Eternal Strands Review

Eternal Strands became available for PS5, Windows and Xbox Series X|S January 28th, marking the very first release from independent studio Yellow Brick Games. A classic action-adventure experience, it features mystic creatures and realms, magic abilities, a crafting/upgrades system, and many other fantastical features that make for a rich environment. Naturally, with lots to explore comes lots to notice and comment on. I’ll try to cover my many thoughts in a few words!

To start, my favorite aspect is definitely the world and its backstory. Not too complicated but full of intrigue, the plot had me excited and motivated for every task I was faced with, although it’s far from fast-paced. The magical capabilities of the player’s character, Brynn, are fun to use, and the elemental theme to them makes them unique to the game. I found distinctions like that important as I played, because in many ways Eternal Strands is a LOT like other games of its kind. And while the motion is generally pretty smooth, the actual combat mechanics honestly didn’t gain any points with me. I found most of my fights to be choppy and frustrating rather than enjoyable. The block function was often ineffective and I had a hard time getting heals to work for some reason. I felt like I died way more than I should have to the generic monsters, getting stuck between enemies with just an animation-heavy melee that I couldn’t get a feel for to protect me. On the other hand, boss fights are far from repetitive and are typically very fun and creative, which helps redeem my perception of the game’s fighting a little. Doubling back to the plot side, it’s worth noting that in my eyes the dialogue portions were lengthy considering they don’t have consequences and are solely for exploring character dynamics with somewhat unremarkable characters. Still, I was super happy with the story, not to mention the magic elements and distinctive ways you can interact with the world around you. If you’re a fan of BOTW and Elder Scrolls-adjacent games, you’ll probably find a lot to like about Eternal Strands, even if I might not consider it quite as well-rounded as those staples.