In new co-op game, 33 players start a raid and only one may survive in the end. GlobalESportNews has played sample: Will this be the next Steam hit in 2024?

33 Immortals is like a marathon. There’s a mass start at the beginning, then the first ones gradually fall behind. More and more people drop out, some have to give up because of pain, supposed favourites collapse. And even though it’s all about winning in the end, everyone is somehow in the same boat: people help each other, here they hand you a water bottle, there they pass you a muesli bar through the rows to the back.

The special thing about 33 Immortals is: In this cooperative action role-playing game, the marathon takes place in Hell. And the goal is to kill God. The exciting question is: Are enough of the initial 33 players still on their feet at the end to cross the finish line?

What is 33 Immortals about?

33 Immortals controls like a typical twin-stick shooter with a dodge function: Following the Xbox showcase, we were allowed to pick up the gamepad on site at Microsoft in Los Angeles and go hunting demons together with five other journalists.

The core of the game is reminiscent of Diablo: you go out into the world, visit dungeons and slaughter monsters to collect loot. Particularly large specimens are waiting to be defeated as part of MMO-like raids – you have to kill a certain number of them per level to open the gates to the final boss of this world.

(At the beginning there are always 33 players taking part in a run. But they are gradually weeded out.)

In the example case it was the Inferno, where Lucifer himself was waiting for us. The game world is loosely modelled on Dante’s Divine Comedy, there are torture chambers and red-hot ash fields where all kinds of comic-style monstrosities await you – and later God himself, with whom you, as a damned soul, still have a word to say.

Ideally, you will have collected eight relics before confronting God or Lucifer. These are magical items that give your character powerful bonuses and are the only way to change your character build after you have made the most important decision by choosing your starting weapon. The demo only featured a sword and bow, but the full version is said to include many more weapons, each with a special attack.

Who is 33 Immortals for?

Single player fans will not be happy here, because 33 Immortals is an always-online game. 33 players are assigned to each game via matchmaking. If you want to play with friends, you can join a group and from then on you will be directed to a server as a team. Bots are supposed to fill gaps in the co-op team when no one else is there.

In addition, 33 Immortals will be a rogue-like game. This means that the game is designed for as many “runs” as possible, so you will try again and again to cross a world and defeat the boss at the end. If you fail, you start again from scratch. Saving is not possible, but you can heal yourself in between – this costs points, which you receive for defeated enemies.

These points also pay for perks, i.e. permanent upgrades that you keep after the run. Cosmetic customisation options have also been announced so that your character stands out from the crowd of up to 33 other immortals. By the way, the enemy strength will not vary with the number of remaining players, only the amount of enemies will be slightly adjusted.
(With collected resources you unlock passive bonuses with writer Dante)

To ensure that players don’t just run alongside each other in 33 Immortals, there are several co-op mechanics. Once per level, downed characters can be revived, the second time they are only there as observers. In addition, each character can place a sigil on the ground that triggers, for example, a hail of arrows or a group heal.

But to activate the ability, you need at least two other players to stand on the three connected symbols at the same time for a few seconds. Since many bosses use area attacks that you often have to dodge, this is not so easy. The attack skills also require a certain amount of coordination to get the enemy into the field of fire.

(When the third player places himself in the right circle, a mighty hail of arrows immediately descends on the opponents at the top of the screen)

What did we like, what is still unclear?

What did we like?

The controls are catchy.

The comic style is pleasing, demons and atmosphere seem coherent.

Cooperative action seems inevitable and works well even with strangers.

What is still unclear?

Do the relics bring even more exciting changes than before?

How much variety do the other worlds offer?

33 Immortals is scheduled for release in Early Access on Steam and Xbox Game Preview in 2024 at a price of just under £30 and will be available on Game Pass from day one.

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Editor’s verdict

After the cool trailer with its masses of players, playing 33 Immortals disappointed me a bit. Okay, the developer Thunder Lotus Games (Spiritfarer and Jotun) will surely iron out the few stutters by the time of the Early Access release in 2024, and the lack of fine-tuning, for example when reviving (it was difficult to see whether I was helping someone up), was to be expected. But purely mechanically, there was still no great fun to be had. Perhaps this was also due to the demo, which stopped just at the moment when the fight against the world boss Lucifer was supposed to start.

Until then, the whole thing played a bit dull and very formulaic: enter the dungeons, defeat the mini-boss, dust off the key, open the crate with the new relic and start all over again … 33 Immortals undoubtedly has good approaches like the co-op attacks and the sublime feeling of kicking down the gates of hell at the head of a huge team of sword-knockers. But from my first impression, that’s not enough so far to make the big breakthrough in the embattled rogue-like genre.

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