Everlast: Undying Tale Review Summary

Responsive devs, fun solo-friendly offline play, and a lively immersive world are undermined by a confusing, punitive curse system and clunky, unimpactful combat.

Active and responsive developers: Multiple reviewers praise the developers for being highly communicative, active on Discord, and responsive to feedback and bug fixes. They are seen as open, dedicated, and hands-on with community requests.

Fun and enjoyable gameplay: Many reviewers simply find the game fun, a blast, and very enjoyable. It is described as chilled, cozy, and engaging, with players thinking about it at work.

Playable solo and offline: Reviewers appreciate that the game is fully playable solo, with an offline mode and the option to host private servers. It caters well to both solo and co-op preferences.

Immersion and lively world: The world feels immersive, alive, and lived-in, with lively NPC conversations and plenty of players running around. Attention to detail and atmosphere contribute to a cozy experience.

Nostalgic RuneScape-like experience: The game evokes nostalgia for classic MMOs like RuneScape and WoW, with skill grinding through use and a familiar feel. It provides a fresh yet nostalgic third-person MMO experience.

Curse mechanic confusing and punitive: Players consistently find the curse system strange and unclear, with its purpose not well explained. Many report that it causes damage during normal actions like gathering or crafting, punishing grinding and sometimes killing players randomly.

Combat feels clunky and unimpactful: Combat is described as clumsy, floaty, and lacking heft in animations. Players compare the impact unfavorably to older games and call for a full overhaul of dodging, blocking, and parrying.

Inventory and stacking issues frustrating: Limited inventory space, low stack limits for reagents, and no stacking for crafted items like cooked food cause constant inventory management problems. Players find this breaks immersion and adds annoyance.

Lack of clear progression and direction: After the tutorial, players feel lost without clear quest chains or a sense of progression. The world feels empty and grinding involves repetitive tasks like killing random mobs or generic board quests.

Performance and technical issues: Players report GPU and CPU overheating in menus and starting areas, even in singleplayer, with FPS drops despite simple graphics. Bugs cause loss of items, levels, and quest resets.

Curse mechanic requires management: A curse gauge builds up from performing actions like gathering, crafting, or combat, and reaching 100% causes damage or death. Players manage it by consuming ichor from killing chickens or using totems, and it forces breaks from activities.

Solo and multiplayer support: The game can be played solo or on player-hosted dedicated servers for co-op, with support for up to 100 players in an MMO-lite style. It offers both singleplayer and online modes.

Grindy skill progression: Skills level up through use and require significant grinding to progress, with no locking so players can max every skill. This grind is compared to RuneScape.

Action combat with melee ranged magic: Combat includes melee, ranged, and magic attacks with dodging, blocking, and parrying. Some players find the combat clunky, and melee PvP features dodges and parries.

Crafting and farming activities: Crafting includes active minigames that become easier with skill and are optional after the first craft, and farming is also a core activity. Progression involves farming materials and crafting experience.

60Hz Refresh Rate Cap: Players report the game is locked to a 60Hz refresh rate. This limitation prevents users with high refresh rate monitors from experiencing smoother gameplay.

GPU Overheats in Menu: The GPU reportedly overheats while the player is in the menu screen. This suggests unusually high GPU load during non-gameplay sections.

CPU Overheats in Town: The CPU overheats in the starting town during singleplayer sessions. This indicates a performance bottleneck in a specific in-game area.

Server Queues Due to Capacity: Limited server capacity causes players to wait in queues before accessing the game. This suggests the backend infrastructure struggles to meet demand.

Worth Buying Overall: Multiple reviewers recommend buying and playing the game, describing it as easily worth the price and a fun experience with friends.

Price Sensitivity Concern: Several reviewers feel the game is not worth its current price, even on sale, with some waiting for a 50% discount or refunding. Others say it is not worth buying at over 20,000 won.

Appeals to Old-School Fans: The game is recommended for fans of old-school games like Runescape, Fable, and WoW, especially those who miss that classic MMO feeling, though it is not recommended for others.

Refunds Requested: A number of reviewers requested refunds, including one who refunded two copies, indicating notable dissatisfaction among some buyers.

Good for Grinding and Co-op: Players who enjoy skill grinding and co-op will find the game appealing, as it rewards harvesting everything and gathering resources.

Session length: 2.5h.

Reviewers describe the game as enjoyable from the start, supported by a strong tutorial, exploration, and a relaxed social atmosphere. Mild friction comes from the curse mechanic and expectations of hand-holding, but the evidence does not establish a later turning point or explicit timing.

Friction: complaints about the curse mechanic; expectations of hand-holding or being led to the story.

Unlock drivers: tutorial explains the curse mechanic and how to manage it; consuming totems or ichors reduces the curse.

Nostalgic RuneScape Grinder: Long-session leveling and resource grinding with familiar MMO routines, while welcoming some action combat. Motivation: Nostalgic old-school MMO progression and grinding. Stance: buy.

Solo Offline Adventurer: Solo or offline adventuring, potentially on a self-hosted server, at their own pace. Motivation: Playing a persistent world without forced multiplayer or reliance on other players. Stance: buy.

Chill Co-op Socializer: Casual co-op sessions, community interaction, and optional more intense group play. Motivation: Relaxing social play with friends or the online community. Stance: buy.

Active developer communication on Discord: Developers are active on Discord and responsive to player questions and feedback. They are interactive with the community and listen to the playerbase 24/7.

Player-hosted servers support 100 players: Servers are hosted by players and support around a hundred players. The developer could increase capacity to make it feel more MMO-like.

Game is in early access: The game is in early access and expected to evolve with continued development. Some note it is in a very early, empty state.

Frequent comparisons to RuneScape: Reviewers compare the game to RuneScape, noting similar vibes but with action combat and its own twists. Some say it feels more like RuneScape than most other games.

Similar to other survival crafting games: The game is compared to titles like Enshrouded, RuneScape Dragonwilds, Palworld, and Valheim. It is also described as a mix of Palia and New World.