Eternal Strands

Developer: Yellow Brick Games
Release: Jan 28th 2025
Platforms:
Action
Adventure
Creative
Addictive
Immersive
Buggy
Repetitive
Eternal Strands Poster

" Innovative action-adventure with physics-based magic and rich lore but floaty combat and repetition "

Eternal Strands Review

Eternal Strands is a blending elements from Monster Hunter, Shadow of the Colossus, and Breath of the Wild, with a strong emphasis on a physics-based magic system. Players enjoy creative spell combinations, climbing giant bosses, and an interactive environment that rewards experimentation. The crafting system is flexible, allowing players to customize gear with various materials, enhancing strategic depth. The game world is visually appealing with expressive characters and immersive voice acting, supported by solid world-building and emotional storytelling that tackles mental health themes sensitively.

However, some players found the combat to be floaty and simple, with limited enemy variety and occasional clunky climbing mechanics. The late-game content and story quests received criticism for repetitiveness and lack of engaging objectives. Technical issues such as crashes and performance drops were reported, though the game generally runs well on high-end systems. Despite these flaws, Eternal Strands delivers a rewarding 30-40 hour experience filled with satisfying boss fights and a compelling narrative, making it a promising debut from Yellow Brick Games.

Highlights

Players praise the that allows creative spell combos and environmental interaction, making combat dynamic and fun. The are a standout feature, offering varied strategies including climbing and targeting weak points. The game's are consistently described as beautiful and polished, with expressive characters and excellent voice acting enhancing immersion. The receive commendation for depth and emotional resonance, especially handling complex themes with care. Crafting is noted for its flexibility and meaningful customization, while exploration is engaging despite some open-world limitations.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include that lack complexity and enemy variety. Some players find the , with an abundance of fetch missions and less engaging objectives. Climbing mechanics, especially on large enemies, can be clunky and occasionally frustrating due to camera issues or geometry. Technical problems such as affect gameplay enjoyment for some. The story and character interactions, while emotional, are sometimes seen as overly upbeat or lacking conflict, and certain spells feel underutilized. The crafting system, though flexible, could benefit from deeper motivation and more interesting upgrades.

Pros

  • Innovative physics-based magic system encourages creative spell combinations and experimentation.
  • Engaging boss fights with climbing mechanics and strategic weak point targeting.
  • Beautiful art style with expressive characters and polished voice acting.
  • Flexible crafting system allowing meaningful gear customization and upgrades.
  • Compelling world-building with rich lore and emotional storytelling.
  • Satisfying exploration with dense, well-crafted environments.
  • Generous upgrade system enhancing magic, armor, and potions.

Cons

  • Combat can feel floaty and lacks enemy variety and depth.
  • Late-game content becomes repetitive with many fetch quests.
  • Climbing mechanics sometimes clunky with camera and geometry issues.
  • Technical problems including crashes and memory leaks reported.
  • Story and characters occasionally overly upbeat with limited conflict.
  • Some spells underutilized or less impactful than others.
  • Crafting system could use more motivation and depth.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

A next-generation action experience where the elements obey you, the terrain bends to your will, and every victory is entirely your own.

Release Date Jan 28th 2025
Publisher Yellow Brick Games
Developer Yellow Brick Games
Platforms

User Reviews

Very Positive (727)
89% Positive 11% Negative