Immortal Life Review

Game: Immortal Life
Genre: Farming, Simulation, RPG
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Yifang Studio | 2P Games
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $16.99 | UK £13.49 | EU € 13,99
Release Date: January 18th, 2024

Review code used, with many thanks to Stride PR

Think Rune Factory in a Chinese setting, add some mysticism, and you’ve got a picture of Immortal Life. Your character doesn’t wake up after a shipwreck without a memory, nor do they inherit a derelict farm from a deceased uncle. This time, my YvoAro (a case of a typo when choosing the name…) arrived at the Guiyun Mountains, set on joining the renowned sect that made their home in the Mountains. That’s how our story starts, as does this review. Let’s see what adventure Immortal Life has in store for us!

This image from 'Immortal Life' showcases the game's beautiful graphics, depicting a vibrant scene in Misty Valley. The foreground features young trees with bright green leaves and grassy undergrowth. A bamboo fence lines a path leading towards a calm river that flows through the valley. Wisps of mist hover over the water, contributing to the valley's namesake. In the background, the water cascades over a series of small falls, surrounded by more lush greenery and a few pink-flowering trees, adding a splash of color to the landscape. The game's title, 'Misty Valley,' is overlaid in elegant script, highlighting the peaceful and picturesque environment that players can explore within the game.
The Misty Valley, our home in spring

The Guiyun Sect and Fire Rain

History tells us the Guiyun Mountains, rich in spiritual energy, attracted many cultivators in the past. The word cultivator might confuse you (as it did me), but in Chinese, our translation of cultivator means characters who undergo meditation and training to become transcendental beings. A Legendary Man, skilled in martial arts and wisdom, founded the Guiyun Sect. The Guiyun Sect became renowned for its powerful members and was considered a rising force in the cultivation world until the devastating Fire Rain catastrophe struck. And that’s when YvoAro was at the foot of the mountain to join the sect.

In this 'Immortal Life' video game screenshot, a dramatic scene unfolds with a character named Xie Wentian in the foreground, displaying a speech bubble with ellipses, signaling distress or shock. The character has long black hair and is bloodied, suggesting recent combat or injury. In the background, two characters are helping a third who appears to be injured, near a large fire burning amidst debris. The setting is a traditional East Asian environment with willow trees and lanterns, adding to the ambiance of a calamity that has just occurred. The mood is tense and somber, as the characters deal with the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Xie Wentian certainly doesn’t look good…

A meteorite struck the Mountains near the Guiyun Sect, obliterating the main peak and causing nearby mountains to crumble. The sect suffered extensive damage, with hundreds of buildings destroyed. At a crucial moment, mysterious lights protected the people waiting to join the sect (and my little YvoAro) at the mountain’s entrance, allowing them to escape to Ferry Stop below.

In the middle of all this chaos, a man, apparently from the Guiyun Sect, fell from the sky, leaving the survivors in shock. Yang Ziqin, one of the people with YvoAro, took control and carried the unconscious Xie Wentian to the Inn. It was then that the survivors decided to work together to restore the sect and do their best to become worthy cultivators.

Screenshot from 'Immortal Life' showing a group of characters gathered around a campfire at dusk. In the foreground, a character named You Jinghe, who has a full beard and wears a traditional hat and vest, is featured with a dialogue box that reads, "We're all wandering cultivators of some sort and have no experience in sect affairs. Please show us what we need to do, Yang." The scene is set in a lush, green environment with a small stream, bamboo shoots, and a thatched-roof hut in the background. The sky is tinted with the warm glow of sunset, creating a peaceful and communal atmosphere as the characters appear to be discussing their next steps after a significant event.
Time for action…the apprentices that survived gather to make plans

Farming, Crafting and Cooking Done Differently

The history lesson above is important to understand the premise of Immortal Life. This isn’t your standard farming sim; the Chinese culture and fantasy folklore are very important to understand. It also means the gameplay is a little different than the standard.

Your character gets the task of working the land, trying to feed the survivors. Starting out with just a couple of crops, Immortal Life quickly ramps up its collection of seeds. The seeds can also produce variations, quickly causing you to build additional storage space.

Screenshot from 'Immortal Life' video game displaying a garden of luscious crops at night. The player's avatar, dressed in a traditional black and white outfit, stands before rows of vibrant plants. There are red, yellow, and green bok choy, white flowering plants, and a lone yellow melon among them.
My crops look lush!

As soon as you have your first produce, you also get acquainted with cooking. Not in your own home, but you can hire the kitchen at the inn. I was surprised at the different approach to that activity. They’ve made it into a little mini-game for which you can earn stars, but I’ve found it more satisfying just to take my time as the recipes are quite intricate. There are many ways to prepare dishes, like cooking, stir-frying and steaming but the recipes always show what’s the next stage of your preparation.

Screenshot from the video game 'Immortal Life' showcasing the interior of the Inn's kitchen. The scene features a character with long dark hair and a black and white traditional outfit standing in the center. The kitchen is filled with various cooking supplies and ingredients: There are shelves stocked with colorful fruits and vegetables, hanging cured meats, and a variety of raw meats on the counter. To the left, cooking recipes are displayed, such as 'Shredded Potato with Bell Pepper' and 'Yanduxian'. Cooking stations, pots, and a traditional stone mill are visible. On the right, there is an earthen kiln with a lit fire. The kitchen exudes a rustic and cozy atmosphere, indicative of a busy culinary hub in the game.
I’ve already made the Shredded Potatoes with Bell Peppers, now onto the next.

Crafting and farming simulation games like this are often based on requests from your fellow cultivators and the people living in Ferry Stop. Fulfilling them leads to unlocking the crafting part of the game. You’re the one supplying the materials to rebuild the buildings in the sect. And you also get your own Workstation where you can make items from recipes you’ve collected.

A screenshot from the 'Immortal Life' video game showing the Building menu interface. The menu is titled 'Make' and lists construction options such as 'Workshop', 'Main Hall', and 'Ferry Stop Startrack Crystal', among others. The selected option is 'Misty Valley Startrack Crystal', with a detailed image on the right displaying a traditional Asian-inspired structure with a stone mill, surrounded by wooden boxes and benches.
The craft menu: The workshop is my first go!

Fishing is also included in Immortal Life and pretty much follows the same pattern as fishing in Animal Crossing, to my relief! At least it’s easy and pleasant to do.

Screenshot from the video game 'Immortal Life' depicting a nighttime fishing scene. A character with dark hair and a traditional black and white outfit is standing on a wooden dock, surrounded by lush greenery and bamboo structures. It is raining, and the water's surface is animated with ripples.
Fishing is easy to do

Innovative Game Elements in Immortal Life

Aside from the special elements in farming, cooking and crafting, there are some additions to Immortal Life that I haven’t seen before in this genre of games. The characters in the game can send each other messages and do so by paper crane. It’s fun to see little blue paper cranes fluttering toward YvoAro. It’s amazing how these flimsy folded messages can carry presents with them, too!

Right from the first, magic plays a role. You get a Talisman you can use, and you will see the crops grow to maturity.  Watering is done with a watering gourd that never empties, and if you have enough MP, you can also create your private raincloud above the fields.

A screenshot from 'Immortal Life' displaying the game's Spells menu. The interface shows a selection of magical spells represented by icons: a leaf, a water droplet, a flame, a stone, and a sword, with one highlighted indicating an active selection. To the right, detailed information for the spell 'Flying Swords(Lv.1)' is provided, describing it as 'Sword as cold as frost' and showing it generates five flying golden swords causing Metal Damage to the target. The spell's stats list a Basic Power of 43, MP (Mana Points) Consumption of 3, and a Cooldown period of 2 seconds. Below the menu, a tip suggests that players can quickly switch between spells using the mouse wheel during battle.
Got my first spell for battle, the Flying Swords spell

In battle, you can use spells, though it’s only one from the first. It’s a very handy one, as it sends five flying golden swords, causing Metal Damage to the target. There is a cool-down time before you can use it again, but that’s not overly long.

When you just use a sword without magic, you don’t have to be up close and personal with your enemy. The sword works like an arrow, which I like very much. What I didn’t like, though, was the way you target your enemy. I get that you have to use the mouse to point your character to the target. You have to use the combination of the WASD buttons and the mouse to move around in the dungeons, too. Often, she was just doing the sidestep, going from A to B. This felt strange to me, as she had no trouble moving flawlessly outside of the dungeons.

Screenshot from the 'Immortal Life' video game depicting a combat scene. The player's character, dressed in a blue and white traditional outfit, is in the center of a sandy arena, executing a spell that emits bright yellow star-shaped projectiles towards three pink, ghostly adversaries.
Using the Flying Swords spell

Graphics, Controls and Sound

Immortal Life exudes a very different atmosphere for the Western audience. The background sounds contribute to the oriental feeling of the game, as do the screens you see in between the seasons. And as each season is also broken up into smaller portions of time, you see a lot of these gorgeous images.

A picturesque loading screen from the video game 'Immortal Life' with a traditional Chinese aesthetic. The scene depicts a serene spring landscape featuring a tranquil lake surrounded by lush foliage, including a vibrantly blooming pink cherry blossom tree on the left and a sturdy green tree on the right. Soft pink petals are drifting in the air across the scene. Majestic mountains rise in the background, shrouded in a gentle mist. A small wooden dock and a solitary rowboat can be seen on the water, enhancing the peaceful ambiance. The screen is framed with ornate borders, top and bottom, and bears the words 'Spring - Pure Brightness' at the center bottom
A new part of the season: Spring – Pure Brightness

The loading screens are equally beautiful. In fact, the entire game looks amazing graphically and adds to the feeling of an exotic game heavily inspired by Chinese folklore.

A special note goes to the characters. In many farming RPGs, the characters can be a bit bland or over the top. In Immortal Life, the characters that you work with, your brothers and sisters in the sect, are distinct. They each have their own personality, and they are very much involved in the story that is told.

Playing on the Steam Deck

Although Steam indicates that they are still learning about how Immortal Life performs on the Steam Deck, that was my main mode of playing the game. And the actions to do on the Steam Deck might not be entirely perfect, it works well enough. The print of text can be small, though, so I get why people would want to play on the big screen.

I have experienced a frozen screen three times now, where I had no choice but to restart. Fortunately, the game saves every night, so I didn’t lose too much.

Conclusion for Immortal Life

From the start, it’s clear that Immortal Life is far from your average farming simulator. With its roots deeply embedded in Chinese culture and fantasy folklore, the game offers a fresh take on the farming/crafting RPG simulation genre. All the elements work well together, and you are totally free to do what you want in the game and progress at your own pace.

This image from 'Immortal Life' depicts a tranquil ferry stop scene set in springtime. Traditional East Asian architecture is prominent, with multi-tiered buildings featuring dark tiled roofs, white walls, and wooden balconies adorned with red lanterns. The atmosphere is serene, with lush greenery and flowering plants adding splashes of color. A wooden footbridge leads to the ferry stop, where a small boat with a thatched roof awaits passengers. Hanging lanterns gently illuminate the area, suggesting a peaceful twilight or early evening setting. In the background, misty mountains rise, adding depth and a sense of calm to the picturesque village scene.
One of the loading screens, a painting of the Ferry Stop

I won’t say I’ve finished the game; I think I barely scratched the surface of this huge game. It looks amazing and controls well, even well enough to play it on the SteamDeck. The graphics are wonderful and a joy to look at, even when you’re not pursuing the next quest. The characters of your brothers and sisters in the sect are well-fleshed out and distinct.

I would almost give it our highest praise but for the very small text, a frozen screen now and then and the way of moving in the dungeons. But I can safely recommend this game, many, many hours of fun for a moderate price.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot I like it a lot

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