Ubisoft's newest game, an open-world action adventure title about a newly minted demigod exploring the world of Greek Mythology, was renamed from Gods and Monsters to Immortals Fenyx Rising. As sudden as this name change was, Immortals Fenyx Rising does better describe the the nature of this game to laypeople while also distinguishing it from the many other games out there based on Greek Mythology AND getting the Monster Energy company off Ubisoft's back.
As implied by the new title, Immortals Fenyx Rising takes place in the world of Greek Mythology where demigod heroes rubbed shoulders with immortal creatures like Centaurs and Nymphs, while Gods like Zeus and Apollo tried to make babies with anything that had a pulse. The protagonist of this game, a customizable Demigod hero named Fenyx, embarks on a quest to save Mythical Greece from the ancient behemoth Typhon and his horde of monstrous offspring, mastering the use of many divine weapons, tools, and skills in the process.
The gameplay of Immortals Fenyx Rising, focusing on open-world travel, flights and melee combat, draws inspiration from many sources. The biggest inspiration by far is The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. Lastly, the whimsical plot and bickering, snarky narrators of Immortals Fenyx Rising (Zeus and Prometheus) owe a lot to witty narrator-centric games such as The Bard's Tale, Battleblock Theater, and Bastion. The suddenly name change from Gods and Monsters to Immortals Fenyx Rising? That was reportedly inspired by an energy drink company, although Ubisoft says differently.
The Title Change Got Monster Energy Off Ubisoft's Backs
Early in 2020, the manufacturers of Monster Energy filed legal charges against Ubisoft, claiming that the title of their game, Gods and Monsters, would hurt the sales of their signature energy drink by confusing consumers. Rather than fight an exhausting legal battle against Monster Energy, Ubisoft decided to take the path of least resistance and change the name of their game to Immortals Fenyx Rising. Why they didn't just make a merchandising deal with Monster Energy is currently unclear, but Ubisoft has since released a statement that the name change was NOT brought upon by Monster Energy's complaint, with a company spokeperson stating to VGC that "The name change for Immortals Fenyx Rising reflects a creative decision and is not a result of legal matters."
Immortals Fenyx Rising Distinguishes the Game From God Of War
In addition to dodging the wrath of soft drink companies, the title change from Gods and Monsters to Immortals Fenyx Rising also keeps Ubisoft's latest game from being confused with the God of War franchise, a long-running series of Greek (and now Norse) mythology-themed fantasy hack'n'slash games about a hot-tempered demigod named Kratos and his quest to kill everything in the Greek (and now Norse) pantheons. From the looks of things, Immortals Fenyx Rising is far less misotheistic in tone than God of War: rather than portraying the Gods as callous villains, Zeus and the other Olympian come across as flawed, yet relatable, divine beings who need the hero's help to protect the world from Typhon.
Immortals Fenyx Rising Puts the Protagonist Front and Center
Another advantage of the title Immortals Fenyx Rising is how it puts the main protagonist, Fenyx, front and center. Fully customizable in appearance and gender, Fenyx is an original winged demigod character with the potential to match the deeds of legends like Hercules, Achilles, or the Disocuri.
Fenyx, over the course of their travels and fights against primordial monsters, can master the divine weapons of their fellow demigods and create their own heroic legend – one that hopefully doesn't doesn't end in tragedy like most tales of Greek heroes.
Immortals Fenyx Rising Better Blurs The Lines Between God And Monster
The line between gods and monsters in Greek Mythology is blurrier than it sems: the children of the Olympian Gods, kings, warriors, and tricksters, are praised as heroes, while the offspring of the Titans, the ancient deities that the Olympians overthrew, are viewed as monsters. What makes a god-blooded trickster like Odysseus more heroic than a Cyclops, or the thunder god Zeus more divine than Typhon? Discounting physical appearance and aethstetics, they're all ultimately the same: powerful, ruthless beings with a talent for death and destruction.
The current title of Ubsioft's new action-adventure game, Immortals Fenyx Rising, is appropriate thanks to its use of the word "Immortal," a broad term that aptly describes the wide range of supernatural divinities and creatures within the game-setting of Ancient Greece. Gods and Titans, along with centaurs, minotaurs and giants, all count as a variety of Immortal, distinct in nature from mortal humans. The player character's companion, a fire bird named Phosphor, also suggests the presence of friendly or neutral immortals, creatures who may help Fenyx in their quest to defeat the spawn of Typhon and solve puzzles within the Vault of Tartaros.
Source: VGC
