Life and Death
When I heard that Immortal: Reborn was selling itself as a “Diablo inspired idle RPG,” I was a little confused. How did LT Games get a card-based idle game from a classic 90s dungeon crawler? It’s in the story more than anything else, although I’m still not convinced the comparison is doing Immortal: Reborn any favors. But is it worth your time? That depends on what you’re looking for.
The story begins with your character reincarnating in a dark fantasy kingdom. You get to pick a name and background, but they never appear on screen. That’s about it for customization. While trying to prove yourself worthy of becoming a knight, a mysterious oracle approaches you. They send you after some ancient runes said to hold divine power. Naturally, it turns out you’re the chosen one. Unfortunately, the local religious authorities aren’t as thrilled as they could be, and you’re forced to go on the run as you search for the remaining runes.
Overall, the story was alright, although it definitely had issues. First among them is that I’m still not sure what the main character’s motivations are, and their personality seems to fluctuate from scene to scene. They have plenty of dialogue, so it’s not like they’re meant to be a completely blank slate. And yet, I never got a good sense of what they were trying to accomplish, and they rarely do anything to forward the plot. It’s mostly just wandering around the kingdom until something happens. Still, there is a decent mystery regarding the main character’s previous life, and I really liked the supporting cast. Although, that was mainly because they had much clearer motivations and more consistent personalities than the lead.
Cards on the Table
Combat is real-time and plays out automatically with enemies, weapons and spells represented as cards. Your primary job as the player is choosing your spells and equipment. Weapons include everything from longswords and crossbows to more exotic items such as scythes and crystal balls. They’re divided into the categories of main hand, offhand and two-handed, although main hand weapons are equipable in either hand. As you’d expect, two-handed weapons are slower but have special abilities, which take up the offhand slot during battle. The specifics vary from weapon to weapon and a few even summon minions. Main hand weapons are less flashy but tend to have better damage per second. Offhand weapons, meanwhile, usually do elemental or area damage. My personal favorite was the orb, which applies burning and slow effects to the two rightmost enemies.
Spells and abilities are similarly varied and have the same range of effects. Instead of choosing a single class, players first select an occupation to determine their base stats. There are then six beginner classes to choose from. As you level up, you unlock seven intermediate classes, twelve advanced classes and eighteen master classes. These can be mixed and matched freely or swapped out at any time so long as you have the required level and stats. Do you want to be a barbarian-archer-wizard? Well, you can. Overall, the combat’s a lot more fun than you might expect, although a bit repetitive at times.
Side Bets
My main criticism of the gameplay is the grind. It’s not too bad up to level 30 or so, but you eventually get to a point where you’re only going up about one level a day. With a good build you can get by being slightly under leveled, but even that will only take you so far. In addition to quests, the game offers various side activities to get extra items and XP. There are optional bosses, daily challenges, tower challenges and one vs. one multiplayer. The rewards are nothing special, though, and they aren’t exciting otherwise.
The only side activity that feels like a meaningful addition is the treasure hunts, which take place in little, maze-like dungeons. These combine the game’s combat with a bit of exploration. You move across a two-dimensional board, revealing the path, finding treasure and encountering enemies as you go. The combat encounters are the same as in every other mode, but the addition of exploration really helps to keep things interesting. Frankly, I might have liked the game a lot more if the whole thing was like that.
Overall, I liked Immortal: Reborn more than I disliked it. If you are not a fan of idle games, it isn’t going to change your mind. But if you are, Immortal: Reborn is definitely worth a shot.
Is it Hardcore?
Sure.
Immortal: Reborn is far from perfect and definitely not for everyone. Still, it’s a solid experience you might want to give a try.
