In the last decade or so we have seen a number of revolutionary games like The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain that truly encapsulated the feeling of embarking on a grand adventure with minimal hand holding. The focus on player freedom and using its emergent systems to create fun moments was the major drawing factor, and it felt like a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by quest markers and huge skill trees.
Not every title will be able to capture quite the same feelings as the above mentioned games, but we do have Yellow Brick Games’ upcoming Eternal Strands that is showcasing immense potential with its complex web of interweaving systems and emergent gameplay mechanics. With this feature, we will be taking a look at the game in depth and try to understand why it might end up being one of the biggest games of the near future.
Starting things off with the story, Eternal Strands puts players in the shoes of Brynn – a young warrior who sets off on a quest to take back her home from the evil clutches of towering clockwork beasts that have started to roam these lands. While not much is known about the specifics of the plot itself, we do know that it will be taking place in a fantasy world filled to the brim with mystical forces and fierce creatures of all sorts.
Yellow Brick Games seems to have done a good job of setting up a fleshed out universe that will probably have a ton of lore for fans to dive into, but we can’t really say that for sure at this moment. Another point worth noting here is that a simple narrative with a simple structure enables the team to focus more on the gameplay side of things and promote player freedom since objectives can be tackled in any order.
And that neatly brings us to the gameplay side of things where Eternal Strands shines the brightest. Despite Yellow Brick Games being a rather humble team of developers, the game boasts some impressive complexity in the mechanics themselves without compromising on the production values. You will get to explore a massive fantasy world with different biomes and creatures as you slowly and steadily tackle the many challenges and fights peppered throughout this virtual landscape.
One of the most interesting things about Eternal Strands’ gameplay is its focus on the physics side of things and how it dictates the flow of the gameplay itself. Almost each object in the game world is a physics based object that operates on realistic principles of nature, and each object has a temperature that can change based on the actions that you do in combat. For instance, prolonged usage of fire weapons and fire spells will result in the surroundings getting hot and there is a good chance that combustible items in the vicinity might explode or trees might catch fire which can make for some interesting encounters and challenges.
The physics driven gameplay doesn’t just stop here, and animations are physics driven too with each body part of the enemy being treated as an individual physics object that comes together to dictate the movement animations. Such implementations usually end up feeling rather awkward, but it works wonders in the case of Eternal Strands’ towering bosses as they flail around the arena in a rather realistic fashion.
Furthermore, Yellow Brick Games’ has also stated that the many elemental powers can also interact with one another – meaning that fire can interact with the wind and ice can stop the wrath of fire and so on and so forth. It sounds a lot like Red Dead Redemption 2 which enabled similar interactions, and it is one of the biggest drawing factors for Eternal Strands. As such, it becomes really important to ensure judicial use of your special abilities to make the most impact out of your toolkit. Spells can also be chained together to create interesting combos, and that is yet another instance of player freedom being emphasized in Eternal Strands’ set of gameplay ideas. These spells can also be used outside of combat in areas like exploration, such as one instance in the trailer where Brynn crafts a makeshift bridge of ice to cross a wide gap.
And how can we not talk about the bosses? Eternal Strands will also feature gargantuan bosses that will serve as a test of your skills and understanding of the many systems at play. The trailer showcases a Colossus-esque boss with a giant flaming hammer, and you can climb on the top of the boss and strike its core to deal massive damage. The inspirations are pretty clear here, but that doesn’t make the end result any less cooler than it already is. The developers have teased that you could also use your elemental powers like fire to burn down protective fur or use thick layers of ice to freeze out entire limbs in an effort to quick down the boss. It all sounds really tantalizing, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the final release.
Finally, there’s the world itself. As mentioned previously, it features some impressive level of diversity, but the developer has also mentioned that it will be full of optional nooks and crannies that can hold valuable secrets. Between this and the fact that using your abilities in a thoughtful fashion will open up new paths to explore, roaming the world of Eternal Threads’ might just end up being a pretty engaging experience. Hopefully the team takes some cues from emergent open world games and ends up creating an experience that nudges players to properly take the time to smell the roses and soak in the sunsets.
Yellow Brick Games has made great use of Unreal Engine 5 to bring its imaginations to life. The game might not look the most realistic in terms of the visuals, but a strong art direction ensures that it looks beautiful nevertheless. Particle effects, lighting, and reflections are a strong point of the presentation here – and the team has made great use of techniques like Lumen to ensure a pristine look throughout.
Finally, there’s the topic of release. Eternal Strands has no release date at the moment, but we do know that it will be releasing for PC and current gen consoles. Judging by what we have seen of the game, it seems safe to say that the game will most likely release sometime in the next year. Of course, it’s always possible that delays might happen – so do take that information with a pinch of salt.
All in all, Eternal Strands is building off a formula that has amassed massive success in both a critical and commercial fashion. If the team is able to capture the magic of dynamic and emergent gameplay systems, Yellow Brick Studios has a big hit on its hands. Add to that the fact that the game is releasing on consoles and PC also helps Eternal Strands’ case by a significant margin. We are definitely excited to see how the game pans out, and hopefully the team is able to surpass fans’ expectations.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)