Myths of the Eastern Realm is the second major DLC for Ubisoft’s lighthearted action-adventure Immortals: Fenyx Rising, following a puzzle-oriented A New God expansion that explored Fenyx’s adventure as the latest member of the Mount Olympus elite club.
In Myths of the Eastern Realm you play as Ku, a brave new protagonist, who finds himself helping the goddess Nuwa (mostly against her wishes) to restore the balance between Heaven and Earth to save humanity! He also cracks some jokes along the way as he encounters Chinese deities, exotic monsters, challenges and even dragons.
So call for your bird companion – not Phosphor! Just look-alike! – and dive right in: this is our Immortals: Fenyx Rising – Myths of the Eastern Realm DLC Review.
Unlike A New God, the first major DLC for Immortals: Fenyx Rising that focused heavily on instanced challenges and puzzles, Myths of the Eastern Realm took a step back, closer to the general gameplay flow of the base game.
In the expansion, you have access to an entire open world of the Eastern Realms, although it is a fair bit smaller than the Golden Isles. The Ubisoft team once again had outdone itself when it comes to level design and puzzles.
It is up to you whether you want to tackle the scattered challenges and puzzles or bulldoze through the short main story to see where it all leads. However, even if you decide to spend your time on the side activities, the DLC remains woefully short.
Gameplay-wise, the DLC remains as close to the original as it can possibly be, adding very few new mechanics, mostly related to the puzzles. Even the gear does not seem to be quite as interesting as the powerful bonuses offered in A New God.
You can use the new in-game resources to increase Ku’s Stamina or Health characteristics or to upgrade his gear or abilities (that are the same as Fenyx’s).
As the location is quite large for a DLC, Ku has access to a new set of mounts you can tame around the world. The battle companion bird who is totally not Phospor makes a reappearance, as well.
The story starts in a familiar way: our protagonist finds himself surrounded by other humans turned to stone while he miraculously escapes such fate. Sounds familiar?
Upon hearing singing, Ku decides to investigate the source only to find the goddess Nuwa. She explains that she is working on bringing the balance between Heaven and Earth to heal the Breach the Scar and save humanity.
Against the goddess’ insistence for him to stay put, Ku decides to aid her in the quest. His ideas often clash with Nuwa’s expectations, but as the two work side by side, they manage to gain each other’s respect and perhaps learn from each other.
Unlike the base game, featuring Fenyx and the eccentric cast of Olympian gods, the DLC’s tone is much more subdued and even a bit unsure at times, especially when it comes to humor – the expansion lacks the same level of dad-jokery pulled by the base game and A New God.
While visually stunning and delving into the rarely touched Chinese mythology, Myths of the Eastern Realm feels at most like a side story or a reskin of Fenyx Rising, failing to bring any new hooks for players to enjoy.
Of course, it still remains charming and fun and deliciously hectic for the few hours you can spend with Ku and the goddess Nuwa. If you were simply looking for a way to spend more hours in Immortals: Fenyx Rising, exploring new content and adventuring alongside the cast of charming characters, Myths of the Eastern Realms will snatch your breath away.
However, if you expected the expansion to build onto what Fenyx Rising and A New God had offered and present new, unique gameplay elements, exploration, or even completely different puzzle solving, you might find the DLC lacking.
Similar to: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact
Note: the base game and the DLC are verified purchases by the author