Eternal Strands review

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Nowadays, it’s challenging to foretell the type of reception a game will receive if it’s developed by former creators of Dragon Age: Origins. Given that the subsequent Dragon Age games, including last year’s Veilguard, have garnered highly qualified accolades, Eternal Strands piqued my interest from the start. Perhaps its resemblance to Kingdoms of Amalur or the inclusion of features reminiscent of Breath of the Wild and Immortals: Fenyx Rising caught my eye. Or maybe it’s the apparent AA-level ambition that resonates with me. Whatever the reason, Eternal Strands initially grabbed my attention upon its announcement, and I’m glad it did.

You assume the role of Brynn, a leading warrior within a unique mercenary band consisting of archaeologists, adventurers, and magic-users. This eclectic group navigates through a deteriorating, perilous world left in the wake of a devastating event that combined elements of magic and science – an apocalypse. Each member is a “Weaver”, a hunted practitioner of magic who aims merely to endure a world that seeks their extinction. Your mission involves exploring this hostile environment to discover “Loomgates”, rapid travel portals linking major regions across the globe, and “Arks”. These colossal structures house precious resources essential for your group’s survival.

Adventuring through these Arks is what truly propels the narrative forward. You traverse them using a stamina system reminiscent of Breath of the Wild, chipping away at their armor with each strike while they attempt to dislodge you. Overcoming them requires increasingly powerful gear, encouraging exploration and resource gathering. Resources can be found in numerous locations, such as hidden caches, fallen foes, or buried treasures.

In your journey, it’s essential to gather as many useful items as possible. These items can be utilized for crafting or enhancing Brynn’s armor and weapons, or they can be transformed into camp supplies. Camp supplies are vital for improving your team’s facilities like Sofia’s forge or Casmyn’s caravan. Improvements in these facilities will help you become stronger and enable you to collect more items if you should perish. Upon death, you’ll be transported back to the camp, but remember that you can only store a certain amount of resources each time you return.

In the game, Brynn has multiple options for combat. Instead of having her weapons assigned to specific buttons, she must select them from a circular menu each time she wants to change. This method seems old-fashioned and could have been more streamlined. As a result, you’ll either need to pursue an enemy or open the menu to retrieve your bow when they flee, and many enemies will escape when you inflict damage.

On extended journeys, combat can become monotonous rather than stimulating, as the adversaries seem less innovative in their approach. At times, it feels like maneuvering through molasses when attempting to lock on and parry, due to a certain unresponsiveness and floatiness. Additionally, the health points of enemies are inconsistent, making some encounters more aggravating than challenging. Particularly frustrating are the Darters who vanish and spit poison; they prove to be more irritating than formidable opponents.

Fortunately, Brynn has the unique role of a Weaver, and she boasts certain magical capabilities as well. As you progress, you’ll discover an array of powers, commencing with Kinetic and Frost skills. With these abilities, you can encapsulate foes in ice cubes, or lift them up and hurl them at each other. Additionally, Brynn’s powers will aid in overcoming hindrances, like removing obstacles or extinguishing fires. The spells are woven into the design of her Mantle, which alters its color and pattern based on the spell you’re currently using.

The process of creating equipment is also engaging, since you’re frequently given the option to select the materials you want to use. These materials will grant various attributes and appearances to the item. For instance, Sofia might request a “carved resource,” which could be any type of wood or bark. This means you can manufacture several variants of an armor set for different situations, even though you probably won’t need to delve into full-blown construction crafting in this case.

The narrative of Eternal Strand is generally well-executed, yet relies heavily on its characters, many of whom I found appealing. However, it falters in the manner of story and character delivery, appearing inconsistent at times. Some scenes are fully animated, while others resemble stylized cartoons that barely surpass showing static images. I found the style used in these sequences to be less engaging, as they seemed oddly incomplete, and the characters were depicted with significantly less detail than the rest of the game. During dialogues, you’ll often see static images of the characters, but each image is fully voiced, which adds depth to their personalities.

Essentially, this game is a compact and targeted adaptation of Immortals: Fenyx Rising, with a less sprawling environment but an interconnected one. It offers fewer enemy types and items, which gives it a more refined feel. The excitement of battling the Arks while dangling from them remains thrilling, though there may be some occasional technical issues.

2023’s Eternal Strands is similar to Atlas Fallen, striving hard to mingle with the big-budget triple-A titles, yet it holds its own without criticism. Although it may have some shaky mechanics, its aspirations are evident and many elements function well. One of my early favorite moments was battling a dragon in a decaying village submerged within a swamp. The dragon would destroy anything I hid behind, forcing me to ride the beast more than once or attempt to pin it down with sheets of ice. If you don’t mind a few loose threads and are eager for an endearing journey through a stunning fantasy landscape, Eternal Strands is definitely worth exploring.

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2025-01-27 19:16