Eternal Strands by Yellow Brick Games

With the increasingly unsustainable route that AAA game development seems determined to follow these days, it’s maybe not surprising that more and more developers are jumping ship to the indie scene and bringing their experience to new frontiers. With this in mind, I was genuinely curious about the debut from Quebec-based Yellow Brick Games, a company boasting several veterans, not the least of which is former Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw.

The resulting game, Eternal Strands is an impressive little action adventure that may not blow your mind, but I think you’ll have a good time with it.

Stranded

Brynn is a Weaver, able to use a form of magic shunned by many of the world’s nations. Joining up with a team of fellow Weavers, she undertakes a journey to the Enclave, the source of magic that’s been sealed off from the rest of the world for half a century. It turns out that things aren’t all they seem, and Brynn will have to use her wits, her gear, and her powers to uncover the Enclave’s mysteries.

Eternal Strands puts a lot of emphasis on its world-building to a level that’s almost overwhelming at first. Right away you’ll encounter tons of terms like “point” and “mantle” and “ark” that all mean something different in the game’s world than they do in our own, and it’s a little bit into the game before things start to click.

Thankfully, this is helped tremendously by the game’s character writing. Brynn’s team are all tremendously likable and have distinct personalities, accented with some genuinely excellent voice acting. It’s rare to find such a dialogue-heavy game where the conversations never get tedious, and I found myself genuinely looking forward to my time spent with these characters.

Strand and Deliver

In terms of actual gameplay, Eternal Strands follows a formula that will be familiar to anyone who’s played a Zelda-style game before, especially if you’re familiar with Breath of the Wild. You’ll explore colorful areas, battle enemies with your sword, climb surfaces to hidden areas, and collect crafting materials. The gang’s all here.

However, the secret sauce comes in the form of incorporating Brynn’s magic. There are three main types you get access to: telekinesis, ice, and fire. Far from just being means to attack, these magics all interact with the world in creative and interesting ways.

For example, ice can be used to freeze enemies, of course. However, it can also be used to create bridges, put out fires, or even keep enemies from moving certain parts, which is invaluable during the game’s many giant boss battles you have to physically scale, Shadow of the Colossus-style.

Combined with the game’s weapon and armor crafting system, which lets you boost your affinity for different spells to your liking, and there’s lots of ways to play. I do wish that the game spread out discovering these spells over a longer period of time, but it’s hard to care when you can climb onto a dragon’s back, freeze its wing solid, and send it crashing into the ground.

The Verdict

Eternal Strands is a game that takes a lot of great elements from other titles and wraps them up in its own charming package. It might not be the most original game on the market, but if you’re in the mood for a big adventure with likable characters and a tremendously cool magic system, you could do far worse.

Eternal Strands is available via the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live, and Steam.

Watch the trailer for Eternal Strands below: