Eternights

Eternights is a dating sim action role-playing game developed and published by Studio Sai. The game was released digitally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on 12 September 2023. It is also scheduled to release physically for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on 16 November 2023.[1][2] It received mixed reviews from critics.

Eternights
Steam cover
Developer(s)Studio Sai
Publisher(s)Studio Sai
Platform(s)
Release12 September 2023
Genre(s)Action role-playing, dating sim
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Combat in Eternights is that of a hack and slash game.[3] Dodging an enemy attack with precision slows down time, giving the player a better opportunity to attack.[4][3] Hitting an enemy enough times within a short period creates a combo,[3] allowing the player to perform a stronger attack or a finisher.[4] Attacking enemies or performing Perfect Dodges charges the Elemental Gauge, and parts of the Gauge can be used for an Elemental Fist attack that breaks enemy barriers if the player succeeds in a quick-time event.[5] SP can be spent during battle to use special abilities which are granted through other characters.[6]

Choosing certain dialogue options while talking to other characters can increase the protagonist's Social Stats, as well as his relationship level with other characters.[4] Increasing the relationship level with another character grants the protagonist new abilities in combat.[4]

The game includes a calendar system, where doing certain tasks causes time to pass, changing what activities are available.

Premise

An anti-aging drug called Eternights mutates people into monsters, and supernatural events begin to occur. An 18-year-old boy (who is named by the player) is attacked by an unknown woman named Delia who cuts his arm off using her scythe, and another woman he met on a dating app replaces his lost arm with a magical, glowing one that can also transform into a sword, allowing him to fight the monsters.

Reception

Pre-release

Before release, Eternights drew comparisons to the Persona video game series due to its premise of teenagers fighting supernatural enemies while including social and calendar elements in the gameplay.[4][3][7] Writing for Kotaku, Kenneth Shepard praised the game for including a gay romance option, but considered the character writing in the game's demo to be superficial and the combat to be "flimsy as hell", noting a "lack of weight" to attacks and movement in the game's action sequences.[7] Reviewing a preview version from the Summer Game Fest Play Days, Push Square's Liam Croft was impressed by the game's cutscene visuals, and called the dialogue options "engaging", though "occasionally creepy".[3]

Post-release

Eternights received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[14]

References
  1. Ramsey, Robert (August 23, 2023). "Persona-Inspired Eternights Launches a Little Earlier Than Planned on PS5, PS4". Push Square. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  2. Eternights - Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games. PlayStation. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. Croft, Liam (June 19, 2023). "Preview: Eternights Puts Some Indie in Your Persona". Push Square. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  4. Bains, Callum (June 25, 2023). "Anime action RPG Eternights is like a very horny Persona". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  5. Bowling, Audra (June 19, 2023). "Eternights Hands-On Preview Impressions". RPGFan. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. Bowling, Audra (September 11, 2023). "Eternights Review". RPGFan. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  7. Shepard, Kenneth (June 19, 2023). "30 Minutes With That New Persona-Inspired Dating Sim". Kotaku. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  8. "Eternights (PS5)". Metacritic.
  9. "Eternights (PC)". Metacritic.
  10. Handley, Zoey (September 11, 2023). "Review: Eternights". Destructoid. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  11. "Test Eternights : coup de coeur pour l'ARPG-dating sim" [Eternights review: favorite for the ARPG-dating sim]. IGN France (in French). September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  12. McCormick, John Cal (September 11, 2023). "Review: Eternights (PS5) - A Surprisingly Charming Apocalyptic Dating Sim". Push Square. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  13. Bowling, Audra (September 11, 2023). "Eternights Review". RPGFan. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  14. "Eternights". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.