With the commencement of Immortal Unchained’s Closed Alpha not far off now, just next month in March, we wanted to take a moment to breakdown and analyze the things we learned in the new Trailer. This is the second Toadman Interactive has released for the game, with the announcement Trailer having been unveiled last August to much hype and intrigue. This is the first footage of gameplay anyone outside the studio has seen, so it’s really a first look at what players can expect from this sci-fi-souls game. If you’ve never heard of Toadman Interactive before, they worked as a consultant for the game Warhammer: Vermantide, a game which has sold over 1 million copies to date.
Immortal Unchained First Look
At first glance you notice it’s sci-fi horror-like atmosphere and setting, which looks to be something of a mix of Mass Effect, Dark Souls 2, and perhaps even something like Warhammer 40k. There is an advanced technology vibe here, one that you would get from perhaps an alien race or species, or perhaps the game is set a long ways into the future (like Mass Effect).
Upon further inspection you see ruins of what looks like an ancient civilization, which clashes in extreme contrast to the futuristic impression given, making for an intriguing combination of what could be a game with a deep mythos. Knights of the Old Republic comes to mind when I think about a game pulling off a futuristic sci-fi setting, with thousands of years of history, but my expectations are not quite that high…
The enemies look more like cyborgs or robots than they do undead, which only furthers my wonder about the hell is actually going here. Why are undead outfitted with some sort of cannons and extremely advanced looking armor? The trailer leaves you with lots of questions like “will this game be one contiguous world or will you load into each level like Nioh?, so let’s give you a few answers to things we already know.
Immortal Unchained takes place in a universe referred to as theNine Worlds, however, whether this is a fictional universe, or a reference to our solar system remains unclear. What we do know is that the Nine Worlds are ending, that the sun is growing dark, and that the dead are rising. What we don’t know is why, except that it was foretold by an ancient prophecy.
You play the role of a being that has resided in an immortal prison for what is alluded to be a very long time. What you did to get placed there and just exactly what you are, other than some sort of badass warrior of legend, is also unknown. You are the last hope and option to stop the rising undead threat that have been released from the Underworld, else you have never been freed.
The trailer also makes mention of “Warriors of Legend”, which implies that you are not the only one. So either there are more of you running around in the world re-killing undead, or the trailer is alluding to multiplayer of some facet, or both. This might be one of the more exciting things revealed in the trailer!
Immortal Unchained is a third-person Action RPG that is described by Toadman Interactive as: “The first hardcore shooter for the Action-RPG genre.” Having spoken toSebastian Thorwaldsson, the game’s PR Manager at length, it is very much “souls inspired” and they are die hard fans of the Souls franchise. And, when you look at the combat and gameplay, it is not hard to see some similarities.
Immortal Unchained focuses a smaller number of enemies per encounter, much the way Souls does, choosing to focus on smart/intelligent AI over just sheer numbers. It will be interesting to see how this pans out because of the ranged element being the rule, not the exception, as it is in Souls games. I think this particular aspect will make or break this game, and I look forward to testing it out in the Alpha!
The dash/dodge mechanic is very reminiscent of Blooborne and makes close quarters combat, particularly with a gun of some type, all the more viable. One of the things that really stood out to me while watching the trailer, which is something that you might not have noticed because it happened so quickly, is the seemless transition from firing to slashing with swords. Did you catch it? If you blinked you might have missed it. If players can swap back and forth between ranged and melee at that kind of speed, it will make for some very furious and intense combat, if not unique to say the least!
We do know there there are six classes called “Disciplines” to choose from when making your character, but we don’t know the level of detail that separates them and we don’t know if you can make your character have a varied appearance. My guess is that you will most likely being playing a role, likeHarkynin Lords of the Fallen orGeraltin The Witcher, but that is just speculation based on what we’ve seen from the trailers. And we don’t know what sort of character progression there will be just yet.
The game will feature over 100 guns and unique weapons for players to choose from, however no word on armor or accessories. This isn’t a huge studio we’re talking about so I don’t have super high expectations here, but it would be nice to know just how much customization there is. We’ll find out soon enough, though because the Alpha is just a few weeks!
Alpha Details
The Closed Alpha for Immortal Unchained will begin on March 8th and will take place only on PC, so Xbox One/PS4 players will unfortunately will have to sit this one out. You can apply for a code on the the official website, or you can post in thethread here, and we will hook you up with one if we can. Sebastian has graciously promised us some codes for the Alpha, and they will be given out on a first come first serve basis. If you post in the thread, please make an account first, because we cannot DM you the code if you do not have one.
Stay tuned for more coverage ofImmortal Unchainedthrough out March as we play through the Closed Alpha!
