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Immortals Fenyx Rising 2nd DLC: Myths of the Eastern Realm (March 25th)

Humdinger

Member
I didn't pick up the first DLC, because it focused on the much-criticized challenges/puzzles, which were already overdone in the original game, but the second DLC appeals a bit more. It's called Myths of the Eastern Realm. It features a new hero, Ku, and a new story, based on Chinese mythology.

Here's a brief look at it:




I believe it will cost $15, but I'm not sure.

In addition, Ubisoft has added a free quest to the main game. It's called We are Not Alone. You can see a preview of that here:



It looks like a collection quest with little interaction otherwise, so I'll probably pass.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I'm excited to start the game soon. It's been 50% off for a while so I picked it up.

Chinese mythology DLC is definitely appealing too. It'll be on sale before I would need DLC.
 

Humdinger

Member
I've run out of things to play, and so I may pick it up. I agree that the vaults and puzzles were way overdone in the original game, but I still enjoyed the overall experience.

I need something to play, and this is out in 10 days, so it caught my eye. The only other contender right now is AC: Origins, which I picked up for $11 a couple days ago. Haven't yet felt motivated to dive into that yet.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I've run out of things to play, and so I may pick it up. I agree that the vaults and puzzles were way overdone in the original game, but I still enjoyed the overall experience.

I need something to play, and this is out in 10 days, so it caught my eye. The only other contender right now is AC: Origins, which I picked up for $11 a couple days ago. Haven't yet felt motivated to dive into that yet.
If ancient Egypt is your dream destination, the digital tourism is worth it. The stealth and combat aren't great, but it's functional. I didn't finish Origins, but I enjoyed looking around that work for like 30 hours and stealth killing people and doing horse drive by attacks.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
Just finished the main game yesterday.

Great up until the last 10%, which I hated.

A solid 8/10.
Which parts specifically?

I liked the snow mountain climb section, but the puzzle/vault right before fighting Typhon I didn't like. I also was hoping to keep playing after instead of having to load a save.
 

KiteGr

Member
This game was in my radar to buy when PS5s become available.
Now it still is, but it's "complete edition", as long as it's dlc is on the disk.
 

Humdinger

Member
Just finished the main game yesterday.

Great up until the last 10%, which I hated.

A solid 8/10.

Same. They really whiffed the ending. That final vault just killed the pacing. "The world is ending! You're about to fight the gigantic evil beast and save the world! But wait, first move these crates around." I just watched the ending on Youtube. The final boss fight looked like a chore.

I liked the overall game, though. I'll give it an 8.5. I appreciated the lighthearted tone, and the combat was fun.
 
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Jadsey

Member
Which parts specifically?

I liked the snow mountain climb section, but the puzzle/vault right before fighting Typhon I didn't like. I also was hoping to keep playing after instead of having to load a save.
The snow mountain and the vault. Horribly paced and ridiculous movement restriction. It’s like they didn’t know how to end the game properly.
 

Neolombax

Member
A bit too soon for the DLC for me. The vanilla game left me with a done kinda feeling. Maybe an end of year sale to get all the DLC's.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
The snow mountain and the vault. Horribly paced and ridiculous movement restriction. It’s like they didn’t know how to end the game properly.
Yeah that last vault was bad. It was a combination of the worst puzzles in one and took too long.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Finished the base game back in January and very much looking forward to this expansion (and the third one as well) and will be playing it on the 25th!!!
 

Humdinger

Member
A mediocre review of the DLC from Gamespot. Score is 5/10. Same guy gave the base game a 7/10, for comparison.

A few excerpts:

But solving a new round of puzzles and checking icons off on a map lost its allure much more quickly in this DLC--Myths of the Eastern Realm just doesn't have much to keep that loop interesting. Unlocking my glide ability, clearing out vaults (now called gateways), and grappling enemies isn't as fun because Ku plays exactly like Fenyx, and I'm disappointed he doesn't have any new abilities that change how you explore or interact with the world a second time through.

You do get some new tools to play around with, like blocks that change size when you attack them or rings that act as grapple points to latch onto. They spice up some of the puzzles strewn around the Mortal Lands, but none of them are especially clever, and their novelty wears off quickly. The sizable dungeons from the base game, where these ideas could have been explored in more depth and combined to create a more satisfying set of themed challenges, are also gone, so all the exploring and puzzle-solving feels like an appetizer without a main course.

That one is actually good news to me. I disliked the Vaults and I'm glad to hear they're gone.

Combat is also unchanged, and the lack of new options is immediately apparent...

Myths of the Eastern Realms does what a lot of expansions do: It condenses a larger, more expansive game into something quicker and more approachable. Being able to explore a new area and solve puzzles at a quicker pace can be fun, but without any strong new hooks, it's too stale to maintain much excitement for long and feels like a wasted opportunity to bring the world of Chinese myth to life.


He says he spent 8 hours with it.
 
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Humdinger

Member
Here's another mediocre review, this one from wccftech. The reviewer says he enjoyed the base game, but he gives this DLC expansion a 6/10. He repeats a lot of what Gamespot said about the lack of significant changes, then concludes:

Having liked Immortals Fenyx Rising quite a bit last year, I was eager to see what Ubisoft Chengdu came up with to spice up the formula in Myths of the Eastern Realm, so I was quite disappointed to see how very little actually changed. The experience is still solid enough, no doubt about it, but the small changes are not enough to make the new campaign a must-have for most players. Only those who truly loved Immortals Fenyx Rising and haven't had enough of its formula will love Myths of the Eastern Realm as well.

Pros:​

  • The same solid gameplay of the original game
  • New puzzle mechanics

Cons​

  • Unremarkable story and characters
  • Mediocre writing
  • The small changes to the formula are not enough to make it stand out in a meaningful way
 
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Jaysen

Banned
All I expected to get was more of the same, and it sounds like we’re getting that. I loved the main game 100 percent of the time. So much so that I platinumed it and got 1000/1000 achievements.

A more positive impression:
 

Humdinger

Member
This guy from CBR enjoyed it more. He seemed to like the way the game handled the mythology and didn't seem put off by the way it replicated a lot of the original.

Myths of the Eastern Realm sticks to the base game's formula. And though it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, Immortals Fenyx Rising itself proved that placing familiar elements in a new environment could create fresh and exciting gameplay experiences -- so it's shouldn't come as a surprise that the game has done that again.


He says it's between 5 to 10 hours, depending on how much exploring you do.
 
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Humdinger

Member
Anyone have any other "Chinese mythology" games they could recommend ?

Jade Empire comes to mind, but that's an old one. Unless that's Japanese, not Chinese. I forget. It's a good game, if you like the type of RPGs Bioware used to produce.
 
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Humdinger

Member
I'm enjoying it so far. I'm only an hour in. I just opened up the first area. I have a few observations:

  • The humor is toned down, not so overwhelming as in the first game, which is good. This one feels slightly more serious.
  • Although the enemies and combat are just reskinned versions of the originals, that's fine with me. There are some minor visual changes. I don't want to learn a new combat system. I like just settling into the one I'm familiar with.
  • I like the way they've built it around Chinese mythology. Those myths are much less familiar to me than the Greek/Roman ones, so it feels a bit more exotic.
  • I thought there weren't vaults here, but I guess I misunderstood the reviewer's comment. There are vaults. Not as many as I remember in the original game, though.
Overall, I'm liking it. I had fun with the original game, and it feels good to get some more of it. It's not drastically changed, but I like the new environment and characters.
 
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Rayderism

Member
When this released on PS4, I bought the...premium/deluxe (whatever) edition, so the DLC was free for me on PSN. I really have to get back into this game before I forget all the special moves. :pie_eyeroll:
 

Jaysen

Banned
On PS5 it’s downloading the PS4 and PS5 update files. Sony really need to address this stupidity.
 

Kenpachii

Member
First DLC was complete dog shit.

Totally forgot it was releasing, ubisoft does a bad job of advertising with it on uplay that's for sure.
 
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Kenpachii

Member
Main problem the first DLC had, was that there was nothing in there. Mobs rehashed, no exloring, death overworld, nobody wanted more vaults which was basically the entire Olympus riddled with faults. no new gods, no mounts no overworld content it was just really really bad.

Second DLC is always far bigger then the first DLC that's what i am used towards with ac type of games so i expected a lot more from it.

Played the game for 3 hours yesterday and this is my opinion on it so far.

This DLC is in a complete different league from the first one, while the first one was completely trash this one is exactly what people want out of a DLC.

- It's basically a entire new story based around china, 2 entire zones that u get out of the base game as it looks like so far, maybe the mountains are another zone so i could be 3.
- New gods it seems like ( only encountered one ), this is exactly what i wanted out of the last dlc also but we didn't got it.
- Normal hack and slash combat system is changed, its even more on steroids like the base game was and the monsters seem to be harder to counter somehow. There are also big bosses it seems like wandering around the map now ( only encountered one tho ).
- The god power combat is a bit tuned down it seems like, maybe it gets better but i highly doubt it. we will see tho.
- New skills are just revamped old skills but in a new way they push them, so kinda dissapointing on that front but the combat still feels a bit different non the less.
- Visually looks on par with the base game.
- World puzzles are freshed to the point they feel new enough for you to care for it and not want to stop doing them after one or two.
- Main character is less likeable and the voice is kinda meh, but its fine for what it is.
- God voice so far is solid and what u would expect out of the game
- Overworld is basically in the shape of a yin yang solution. ( 2 area's comparable in size it seems like to the base game two area's )
- Game has a crafting station again where u upgrade skill levels etc like the main game. So its a proper content expansion.
- There are tamable mounts again
- Lots of new armors are found everywhere so far.
- Lowered the amounts of vaults massively to the point i only had one simplistic one in my 3 hour playthrough, vaults are like portals now it seems like ( screenshot below shows it )
- The game can now be played in nightmare mode straight from the start
- Its a seperate game again like the first DLC so gear and stuff doesn't transfer over which is understandable this time around, not so much for the last DLC.
- Mobs at the start are a bit dissapointing as they are just reskinned same mobs u encountered already for 100 times in the base game, but there are new monsters it seems like. Rather had complete new monsters everywhere however tho. But maybe that improves.
- The two map pieces seem to exists out of ares type of continent looks ( death and destruction ) and athene area looks ( foresty ). u start in the forest area.
- Day and night cycle exists in this map.
- Not to trilled seeing the next area exists of rehashed enviroment we already saw before in the base game for a long time, kinda dissapointing but maybe it changes when i actually go there who knows.

Will play some more today and see how it goes.

Here are some screenshots i took: ( comment below it )

ds0GL8l.png


Basically the first area on of the two overview

P6bgidt.png


First god u encounter, likeable.

g3TCmbx.png


First vault u will encounter, its a portal. vault is what u would expect.


H1s7rQQ.png


Just a nice picture

IQZ21tA.png


First vault inside architecture.

kfRovXt.png


overview of a small part of the first map from high up, u see a big monkey walking around and patrolling they are like mini bosses and hit HARD.

r4ewMD3.png


Start area from another direction and when it gets evening ( yes day and night cycles exists in this map )

zVUIxwx.png


Nice looking area.

t8MPpg2.png


Architecture and also crafting base where u upgrade all your stuff.

lCINVPD.png


At the end there is where u start the game and get introduced.

BCXaabA.png


Another overview of a bit further area part of the map.

KjWrFgY.png



Last picture i took when i teleported towards some spot.

ZF61jix.png


While still standing on the first map this is a overview of the second map area that is next towards it, so basically more ares type of environment it seems like.

ToI31E4.png


Another view of a part of the first map in the evening.

gTZ7V5F.png


Here u can see the two maps connect.
 
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Jaysen

Banned
I love the vaults. It's probably the best part of the game. So that first DLC was really great for me, outside of some glitched encounters.
 

Humdinger

Member
Thanks for the impressions, Kenpachii Kenpachii I'll be playing some more today. I play about an hour a day and am taking my time.

I haven't noticed the new enemies you've mentioned yet, but maybe I'm not focusing enough on small differences. I am noticing some gameplay tweaks, though. The minor differences in combat, for instance. Map searching also seems a bit easier now.

Most of all, I'm just enjoying a return to the game, in a different environment.

Lowered the amounts of vaults massively to the point i only had one simplistic one in my 3 hour playthrough, vaults are like portals now it seems like ( screenshot below shows it )

That's good news. I heard a reviewer say there weren't vaults like in the first game, which pleased me, since I wasn't a fan of them in the first, especially because they were so ubiquitous. I was surprised and a little disappointed to encounter one within the first hour. It was a fine set of puzzles, I just wasn't looking forward to a whole slew of them. It's good to hear they are relatively rare.

I'm glad they didn't just recycle the puzzle types of the first game, too. I am still not the biggest fan of the above-ground puzzles, but at least these are a different type.
 

Kenpachii

Member
Completed the DLC 100% on hardest mode on PC.

Short review about it, minor spoilers but will put them under a spoiler tag.

Total game time:

Total game time was 10 hours 51 minutes ( messed around for like 30 minutes or something ).

How big is the world?

Its basically 2 area's from the main game big, with 1 area being split up like 2/3 1/3 solution. Every area has its own quest line with god in it much like the main game but a bit shorter.

First area is comparable towards Aphrodite area size wise, second area is comparable towards starting zone in the main game, the 3rd area is pretty much half the size of the middle vulcano area so that's what u get.

Vaults:

Nothing like the first DLC, which was basically vault the game. Vaults have been massively pruned to the point one area has a single one of them in it ( maybe a second one i can't remember ). There are probably in total in the entire DLC about 8 vaults to be found and frankly u don't have to complete them at all if u don't care for it.

The faults are extremely simple and easy to do besides 2 of them which are basically a starter trap, i will give you the tip if u can't do the vault that u find in the open, and keep on failing its probably because u need upgrades so skip until u got your upgrades.

Honestly i believe those two are added simple to get more game time on players game to give them the idea the game is longer then it is.

Gods:

New gods are introduced which is something i wanted to see
2 in total, one of them was straight up a lookalike to ares, honestly felt like they put no effort in that character like at all but oh well

Voices where solid for both, even while it didn't feel much towards the asian culture or of the models just didn't really felt like asian at all which was kinda dissapointing.

However i wanted new gods and frankly its great to see some new faces in the game.

Does gear and skills transfer over to this DLC from the main game:

Skins u got from the store yes, skins u got from the game no. The game is basically a complete new standalone journey with a new character and a new world.

Enemy's:

Lots of re skinning here going on, wish we saw some more eastern mythology beasts etc, they where in there tho but it felt to similaire towards what we already have had. Still solid effort even while it felt a bit lazy.

World puzzles:

Brand new world puzzles and frankly they are spaced out well, they are fun and good to do so u won't get stuck that easily. Also the new puzzles fresh the game up a bit and they are not slammed ot much in your face over and over again. Well done on this front.

Is there a base to upgrade in like in the main game?

Yes there is, its much like the main game.

Sound:

Great, no problems here but nothing special also, i liked the sound from the main game more in general.

Bosses:

There are legendary beasts in there and boss fights a hanful of them together, they are nothign special and frankly i wish they designed more stuff around the chinese solution. The game felt still extremely western on this front. Sadly.

big dragon boss, weird chinese mythology creatures, sadly it all felt really western on that front.

Main character:

Not as likable as the main game, voice was also not that great.

Humor:

Maybe some jokes here and there but way less then main game, didn't really like that much.

Gear:

Basically more like the first game, lots of pieces to collect and skins even while most of the skins belong to the same outfit like the main game, still u can collect a lot more and it makes it more interesting.

Combat:

Revamped a bit, u wil get new skills which are just old skills so a bit dissapointing on that, however the melee fighting is better done now and changed a bit which i did like, but god powers got reduced a little from what i noticed. I liked that big hammer which isn't in there sadly even while the power is kinda still in there.

Other then that, wish we would see a bit more new cool stuff here.

Still well done and fun to play with.

Exploration:

There is a lot of stuff to collect materials specifically for upgrades, while the worlds aren't to big u still feel like there is something to look around in. nothing special tho.

Story:

Its serviceable nothing special.

Environments:

Great looking tho, its a looker. feels like walking in a disney movie at times.

Performance:

Around the same as the base game, maybe a bit more optimized

Ending:

Dissapointing to say the least, but they learned from there criticizer from the main game it seems like.

Weird they went for the u need to save before going further as progress won't be saved again as in the main game, also end boss was kinda trash give me a big dragon. Good part is they removed the entire dungeon infront of it which people hated it seems like

Conclusion:

Wonderful DLC, exactly what u want out of a DLC if u want more of the main game and 1000% iimprovement over the first DLC that felt like a 2 student project they rushed in the last week.

This actually felt like a proper DLC. However 10 hours for the price they are asking for in my opinion isn't worth it. And that's 100% while at it. The main game was to short in my opinion for the price they asked for it and the dlc was just straight up a scam ( first one ).

This would be perfectly worth it as first DLC in my opinion not second which i alteast expect 20-30 hours out of it.

Still the DLC is absolutely high quality and well made, so if u don't mind 10 hours for whatever they ask for it, then i would say go for it.
 
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Have this but it will be a while until I get to it, still working through the main game... why so much hate for the vaults with this game? I really like them... Some of my favourite parts tbh.
 

Humdinger

Member
Thanks for the extended impressions, Kenpachii Kenpachii .

I agree about the lack of authenticity in the Chinese mythology, but that was true of the main game as well. The Greek gods were caricatures, cartoons. Although they toned down the humor here, the game deliberately does not take itself seriously -- which is one of its good points.

Do you know whether your combat skills (the perks and god power upgrades) transfer from the main game, or does everyone start with all of that levelled up already, regardless of where they were in the main game?

$15 is fine with me. I will probably end up spending more than 10 hours in it, based on my progress so far.

Good to hear that the number of vaults has been trimmed back. Maybe they've been listening to the feedback.

why so much hate for the vaults with this game? I really like them... Some of my favourite parts tbh.

Yeah, some people liked them. I liked some of them. The problem most people had was with the sheer number of them. Combined with all the above-ground puzzles, it felt like overkill.
 

Kenpachii

Member
Thanks for the extended impressions, Kenpachii Kenpachii .

I agree about the lack of authenticity in the Chinese mythology, but that was true of the main game as well. The Greek gods were caricatures, cartoons. Although they toned down the humor here, the game deliberately does not take itself seriously -- which is one of its good points.

Do you know whether your combat skills (the perks and god power upgrades) transfer from the main game, or does everyone start with all of that levelled up already, regardless of where they were in the main game?

$15 is fine with me. I will probably end up spending more than 10 hours in it, based on my progress so far.

Good to hear that the number of vaults has been trimmed back. Maybe they've been listening to the feedback.



Yeah, some people liked them. I liked some of them. The problem most people had was with the sheer number of them. Combined with all the above-ground puzzles, it felt like overkill.

Everybody starts with the same upgrades, the god powers are new powers u gotta relearn again because they are new entirely even while they are kinda the same. The other things u gotta relearn is the bird and the glide which u will get a hour in or something depending on the speed u move forwards.
 

Humdinger

Member
I'm six and a half hours in and only about halfway done with the first island. So I'm sure this will be a relatively long experience for me, probably in the neighborhood of 15 hours. Well worth it for anyone who enjoyed the main game.

Any hints on the pillar puzzles? I've run across two that stump me. I'm talking about the puzzles where you have to direct the airflow, but the pillars interrupt it. You move one pillar down, and other pillars move up and block the air. I've tried timing the stops, but it doesn't help. Am I missing some special power?
 

Humdinger

Member
About 12 hours in now. I'm still enjoying it. Combat is fun. To me, the main draw of the game is the combat, traversal, collecting, and exploration. I'm enjoying most of the puzzles, although I'm still stumped on two pillar puzzles, and the Sunchaser challenges can be frustrating. The story makes no sense, but that's okay.
 
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Humdinger

Member
Finished up. The clock says 15 hrs. Good DLC. 8/10. Pluses were the combat, exploration, upgrades, and new setting. Enjoyed it overall. Points off due to lame writing, puzzles that despite being pared back still feel overdone, and a story that was either dumb or incomprehensible, I can't tell which. Probably both.

I think they took the feedback on board for this DLC, and they modified the base game formula. Hopefully, that will continue into the sequel, if there is a sequel. I'm talking about changes like reduction in vaults, tuning of the combat, toning down the humor a little, and having an ending that gets straight to the boss fight, rather than diddles around with crates.
 
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