Playing 33 Immortals for the first time is like going to a party at a coworker’s friend’s house. The first few minutes are marked by curiosity, light suspicion and a constant hum of awkwardness, but as you mingle, the strangers become less intimidating and you start to feel like you’re a part of the flow of the night. You might even make some friends of your own. The main difference is that, with 33 Immortals, you never have to take off your fuzzy slippers.
I’m not kidding about flow when it comes to 33 Immortals. I fell into the game’s rhythm about 15 minutes into my three-hour preview, and by the end, I was shepherding small groups of lost souls across Inferno like I worked for Satan himself. In its simplest terms, 33 Immortals is like a multiplayer Hades, though its world is based on the lore of Dante’s Divine Comedy rather than Greek myth. Its vibe is also a tad more wholesome than Hades — maybe more crowd-pleasing, which makes sense considering the focus on large-scale multiplayer maps in 33 Immortals.
I played the preview solo because I was feeling particularly antisocial that day, but of course that doesn’t mean I was alone. Other players occupy the hub world and the main maps in 33 Immortals, and though I initially tried to fade into the pixels and treat it as a single-player game, I quickly found myself emoting and seeking groups of warriors to join. With so many random players on the map at any time, it’s easy to feel like your small mistakes aren’t spotted, while your successes are clear for all to see, and even participate in.
You start a run by picking a weapon — justice sword, sloth staff or greed daggers — and each has a special ability that only works when three players stand together and activate it. It’s different for each weapon, but the effect is consistently grand. I stuck with the Staff of Sloth, a weapon that flings purple balls of magic and whose special ability slows enemies across a large swath of the battlefield. In the heat of combat, with swarms of demons flooding the immediate area, it’s actually tricky to get three people to stand in the proper spots, but it takes just a moment of synchrony for the special ability to activate, and it’s a palpable relief every time. And then everyone immediately gets back to hurling spells, shooting arrows, flinging daggers and reviving allies, eyes peeled for the next special ability.
Teamwork is an essential mechanic in 33 Immortals, and it’s not an intimidating one, even on an extra-introverted day. Amid all the chaos of combat, I never lost sight of my character for more than a split-second, and my dashes, interactions and attacks felt crisp and responsive. With dozens of enemies and allies on-screen at any given time, this alone is a notable achievement by developer Thunder Lotus.
The game begins with a 33-player map, Inferno, which is an arid wasteland of roaming demons, 12 Torture Chambers and one big ascension battle to complete. The minions running around Inferno are easy enough to dispatch for practice and extra bones (the game’s currency), or you can run right by them without punishment. Torture Chambers are miniboss rooms designed for six players to tackle at once, but you can enter them with fewer than six, even alone. However, you’re unlikely to get far solo. The minibosses are hulking skeletons and big, flopping demon worms with plenty of health, and they always have hordes of minions as backup. Luckily, allies can join the chamber any time after a fight starts, up to six total, and no one can voluntarily leave until two swarms have been cleared. Each Torture Chamber rewards successful teams with two relic chests containing useful items and bones. One chest is always locked, requiring a key to spill its goods. You can carry up to eight relics at a time, buffing your stats in various ways, and you’re able to reroll chest items for a fairly low price.
I had good luck defeating Torture Chambers with just three or four fighters total, but six was always welcome, hence my eventual shepherding. I also ended up prioritizing keys when shopping at the Bone Shrines scattered around Inferno because, dang it, I love unlocking chests.
Once all of the Torture Chambers are defeated, holy fire spreads across Inferno, pushing players into one of three ascension spots designed for 11 fighters each. Here, enemies flood the fire-ringed circle and it’s a Thunderdome situation. If you live, you get a legendary relic and ascend alongside other surviving players to Inferno’s three-headed, bat-winged boss, Lucifer. This is where 33 Immortals’ art style really shines: Lucifer is a big blue beast who feels ripped straight out of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and there are pleasant touches of 1980s cartoons all over the game.
Though I battled Lucifer three times with varying team sizes, I never beat that first overworld. I’m eager to try again and unlock the next map, Purgatorio, which maxes out at 22 players.
Like in Hades, 33 Immortals has a hub world, The Dark Woods, that players return to after each loop. This is where you’re able to apply upgrades, equip new weapons, alter your appearance and get some training in. I didn’t find any of the characters in the hub world particularly intriguing, but they serve their purpose just fine. Besides, it’s not about them — the main focus in 33 Immortals is all of the other actual people.
As Engadget’s UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith prophesied in June 2023, 33 Immortals only gets better with more players. 33 Immortals is available today in Early Access on Xbox Series X/S and PC (via the Xbox app and Epic Games Store). It’s also included in Game Pass.
