Are you tired of the challenges of assembling a four-player Overwatch team or coordinating with friends for a session of Destiny 2? Well, imagine the task of bringing together 33 players for a 25-minute raid. That’s precisely what 33 Immortals aims to accomplish.
From the developers of Spiritfarer, 33 Immortals is a massively substantial multiplayer roguelike top-down action game with a visual style reminiscent of retro cartoons and elements inspired by Banner Saga. During a hands-on session following this week’s Xbox Showcase at Summer Game Fest, I joined five fellow spirits in an attempt to escape hell.
In the early build of the game, we had access to two character types: a swordsman specializing in heavy close-range damage and an archer capable of shooting up to three arrows before needing to reload. I chose to play as the archer, who possessed a charged piercing shot when holding down the action button. Additionally, when reloading, the archer could retrieve fired arrows, effectively doubling the damage output with strategic placement.
All characters were equipped with a dash move, and trigger buttons provided access to the world map, emote wheel, and co-op powers. Co-op powers varied depending on the character type and required careful coordination to unleash their full potential. For instance, activating the RB trigger displayed three circles on the ground, with two fellow immortals needed to activate the empty circles to trigger a powerful attack. As an archer, this resulted in a rain of arrows across a wide area, while for the swordsman, it launched a healing spell with a broad range.
With numerous enemies on-screen, particularly in challenging portal dungeons, there was a chaotic joy in spamming attacks, supporting teammates against mid-bosses, or eliminating easier foes from a distance before they could launch coordinated attacks.
If the options of swords and bows seem limiting, rest assured that 33 Immortals will offer a wide range of character types to choose from. With seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues, players can expect to experiment with seven different warriors. The button layouts remain consistent across characters, making it easier to try out each option. To add more depth, in-game currency can be obtained by defeating monsters, allowing players to exchange it for healing items or trinkets to enhance attack speed, defense, and more.
Prepare to face significant challenges as each raid is designed to last around 25 minutes, and the goal is to keep as many players alive and connected as possible to defeat the final boss. Having more players will decrease the time needed to deplete the health bar of larger enemies since the game does not scale based on the number of characters involved. In this case, more immortals truly are better.
However, players should be mindful that immortality does not extend to their fighters. Sustaining excessive damage will result in falling and respawning as an ethereal spirit, rendering them unable to take action until another raider resurrects them—a particularly frustrating occurrence during intense battles. Naturally, it is advisable to approach combat cautiously, heal allies, and, above all, avoid death.
Drawing inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy, 33 Immortals revolves around a rebellion against God’s final judgment that deems the player’s soul damned. There is an entertaining twist when defeating one of God’s dungeons, as stepping out of the portal triggers the ground around you to be engulfed in holy fire, requiring dodging both the flames and spawning enemies until God’s anger subsides.
While this was an early demo, latency proved to be an issue on my machine. However, the development team has ample time to address and stabilize performance issues, especially outside the chaos of a hectic Xbox showcase. I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to experience this unique roguelike as part of a cooperative mob, and I’m curious to discover the other character types that will be available.
33 Immortals is scheduled to release on Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2024, promising an immersive multiplayer experience for gamers to look forward to.
