Introduction:
I first heard about Eternal Strands while chatting with my buddy Alejandro on our podcast. We were going over our most anticipated games of 2025, and he brought this one up. As I watched the trailer in real-time, I immediately picked up on vibes reminiscent of Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, Monster Hunter, and the art style of Immortals Fenyx Rising. It seemed like an ambitious mix of mechanics, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it could pull everything together successfully or if it would be a case of trying to do too much.
Now that it’s out and available on Game Pass, I dove in to see if Eternal Strands is a must-play or just an ambitious misfire. Let’s break it down.
Story & Setting
In Eternal Strands, you play as the leader of a “Weaver Band,” a group of freelance magicians navigating a world where magic has gone horribly wrong. Years ago, the Enclave—an isolationist city-state at the heart of magical power—suffered a catastrophic surge, sealing itself off from the outside world. As the first outsiders to breach its walls, your crew uncovers the mystery of what happened while struggling to survive against a deadly miasma.
On paper, this premise has a lot of potential. The game aims to immerse players in a deep, lore-driven world filled with discovery. However, while the world itself is beautifully crafted, the storytelling falls flat. The pacing is inconsistent, and the dialogue often drags with excessive exposition. There’s an unfortunate disconnect between the urgency of the story and the way characters interact, sometimes cracking jokes or engaging in lighthearted banter even in dire moments.
The result? A narrative that is serviceable but forgettable, never quite gripping enough to elevate the gameplay experience.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Exploration & Climbing System
One of the game’s core mechanics is its free-climbing system, similar to Breath of the Wild and Immortals Fenyx Rising. You can scale nearly any surface, with your stamina meter determining how long you can hold on. While functional, the climbing feels clunky, particularly when trying to maneuver around complex enemy designs or during frantic battles. It doesn’t have the smooth, intuitive feel that Breath of the Wild mastered, making traversal more frustrating than liberating.
Magic & Elemental Interaction
Magic plays a crucial role in Eternal Strands, incorporating a system where fire and frost dynamically interact with the environment. Burning a rock heats the surrounding air, while freezing terrain alters movement. Weather also plays a factor—cold temperatures make it harder to ignite flames, while fire melts ice to reveal hidden paths. This level of interaction is impressive and adds depth to the world, though it sometimes feels underutilized.
Your starting spells include a rapid-freeze ability reminiscent of Prey’s Gloo Gun and telekinesis that lets you manipulate objects—or throw enemies off cliffs. While these offer fun possibilities, their execution feels imprecise. There’s a slight delay in responsiveness, making magic feel floaty rather than satisfying.
Combat & Enemy Encounters
Eternal Strands borrows heavily from Shadow of the Colossus and Dragon’s Dogma by allowing you to climb massive enemies called Arks to attack weak points. Climbing these creatures is thrilling at first, but a generous grab system sometimes makes it feel unearned—enemies will “grab” you even when they clearly miss, making battles feel inconsistent.
Regular combat features a lock-on system, parrying, and dodging, but it lacks the fluidity of top-tier action games. Some enemies barely react to being hit, while others have frustratingly high HP, leading to repetitive, drawn-out encounters. Certain enemy types, like the invisible poison-spitting Darters, feel more annoying than engaging.
Weapon-wise, you have a sword and shield, two-handed weapons, and a bow, all of which have craftable magical variants. However, melee combat feels sluggish, with awkward parry windows and inconsistent hit detection. It’s a combat system that has potential but needs more refinement to feel truly satisfying.
Crafting & Progression
The crafting system in Eternal Strands is more involved than it needs to be. Want fireproof armor? You’ll need to track down specific materials in specific locations, sometimes only available at certain times of day. While this encourages exploration, the game relies too much on fetch quests, artificially padding playtime. Expect to revisit the same locations multiple times for minor upgrades.
With playthroughs ranging from 20-40 hours, the game feels longer than necessary due to excessive dialogue, backtracking, and fetch-based progression. The moment-to-moment gameplay loop can become tedious, as enemy encounters and exploration fail to stay consistently engaging.
Presentation
Visuals & World Design
Visually, Eternal Strands is stunning. The environments are vibrant and full of character, with well-designed biomes that feel distinct. The game nails its fantasy aesthetic, making exploration a treat despite the gameplay flaws.
Soundtrack & Voice Acting
The soundtrack is one of the game’s standout elements. It captures the sense of adventure beautifully, adding weight to key moments. Unfortunately, the voice acting is a mixed bag. Dialogue delivery feels stiff and robotic, making emotional moments fall flat. Every character speaks with the same tone, which detracts from their personalities and world-building.
Review Summary
Pros: Beautiful art direction, dynamic elemental interactions, fun climbing mechanics for exploration, strong soundtrack, ambitious gameplay concepts.
Cons: Clunky combat, inconsistent enemy behavior, sluggish pacing, excessive dialogue, tedious fetch quests, underwhelming voice acting, a lackluster story.
Overall, Should You Play Eternal Strands?
Eternal Strands is a game filled with ambition, blending elements from Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, and Monster Hunter into one package. However, while the ideas are there, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Combat feels sluggish, climbing can be frustrating, and the story lacks the emotional pull to keep you invested. The game’s attempts at player freedom and environmental interaction are commendable, but the overall experience struggles to find its identity.
If you enjoy third-person action games that emphasize exploration and systemic gameplay, there’s something to appreciate here. However, be prepared for some rough edges and a game that doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Eternal Strands isn’t a bad game, but it’s one that needed more polish to truly shine.
