Eternal Strands

Full of ambition and packed with great boss battles, Eternal Strands doesn't land every shot it takes, but it lands enough to make it an impressive action RPG.

Eternal Strands' incredible magic system and monster hunts are held back by the game's story.

An action RPG with magical powers that feel genuinely dangerous, married to level design that offers scale and prettiness.

Eternal Strands is an unforgettable combination of intense action, inventive improvisation and an engaging story.

There's potential in the premise, and some real highs (especially when launched into the air), but it's the kind of game that makes you yearn to see what a sequel could accomplish by iterating on what worked – perhaps then we'll be in for something truly magic.

Despite some janky controls and bland characters, this colourful tour through a ruined city is consistently surprising and enjoyable.

Eternal Strands does some really cool things but is held back by some baffling design decisions, lackluster writing, and melee combat that doesn't ever click.

If you want to know if this game is for you or not, I highly suggest you give the demo a go. If you like what the game is putting down after completing that, I think you’ll enjoy it. If you don’t, I doubt the rest of the game will make you fall in love with it either. While I’m walking away from Eternal Strands with my hunger sated, I would’ve liked more adventurous appetizers and a dessert alongside the filling main course.

Despite pulling features and mechanics from a variety of different series, Eternal Strands manages to feel like a cohesive experience that really shines once players get the hang of its advanced physics and combat system. However, the average story and the game's repetitive latter half hold it back from being truly fantastic, making it a solid action-adventure that's just a few steps away from greatness.

Eternal Strands is definitely a game of extremes. Its highest highs... scaling a massive creature while freezing its limbs and barely holding on, world-building, etc... feel inventive and exhilarating. Its lowest moments, which include repetitive combat loops, sometimes awkward physics, and slow narrative pacing, are harder to ignore the longer you play. What ultimately carried this game for me is the strength of its core idea. The way its systems interact, the freedom it gives players to experiment, and the sheer 'spectacle' of its biggest encounters make it stand out in a crowded genre.