Austin recommends: Eternal Strands (Review)

adminFebruary 6, 2025420 views

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Eternal Strands is lean and focused, but that allows it to double down on a brilliantly inventive sandbox that punches well above its weight given that this is a debut title from a small team.
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42 comments

@SkillUp February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

@chrisjackson1215 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

There's no romances? I'm fine with this. I am SICK and TIRED of every single companion just being there to bang.

@ChrisDelChris February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This is the first time I’ve heard of this game what the heck

@ozz332 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I have to disagree with this. Eternal Strands tries to be your run of the mill aaa fantasy rpg while having none of the budget. The whole point of an AA title is that it should be taking humongous risks and talking to a niche. Combat feels incredibly underwhelming, animations have no impact, story is bland, enemies are generic. Visuals manages to look like fortnite while having less of an art direction. I have given it a good 4 hours before uninstalling hoping it would have something interesting to offer yet every fight left me disappointed.

@RampageRalph February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This is the type of RPG in the Studios need to make. I’m sick of indie studios making full fledged open world games when they don’t have the budget for it.

@skelebruh3075 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

By the fifth hour this game was the most boring thing I've ever played I'm afraid. Solid first game from Yellow Brick Games though. Also, why are the only two male characters in the game queer and b&%tchy?

@hassanshahid5832 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Hmmmm am playing the game not sure we are playing the same game. There are literally only 4 enemy types and exploration and carry limit is atrocious. The companions are weird self inserts except for the big guy

@_gungrave_6802 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Shadow of the Colossus meets Bioware is the best way to describe this game.

I know I recommend it because these days its so rare to find a game with an interesting world, characters, and lore that are all cohesively good. Most of the time those aspects are an afterthought due to the monetization bullshit plaguing the core experience. What you get with this game is a good experience and nothing more because it strives to be just that...a good game. That is something missing from most games being released these days in the AA and AAA scene. So overall this game is the real spiritual successor to Dragon Age Inquisition rather than what we got with Veilguard.

Hopefully the game is successful and gets a sequel or two because the team certainly knows what they're doing and left it open for a sequel.

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One small correction I have for the video is that it does indeed have romance but its a limited interaction with one specific character. Its not a complex thing or anything but it is rather wholesome with the way the voicework is done.

@Shinobifoxx February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This game is awesome

@HoneyBadgerLikesYou February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This is a great review, and honestly it made me really want to play it. I think you highlighted all the stuff that sounds appealing to me!

Some minor constructive criticism for Austin: I think you may have tried a little too hard to asterisk all of your criticisms of the game. It’s ok to point out the deficiencies or negative aspects of a review subject. And you definitely did that, which is great, but you spent a lot of breath trying to undermine your own thoughts (e.g. “maybe I just didn’t look hard enough” or “maybe this will be in a DLC”).

I think it’s good to be as confident in your negative feelings as you are in your positive ones. In my opinion it’ll make the review that much more useful. But it’s a minor issue. Thanks for the review, SkillUp team

@pencilcheck February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

there are just too many games.

@jakebrady5531 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Looks like it was inspired by Immortals Fenyx Rising.

@z4pp3rsapper February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

@yellowbrickgames_qc Games like these restore my faith in the game-dev industry.

@derrickrake February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Excellent review, as always.

@grundged February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Game is awful. Combat feels terrible. It's floaty and the magic you cast damages yourself. It's bad. Also the limited inventory makes the crafting super frustrating.

@mitrikgaduk347 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

- Reviewers complain about bloat in games for YEARS.
- Dislike massive open worlds with tons of side content, random puzzles, checkboxes, collectibles, challenges, etc etc
- Game releases with bare minimum bloat, decides to streamline this, respects the players time.
- Reviewer: Where's my bloat?

P.S. It's a budget title at $40 for perspective.

@DaleWeise99 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Buy kingdom come 2 for a real rpg

@KhaosElement February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I decided to buy this based on this review, and you know what? I don't know what game you played. The good FULL STOPS at the art. The combat is some of the literal worst I have ever played in my life, the voice acting was immediately bad, the story is not engaging at all, the freaking ice you lay down to bridge things hurts you...this game is bad. Just bad. Nothing but bad.

@bladechild2449 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

the game's combat sucks so fucking bad that I honestly lost interest. I mean, what even is that gash magic system. So awful to aim and utilize that I could barely be bothered to use them.

@lonewolffang February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Even after playing it on GP, I still plan to buy a physical copy. It's a sliw burn and grindy at the beginning, but it has enough charm and intrigue to keep me playing and explore every environment to find rare material.

@siliconwings February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

and they just had you to play as a manly lesbian......

@carbodude5414 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This and Baldur's Gate 3 makes spellcasting actually fun

@alphacorgi_2764 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Yea I’m sold. This is dope

@ombra711 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Wow.. was this a sponsered video?

@agarcia4845 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Resembles Fenix Rising

@cloverraven February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I love everything about this game no notes. Except the combat. It’s just there. But I just got the two hander so we’ll see.

@BourbonJRA February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Immortals: Fenyx Rising 2.0

@MinosDaedalus February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Does it have DualSense features like adaptive triggers and advanced haptic feedback?

@fabiogoulart1987 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I also miss Metroidvania elements, and some puzzles, other than that, it's a really fun game!

@SpyGuysX February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

too bad about the characters

@Ava1ar February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Noone cares about your garbage game, You scared to review Hogwards Legacy.

@nathandrake253 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

The same guy that liked Alone in the Dark from last year

@maximus6253 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Seeing the quality that this game offers makes me feel I’ll actually enjoy this. Been playing AC Valhalla lately and the amount of useless side content makes me want a chill game like this that’s fun and not a 100hr+ slog

@Muppet-kz2nc February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Played this game for a few hours. The art design and basic systems were compelling. The story and characters couldn't have been more mundane. I couldn't remember a single NPCs name. Asking for a myriad of collect and upgrade paths felt like a time sink rather than a compelling single player experience.

Seeing this game as a recommend hurts my faith in this channel. If pretty wrapping and a bow is enough for you then ya sure I guess.

@FistOfFiori February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I've downloaded this via Game Pass, looking forward to playing later or tomorrow! Also looking at it, I'm guessing the 'Ubisoft' side of the team worked on Immortals Fenyx Rising - lots of similar design elements and combat going on! And also Laidlaw was at Ubi for a while of course (He was apparently working on a game called Avalon, about Arthur and the Knights of the roundtable which could have been cool but Ubi cancelled it because Ubi make terrible decisions, I guess!)

@Stoicgame February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

My patience for sandboxes wore thin with tears of the kingdom. I wanted to see more focused and designed dungeons, and real NPCs, instead I got crafting. So I’ll pass on this one. It’s missing the same stuff TotK was missing.

@n4k3d51 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

This looks like it has DEI in it

@cmr2003 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I'd be interested if I could play as a male.

@markyturner February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

I played the intro section of the game. I found the controls quite fiddly…eg to cast a single spell you have to press left trigger, then right trigger. To switch weapons you have to enter a menu wheel first, then switch, rather than just switching.

I assume this is to simulate complex actions, but it’s hassle.

@Djehuty99 February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Smell of DEI is strong with this one, Bioware DNA shows indeed.
From what Austin describes companions are simple, whimsical and everyone in the group gets along, there is little to no conflict, so the only real difference between this and DA:V is that they didn't go HAM with deviant romances and sexual kinks like Bioware did.
For some reason the blacksmith/crafter of the group is a black woman with arms like a male bodybuilder, because we know women have overflowing testosterone and easily get 40 cm biceps.
"But it's a fantasy setting with magic" why not use a fantasy race like a dwarf then (If they are allergic to men, especially white ones)?
Because they can spread the "message" this way, and "subvert expectations" 😮‍💨

So yeah, dodging this.

@scatterbrainart February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

Sold. I'm all about supporting games that respect my time and deliver a solid experience without needing to bloat it out to 100+ hours and 5 pages of crafting materials.

@Michael-dl2cf February 6, 2025 - 3:11 pm

definitely not my type of game. looks like it's suitable for 10 year olds.

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