Review of Eternal Strands on PlayStation 5

Eternal Strands, a magical action-adventure by Yellow Brick Games, has made its debut on the PlayStation 5, promising an enchanting journey that’s sure to captivate players. Let’s delve deeper into this immersive experience with our review of Eternal Strands.

In this game, you step into the shoes of Brynn, a young Weaver on an essential quest to reclaim what her people have lost. As you navigate through a world threatened by a deadly mist consuming everything in its path, your mission becomes to locate the remnants of the Enclave. Though Yellow Brick Games is a newcomer, its team is spearheaded by Mike Laidlaw, known for his work with Bioware on the Dragon Age series, and includes talent from Ubisoft. Their combined experience manifests in a game heavily inspired by classics such as Shadow of the Colossus, Dragon’s Dogma, and both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.

Your adventure begins with an engaging animated and voice-acted cutscene, followed by a conversation with Oria, paving the way for your journey. Throughout your quest, you’ll be equipped with an earpiece for direct communication with Oria, who aids with directions via the Scry table—a magical device that can pull you back from missions when danger spikes.

Eternal Strands offers three levels of difficulty: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy mode grants Brynn more health, and your supply of Vitality Tonics is replenished if rescued after a defeat. In Normal mode, the challenges are balanced, offering a fair but engaging experience. And if you’re seeking a real test of your skills, the Hard setting ups the ante by reducing Brynn’s maximum health and halving the healing effect of Vitality Tonics. Make sure you’re as prepared as you think before diving into the Hard mode!

The controls are intuitive: navigate Brynn with the left analog stick, look around with the right, sprint by pressing the left stick, jump with X, and dodge with Circle. Attack basics use Square, with charged attacks possible by holding it down. Combat involves blocking with R1, with a timing mechanic for parrying, and shooting with your bow by drawing with R1. To kick while aiming, just tap Square. Lock onto targets with the right stick, and heal by pressing down on the D-Pad with Vitality Tonics. Manage your stamina, as actions like sprinting or climbing will deplete it, and use up on the D-Pad to summon a guiding wisp to your next goal.

Weaving magic into combat, the L2 button readies strands for casting with R2. Use Weaver’s Grasp for pulling and launching items, indicated by a soft purple glow when targeted. Switch spells using the L1 button to access the Magic Wheel. Initially, Brynn wields two spells, gaining more by overcoming bosses determined to thwart your progress.

For instance, Ice Wall creates frost in the air as a weapon. Both fire and ice affect the game’s thermodynamic system, with fire arrows sparking dry grass to blaze, damaging everything in range. Enemies caught by fire or freezing might drop rare loot, rewarding tactical play.

Collected resources play a vital role in crafting back at your camp. They come in types like woven, tanned, forged, etc., useful for crafting arms and armor with Sola’s help at the smithy. The choice of materials changes stats, affects weight, heat resistance, and even color. Sometimes crafting is necessary to quest completion; upgrades require a visit to Sevastyan. Every boss presents a unique strategy to uncover its Locus Points, allowing you to merge magic and absorb new powers from their energy strands.

As for achievement hunters, there’s a full trophy slate capped with a Platinum trophy. It requires progressing through story chapters, besting specific bosses, crafting armor with high cold resistance, upgrading facilities to their maximum, leveling powers to three, assembling your first Codex entry, and more. There’s even a challenge to defeat a great creature sans weapons!

Eternal Strands offers a poignant adventure as Brynn attempts to salvage her homeland from an encroaching mist. Despite Yellow Brick Games’ status as a new studio, its seasoned team has crafted an experience that draws on beloved inspirations, promising both nostalgia and novelty.

Be vigilant for resources across the lands—the more you gather, the stronger you’ll become. Craft, upgrade, and expand your base as you collect new crafting recipes and Codex entries, and remember to harness elemental powers strategically, setting fires or icing foes. Sidequests enrich your experience, maximizing every outing and supporting main quests efficiently.

Prepare for the mystical world of Eternal Strands, launching tomorrow on PlayStation 5—a journey that beckons to the brave at heart.

Please note: This review is based on a PlayStation 5 version provided by Yellow Brick Games.