Eternal Strands Reviews
Eternal Strands is a wonderful game. There are numerous physical interactions between objects, which means that even when tackling the same task, you can complete it in many different ways. Although there are some signs of budget constraints, the quality of execution surpasses many AAA games that proudly wield that label. It's not perfect, as the backtracking really got to me. However, considering all the feelings derived from the gameplay, I had an excellent time. I can only congratulate Yellow Brick Games on their fantastic debut. I hope we will see a sequel.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Eternal Strands is a game that has many ideas, but they are hindered by poor execution. Perhaps the biggest flaw of the title is overindulgence, and trimming some of these many ideas and references within its own budget could have helped deliver a better result.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Eternal Strands does not reach the same heights as its inspirations Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, and Monster Hunter. It is nonetheless an ambitious debut from developer Yellow Brick Games that impresses with its worldbuilding and characters, fun boss battles, intuitive and experimental magic and physics system, and colorful presentation.
Eternal Strands has a few nice ideas and tons of potential with its robust magic system. The giant boss fights are a definite stand-out but all of this is hampered time and again by basic gameplay design that usurps the fun. In an effort to try and add in this magical physics system, the trade-off is very limited stamina, big magic cooldowns and an inability to level up base stats. That’s before mentioning some of the performance issues and pretty mindless side quests to pad the run-time. There are elements here that make Eternal Strands a super fun game, but after completing everything this one has to offer across its 25 hour run-time, it’s a disappointingly mixed experience overall, which is a real shame.
It’s early in 2025, but this game is without a doubt, my game of the month. While it’s shaping up to be an amazing year in gaming, Eternal Strands is kicking off the year with a strong start. The game is a self proclaimed labor of love and it shows in every way. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started and at first I was worried this would just be a bit of Monster Hunter and a bit of the latest Zelda games with just a dash of storytelling.
Eternal Strands could have been one of the biggest surprises of the year if the gameplay had been more polished and had a bigger budget. In terms of story and characters, this is a great title that is overshadowed in places by an underdeveloped combat system, grindy elements or some ill-conceived systems. If you are a gamer who plays mainly for the story then it's definitely worth trudging through this game, but if gameplay comes first for you then you can definitely wait for a sale.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Eternal Strands may initially look generic and not offer much to it that hasn’t been done before, but it greatly opens up to have a flexibility with its powers and systems that I don’t see anyone doing. For a debut game from a studio with an immense amount of credits to their names, this is a solid adventure that is rich and rewarding in its system as much as it is to its story and charm. While it certainly is inspired from a wealth of games, it more than justifies its existence by actually making those components feel fun to engage with. People often say they want new games with fresh experiences, and Eternal Strands may be set in the familiar, but it is certainly one of those games to support and celebrate.
While I feel the game’s story could have been stronger and the main melee combat could have been less clunky, when Eternal Strands' magic starts flying around and its gameplay inspirations coalesce, I see an absolutely solid foundation to keep building upon.
Eternal Strands showcases immense potential with its standout physics-driven magic system and thrilling monster battles, but a dull narrative, clunky melee combat, and awkward animations detract from what could have been a truly remarkable experience.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Eternal Strands weaves together features from several genres to heighten the action-adventure experience in a new and exciting way. The world feels alive and manages to provide a fresh experience without overstaying its welcome.
Despite some design flaws, budget limitations, and insufficient localization, the great world-building work and physics-focused gameplay make Eternal Strands a game worth trying out, especially given its Game Pass inclusion; we wish for it to be a success, so to create the basis for more investment for a sequel that will be able to fulfill the great ambitions of the Yellow Brick Games team.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Being a mix of several games like BOTW, Assassins Creed or Shadow of the Colossus, it surprises us with a unique style and a story that seems interesting at first glance, but is greatly hindered by the language.
Review in Spanish | Read full review