Summum Aeterna Review Summary

Stunning graphics and addictive gameplay with great weapon variety, but punishing difficulty, game-breaking bugs, and poor weapon balance hold it back.

Graphics are highly praised: Players consistently praise the game's visual presentation, describing the graphics as beautiful, crisp, and top-notch. The art style, colors, and effects are frequently highlighted as standout features.

Gameplay is fun and addictive: The core gameplay loop is widely enjoyed, with many players calling it fun, enjoyable, and addictive. The game is described as bright, colorful, and dynamic, keeping players engaged without becoming tiring.

Weapon variety is excellent: Players appreciate the diverse arsenal of weapons, including swords, scythes, guns, and magic tools, each with unique traits and abilities. The variety within each category and the distinct playstyles are frequently mentioned as a major strength.

Excellent roguelike experience: The game is frequently described as one of the best roguelikes or roguelites on the market, with players praising its execution and design. It is considered a roguelite done right and a top contender in the genre.

Seed system adds replayability: The seed-based world generation is a standout feature, creating unique worlds and ensuring endless surprises. Players appreciate the strategic depth and variety that the seed system brings to each playthrough.

High difficulty and punishing gameplay: The game is extremely difficult, especially early on, with unforgiving mistakes and high damage taken. This makes it unapproachable for newcomers and frustrating for many players.

Numerous game-breaking bugs: Players report many serious bugs, including softlocks, freezes, and progression blockers that can force restarts or require Alt+F4. Some bugs have been known for years without fixes, indicating abandonment.

Poor weapon balance and usability: Weapons are often unbalanced, with only a few viable options, while others feel weak or unwieldy. This forces players into specific playstyles and makes many weapons pointless.

Repetitive enemies and content: Players frequently report that enemies, levels, and bosses become repetitive quickly, with little variation across worlds. This leads to boredom and a sense of sameness after extended play.

Unrewarding and confusing progression systems: The meta progression is dense and intimidating, with multiple currencies and upgrade trees that feel useless. Players find it hard to see progress, and some upgrades provide no visible benefits.

Metroidvania and roguelite hybrid: Players consistently describe the game as a combination of metroidvania and roguelite genres, often with 2D side-scrolling and souls-like elements. This genre blend is a core identity of the game.

Meta progression and upgrades: The game features meta progression with out-of-game upgrades, including character improvement, weapon development, and multiple upgrade trees. Players appreciate the sense of permanent growth across runs.

Seed system with modifiers: A unique seed system allows players to generate worlds with specific advantages and maluses, acting as a self-made difficulty constructor. This mechanic is frequently praised as innovative and adds replayability.

Four weapon types available: The game offers four distinct weapon categories: swords, scythes, guns, and magic tools. Some players mention three types, but the majority agree on four, highlighting weapon variety as a key feature.

Difficulty levels and challenge: The game includes difficulty levels, with at least one player mentioning unlocking Difficulty 7. The overall challenge is a recurring theme, appealing to players seeking a tough experience.

Steam Deck performance praised: Players report the game runs well and is perfectly playable on the Steam Deck, with no major issues. This positive feedback highlights good handheld optimization.

No slowdowns reported: Some users experienced no slowdowns during gameplay, indicating smooth performance in various scenarios. This suggests the game maintains stable frame rates for certain hardware configurations.

General optimization issues: Some players mentioned optimization issues and disappointing optimization, suggesting the game may not be well-tuned for all systems. This could lead to performance problems for certain users.

Boss death causes freeze: One player reported that the game completely freezes and the screen goes crazy when dying to a boss, indicating a critical bug. This can disrupt gameplay and frustrate users.

Stutters in initial town: A user experienced stutters in the initial town with parts of the screen freezing for milliseconds, indicating performance hiccups in specific areas. This can be noticeable and affect immersion.

Game generally recommended: Multiple reviewers recommend the game overall, with some specifically endorsing it for fans of roguelites and the genre. The positive reception is consistent across several clusters.

Best bought on sale: Several reviewers suggest waiting for a sale or a low price before purchasing, with some specifying a deep discount or a price around $5. This implies the game may not be worth full price for everyone.

Not recommended by some: A subset of reviewers explicitly advise against purchasing the game, with some stating 'Don't buy' and others giving a strong negative recommendation. This indicates a divided reception.

Recommended for challenge seekers: Reviewers highlight the game's harsh, punishing difficulty and recommend it to players who enjoy tough challenges. This includes those who like mastering intricate mechanics and embracing repeated failure.

Strong meta progression appeal: Fans of Rogue Legacy's meta progression will find this game highly appealing, as it offers a similar flavor of progression. This is a key selling point for roguelike enthusiasts.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 90.0h.

Session length: 45.0h.

Summum Aeterna has a slow, friction-heavy start, but after a few hours the game opens up with deep customization and variation, becoming highly enjoyable. The strongest evidence indicates a 'clicks after' profile, though some players report repetition or lack of long-term motivation.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Friction: slow meta progression; bad tutorials; hesitant first hour; slow start; limited healing options; repetitive early levels.

Unlock drivers: game opening up after a few hours; unlocking a mode to keep starting weapon; modifiers that switch things up; seed system for customization.

Meta Progression Grinder: Repeated runs, experimenting with weapons, optimizing meta progression and build variety. Motivation: Unlocking permanent upgrades and grinding for content across runs. Stance: buy.

Hardcore Difficulty Purist: Skill-based, learning patterns, embracing failure as part of the experience. Motivation: Mastering challenging, precise gameplay and overcoming punishing difficulty. Stance: buy.

Developer Trust Skeptic: Critical, may still play but with reservations and a focus on community and policy issues. Motivation: Playing without DRM and with respectful, transparent developer communication. Stance: no buy.

Steam Deck: The game runs well on Steam Deck with no major technical issues. Controls are generally praised, though one user found them insufficient for the game's difficulty. A user recommends customizing Steam Input for optimal play, but this is optional.

Frequent comparisons to Aeterna Noctis: Many reviewers compare this game to Aeterna Noctis, often noting that the latter is superior in various aspects. Some mention it as a way to fill the void after finishing Aeterna Noctis while waiting for Aeterna Lucis.

Comparisons to Dead Cells and Hades: The game is frequently compared to popular roguelites like Dead Cells and Hades. Reviewers note that while Dead Cells is hard but fair, this game may lack the gameplay diversity of these titles.

Comparisons to Rogue Legacy: Several reviewers compare the game to Rogue Legacy, with mixed opinions. Some see it as a modern, improved version, while others consider it a half-baked or derivative take on the formula.

Early access and development concerns: Some reviewers mention the game is in early access and may have been taken out of it too early. There are also concerns about the game being abandoned by developers, though others note ongoing updates and a planned sequel.

Localization issues, especially PT-BR: Reviewers report a lack of Portuguese (PT-BR) text and audio translation, and some note that the developer has known about these issues for over a year without fixing them. This is a significant concern for Brazilian players.