Yahtzee Croshaw reviews Eternal Strands, a debut game from a new studio. Explore its gear-grinding gameplay, monster hunts, and potential for future titles.
This page is a review of the game Eternal Strands by Yahtzee Croshaw, originally published on Fully Ramblomatic. The review discusses the game's strengths and weaknesses, comparing it to other titles like Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus.
Walkthrough
- 1The game is a gear grinder with extraction elements. Players mount expeditions to open-ended areas to fight monsters and collect crafting materials.
- 2Combat is described as uninspired against standard enemies, with an elemental system that can be exploited to trivialize encounters.
- 3Crafting recipes are unspecific, allowing for substitution of materials, which reduces the pressure to grind for exact components.
- 4Giant monster fights are a highlight, compared to Shadow of the Colossus but more bite-sized, requiring players to learn new spells and upgrade them by re-fighting the monsters in specific ways.
- 5The game is compared to a Fisher-Price version of Monster Hunter, offering a similar experience without the lengthy commitment.
- 6The first half of the game offers a sense of exploration and discovery, while the second half focuses on repetitive story quests in previously visited areas.
Tips
- Focus on exploring and collecting materials, as crafting recipes are flexible.
- Exploit the elemental system to make standard combat easier.
- Giant monster fights are crucial for learning new spells and upgrading them.
- The game is best enjoyed for its unique combination of mechanics and its potential as a starting point for the developers.
- Learning new spells and upgrading them through giant monster fights.
- A sense of accomplishment from completing expeditions and crafting new gear.
- The potential to see future, more ambitious games from the developers.
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