Eternights Review Summary

Engaging Combat System: The combat system is frequently praised for being fun, engaging, and well-balanced, offering a satisfying hack-and-slash experience with smooth mechanics, dodge, and parry systems. Reviewers found it enjoyable and challenging, especially when mastering combos and perfect dodges.

Strong Characters & Interactions: The characters are consistently highlighted as a major strength, being well-written, likable, and emotionally impactful. Players formed strong bonds, appreciated their unique personalities, and enjoyed the humorous and heartfelt interactions, often leading to emotional investment and replayability.

Impressive Indie Development: Reviewers were highly impressed by the game's quality, especially considering it was developed by a small team or even a single person. This aspect frequently led to the game being described as an 'indie gem' that exceeded expectations and demonstrated significant passion and effort.

Unique Dating Sim & ARPG Blend: The unique blend of dating simulation and action RPG elements is a significant draw. Reviewers enjoyed the Persona-like social links and calendar system, finding the relationship-building mechanics rewarding and well-integrated with the combat, adding depth and replayability without being tedious.

Appealing Art Style & Visuals: The game's art style, visuals, and character designs are consistently praised. Reviewers highlighted the beautiful 2D cutscenes, expressive character illustrations, and appealing visual aesthetic, noting how well they fit the game's tone and enhanced the overall experience.

Short & Unpolished Game: The game is often described as too short for its price, lacking polish, and feeling rushed or unfinished. Many reviewers felt it didn't justify the cost, leading to a sense of wasted time and low replayability.

Frustrating & Unsatisfying Ending: The game's ending is a major point of contention, frequently described as sad, frustrating, and unsatisfying. Reviewers disliked forced character deaths, ambiguous conclusions, and the feeling that their choices were meaningless, often leading to emotional distress.

Generic & Incoherent Story: The story is widely criticized for being generic, cliché, and predictable, with many finding it unmemorable or incoherent. Reviewers felt the plot lacked depth, emotional impact, and often relied on forced drama.

Poor Character Models & Animations: Character models and animations are frequently criticized for being low quality, generic, and visually unappealing, especially compared to 2D art. This impacts immersion and makes characters feel stereotypical and lacking depth.

Poor PC Controls & UI: The game suffers from poor PC optimization, particularly for keyboard and mouse controls, with unchangeable key bindings. The UI/UX is also widely criticized for being messy, unintuitive, and visually underwhelming.

Persona-like Dating Sim RPG: The game heavily incorporates elements from the Persona series, including a calendar system, time management, social links, and dating sim mechanics, combined with hack-and-slash combat. This blend is a core aspect of its gameplay loop.

Hack-and-Slash Combat System: The combat system is a real-time hack-and-slash with a focus on dodging, parrying, and using QTEs for shield breaks and powerful attacks. While generally described as playable, some found it stiff or repetitive.

Short with Replayability: The game is relatively short, around 8-15 hours for a single playthrough, but features a New Game+ mode and multiple endings, encouraging replayability to explore different character relationships and maximize abilities.

Dodge/Parry Focused Combat: Combat heavily relies on precise dodging and parrying to create openings and slow down time, allowing players to deal damage to enemies. Mastering these defensive mechanics is crucial for effective combat.

Quality of Life Issues: The game has unskippable cutscenes and lacks a text speed slider, which can make dialogue sections feel slow. Some mechanics are simplistic or uninnovative, and the save system is cumbersome.

Good overall performance: The game generally performs well across various PC configurations, including low-end systems and the Steam Deck, with stable frame rates and minimal bugs. Some users noted the game runs easily at 60 FPS on Steam Deck, while others mentioned a mid-range PC is sufficient.

Cutscene display issues: Some players experienced issues with pre-rendered cutscenes, specifically black screens during movies while audio continued, and a framerate cap at 24 FPS. These issues can detract from the cinematic experience.

UI navigation bug: A specific usability bug was reported where players were unable to exit the options menu using the ESC key, forcing them to quit the game. This indicates a minor but frustrating UI navigation issue.

Occasional game crashes: Some users reported frequent game crashes, though these were often attributed to personal computer issues rather than the game itself. This suggests potential instability for certain system configurations.

Recommended, especially on sale: Many players recommend the game, often highlighting its value for money, especially when on sale. Some consider it a must-play, while others suggest waiting for a discount, indicating a mixed perception of its full price.

Ideal for Persona/Anime Fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of specific genres and aesthetics, particularly those who enjoy Persona-like games, anime, action RPGs, and dating sim elements. Players who dislike anime or these specific genre blends may not find it appealing.

Desire for sequel: Many players express a strong desire for a sequel or continuation of the game, indicating satisfaction with the overall experience and a wish for more content from the developers. This suggests a positive reception of the game's core elements.

Controller and Easy Mode Recommended: Players recommend using a controller for optimal gameplay and suggest setting the difficulty to Easy to avoid frustration and enjoy the story. This indicates potential issues with keyboard controls and difficulty balancing.

Not a serious dating sim: The game is not recommended for those seeking a serious or traditional dating simulation experience. This suggests that its dating sim elements might be light or not meet the expectations of dedicated genre fans.

Solo/Small Indie Developer: The game was primarily developed by a single person or a very small indie team, which is frequently noted by reviewers. This context often influences perceptions of the game's scope and polish, with some acknowledging the impressive effort given the limited resources.

Apocalyptic Slice-of-Life Setting: The game is set in an apocalyptic world, but reviewers noted a blend of survival elements with slice-of-life themes. This unique combination of a harsh setting with personal growth and relationships was a significant aspect of the game's identity.

Strong Anime Influence: The game's aesthetic and narrative style are frequently compared to anime or Japanese games, with some reviewers noting it feels like watching an anime episode. This strong anime influence is a defining characteristic of the game's presentation.

QR Code Bonus Scene: The game includes a unique feature where a QR code is provided at the end, leading to an extra bonus scene. This easter egg was a pleasant surprise for many players and added a memorable post-credits experience.

Romance Options, LGBT+ Inclusive: The game features romance options, including LGBT+ relationships, allowing players to date both male and female characters. While it includes dating elements, some reviewers felt it didn't fully align with the traditional dating sim genre.