Everlasting Strands weaves collectively a deeply intriguing scene from its earliest moments, stitching collectively an image of a fantasy world constructed across the idea of magic emulating threads. It is a world I needed to dive into from the leap, if solely to uncover extra of the way it got here to be and what the cultures of the totally different areas are like. And as a lot because the worldbuilding retains that marvel with incredible-looking environments that make for participating play areas for the physics-based magic system, the beat-for-beat particulars of Everlasting Strands’ story aren’t almost as rewarding to unravel.
Everlasting Strands’ story too usually hits on acquainted fantasy tropes, equivalent to an inexplicable magical catastrophe that modified every part and a corrupting pressure that seemingly has no weak spot and should be averted in any respect prices. However the historical past that story is constructed on provides a semblance of life to the world, constructing memorable NPCs that you simply need to come again to time and again to speak about what of their life led them to the place they’re now, and portray a somber undertone to the world that begs to be uncovered via its detailed lore notes and non-compulsory collectibles.
I particularly love how Everlasting Strands packages elements of its historical past in order that they’re considered via the artwork of weaving–not a typical selection for action-adventure video games. Ideas like spells are recontextualized, reworking from arcane runes into style decisions. You may largely keep away from the historic exposition in case you’d fairly spend your time swinging a sword and spewing fireplace, however there’s some nice writing to uncover right here for lore hounds.
The moment-to-moment of the present-day narrative is much less compelling, nonetheless, standing out in stark distinction to the much more attention-grabbing historic occasions that led as much as it. The primary characters are memorable sufficient, and conversations with them are delivered to life with nice voice acting–Rebecca Hanssen as Casmyn is a notable spotlight, giving a guarded edge to the smooth phrases of the horned quartermaster that makes you need to get to know her extra (and her romance arc is so candy!).
You strategy this solid as Brynn, the not too long ago anointed scout who ventures out into the wilds past the security of her get together’s camp to search out sources, search harmful areas, deal with threats, and uncover the origin of a puzzling calamity. Her persona is formed primarily based on the choices you select throughout dialogue with different characters, permitting you to considerably curate Brynn’s always-positive disposition and plucky perspective to be extra assertive, jovial, or stoic, and these decisions are mirrored in how the opposite characters regard her, with probably the most substantial impact being the choice to romance a few of them.
Probably the most attention-grabbing facet of Everlasting Strands is its magic system. Brynn can command the forces of gravity, ice, and fireplace, and each the world and enemies inside it react to how you utilize these powers. At their easiest, they permit Brynn to throw, freeze, and ignite enemies, however they can be used extra strategically to each battle and discover in new methods. Brynn’s gravity powers can be utilized to propel herself skyward, for instance, or decide up a dropped sword to violently skewer an enemy, or she will be able to use ice to freeze the air and create a short lived bridge to cross a spot or sew an invisible enemy to the bottom to make them simpler to hit. In the identical respect, Brynn’s magic can have an effect on the world as you think about it would–fire magic can soften components of the world lined in frost, ice magic can freeze water, and gravity magic can stack just about something that is not nailed down.
This magic system is at its finest when Brynn contends with the colossal threats that patrol every setting, starting from fire-breathing dragons to lumbering constructs. These highly effective, boss-like enemies should be strategically dealt with, usually having weak factors that it is advisable to clamber up the monsters’ our bodies to achieve. I solely defeated a fire-breathing drake after I managed to climb up its leg onto its again and began swinging Brynn’s sword on the one place its flaming breath couldn’t attain, utilizing ice magic to freeze its wings in place when it determined to take off in order that I may ship it again to earth. And I managed to defeat one of many armored constructs by freezing its foot to the bottom, utilizing gravity magic to tear away the plate armor round its torso, after which utilizing Brynn’s gravity magic on herself to fling her upwards to immediately get to the revealed weak level.
Elective items of lore on these titanic monsters will be uncovered whereas exploring the world, however even in case you do put within the legwork to higher perceive how these monsters may behave or be extra simply defeated forward of time, there’s nonetheless a have to react to their conduct and provide you with new plans on the fly to take them down. There is a fulfilling sense of victory to taking these behemoths down, and intuiting a brand new plant of assault within the second and seeing my labors end in success was a constant supply of enjoyment. These usually lengthy hunts are well worth the effort too, as every profitable kill leads to a small explosion of colourful high-level supplies that you should use to craft higher gear and weapons, in addition to the mandatory elements to weave new spells or improve your present talents.
Fights towards the conventional wildlife or human-sized constructs aren’t almost as rewarding. Past her magic, Brynn additionally has a sword, defend, and bow, and she will be able to unlock a two-handed greatsword–these instruments can care for the smaller threats simply with a bit button mashing. About three hours into Everlasting Strands, I killed a dragon, used the harvested supplies to craft a bow that might deal fireplace harm, and just about managed to keep away from fight towards regular enemies after that by burning every part alive from a distance. It made traversing via most of every setting trivial, as I may snipe most enemies earlier than Brynn bought shut sufficient for something to register her presence. Solely the larger-than-life monsters continued to pose any kind of problem necessitating me to consider survival and the way to battle.
Every locale that Brynn visits is superbly realized, from stoic and empty cities to vibrant and noisy jungles. A number of of the environments afford Brynn the possibility to make use of her magic–specifically gravity and ice–to navigate them vertically, leaping between rooftops or towers and going off the crushed path to find a secret or two. Hardly ever, nonetheless, are these locations tough to navigate, even when the random climate system introduces a hazard like poisonous miasma. They’re in-built a largely linear style, funneling Brynn from one facet to the opposite to achieve her subsequent goal, and though there are occasions when the scout has a number of missions lively directly, it by no means feels such as you’re truly getting an opportunity to discover these areas. For a recreation that fashions its protagonist as a much-needed scout paving the best way ahead, Brynn spends an terrible lot of Everlasting Strands following the directives of others and being informed the place she will be able to go as quickly as she unlocks a brand new space to discover. For as a lot as Everlasting Strands frees you to follow your company in taking down the colossal monsters that dot its harmful world, it limits you in virtually each regard.
Everlasting Strands is an easy action-adventure recreation. The physics-based magic system provides quite a lot of enjoyable and satisfyingly strategic power to Brynn’s common run-ins with colossal enemies, however smaller threats not often rise above being a tedious hindrance. And though the historical past of the world is attention-grabbing to uncover and conversations with Brynn’s get together members a repeatedly vigorous delight, the precise moment-to-moment story beats do not feel all that compelling. It is a disgrace that Everlasting Strands’ lows drag components of its expertise down, as a result of the narrative and gameplay have clear highs that will excel in a recreation that wasn’t holding them again.