Eternal Strands Review

Eternal Strands feels like a seventh-generation console game in the best kind of way: a third-person, action/adventure game that's as charming as it is deeply ambitious. The chaos of sandboxes like Saints Row, the spirit of 3D RPGs like Dragon Age, and a laser focus on physics like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, these all contribute to the overall nostalgic feeling I got while playing the game. Or maybe it's just because it's a strictly single-player RPG without any in-game purchases or live service mechanics attached. It may borrow ideas and mechanics from many different wells of inspiration, but it mixes them into a melting pot of creativity and then uses the resulting concoction to form one of the prettiest Unreal Engine 5 games yet.

Our story begins with a beautiful hand-drawn cinematic that introduces us to Brynn, a forward scout–or "Point"–for a caravan of outcast sorcerers. After a brief prologue, your band finds themselves in "The Enclave" which has been sealed off from the outside world since a decades-old catastrophe. The fantasy world of Eternal Strands is extremely well realised with a rich history of culture, politics, societies that have risen and fallen, religious beliefs and scientific advancements. Each character in your band has a detailed, but not overbearing, history with this world which has shaped how they act throughout the game. They're all a pleasure to talk to and watching friendships–and more–grow between Brynn and her friends is a delight. Most characters have personal quest lines, giving you a deeper insight into their past and personality. It's easy to get attached and swept up in their enthusiasm to uncover the mysteries of the past.

"The Weave" is the essence of Eternal Strands, an intertwined magic system built around three central elements: fire, ice and kinetics. The latter of the three is by far the most enjoyable and is reminiscent of the force abilities in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Any game that lets you pick up enemies with your mind powers and fling them across the battlefield is a winner in my book. Eventually, you even unlock an ability with which you can catapult you in any direction, excellent for vertical mobility. Fire and ice are both used to great effect and flesh out the reactivity of the world.

Almost everything can be frozen, ignited or blasted into pieces. Iced-over areas can have a path carved through them by fire magic. That same fire magic gone awry can cause an entire arena to erupt into flames. A drake's wing frozen mid-flight will force the creature off balance and send it hurtling to the ground. The world and its inhabitants react dynamically, keeping the gameplay emergent and surprising. It's a simplified take on the immersive sim genre, not unlike The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These elemental abilities combined with a robust destruction system can transform an arena in an instant, filling streets with debris and flames.

Elemental magic also ties into the crafting system in Eternal Strands. You have opportunities to refine, reforge or create weapons and armour. Most of the materials come from enemy drops, and eventually, the need arises to "temper" enemies with fire or ice spells which allows for even rarer materials for higher-quality equipment. I often loathe tacked-on crafting systems, but this never felt like it was in the way. It can take some getting used to but is incorporated seamlessly into the rest of the game. You are also given ample opportunities to upgrade your "weaving" abilities, which can only be done if you're gutsy enough to take on BFG (Big Fucking Guy) boss-type enemies to harvest their juicy "strands".

You can usually find everything you'll ever need for crafting just through exploration. Eternal Strands is broken up into multiple semi-open zones, each one with a distinct personality. Whether it's an enchanting forest straight from a fairy tale, an ancient watchtower in the middle of a swampy mire or the once-bustling streets of a long abandoned city, each environment is richly detailed and is packed with things to do. As you unlock these areas, they can start to shift and change. A cold snap can create a frozen wasteland overnight, a drought means fire can spread even faster than before. Combine that with the day/night cycle, and these levels can become wildly different each time you visit them.

These levels become playgrounds for experimentation and good old-fashioned mayhem. Almost every surface is scalable, and verticality has been considered in the layout of the space. The bulk of your time exploring will be spent in combat with the various creatures and automatons of the Enclave. Different approaches are required for different enemies, during encounters, you'll want to poke and prod to find out each enemy's weakness. Of course, nothing is more effective than lobbing a bad guy off a ledge with your magic brain powers.

While on the topic of enemies and climbing, Eternal Strands was only too happy to borrow yet another key gameplay mechanic from Shadow of the Colossus. Epic hunt encounters can be found throughout the game; towering, behemoth enemies. Of course, you need to climb on them to fight them. These enemies always feel incredible to fight, whether you're hanging onto a giant bird's back for dear life as it propels itself into a barrel roll to throw you off; or you're hacking pieces of armour off a magically powered behemoth. These encounters can span an entire level, leaving a sea of destruction in their wake.

There are some rough edges: 3D cinematics are usually a bit awkward with poor lip-sync, physics glitches on some characters' clothing and stiff animation, but these can all be forgiven. What's harder to forgive is the sometimes frustrating clinginess of Brynn's climbing. Being able to climb every surface is a blessing and a curse, as you can very often find yourself attached to something or somewhere you really don't want to be at the worst possible times. These technical problems don't always occur and are rarely prolonged; it was never a major pressure point.

No game is perfect, but few can say they aimed as high as Eternal Strands. The developer, Yellow Brick Games, is not backed by a publisher and did not crowdfund this game. This is clearly a labour of love for every single person involved. They all took a massive risk, kept Eternal Strands independent and punched well above their weight. I'd say it paid off. There's so much to love here, and it's a refreshingly optimistic game. It's as crazy stupid fun as it is deeply heartwarming. It's available on Steam for AU$ 58.40 or $39.99 freedom bucks. It's also available with a Game Pass subscription.

The Verdict

A thrilling romp through a gorgeous fantasy world–mystery and wonder abound in this journey where nostalgic charm evolves into a captivating, action-packed obsession.

Get Eternal Strands on Steam