There is no other game quite like Immortality. On the surface it looks like another interactive film (okay, a collection of them), but it has gameplay mechanics and a narrative that are absolutely unique. It also marks Sam Barlow’s first horror game since Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009). Barlow’s name has been tied to FMV masterpieces since Her Story (2015), and Immortality has upped the genre to a new level. The game is currently available for PC/Mac, Xbox, and mobile devices, but soon it will get a brand new audience as it launches for PlayStation 5 later this month.
Immortality puts the player in a film editor’s seat, giving them access to what amounts to all three of Marissa Marcel’s movies. None were ever released. Marissa Marcel disappeared. The footage was lost… until now. Jump from scene to scene using a match cut mechanic where you click on something and it jumps to another scene with that something. This means players won’t see the story in a linear way; odds are that when you click on something it won’t lead you to the next scene. Once you’ve collected enough though, you can take a look at everything in chronological order. The ultimate goal is to discover what happened to Marissa Marcel. Once you do, you’ll never be the same.
Immortality has countless rave reviews, and has won numerous awards (and was nominated for even more). It was nominated for six BAFTA Games Awards: Best Narrative, EE Game of the Year, Technical Achievement, Achievement, Performer in a Leading Role, and Performer in a Supporting Role. It won for Best Narrative.
The PlayStation 5 version of Immortality features haptic and controller speaker features to bring the game’s virtual moviola to life. (Today I learned: a moviola is a machine that lets an editor view a film while editing.) It also includes a Platinum Trophy.
I say that the more people that play Immortality, the better. I’ve seen it shift how people view video games in general. Unsurprisingly, the game’s director also thinks more people should play. “From the inception of this project, the goal has been sharing Marissa Marcel’s life and work with as large an audience as possible,” says Barlow. “So I am thrilled to bring Immortality to PlayStation gamers and bring them face to face with a lost legend.”
Developed and published by Half Mermaid, Immortality is available now for mobile devices via Netflix, PC/Mac via Steam, and Xbox Series. It will be released for PlayStation 5 on January 23.
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