Yahtzee Croshaw reviews Eternal Strands, a gear grinder with extraction elements and giant monster fights, comparing it to Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus.
Walkthrough
- 1The game is a gear grinder with extraction elements. Players mount expeditions from a base camp to open-ended areas to fight monsters, collect crafting materials, and complete objectives.
- 2Combat is standard action RPG fare, with an elemental damage system (freeze and fire) that can trivialize some encounters. Enemy variety is limited.
- 3Crafting uses unspecific recipes, allowing substitution of materials, which reduces the grind for specific items.
- 4Giant monster fights are a highlight, described as similar to Shadow of the Colossus but more bite-sized. These encounters are used to learn and upgrade spells.
- 5The game is compared to a Fisher-Price Monster Hunter, offering a similar experience but with less commitment required for each hunt.
- 6The second half of the game features repetitive story quests that involve revisiting old areas.
- 7The game is seen as a demonstration of the developers' understanding of game design principles, akin to Picasso's early realistic work, with anticipation for their future, more experimental titles.
Tips
- Focus on exploring and collecting materials broadly, as crafting recipes are flexible.
- The giant monster fights are a key feature and offer a more engaging combat experience than standard encounters.
- The first half of the game, with its sense of exploration and discovery, is generally considered stronger than the second half.
Eternal Strands is a well-put-together demonstration of game design principles, making it a solid starting point for the developers. It offers a unique blend of gameplay elements that, while cribbed from other games, combine to create an engaging experience, particularly in its boss fights.
100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content