Eternal Strands Review - Magic Weaver

Eternal Strands weaves together a deeply intriguing scene from its earliest moments, stitching together a picture of a fantasy world built around the concept of magic emulating threads. It's a world I wanted to dive into from the jump, if only to uncover more of how it came to be and what the cultures of the different locations are like. And as much as the worldbuilding retains that wonder with incredible-looking environments that make for engaging play spaces for the physics-based magic system, the beat-for-beat details of Eternal Strands' story aren't nearly as rewarding to unravel.

Eternal Strands' story too often hits on familiar fantasy tropes, such as an inexplicable magical disaster that changed everything and a corrupting force that seemingly has no weakness and must be avoided at all costs. But the history that story is built on adds a semblance of life to the world, building memorable NPCs that you want to come back to again and again to talk about what in their life led them to where they are now, and painting a somber undertone to the world that begs to be uncovered through its detailed lore notes and optional collectibles.

The world-building in Eternal Strands is superb.

I especially love how Eternal Strands packages aspects of its history so they're viewed through the art of weaving--not a typical choice for action-adventure games. Concepts like spells are recontextualized, transforming from arcane runes into fashion choices. You can largely avoid the historical exposition if you'd rather spend your time swinging a sword and spewing fire, but there's some great writing to uncover here for lore hounds.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Topics

Magic Farm review – Chloë Sevigny can’t lift flat comedy of inept Americans abroad

Sundance film festival: A farcical tale of entitled New Yorkers arriving in rural Argentina to make a docuseries is too limp and underbaked to hit its targets. A fading television host, a shady ...
The Guardian - 1d
Just Stop Oil disrupts Sigourney Weaver West End play

Two people are arrested after protesters walked on stage during Monday's performance of The Tempest.
BBC News - 2d
‘Eternal You’ and the Ethics of Using A.I. to ‘Talk’ to Dead Loved Ones

Examining what it means to make money by selling the bereaved on an illusion, the film feels like something of a warning.
The New York Times - 6d
Eternal Strands, Sniper Elite: Resistance, And More Come To Game Pass In January

Microsoft saved its biggest guns for the second half of January, but Game Pass subscribers will probably be very happy. There are multiple day-one releases coming before the end of the month, ...
GameSpot - Jan. 21
Former Dragon Age Director's Eternal Strands Gets PC Demo, Full Specs Revealed

A PC demo for the action-adventure game Eternal Strands is now available for a limited time. The demo covers the game's "Part 1" and should take between 1-4 hours to complete. Any progress made ...
GameSpot - Jan. 21
Honor Magic 7 Pro Review: Refined Flagship

Honor’s latest flagship phone is a refined marriage of hardware and AI-infused software.
Wired - Jan. 17
Bears request interviews with Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Anthony Weaver

The Bears have started to compile their list of head coaching candidates.
Yahoo Sports - Jan. 6
Winter storms leave travelers stranded at Kansas City airport over weekend

Winter weather bringing heavy snowfall and cold temperatures across the country prevented flights from taking off at Kansas City International Airport. Some travelers are left stranded in Missouri ...
NBC News - Jan. 5