This is very helpful - I'll be digging into new games again soon and this certainly looked up my alley (especially the elemental/environmental aspects mentioned by other commenters). But maybe best to wait it out if that's the case. I agree that being a smaller studio means giving it some slack - I've been disappointed by much bigger studios lately dropping Big Concept, Repetitive Gameplay on my lap that are just interesting enough to peak my interest, but are ultimately unfulfilling.
If you can snag it on a good sale, I think you'll enjoy it, especially when it comes to character writing; it's pretty fantastic, plus there's queer representation that doesn't feel token, if that makes sense!
The only thing about it that piqued my curiosity was the mention of elemental/environmental interaction, and put me in mind of the 2D stealth game Wildfire. I think the 'sandbox' framing is a red flag - games with those sorts of systems benefit from structure that you can experiment within, and a lack of structure isn't usually the bullet point feature people claim it is.
The elemental side to combat was the game's biggest selling point, or should be, in any case, because it's pretty awesome, even if janky at times. In terms of it being a "sandbox", I agree! But also, I'm not entirely sure if it originated with the users or the devs anymore—I can't find any mention of it on the official website, and the only people calling it a sandbox are Reddit users, soooo that's entirely my bad for giving weight to that.
This is a pretty fair take. While I enjoyed Eternal Strands, I agree that the game lacks a certain cohesiveness.
In fairness to Yellow Brick, though, cohesiveness is an elusive quality in game development. There is no magic formula that ties all the pieces together into a unified experience. Some projects achieve that status, others do not. And I think that’s partly the difference between a hit and a flop.
That's very fair to say, and I deliberately stayed away from suggestions on how to "improve" the game, because I simply don't know how; the whole review is absolutely not an indictment of Yellow Brick Games—I admire theor effort, and I'm excited to see more from them!
Totally agree on this being an elusive quality. The definition of "je ne sais quoi" 😁
I have not heard of this game, but it does seem intriguing. The boss fights definitely got me thinking about Shadow of the Colossus.
I can definitely relate to speedrunning through a game to get to the end. I've played many games where I pretty much do everything they have to off and just want to get to the end.
For their debut game, the visuals look beautiful and it looks like there are some fun moments. With some tweaks here and there, I think this could be a really good game.
It's an amazing debut title, very solid—the word "solid" has occurred to me too many times when trying to describe Eternal Strands. Someone also reviewed it as "good enough", which I think is fair also. As I mentioned in another comment, you should definitely get it on a good sale and give it a try! Climbing bosses alone is worth it if you enjoy creative combat.
I’m still intrigued by this. The idea of climbing huge bosses is what I want. Relive some shadow of the colossus vibes 😅
Maybe when there is another decent sale I’ll get it to play some of it if I also get a bit annoyed. It does look pretty but it’s a shame it feels disjointed
I think with a decent discount, it's absolutely worth buying! If you like combat even a little bit, if versatility excites you, it's a lot of fun, and I don't want to shit on it too much—I did have fun moments with it. Would I replay it? No. Would I go back to it if they introduced something new to the game? Sure!
Needless to say, if you do play it, I'd love to know what you think!
This is very helpful - I'll be digging into new games again soon and this certainly looked up my alley (especially the elemental/environmental aspects mentioned by other commenters). But maybe best to wait it out if that's the case. I agree that being a smaller studio means giving it some slack - I've been disappointed by much bigger studios lately dropping Big Concept, Repetitive Gameplay on my lap that are just interesting enough to peak my interest, but are ultimately unfulfilling.
If you can snag it on a good sale, I think you'll enjoy it, especially when it comes to character writing; it's pretty fantastic, plus there's queer representation that doesn't feel token, if that makes sense!
Ah, good advice! So many games feel better when I can get a good deal on them haha.
The only thing about it that piqued my curiosity was the mention of elemental/environmental interaction, and put me in mind of the 2D stealth game Wildfire. I think the 'sandbox' framing is a red flag - games with those sorts of systems benefit from structure that you can experiment within, and a lack of structure isn't usually the bullet point feature people claim it is.
The elemental side to combat was the game's biggest selling point, or should be, in any case, because it's pretty awesome, even if janky at times. In terms of it being a "sandbox", I agree! But also, I'm not entirely sure if it originated with the users or the devs anymore—I can't find any mention of it on the official website, and the only people calling it a sandbox are Reddit users, soooo that's entirely my bad for giving weight to that.
This is a pretty fair take. While I enjoyed Eternal Strands, I agree that the game lacks a certain cohesiveness.
In fairness to Yellow Brick, though, cohesiveness is an elusive quality in game development. There is no magic formula that ties all the pieces together into a unified experience. Some projects achieve that status, others do not. And I think that’s partly the difference between a hit and a flop.
That's very fair to say, and I deliberately stayed away from suggestions on how to "improve" the game, because I simply don't know how; the whole review is absolutely not an indictment of Yellow Brick Games—I admire theor effort, and I'm excited to see more from them!
Totally agree on this being an elusive quality. The definition of "je ne sais quoi" 😁
I have not heard of this game, but it does seem intriguing. The boss fights definitely got me thinking about Shadow of the Colossus.
I can definitely relate to speedrunning through a game to get to the end. I've played many games where I pretty much do everything they have to off and just want to get to the end.
For their debut game, the visuals look beautiful and it looks like there are some fun moments. With some tweaks here and there, I think this could be a really good game.
It's an amazing debut title, very solid—the word "solid" has occurred to me too many times when trying to describe Eternal Strands. Someone also reviewed it as "good enough", which I think is fair also. As I mentioned in another comment, you should definitely get it on a good sale and give it a try! Climbing bosses alone is worth it if you enjoy creative combat.
I’m still intrigued by this. The idea of climbing huge bosses is what I want. Relive some shadow of the colossus vibes 😅
Maybe when there is another decent sale I’ll get it to play some of it if I also get a bit annoyed. It does look pretty but it’s a shame it feels disjointed
I think with a decent discount, it's absolutely worth buying! If you like combat even a little bit, if versatility excites you, it's a lot of fun, and I don't want to shit on it too much—I did have fun moments with it. Would I replay it? No. Would I go back to it if they introduced something new to the game? Sure!
Needless to say, if you do play it, I'd love to know what you think!