The Eternal Cylinder Reviews

The Eternal Cylinder is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6.5 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2022

The Eternal Cylinder offers a quirky, heartfelt experience with interesting game mechanics, but lacks depth and soon becomes monotonous.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2022

The Eternal Cylinder then remains a roundly entertaining survival adventure with a true eccentric streak that runs through every aspect of its design DNA. Equal parts Q Bert and Spore, if you've been sat on the fence regarding ACE Team's excellently off-beat survival adventure offering, now is the time to hop in thanks to this superb PS5 update.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 22, 2021

The gameplay’s novelty may not hold up upon scrutiny on subsequent playthroughs, but that first time playing The Eternal Cylinder is not something that anyone will forget easily. Anyone who enjoys survival gameplay but also wants a directed narrative experience will certainly find a lot to enjoy, but gamers who want to take their time and play at their own pace may become frustrated.

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GBAtemp
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2021

Surreal yet well-crafted, The Eternal Cylinder is easily one of the most unique games of the year.

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Nov 5, 2021

The Eternal Cylinder is a very charming little adventure title that spews creativity.

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7 / 10
Nov 3, 2021

Boasting an incredibly unique, creative and gorgeous aesthetic with an exceptionally intriguing, well-told narrative, The Eternal Cylinder manages to still be rewarding even when its gameplay and mechanics become tedious and uninteresting. You’ll certainly be tired outrunning this circular vortex of death, but the tale is worth seeing through for the sights along the way.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 2, 2021

The Eternal Cylinder is a fever dream of a title that satisfies a lot of my tastes: exploration, puzzles, survival, lots of different abilities, truly alien landscapes, geometric shapes that desire uniformity through destruction of all of life, and hoarding. Oh, and quite a bit of heart. Nothing here feels so alien that I can’t feel something for this world except the familiar but nightmarish servants that stand out in this world. I think ACE Team has something really special here and I really can’t think of anything else that does all of what The Eternal Cylinder as good as The Eternal Cylinder does.

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Oct 22, 2021

This chase-and-reprieve dynamic makes for a well-paced campaign which should take most players 12 hours or so to complete. The Eternal Cylinder makes for a tricky game to conveniently classify, and the mix of survival, exploration, platforming, puzzle, and action elements does sometimes collide with its clumsy and slippery controls. Adjustable difficulty settings are welcoming, but even on default mode there’s a generosity of checkpointing and saves, and rarely is an attempt punished too harshly; plus, when the permanent mutation system is later unlocked, it feels practically game-breaking. Warts and all, The Eternal Cylinder remains an accessible oddball adventure of one-of-a-kind sights.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 16, 2021

While I have my complaints about the Eternal Cylinder, I'm ultimately glad I played it. It takes a bit to get going, can meander at times, and the storytelling often frustrated me. It also consistently nails the most important moments, and by the time the credits rolled, I realized The Eternal Cylinder had been something special that I’ll remember for a long time. Maybe The Eternal Cylinder isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s an experience unlike anything else--one well worth having despite its flaws.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 15, 2021

The Eternal Cylinder is a nice surprise. Both the multiple mutations of the Trebhums and the fauna of the planet are impressive. The beauty and originality of the game far outweigh the repetitive nature of the objectives. The game reveals itself gradually to leave us swooning in front of this fantastic world.

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Digitally Downloaded
Lindsay M.
Top Critic
Oct 13, 2021

The Eternal Cylinder is quite sad yet somehow there is a delight in finding in the smaller moments: finding an egg and evolving are especially happy moments. It is complex yet simple, running from the big bad thing that constantly looms like the Sword of Damocles is easy enough, but exploring to find the way ahead isn't always completely straightforward. The opposite emotions make the game feel deeply fulfilling. It's not quite like anything else I've ever experienced, and I feel like it will haunt me (in the best way possible) for quite some time to come.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 12, 2021

ACE Team has specialized in weird worlds, but this is the first time the studio has managed to craft one that is also beautiful and immersive. Sometimes I wanted the gameplay spaces to be a little bigger, or even entirely open world. But I understand that The Eternal Cylinder needs structure and hope that the easy-to-understand mechanics and cute protagonists will allow a wide range of players to engage with the game.

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8 / 10
Oct 11, 2021

This is a great little game that I think anyone who enjoys lore, mystery, and survival will dig. There’s so much going on in it, although it becomes much more manageable as you progress and learn more about the world.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2021

A unique and highly original survival adventure inhabited by a host of outlandish creatures in which you constantly struggle to guide your hapless Trebhums to safety and away from The Cylinder. While the design and concept can't be faulted, the lack of direction and excessive busywork bog down the gameplay and detract from the experience to the point of patience testing. If you can handle a fiddly challenge which rewards a great deal of patience with some outstanding originality, it's recommended.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Oct 11, 2021

One of the most enjoyably weird games of recent years and yet surprisingly easy to grasp, with an engaging mix of action and survival gameplay – and a good dose of surrealist imagery.

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3.3 / 5.0
Oct 7, 2021

A wonderfully unique experience housed in an average game, The Eternal Cylinder tells a strong tale but executes it in a pedestrian way. Play it for the story, not the gameplay.

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Unscored
Oct 6, 2021

A charming and surprisingly approachable survival adventure outing for Ace Team's outlandish world and character design, with more under the cylinder than you might have initially expected.

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90 / 100
Oct 5, 2021

I really enjoyed my time guiding my flock of Trebhum from danger to salvation. And I hope you will too. Just remember to roll like you didn’t know you could.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 1, 2021

I don’t have many complaints if I’m being honest. I feel like this is a rare case of a strange game that really goes for it while still, first and foremost, being enjoyable to play. I could see some people potentially wanting more traversal abilities, or more shakeups in the explore-survive-escape format, but I like that things never get too complicated, and most of the “cycles” introduce something new, even if it’s a small surprise or change-up.

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9.5 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2021

The Eternal Cylinder is a gorgeous adventure game that features one of the most compelling stories I've seen in years. Its strict linearity may be frustrating for some, but that slight downside is vastly outweighed by this game's many strengths.

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