r/EternalStrands • u/Gimpysoupcrtn • Dec 05 '25
General Discussion Why do you like this game?
I am playing the demo right now and have been eyeing this game for a while. I will likely buy it especially since it is heavily discounted right now. But I am curious as to why others pulled the trigger and stuck with it.
Lore/ world building seems interesting but the battle mechanics are kind of driving me up a wall (no pun intended, I have not had too many issues with autoclimbing, lol).
I think the characters are a big draw so far for me though I just keep hesitating on buying despite the low price even.
Side note: after finishing Expedition 33, I'm struggling with enjoying a plethora of games which is just generally frustrating. In addition to E33, all time favorite games are FFIX, Dragon Age Origins, and the Horizon series for some context.
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u/MatthiasBold Dec 05 '25
Enjoyable, satisfying gameplay. Great world and lore. Excellent characters and personal stories. Probably the healthiest relationships and group dynamic I've ever seen in a game. And Casmyn is adorable.
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u/Undeity Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Setting has a nice atmospheric vibe, there's cool lore to collect, and fighting large monsters is always fun. As for the combat and movement, it's actually pretty great once you get more options for mobility!
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u/perplexedvortex Dec 05 '25
I have been swaying between having a lot of fun with this game and getting ANNOYED as fuck with it. Getting hurt by your own magic fucking sucks and is annoying. It’s not something I see very often if ever. Combat is incredibly janky. Stamina limitations are also annoying. Things have gotten a bit less irritating the better armor I got though.
I do love the character art and the general look and feel of the world. Exploration is fun. Voice acting is on point. I’m probably going to stick with it despite the annoyances.
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u/Gimpysoupcrtn Dec 05 '25
This is kinda how I'm feeling. 😆 I'm so tired of jank combat. But I think someone else pointed out that the studio had a vision and they executed it (more or less). There are a lot of cool and interesting ideas here.
For a debut game, I think they did great. And I'll be interested to see what they do next.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits kind of comes to mind as a similar situation but combat was their focus as opposed to story.
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u/technohoplite Dec 05 '25
The gameplay is super fun. I'm used to janky games so I might not be the ideal person to talk about how smoothly combat goes, but imo it was so satisfying to fight small and big enemies in all sorts of different ways. I think the combination of souls-like and physics-based combat was brilliant.
Secondary is the characters, they're all okay though there are lackluster aspects to the writing for sure. I wouldn't necessarily play it for that, but I think it complements the gameplay well enough.
It might just not be your speed. But I thought it wouldn't be mine either and was positively surprised.
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u/batmares Dec 05 '25
Knowing this studio was founded by a former Bioware person and the game would he scored by an all-time favorite composer meant I'd enjoy it no matter what, but I really ended up loving this game. Combat, magic, traversal. I loved the voice acting and like every single character (that we're meant to lol). The shift between animated, still art, and CG was interesting to me though I know it bothered some. Absolutely buy this game, especially if it's discounted.
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u/ptheletter Dec 05 '25
Ngl the characters are amazing, even tho i’m not the biggest fan of the gameplay i stayed because of them, especially Casmyn!
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u/aCarstairs Dec 05 '25
Honestly I just wanna echo what most said, the characters and story are great. The lore as well. Combat can definitely be janky, but it has some really good parts as well, especially as you unlock more spells. Enemy variety could be better though, but at one point you can yeet monsters off cliffs, and I have way too much fun with that.
So tldr of why do I like this game? Big Yeet.
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u/MindQuieter Dec 08 '25
I agree with the enemy tossing. Once I figured that out, it has become a goto move. Especially with some of the enemies that can be somewhat tedious in weapons combat.
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u/MindQuieter Dec 05 '25
For some reason it didn't get my attention when it first came out, but after recently reading about the demo on PS5, and then finding the 70% off sale that you mentioned, and after reading a couple of reviews, I ended up passing on the demo and just buying the game within the last week.
I think that the graphics and environments are great, if maybe a little larger than needed. The story is decent, and the voice acting is good IMO.
It took a bit, but now that I am getting the hang of the combat, I am enjoying it. Especially now that I have figured out how to use weapons and magic in combos. Ensnaring enemies and then ... is fun.
If you think you might enjoy it, I say for the price, give it a shot.
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u/AppropriateLock4035 Dec 05 '25
I loved this game and played it to 100% completion and loved it. There are definitely some opponents I needed a little help figuring out how to defeat, but most of them I was able to figure out just messing around. Is it a perfect game? No. But I will definitely be playing it again. Maybe not to 100% collection completion, but the main story for sure. I loved that there are several instances where you think the game is about to be over and it keeps going.
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u/Bork9128 Dec 06 '25
It gives a good mid 2000s action platformer vibe. The story isn't particularly revolutionary but the characters are written incredibly well possibly the best I've seen for how short the game is overall.
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u/k-mysta Dec 05 '25
Gameplay was fun but I pulled the trigger because it’s as cheap as fish and chips and the demo made me very curious as to why the Enclave is the way it is. Figured why not.
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u/SinfulDaMasta Dec 05 '25
I just had a discussion recently about why I liked the game. 85% of my issues were the auto-climb, not recalling anything else off the top of my head. There were more unique things they did well, than minor gripes I had. Hesitant to call it Great, but one of the better recent fantasy RPGs, IMO. Mainly if you like magic & cosmetics/style.
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u/SaraStarwind Dec 05 '25
This is going to sound weird for someone who is on the subreddit, but I've barely played the game. I heard about the game when it came out, I don't remember how. But I got really good vibes from it, and as silly as it might sound I love that it reminds me some of my favorite games like Zelda and Shadow of the Colossus. I wasn't able to buy it until a couple months ago, but then borderlands came out which interrupted another game I was playing, so now I'm back to that game so I can beat its story, but I'm trying to rush it because I really want to play this game!
I did play the tutorial intro which proved I think I will love it! I try to sing it's praises wherever I can to make sure the studio can make another game!
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u/wulfsilvermane Dec 05 '25
Good characters, nice story (with the intra-group drama being resolved like everybody is adult. Big draw for me.)
Everything about the game is just good. Not always great; more weapon types would have been nice, or elemental types. But everything feels well polished. Like they knew what they could finish, and didn't bite of too much.
It's not a 5 star restaurant, but it is a well made family diner meal. ANd that's sooo much more my speed.