Eternights Reviews
There’s a lot going on, most of it competently designed, but lacking that touch of finesse or technical flourish that oozes from the few series that serve as inspiration.
Eternights deftly captures the essence of growing up, as told through the motions of an action-packed JRPG. Through its storyline and dialogue, the game manages to weave life into this classic genre with the aid of modern-day meme jokes and ‘anime humour’. Its simple but effective combat system, and a smattering of puzzles and mini-games, are entertaining enough to keep you hooked as you watch the plot unfold. Eternights showcases a level of complexity and refinement that is impressive, especially for Studio Sai’s debut title.
Eternights can think with both heads, but when it decides to be serious, it is endearing and has beautiful moments between the characters.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The love at the time of the Apocalypse narrated in Eternights may not be perfect, but it isn’t insufficient either. StudioSai's title makes good romantic points even if it falls into a few stereotypes and manages to entertain despite the lackluster quality of the gameplay department.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Eternights is a masterful blend of dating simulation and RPG elements, delivering a gripping narrative that will tug at your heartstrings while challenging your strategic thinking in a post-apocalyptic setting. Whether you’re a fan of dating sims or action RPGs, Eternights offers a unique and unforgettable experience that is well worth your time. With its well-crafted characters, fast-paced combat, and the ever-present ticking clock, this game offers a thrilling and emotional journey that you won’t want to miss.
Eternights feels like a fairly original game. It’s always nice to see a game try out some new genre combinations – and, as this shows, it’s especially fun when the game in question mostly pulls off the combo.
Eternights is one of the most thrilling and fun experiences I’ve had. It found a way to strengthen the action roguelike genre with the power of a dating sim. The inspirations from Persona are clear, but you won’t be disappointed in the slightest with this unique and fun adventure.
Eternights is a true labor of love from a small team of developers that set out to create something for themselves. It just so happens that it’s also one of my favorite games of 2023. If you can look past the juvenile character moments and flimsy early plot devices, you’re in for an awesome experience that delivers quality action combat, hilarious character skits, and a very strong final Act. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget and one that doesn’t demand too much from players to play till the credits. The wait for this release was genuinely worth it, and I’m happy to see this ambitious project come together so brilliantly.
Eternights can occasionally be rough around the edges, but there is a charming JRPG within that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. Sure, the story may be all over the place, but at around a 15-hour play time, the hijinks also don’t overstay their welcome. Combat can also occasionally frustrate with some uninterruptible animations and a merciless window of time with which to perform dodges and parries, but most people should be able to adapt to it, and there is also the easier difficulty to try out if things get too dicey. Being an indie developer, Studio Sai should be applauded for producing a well-rounded JRPG that many genre fans will have a blast with.
Eternights is commendable but contentious, an intimate apocalyptic action-adventure that reaches for greatness with limited resources. For every unsophisticated story beat or half-baked mechanic, a pleasant surprise or diversion appears to take its place, a dynamic which should motivate almost anyone intrigued by the premise to see the story through. It all makes Eternights a fine first date, but it might not be marriage material.
An awkward fusion of dating simulation and action. Though the attempt to combine two vastly different genres at opposite ends of the spectrum was innovative, it does not seem to manage a seamless integration. The dating simulation part was surprisingly better than expected, ironically leaving a sense of disappointment.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Eternights is a good first outing for Studio Sai but it's held back by overly perverse characters and predictable story beats.
A decent mix of hack 'n' slash and dating sim that works surprisingly well. Eternights is one of those games that give you more than you bargained for.
Eternights is precisely what Studio Sai intended, a simpler Persona with much stronger sexual suggestions, almost skimming the erotic anime at certain times. If you imagine playing a hack and slash with lots of romance anime clichés, you might find that in the dilliest moments (when you wish you weren't playing alongside family members), Eternights hides a good heart underneath its perverted exterior.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I find Eternights really interesting, even if in the end, I recommend it conditionally. It's a game that shows a ton of talent on the side of a new team that already has its eyes on a new project and even more growth. The bones here have me excited for whatever they do next. If you can excuse some iffy bits of writing and degeneracy, if you're looking to enjoy combat but aren't here just for combat, and if you are willing to accept some rough around the edges bits from a team that literally only had one full-time employee throughout most of its development, there's a lot to love in what Eternights is doing.
Eternights is a humorous and raunchy adult dating sim that cleverly fuses itself with a grim action adventure. Good comedy writing combines itself seamlessly with the dark reality of the setting, presented through beautifully designed levels and masterfully animated cutscenes. Everything in Eternights meshes together wonderfully, and if you’re a fan of anime you’re sure to enjoy what this game has to offer.
Eternights relies a bit too much on taking inspiration from other games like Persona 5 to carve out its own identity.
Though far from perfect, Eternights has a lot of good ideas that heavier hitters in the action dating sim genre should follow. Despite being a small team, Studio Sai provides a fun and enjoyable experience in the scene, offering charming and equally viable dating options to get to know, even adding a queer romance option. There's an engaging mystery to uncover in-game too, every so often taking the time to showcase this in gorgeous 2D animation. Though polish could've been greater in distracting HUD and menus, combat checkpoints and the like, what the studio has done for the genre is create an earnest and wholehearted positive step forward.
The pillars holding up Eternights; Narrative, Combat, and Characters, have lots of cracks and didn’t take long to start crumbling. As impressive as it is that this game was made with such a small team, I can’t recommend this game.