izigame.me

Let’s get it out of the way right from the start.
Scarlet Nexus got me here.
I just happen to enjoy this kind of games. Part action roleplay, part visual novel. Hack and talk and slash, one might say.
And you know what? These guys, Studio Sai, the developers of Eternights, have arrived out of nowhere and cooked up a competent Scarlet Nexus clone. Don’t get me wrong. Creating an action visual novel game is an extremely ambitious endeavor. It takes a book or two worth of writing accompanied by an entire game of development, balancing and polishing. Consequently, Sai had absolutely no chance of matching the major players like Atlus or Bandai.
And yet, here it is. A solid 7 game. Even 8 at times. Occasionally a 4. Color me impressed.
The Hacking.
The combat is weird. The hitboxes and timing feel off every now and then. Still, it does not happen often enough to feel too irritating until the final chapters of the game.
It is the general design of battle mechanics that feels peculiar. Firstly, the basic attack is useless. It only does minimal damage, and the enemies don’t get staggered, which allows them to counterattack right in the middle of the protagonist’s combo. The key here is to play defensively. The player needs to perform either a perfect dodge at an indicated moment or a parry, then the enemies become vulnerable to an entire sequence of attacks followed by the finisher, which in turn charges up the special. The special, then, deals massive damage to the basic enemies and needs to be used to break through the barriers that protect the sub-bosses and bosses from the damage. Most of the larger enemies tend to have at least two or three layers of shield protecting them which in turn requires charging the special more than once per battle just to get them vulnerable. It turns out as tedious as it sounds, and additionally it removes a significant chunk of versatility from the combat as there is no alternative to this particular sequence. In the end it proves almost enjoyable, especially with how later parts of the game somewhat alleviate the situation by introducing new skills and abilities.
The dungeons in general are enjoyable with their fog, dimmed neon lights and mild, syntwhwave background. Boss battles introduce the much-needed variety and require at least some basic pattern-learning. While Eternights certainly is not a Souls game, some challenge is present, bosses even fake out their attacks at times which I’ve not expected from such a game. Still the reaction windows are generous and the punishment for being defeated in a dungeon is nearly non-existent.

The Talking.
The writing is almost weirder. It starts out serious but then quickly devolves into comedy and then swirls somewhere in between till the very end. The one constant is that it lacks subtlety. At times the story reaches South Park or Monty Python levels of absurdity and expects the player to take it at a face value. An impressive feat here, from time to time the narration manages to gracefully recover from the depths of sheer preposterousness it created just sentences ago. This tends to happen more often towards the conclusion of the campaign.
The characters are extremely stereotypical and painfully exaggerated but also provide some unexpectedly emotional moments down the line. The jokes mostly land, assuming the player happens to have the sense of humor of a not particularly bright teenager, which I proudly subscribe to. There’s a running tentacle gag throughout the story, make of it what you will.
Visual noveling here is not perfect by any definition, but inexplicably enjoyable. Just like the dungeons, but considerably more varied. There are plenty of activities to perform in the free time, an impressive number of interactions to be had, a vast array of choices of progression and even some minigames.
And Which Dreamed it?
The 3d art is a mixed bag. It took me a while or two to get used to how the characters’ faces were animated. On the other hand, the environments – while significantly lacking in variety – look great. The 2d art is wonderful and so is the music.
One major drawback is the fact that there are only a few kinds of enemies that the protagonist faces throughout the entire story. Also, the constant need for charging the special move to break through several barriers protecting the larger opponents is tedious. None of these matters in the end as Eternights proves to be an enjoyable experience for an evening or two.
I’ve never expected Studio Sai to deliver another Nexus or a Shin Megami. It is not possible for such a young and small developer to nail everything perfectly the first time around. So, the point I’m trying to make here is
Studio Sai
how about a sequel?

As always, do with it what you will and, as always
Try to have a wonderful life.