you solve environmental puzzles mid-battle. These moments are inventive, but the regular combat can feel dull between them. Enemies fall easily, and the difficulty curve is gentle enough that you rarely feel challenged outside a boss arena.

The Joke Structure

The writing is the game’s biggest strength and its biggest weakness. Immortals Fenyx Rising is built around a series of jokes that repeat across every region. Each area has a local guardian who delivers a running gag about their domain, and each god has a quip about their role in the story. The humor is consistent, and it lands often, but it also wears thin quickly. By the time you reach the final region, the jokes feel less like comedy and more like a pattern you have seen a dozen times.

The game’s meta-commentary is clever, and it occasionally breaks the fourth wall in ways that are genuinely funny. There is a moment where a character addresses the player directly, and the game acknowledges its own absurdity. These touches are rare, but they make the game feel more confident than its plot suggests.

Side Content and Pacing

The main story is short. You can finish it in about ten hours, depending on how much you explore. That brevity is a relief, since the pacing suffers in the middle stretch. The first few hours are sharp, but the game drags during the second act, where the pacing slows and the side content starts to pile up.

There are plenty of activities beyond the main quest. You can fish, ride horses, and play minigames that include racing and rock climbing. Some of these are fun, but others feel like filler. The fishing, in particular, is a strange choice that adds little to the experience. The game also includes a crafting system and a skill tree, but neither is particularly deep.

Technical Performance

Immortals Fenyx Rising runs well on PS4, Series X|S, PC, and Stadia. The frame rate is stable, and the load times are reasonable. The game looks good, with detailed environments and a strong lighting model. The art direction draws from classical Greece, but it is rendered in a cartoonish style that keeps the tone light. The music is cheerful and unremarkable, doing little to elevate the mood.

The game is available on multiple platforms, which is a strength. However, the performance varies. On PC, the game runs at a higher resolution and framerate, but it requires a powerful machine to hit its target. On Stadia, the streaming service handles the workload, though latency can be noticeable in fast-paced sections. The game supports touch controls on mobile devices, which is a unique feature that works surprisingly well.

What Works

• The movement system is excellent.
• The boss fights are inventive.
• The humor is consistent and often funny.
• The island of Batatia is beautiful to look at.
• The accessibility features are extensive.

What Doesn’t Work

• The main plot is thin and underdeveloped.
• The side content feels padded.
• The combat is repetitive and easy.
• The humor repeats too often.
• The pacing sags in the middle of the game.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a game that wants to be remembered for its best moments, not its worst. The boss fights are genuinely creative, and the movement system is a joy to use. But the game is held back by a plot that never rises to the occasion and a humor that loses its edge after a few hours. It is a fun game, but it is not a great one.

The game is currently available on PS4, Series X|S, PC, and Stadia, and it is priced at a standard full-game cost. It is a solid entry in Ubisoft’s lineup, but it is overshadowed by other games in the same genre. If you enjoy exploration and combat, it is worth a look. If you want a deep story, you might want to look elsewhere.

Key Facts
– Platforms: PS4, Series X|S, PC, Stadia
– Price: Standard full-game cost
– Main story: ~10 hours
– Boss fights: 12+ (one per god)

Notable Features
– Touch controls on mobile devices
– Extensive accessibility options
– Meta-commentary and fourth-wall breaks
– Fishing, horse riding, and minigames

action-adventure · game review · Immortals Fenyx Rising · open world · Ubisoft