Immortals of Aveum
Immortals of Aveum is an action adventure in the style of God of War (2018) and Star Wars: Jedi, meaning that it's narrative-driven, mostly linear, has skill trees and item upgrades, metroidvania elements (locked areas open up later), and lots of lots of optional collectibles and challenges, most of which can only be accessed in the late game.
My main complaint about the implementation of this structure is that there are just too many optional challenges and they are too often hard just to be hard. Giving a boss a zillion hit points does not lead to a satisfying fight. They are also not indicated well on the map: I found myself again and again scouring every area looking to see if the locked chambers would open. Otherwise, the main story line is action-packed, exciting, and paced well, so if you focus just on that and maybe do a few challenges then you'll see the best of what the game has to offer.
On that note, I'm baffled by the negative reception of this game. Is it a masterpiece, a genre-defying work that re-imagines what video games can be? No. Is it an original story that will make you ponder the nature of morality, loyalty, and perseverance? No. Does it do anything groundbreaking at all? No.
But it's a blast. Literally. Combat is fast, tactical, and exciting. It looks awesome, especially in HDR, which retains natural tones while generously sprinkling wow-factor highlights and particle effects. It's also technologically impressive, with lots of UE5 bells and whistles and an ergonomic settings page that guides you through the GPU and CPU costs of turning things up. Dial in what works best for you.
It seems some reviewers' days were ruined by the game's bad writing. I'm a sucker for stuff that raises the bar, but nothing here offended me. It's the same fare you would expect in a high-budget summer blockbuster movie or a streaming TV show. It's not Fellini, but it's good popcorn entertainment that does what it needs to do to get you into the action. And the voice actors do a good job, even if the characters and dialog they were given don't push the boundaries of their craft.
The bottom line: This is a very fun game. Can you ask for more? Sure, and I definitely do. But Immortals of Aveum scratches a lot of itches for many hours. If you enjoy a melange of action, adventure, puzzles, and secrets, then this game more often than not does not disappoint.