Many games start off slow but pick up the pace after the first few hours or so of gameplay and Eternal Strands is such an example. Eternal Strands is an action RPG where you explore a magical world, discovering the history of your people and what truly happened hundred of years ago. While the game has some issues, the game really gets good after a while of playing and experiencing the world and story.
You play as a woman called Brynn, a Weaver who specializes in magic. You join other fellow Weavers in the hopes of discovering the history of The Surge, which ravaged the land many years ago. You and your crew then manage to discover and break through a magical barrier known as The Veil to reach The Enclave, which was once the beating heart of magic in the nation, but was mysteriously isolated from the rest of the world after the Surge leaving many mysteries to be solved.
The Enclave is a beautiful open area that you can explore to your heart’s content. The area gives off the feeling of a forgotten world filled with magic and mystery. The scenery is filled with beautiful greenery and danger at every corner. You will need to be careful as you explore because you can easily be attacked by an enemy at any time. The combat in the game can be wonky at times but once you get your rhythm down you shouldnt have any problems. Another issue is that you have a stamina meter, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s used for almost everything, like running, climbing, blocking and attacking, so you have to keep that in mind while fighting. Personally I wouldn’t have the stamina be tied to attacking but it’s not a deal breaker in my opinion.
In combat, you have a sword and shield for close range combat. You have a basic three hit combo before you are left defenseless, so you have to make sure you block at the right moment and make sure you keep an eye on your stamina meter because if it runs out during battle you will be defenseless and at the monsters mercy. You also have a bow and arrow for ranged combat. Some enemies won’t let you get close by either moving faster than you can get close to them or preventing you from getting close at all, so that is where the bow and arrow comes in. You also have some magic to solve puzzles and use in combat. At first you only have a levitation spell and an ice spell, both of which can help in exploration and when you’re in battle. The levitation spell can be used to move certain objects and toss enemies around and the ice spell can cool fire and freeze enemies. As you play through the game you will gain new spells and even upgrade your current spells, although it will take a while to gain a new spell. At most you will have to fully explore the first area of The Enclave before you get a new spell. This can put people off from playing the game since it takes quite a while before the game really picks up both gameplay wise and story wise but it is worth the wait.
Your fellow Weavers all have roles that will help you during your explorations. Some will create and upgrade your gear, while others will help you learn and upgrade your magic. One of them will even save you from trouble if you are about to die during your expedition, but the cost is losing any material and treasure you have found so if you have a lot of treasure and are about to die, its best to find the nearest portal and return to camp and continue your exploration later once you are better equipped.
While you’re exploring, you will have a cursor telling you the location of your objective, but you have the freedom to explore the map to your heart’s content. I recommend destroying anything that can be, since you can find material which can be used to upgrade your gear and magic. When crafting gear you can either upgrade your current gear or make some new gear. When it comes to choosing which to do, it depends on if you need a specific kind of gear or if what you already have is good and just needs to be improved. Crafting or upgrading will give your gear different elemental resistances and ups your strength. You won’t be able to upgrade both your ice and fire resistance so it’s important to choose which is more important during your explorations.
In conclusion, Eternal Strands has a beautiful art style, and a beautiful world to explore. If the game didn’t start off so slow and had a more immersive combat system at the stars this game could easily be game of the year. I recommend giving this game a try and sticking with it to experience it to the fullest.
Score: 7 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
