There’s nothing I love more than a good ol’ fashioned fantasy adventure. My eyes are firmly set on Monster Hunter Wilds and Avowed, then (hopefully) Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 after that. But, just a few days from now, we’ll be able to play Eternal Strands, a gorgeous action-adventure game from Yellow Brick Studios that I’ve been excited about for a while. Blending stunning visuals with high stakes, Monster Hunter-style combat, a new demo has just dropped on Steam – I know what I’ll be doing this evening.
You are Brynn, a young woman who’s determined to explore and recover her people’s homeland. But she’s more than just your average adventurer: in Eternal Strands you’re a Weaver, equipped with the cloak-like Mantle that can transform magic into fire, ice, or telekinetic energy.
Armed with the power of the elements and a thirst for knowledge, Brynn will face myriad foes on her journey, all giant, and all determined to kill you. Much like other action-adventure games, you’ll have to hack, slash, and dodge your way through fights, chaining your abilities together to rain hell on anything that gets in your way.
But your magic isn’t just for combat. The thing that intrigues me the most about Eternal Strands is the intractability of its environments. Can’t cross that chasm? Use your ice abilities during a flash freeze to build a bridge. Hulking big boss causing you chaos? Yeet a rock at it using telekinesis. Where single-player RPGs often feel very railroaded with scripted encounters, Eternal Strands’ inclusion of destructible environments makes it feel more dynamic. It, quite honestly, is one of the main reasons I’m so keen to get my hands on it.
In the new demo, you’ll be able to explore “Part 1” of the game. Two areas of The Enclave (Eternal Strands’ world) are fully accessible, and you’ll be able to retire to your base camp if it all gets a little too much. There are three Epics (the aforementioned bosses) to fight, with all three base weapon types on offer (sword and shield, two-hander, and bow and arrow) alongside a selection of spells. There’s an entire crafting system at your fingertips, too, allowing you to forge away to your heart’s content.
The Eternal Strands demo is live right now on Steam and the Epic Games Store, with the game’s release date set for Tuesday January 28. The demo is around four hours long if you’re doing a completionist run, or one hour if you boss rush. Note that your progress does indeed carry over to the full game.
It’s worth noting that Yellow Brick Studios has confirmed that this is a limited-time demo, but hasn’t announced the official end date just yet. We’ll update this article when we know more.
In the meantime, however, here’s a list of all the best fantasy games to keep you busy until Eternal Strands’ launch, as well as a guide to all the best free Steam games if you’re looking to try something new without breaking the bank.
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