Immortality Reviews
While Immortality can't consistently maintain its tempo, Sam Barlow & Co.'s avant-garde approach to FMV game design & storytelling remains a genuine achievement.
Immortality is a different kind of game, but if you click with it, the story, acting, and overarching mystery will show you something wonderful.
There’s no denying that Half Mermaid Productions and Barlow have a knack for serving truly unique gameplay experiences, but they go beyond merely having their quirky style serve as a gimmick and crunch on which a game like Immortality can lean on. There’s actually an incredible amount of obvious care that has gone into making it something that folks will want to get through by providing a narrative that in all of its nonlinearity is shocking, but most importantly, very compelling, for as overused as that adjective is in gaming.
Immortality on PS5 retains all of its exceptional features and adds more to it- thanks to the effective use of Dual Sense haptics and audio. Its unique gameplay mechanics allow players to non-linearly piece together the three movies and – crucially – the events that happen between them. The game’s eerie apparitions superimposed onto the image and the way it pieces together the three movies non-linearly make it a must-play for fans of FMV games and cinephiles alike. However, its lack of tutorial makes it quite a bit tedious as finding new clips at the end keeps getting trickier.
Immortality is a game that anyone interested in compelling narratives should check out. The story of Marissa Marcel and her journey from unknown model to rising star, and then her unexplained disappearance into pop-culture obscurity is one that will enthrall players and stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
Even though I wasn’t blown away by Her Story or Telling Lies, Immortality has proven itself to be Sam Barlow’s best work to date, by a landslide. On paper, this game might sound pretentious, but it is truly a piece of art. Immortality has captivated me in a way that few games in recent memory have. Even though I unlocked the “True Ending”, I still keep finding myself going back for more, and with each revisit, I do indeed find more secrets. Immortality won’t be to everyone’s liking, but for those of us who love a good mystery and narrative adventure, this game will get under your skin and have you thinking about it for a long time.
It sounds ridiculous, but as we got sucked into Immortality's tangled web, there were times we forgot the movies we were watching weren't real. It's an astonishing accomplishment, really, and one we can't recommend highly enough.
it's without a doubt one of the best games I have played in 2022 and delivers a mysterious and enjoyable experience from start to finish. courtesy of Xbox game pass, almost everyone can easily play this amazing game. no excuse not to play Immortality!
Review in Persian | Read full review
This title is a rare form of film and game melded together in such a creative way. Because this game plays so simply, there really isn’t much that goes wrong here. If you enjoy a self-paced investigation experience with little hand-holding, make sure to check out Immortality.
Immortality brings with its ambitious, mature and daring production a critical and unique narrative experience, and manages to bring art cinema closer to video games like no other interactive film until then. The title is a must-have for any movie lover who is interested in the potential for the intersection of this medium with video games, as well as mystery adventure fans open to dealing with the irreverent eroticism and conceptualism of this work.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It wouldn’t work at all if the player hadn’t put in hours of preparation, although some might find their patience is stretched before the penny drops. Charlotta Mohlin (Agents Of SHIELD) deserves praise for her extraordinary work in these scenes, alternating between malevolent entity and misunderstood victim. Underpinning it all is a breakout performance from Manon Gage. If she wasn’t utterly convincing as the story’s doomed ingénue then the whole narrative would fall apart. Immortality is a remarkable moment in gaming and it’s hard to imagine how Sam Barlow could ever top it.
Immortality is yet another brave venture to deliver an interesting and experimental take through the gaming medium, even if it stumbles in its execution.
Immortality is a love letter to a certain way of making and intending cinema, but it's also an almost perfect experiment that aims to blend the languages of cinema and video game into a single one.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The latest game from the creator of Her Story and Telling Lies has you piecing together the puzzle of a missing movie star
Immortality is one of those games that take you by surprise and keeps surprising you even after the credits. Even if the gameplay can feel a little stale after a few hours, the mystery behind Marissa Marcel is crafted meticulously with a fantastic payoff in one of Sam Barlow's best games.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Some writers have described “Immortality” as being about burnout or auteurism (the final few scenes can be read as evidence for that theory). But that’s not quite right, akin to saying Star Wars is about space. Artistry does not grant privileged access to decency or good nature. That is what the game is, not what it is about. It’s text, not subtext. For so long as “Immortality” uses that as a starting point to probe further, it is a high water mark for gaming in 2022. When the characters are allowed to be people — not vampires nor aliens nor angels but people who are tired, embarrassed, horny, funny, naive, voyeuristic, creepy and more — each frame’s richness is its own reward.
Throughout its gameplay, you are going to ask question about the game and explore the movie itself. The interesting story tells you about an immortal art and ugly reality, also an unknown phenomena time to time. However, the lack of interaction in gameplay was highlighted even more, under Sam Barlow's intention. That is why someone is talking about its perfection, while others point out its insufficiency.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Sam Barlow's latest creation tries to improve on his previous work "Her Story", and the result is an adventure full of interesting puzzles and beautiful tales that will keep you fully engaged until the very end.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Immortality is a one-trick pony when it comes to gameplay, but there's a brilliant story buried beneath its hundreds of film clips.
Sam Barlow's latest title is fascinating, curious and much darker than it seems
Review in Spanish | Read full review