Aeterna Noctis Reviews
A beautifully dark throwback to the classics, Aeterna Noctis revels in its classic charm. The difficulty also apes that of its forebears, which for some they might enjoy, others it might be too much. For those impartial, it’s another in a massive catalogue of Metroidvania titles.
If you've played any other Metroidvania, just think about hitting a load screen for every single screen transition and you can quickly realize why that can be a real downer. The visuals also feel like they have too much motion blur on them or some kind of video compression effect that just leads to a muddy look. Maybe someone out there can find some enjoyment here and have fun with its edgelord protagonist and odd design choices, but this was just not a game for me.
Aeterna Noctis has a lot of potential; however, it feels like the developer got a bit too ambitious. A game that was shorter and had more focus has the potential to be something fantastic. but it ends up being a bit of a slog for a lot of its runtime due to its sometimes-tedious difficulty, despite some great platforming segments. Long loads and some frustrating design choices mean Aeterna Noctis is a derivative but sporadically satisfying game that some players may absolutely fall in love with. It has clearly had a lot of love put into it, but we didn't quite vibe with it.
A metroidvania mixed with a bit of soulsvania that doesn't know what it wants to be and tries a bit of everything, without really succeeding in any particular aspect.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Aeterna Noctis brings a metroidvania experience influenced by several of the main games of the genre, with a complex level design, a long lifespan, and a well implemented visual environment. If experienced players will feel right at home, those with less time and fewer hours on their back around metroidvania games will find the high difficulty level off putting, and while the game's gentle pacing works great for the exploration it also risks making some players lose their momentum as they move around Aeterna Noctis' long lifespan and maze-like levels.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The simple things here are just okay, though they’re fairly standard. On the whole, and whilst I can’t quite put my finger on it, something feels stale with Aeterna Noctis — “Limp” even. What makes metroidvania’s so fun is not merely the challenge but the pace, reward, and sense of impact your upgrades give you. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, Aeterna Noctis tipped the scales heavily in favor of repetitive challenge that rarely feels rewarding to overcome.
If you've played all the "Metroidvanias" under the Sun, Aeterna Noctis might be a good recommendation. The game has a solid foundation, but its individual elements don't provide a concise experience as a whole. There is always something unnecessary that tests the player's patience and perseverance beyond what is necessary. In the end, it is a title that will remain in memory not for what it is, but for what it could have been.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Aeterna Noctis is a product all in all enjoyable, but that wastes the potential in the useless attempt to chase Hollow Knight too closely. The good artistic direction, the excellent combat system and the well-conceived boss fights end up being suffocated by a linear and tedious progression, victim in turn of the desire to want to fill the game with content even when you do not feel any need.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Aeterna Noctis is a clone of the biggest games in the genre, with few good gameplay mechanics and too many issues caused by an imperfect polishing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Although Aeternum Noctis is a solid production, some design decisions prevented the game from reaching its potential.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A lot of what I write sounds negative, and that's the difficult part of discussing Aeterna Noctis. It does a lot of things that I genuinely like: It has excellent boss fights, some creative levels, an absurdly huge amount of content, and the platforming mostly works well. That level of heartfelt dedication makes it all the more frustrating when you get caught up on the areas where it still needs polish. I enjoyed a lot of the game, but I remember the annoyances more than the enjoyment. If you're willing to work past that, there's a lot to play in Aeterna Noctis, but it's easy to imagine someone reaching a particularly annoying bit of platforming and moving on to something else, especially because the game's long length can make it feel more exhausting than exhilarating. Metroidvania fans should absolutely give it a shot, but don't expect something as easy to pick-up-and-play as some of the genre greats.
Aeterna Noctis does deliver a satisfying metroidvania experience, but that is all it does. It won’t stay with you or leave a lasting impression other than fatigue. It might have been a better game if it were 25 hours instead of 60; that way it could condense its best aspects into a reasonable package.
If a challenge is what you’re after, you’ll find it within Aeterna Noctis. There’s still plenty to appreciate and enjoy if that’s up your alley, but it doesn’t do enough to allow its concept to stand out from the competition.
Overall, Aeterna Noctis is a solid experience with some notable flaws that aren't deal-breakers, but could definitely benefit from a bit more refinement. What it does do quite well is find where its two genres intersect and craft a world and gameplay loop that highlight them quite well. For fans of these kinds of games, Aeterna Noctis is definitely worth picking up.
Ultimately, although there’s a distinct feeling of déjà vu when playing Aeterna Noctis thanks to its unmistakable similarities to Hollow Knight, it thankfully manages to nail the most important elements in a Metroidvania: exploration and combat.
Aeterna Noctis is everything expected of a metroidvania: extensive, demanding, cryptic and, above all, ready for mastery. Although multiple design decisions tarnish what would otherwise be a masterpiece without hesitation, it is pleasing and recommended for every fan of the genre, especially given its impressive artistic work and wonderful mythology.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Pit of the Damned adds a good amount of content and fixes some of the main issues found in Aeterna Noctis, making it a great choice for new and returning players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If the only console you own is a Switch, then Aeterna Noctis is a very good Metroidvania. I’d put it a tier lower than the best of the best in the genre, but still better than most, because of its excellent gameplay. If you own a PS5, Xbox, or PC, then the Switch should be the last version you play. The camera is too zoomed-out for handheld mode, and the framerate is very choppy compared to the other smooth versions. I wish I could also report on how the PS4 and Xbox One versions compared to the next gen versions. They were all planned for the same release day, and ended up taking another year to become available, so I would assume they are all downgrades that had to be quality compromised.
Huge and difficult to say enough, Aeterna Noctis proposes a metroidvania experience only suitable for the most skilled. Its difficulty can be a problem if platform games are not your thing, but if you like great challenges you will not be able to let go of the controller.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Undoubtedly, Aeterna Noctis is one of the best metroidvanias today. Its biggest highlight is due to the rich mythology that was created for the game, along with a gameplay that is both challenging and rewarding. A sure recommendation only for long-time veterans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review