QUByte Classics – The Immortal by PIKO

Genre: Compilation / Isometric Action-RPG

Players: 1

.

Review:

The Immortal was originally released on PC and Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, with a Sega Genesis version of the game releasing in 1991 that featured improved visuals and sound, as well as some alterations to the level layouts and gameplay. Both the NES and Sega Genesis versions of the game are included in this package, which released in 2021 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game is also available to play on the Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Entertainment System App, so if you’re subscribed to that service on your Nintendo Switch, you already have access to half of what’s included in this package..

This game puts players in control of an unnamed wizard who finds himself summoned to a dangerous underground maze full of deadly creatures and traps, with the apparent goal being to free his teacher, another wizard by the name of Mordamir.

The presentation for both versions of the game looks somewhat dated, with repetitive-looking areas. However, it still remains impressive in some ways, with detailed 2D pixel art visuals that have some pretty good animation, something that was pretty impressive when this game was originally released. This is joined by dreary chiptune music and digitized sounds that I suppose at the very least set the mood pretty well here.

The Immortal has a few things going for it, and a lot going against it, and how much you’ll appreciate this game will really depend on how much its better qualities appeal to you, and how much you can tolerate its flaws. Or to put it differently, whether you like this game will depend largely on just how much of a masochist you are.

This is because first and foremost, The Immortal wants to kill you, and it’s not especially bothered by doing so in ways that the player can’t reasonably be expected to know are coming, and may not really understand how to avoid or counter. Even in the very first room, stepping on a missing tile on the floor will cause a massive underground worm to burst up and eat you, killing you instantly. A lot of your success in this game will come down to learning what to do and what to avoid to stay alive as you progress, with much of this coming through trial and error (you will be making frequent use of this release’s save states).

Another problem is that pretty much nothing about how to play this game is explained to you. There’s no control manual, no instructions on what different items do, or how to win in combat (which seems pretty button-mashy). You could look up a guide online, but there’s nothing within the game to guide you.

In addition, this game’s controls are terrible – they’re stiff and not especially responsive. This release actually makes this problem worse because sometimes the game will detect button presses multiple times, making for inaccurate play, or even having vital text boxes cleared from the screen before you can finish reading them.

Despite the multitude of problems, there’s still a fair amount of charm here, with a surprising array of odd situations popping up to keep you on your toes. Despite the often-monotonous look of the dungeon, its contents and inhabitants provide you with plenty of variety.

Beyond the save states, this release also includes the ability to reassign buttons, as well as display options. It’s a decent smattering of features, but some sort of added tutorial or at least an in-game instruction manual would have been really helpful here.

Is it worth this game’s $8 price tag to buy this game if you already subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and can access the NES version of the game on the app? Well, the Sega Genesis version of the game is different enough to provide a reasonably unique experience, so if you’re a fan of the game it may be worth it to you.

However, for most players, The Immortal is just going to be a torturous experience. Sure, the game has great animation and a lot of variety, but the controls are terrible, the game gives little explanation how to play it, and seems to want you to suffer unearned deaths around every corner. Maybe some players see that as fun, but I do not.

tl;dr – The Immortal is an Isometric Action-RPG that released in different versions on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, with both versions of the game included here. There’s some good animation and a fair amount of variety here, but it’s hard to enjoy that when the controls are absolutely terrible and the game keeps making you die from countless hidden traps and other unearned deaths. Unless you have the patience to keep playing through after dying over and over, skip this one.

Grade: C-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Ben, Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Jared Wark, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}