'Eternum' is one of the most popular and beloved AVNs out there, and for good reason.
It is light-hearted in every aspect: in its setting, writing, themes, fantasies of immense power, teasing, tone, humor, characterization, occasionally wild maledom sex, conspiracies, meta-awareness, silly subversions of story formulas, dialogue, and the intricacies of maintaining a harem of perfect women who adore you for being a good man—the only eligible one in existence, actually, given that all others are either laughable buffoons or sleazy bastards.
Time and again, I notice this gentle touch in the game. Good people are good, and bad people are bad. Fun times are fun, and sad times are sad. It paints in broad strokes without going overboard, and without risking offense to anyone’s sensibilities.
The talent here lies not only in its high production value (sometimes outstanding – the game is pushing what we can reasonably expect from AVNs, especially in the later episodes!), but also in maintaining this tone while hinting at the niche, dark, and creepy themes that often draw people to adult media in the first place. I’ll give you some examples.
As I’ve said, sex here is mostly dominant (not BDSM-y), with netori undertones. Now, there are moments when the protagonist is insatiably horny after "corrupting" a girl, but it’s always about unleashing her inner succubus, and never about menacing control, which is «corruption» proper.
"We live in a dark world full of corruption and moral decay," remarks one NPC, and she’s right, both about our world and the one we have in «Eternum». The game occasionally touches some grim subjects: bulling, rape, slavery, societal decay, and more. Sometimes these dark elements serve the narrative, other times they just linger. Yet you can easily play through without being conscious of them at all. It’s all there, surely, and for a reason (sometimes for kinks; sometimes for the narrative), but I don’t think anyone will think of them when they hear people speak about this game.
Just look at the game’s visuals. Notice how cartoonish they are? That’s the how it’s written as well, and it is perfectly consistent.
When I played, I noticed a lot of things that do not resonate with me. Take the premise: supposedly, it revolves around an MMORPG called Eternum, with servers spanning fantasy, pirates, horror, and more. Narratively, it’s the easiest way to provide our gooning and overstimulated minds with varied encounters—from infiltrating vampire lairs to Wild West saloon brawls. Yet none of these servers truly challenge you. A whodunnit mystery? You’ll solve it by clicking highlighted circles. A "no one can hear you scream" space horror? There’s a single "press X to die" moment, but that’s it. An «Ocean’s Eleven»-style heist? Just a kinetic sequence. Isn’t it all terribly silly?
Well, yes. But that’s the point.
This is a feel-good experience – the ultimate one, in fact, because it manages to let the horny in.
**P.S.**
The developer’s prior game, «Once in a Lifetime», maintained a similar tone, but felt more amateurish and small-scale. That’s why I preferred it, actually. Sometimes «Eternum» is just too big for its own good, but hey, sometimes a big game is just what we need.
