Legends of Ethernal is an indie 2D single-player action adventure game developed by Lucid Dreams Studios and produced by Natsume Inc. You play as Wilfred Van Dervill, an unlikely hero who must go on an epic journey to uncover the mystery of his parents’ disappearance, and whose discoveries will change the land of Arkanys forever.
Legends of Ethernal is a hand painted, side scrolling love letter to the older adventure games such as the original Legend of Zelda franchise. The storytelling is linear, and Wilfred’s adventure will take him from his small village to haunted castles, frigid mountains, and other fantastical settings where he will meet a colorful cast of characters. Within each dungeon section are unique enemies, tools, and powers that you must master in order to proceed, making for a challenging and action-packed puzzle platforming experience.
In the demo that I witnessed, Wilfred navigates a dark watch tower infested with skeletons, spirits, and other cursed undead warriors. While the game asks that the player be clever in how they navigate and solve puzzles, its combat also seems fairly demanding, as many of the enemies have meaty health bars and are quick to retaliate against Wilfred when he takes a swing at them. The player can’t simply walk all over these enemies, bashing away like they would in a typical beat ‘em up. Instead, it’s better to weave in and out of combat, switching between quick hits and using projectiles like blow darts or bombs. Luckily, the game also utilizes a dynamic crafting system, where you use different colored orbs to craft the items you need on the fly, whether they be damage-dealing projectiles, or health potions.
The platforming in Legends of Ethernal is also challenging, and has a healthy balance between vertical and horizontal exploration. There are many pitfalls and traps that Wilfred must avoid while climbing and jumping off of walls while avoiding enemy projectiles. Some sections are rather punishing, and one slip will send him straight back to the beginning. If you aren’t interested in difficult platforming, you can adjust the difficulty settings to “Assist Mode,” where supplementary platforms will appear, allowing you to travel more easily while still enjoying other aspects of the game. Masochists can also enjoy the game on hardcore mode, where enemies dish out tons of damage and death is permanent, sending the player back to the beginning of the game.
The boss fights in Legends of Ethernal are like puzzles, often forcing the player to be on defense until they can find a way to render the boss vulnerable to attack. Spoiler – One boss fight squares Wilfred against a fallen spectral knight who summons a mob of undead soldiers, which he must defeat as he platforms up and down the boss area while trying to rescue his trusty sidekick, Sao. The knight himself continues to follow and harass Wilfred with projectiles, but he cannot be damaged until Sao opens the curtains and weakens the knight with sunlight.
Legends of Ethernal launches in the Mid-October for PC, Switch, Xbox, PS4. It will be $19.99.
Check Out the Legends of Ethernal Gameplay Trailer:
For more information, please visit: http://www.natsume.com/
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I live and work in Portland, Oregon. I've been an achievement hunter ever since beating Mario 64 and collecting all the stars at the tender age of four. My most recent gaming achievements include getting all trophies for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and beating Dark Souls 3 without leveling up or using weapon upgrades.
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