Immortal: Unchained
A Dark Souls-inspired shooter set in a Norse mythological universe.
Immortal: Unchained is a 2018 action role-playing game from Toadman Interactive and publisher Game Odyssey, released on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Its gameplay takes heavy cues from the Dark Souls series but replaces medieval melee with futuristic gunplay, while the story and world draw on Norse mythology and the Ragnarok cycle.
The game plays as a third-person action title with a punishing difficulty and many mechanics lifted directly from Dark Souls. The key difference is the emphasis on firearms and ranged combat, though basic melee weapons like swords, axes, and clubs are still available. Enemies feature critical hit spots—typically the head or a glowing weak point on the back—that can be targeted for extra damage.
The setting is an alternate universe where the Monolith, a stone artifact carved with a tree relief at the universe’s center, created the Nine Realms and Nine Races. The Prime and Azurian races warred over the Monolith; the Primes won and became rulers. King Naro, the Prime leader, enlisted a Degonite warrior named Cathal to fight the Azurians, angering his sons Orin and Naylon. The other Primes forbade Cathal from reproducing, so he tore out part of his heart, split it into three pieces, and used them to create three children: Malog, Arlen, and Iska. The Oracles, using the Monolith’s power, prophesied that these children would bring down the Primes. To prevent this, the Primes imprisoned, exiled, or killed the children. Cathal swore revenge and killed Naro’s son Naylon, the most beloved Prime, for which he was imprisoned. Malog was locked in the Prime capital and grew into a beast destined to kill King Naro. Arlen was exiled to the human forest world of Veridian, where Orin tracked and murdered him, but Arlen’s vengeful spirit merged with the forest, corrupting it and trapping Orin. Iska escaped to the Abyss, used cybernetics to create undead warriors, declared herself Queen of the Dead, and raised an army. Generations later, the Nine Realms began collapsing, the Prime civilization fell, and Iska’s undead swarmed the universe, signaling the End Times.
Players control an unnamed Prisoner released by Aras, the Prime caretaker of the Monolith, to avert the End Times. The Prisoner has amnesia, which Aras attributes to long imprisonment. Aras tasks the Prisoner with repairing the Monolith by restoring three Nexus Orbs on the snow pla
- Developer
- Toadman Interactive
- Publisher
- Game Odyssey
- Platforms
- Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Year
- 2018
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Metacritic Score (Windows)
- 63% based on 6 reviews
Lore & Background
The game takes place in an alternate universe where the Nine Realms and Nine Races were created by the Monolith, a stone artifact at the center of the universe. The Prime and Azurian races warred over the Monolith, with the Primes victorious. King Naro enlisted a Degonite warrior named Cathal to fight the Azurians, but the Primes forbade Cathal from reproducing. Cathal tore out part of his heart and split it into three pieces to create three children: Malog, Arlen, and Iska. The Oracles foretold that these children would bring about the downfall of the Primes, leading the Primes to imprison, exile, or kill them. Cathal swore revenge, slaying Naro's son Naylon, and was imprisoned. Over generations, the Nine Realms began to collapse, and Iska's undead army swarmed across the universe, signaling the End Times.
Reader's Guide
Immortal: Unchained is notable for blending the punishing difficulty and mechanics of the Dark Souls series with a focus on ranged combat using futuristic firearms, a departure from the typical medieval fantasy weaponry of its inspirations. The game's narrative, heavily inspired by Norse mythology, weaves a complex story of prophecy, betrayal, and cosmic collapse, culminating in a twist where the player character is revealed to be Cathal himself, manipulated by a being from another universe (the player). The game received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic score of 63% for the Windows version based on six critic reviews. Its significance lies in its attempt to transpose the Soulslike formula into a sci-fi setting, though its reception suggests it did not achieve the same critical acclaim as its inspirations. The game's legacy is as a niche entry in the action RPG genre, remembered for its ambitious lore and unique combat focus.
Did You Know?
- The game's plot is heavily inspired by Norse mythology and the events of Ragnarok.
- The player character is revealed to be Cathal, who allowed his body to be possessed by a being from another universe (the player).
- The Monolith is a stone artifact at the center of the universe with a bas relief of a tree on its face.
- The game has a Metacritic score of 63% for the Windows version based on 6 critic reviews.
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