VN - Ren'Py - Eternum [v0.8.5 Public] [Caribdis]

(Spoiler free review, probably nobody will care to read this anyway but why not lol)
It's Ready Player One but better. Really enjoyed the writing and story so far (just finished 0.5). The characters are pretty good and different and have interesting and fun dynamics with each other.

The story definitely elevates this above just a normal porn game. It's got funny moments, sad moments and happy moments, and the sex scenes are sprinkled through pretty sparingly. I felt the pacing of the sex scenes through the story made enough sense so that they felt a bit more natural than your average pron game. A bit unfortunately though, the plot completely revolves around the MC. It didnt really bother me at all but it does take a bit away from immersion imo. I still really enjoyed the story and the mystery aspect is really intriguing.

The only thing I have to complain about the characters is it all revolves around the girls (who are all great btw). Not that I wish there were gay options, just I would have really liked to see Chang be more involved in the plot. He had some pretty funny moments and I also like the bro archetype character in stories. Again though, all the girls are great and I genuinely have trouble picking a favorite between them (though it's probably between luna, nova and Alex so far).

Small nitpick about the gameplay, there are "relationship level checks" throughout the game and if you don't have a certain level with a girl at that point you can get locked out of some of her scenes for the rest of the game. I feel like without a guide or save scumming it can be kind of easy to miss out on some content, which I don't really like but it's not a huge deal (I just save scum a bit).

The 3d models are pretty good too. The 3d model games in this genre can look really terrible imo, but these genuinely look decent for the most part.

Overall great game, best I've played from this site.

Now, this is the first review I'm writting here on F95. But if any game deserves it, its Eternum.

This is like the Ready Player One sequel many people would have liked (myself included). Just, interactive, and with gorgeous ladies to interact with.
The world building is beyond excellent. The script, the plot, the real world references, the well placed humor... And the characters. Everything is perfectly tailored.
And the female roster is awesome, each and every one of the Love Interests have their own traits, motivations, personality... You will have a hard time picking only one (fortunately, you won't have to if you dont want, as this is a harem game).

The only downside at this point is that story ends at version 0.5 for now. And you *will* end up hungry for more once you finish the current content (which is quite vast for being still at such an early release anyway).

Believe me. Once this game is completed, this one will be the Benchmark that any other AVN will have to be measured with.

I'm rating this because it is nothing short of criminal that I have played this as long as I have yet never bothered to rate.

This IS the definitive adult game on the internet.

End of.

Play this. Then play Caribdis' other game when you're done (Once In A Lifetime). After that, throw him some money. This dev deserves it.

Hands down one of the best VN out there, great visuals, immersive story, music, top notch humor, I found myself having the same reactions as the MC at some points which made it even funnier, def worth a shot.

The best game out right now. An amazing story with top notch writing, humor sprinkled in where appropriate that is often hilarious, and of course the girls and lewd scenes are some of the best you can ask for. Always looking forward to future releases, the wait is worth it.

Different level...
Once in a lifetime is one of my top 3 games on this site.
Eternum blows everything out of the water.
Caribdis is extraordinarily talented in his use of the HS2 engine, writing, plot progression & most of all, you care about the characters.
This game is already amazing, once it's finished it will be the benchmark that all others will aspire to.
incredible work mate.

This game is just absolute magic, that's all lol. It's got the best story, music (I personally love the music the most), comedy, and graphics. Also check out his other game Once in a Lifetime it's also amazing. Caribdis is a genius lol. Just AMAZING!

Infinity/10

II liked Caribdis's previous game, but this one is amazing so far. It has great graphics, compelling story, a healthy dose of comedy, action, a heist, and a great sound track. I always look forward to the updates.

This game is so good that I binged it in 2 days. Not only that I had just installed hogwarts legacy and chose to play this instead of that.

The story and dialogue is stellar. Theres a good mix of humour and drama. And there's such a good variety to each level. One minute you're in Ancient Rome and the next you're in a college party. And Caribdis ties it all together to create a truly compelling story. Also the sex scenes so far have been super hot.

I'd been waiting to play this game until it got a sufficient amount of development, and I'm glad I did. Not because I think the game wouldn't have been amazing from the outset (it definitely starts out strong, if a little slow with the world building) but because I knew that once I started I was going to be disappointed when I reached the end of what was available and had to start waiting, and sure enough, that's the case. Caribdis is an amazing story teller, whose writing ability is almost certainly wasted on us poor perverts. I've laughed out loud multiple times while playing this game (and remember doing the same for Once in a Lifetime as well), I've been touched, and I have frequently touched myself.

I could seriously play an entire game that's JUST the MC and Luna's story line, as long as it involved more adventures with the family. It's honestly extremely weird to see such an incredibly wholesome, touching, HEALTHY family dynamic in a porn game. I want Luna's dad to be my father in law. (And I LIKE my father in law)

But, while Luna is almost certainly my favorite LI, every single relationship in the game seems well developed and thoughtful, and I enjoy the slow build and romantic aspects of each of the MC's relationships. There are a very few games on here that I will find myself or have found myself playing all the way through multiple times but this will absolutely be one of them. I only wish that when it was completed I could erase my memory of having played it before so I could enjoy it all again.

I think the biggest praise I could give it is that there are so few games on this site that I would ever even consider MENTIONING to someone IRL, much less recommending them, but this is definitely one of them. Top notch work, Caribdis, and I can't wait to see more.

Edited to add: I actually went through and translated the stuff the Russian guy was saying for myself, for my own shits and giggles and I thought it was absolutely worth the time. It's little stuff like that that makes this game special for me. If this was how Duolingo worked I'd probably be better about sticking with it.

Awesome game, definitely one of the best if not the best there is on this site, the story is well balanced between actual plot developpment and characters/relationships build-up.
The music and sound design are top notch and the funny side is the icing on the cake, it is not awkward or onerous.
Keep it up Caribdis, I can't wait for more !

Wow i am so impressed with this novel, it gives you what you want. I like the matrix/ready player one esque setting that you frequently go to. So far the story has been fulfilling the potential it's laid out. God i love that. And there's a good amount of content here to go through. AND you get some sexy time stuff. YES. The relationship buildup is good.

Eternum is a story about a hyper realistic VR-MMORPG, the company that created it and the MC's adventures within the game. It is a lighthearted harem game with a focus on mystery and adventure. It also happens to be my favorite adult VN that I have played so far.

I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a wholesome harem game with likable characters, great humor and a decent plot. I would not recommend this game for people who dislike the harem genre (not following a girl's route only ends up cutting a bunch of content and provides no real value) or have a problem with a tropes found in a lot of anime (while not trope heavy this does have some common tropes like the chosen one trope, the MC's group getting very powerful very quick etc).

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Story:

There are a couple of plot threads when it comes to the story:

- The first plot point is about the MC trying to get better at the game. The founder of Ulysses, the company that created Eternum has agreed to hand over the company to anyone who can find 10 items in the game. There are also 3 special weapons to make hunting these items easier and the MC needs to collect them all to gain power. This by itself is very generic and boring. Many of us have seen it a million times in anime, comics, light novels - it is nothing new. However there is a bit more to the story than just this.

- The second plot point is the MC's investigation of Ulysses, the company that created Eternum. On his first day playing the game the MC notices a classmate (a minor antagonist) get banned in the game only to notice he died in real life which kickstarts the investigation. This results in the MC trying to ask several questions - what exactly is Eternum? How can it be so realistic if it is just a game? What is Ulysses really up to? Why does the founder want these 10 items? And so on. This is what makes the story interesting to me.

Overall the story is well written and interesting. While the story can feel a bit formulaic it is extremely polished and competently written. It fits the overall tone of the game well.

My hope for the story is that it continues to lean more into the mystery aspect so it can feel a bit more unique. And after the plot twist at the end of update 0.5 I have high hopes.

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Characters

This is first and foremost a harem game. If you dont follow the harem path, you are simply losing out on content with no upside whatsoever. Thankfully the characters are one of the game's biggest strengths.

- The Love Interests: There are 7 possibly 8 love interests. All of them are extremely likable and have their own unique personalities and quirks. Usually when I play harem games there might be one or two characters I like less than others or some characters I dislike and find annoying. That is definitely not the case here - it is one of the only games I have played where I would be genuinely upset if I had to give up even one of the girls. The reason for this is the game chooses not to focus too much on unnecessary drama/conflict that evokes negative emotions within the player. This may sound like a negative but for a harem game like this it works very well and makes the game/romances just so much better. The Love Interests may be a bit too perfect but I think for a harem game like this, it is what you want.

- The Main character: Orion, the main character is confident, assertive and likable. He has a few horndog tendencies but that is to be expected given it is a harem game. I can buy that he is popular with women and it does not feel frustrating playing from his perspective.

- Other Characters: All the other characters are decently written and serve their purpose well. The non antagonistic male characters are eccentric and fun. The villains are well written and certain characters like the Founder of Ulysses and Eternum's main AI Idriel are very interesting.

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Renders and the Setting

The game is beautiful and very creative when it comes to the renders. A lot of the screen time is dedicated to playing the vr mmorpg which has a diverse set of servers ranging from cyberpunk to medieval fantasy. The game looks beautiful and the renders for the most part look great. If you are picky you might notice issues with minor things like shadows and lighting but I dont care about this and to me this is a beautiful game.

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Overall Thoughts:

I have a few nitpicks - the plot might feel formulaic, I do not feel a sense of danger or urgency in terms of the plot, as of v0.5 the game is still a bit light on sexual content with the 8 girls that actually matter (7 main love interests + 1 important girl) but these are just nitpicks that do not really matter.

Overall I just had a lot of fun playing it. The lighthearted tone, wholesome atmosphere and likable characters makes smile when I play this game. And the plot, the beautifully rendered worlds within eternum and the mystery elements keeps my interest while playing.

It is easy to see why this game has such a high rating and I think it is well deserved. Overall this is a solid 9.5/10 for me.

chapter 5—the best one so far, holy shit. i've been playing since 0.3 but man, now i'm convinced this deserves the 5 stars i've wanted to give it.

the story is simple and the vr game trope has been done tons of times now, but this is executed so well that it doesn't feel ordinary. i admit i didn't like the characters' looks at first but the game's playful style pairs with it nicely that it's grown on me now. keep it up, Caribdis!

also: these songs are fucking epic

+ Great story writing...I'm immersed.

+ Good dialogue...not lame or lost in translation.

-- I'm not a fan of every girl having the same body shape and/or skin coloring as every other girl. Where's the variety? Why does EVERY high school/college girl look exactly like Penelope who is the story's photoshoot model?!?

+ Great humor

+ Some very nice animations.

OVERALL:
Excellently done on all fronts. This is a professional-level VN. Check it out!

This game is absolutely masterpiece, it was first time when i finished games like this, i've playing in games like my waifu academy or harem hotel but subsequantly i didnt finish them, they become so bored... but this game taked me away from the real world till the end of plot of current version.
ver 0.5
Very excited of waiting the next verion !

One of the best adult visual novels, I also love OIALT from Caribdis and hope this one will be at least the same quality.
The story is really good and girls are nice. I'm curious what happens next.
I like it very much. Thank you @Caribdis

Review for version 0.5

In my opinion, this is one of the best games on this site that I've ever played, and also the first one that I felt strongly enough about to give a review.


Two main aspects really stand out for me:

1. The atmosphere and general feeling of this game is amazing. The humorous parts are actually funny and spaced well, the dialogue is written better than just readable, but most importantly, the sound and visual design of the scenes really deliver. I definitely remember laughing at a few of the jokes. Hell, this is one of the first times for games of this genre, that I was actually feeling anxious during a horror scene and had to turn the music down.
2. The story has me hooked. What first got me interested was the premise of the ETERNUM in-game world, where everything can be possible. However, this game goes beyond the expected 'Now you're having sex in space. Now in medieval times. And now in ancient Egypt' and actually manages to create a compelling story in this setting. To be fair, you are still having sex in space and ancient Egypt, but that is besides my point. And although I, of course, look forward to more sex scenes, I also want to keep playing the game simply for the story.

Anyways, the rest of the game is also up to my standards. The girls are great, the biggest compliment being that I actually like all of them, unlike a lot of other games where there's always one that annoys me .The sex scenes also deliver. However, the game does take its time with getting to the real action, which is fine by me and only makes the payoff much more rewarding, but if you don't like slow burns you should be warned.


I found no bugs during my playthrough, and the performance was always great. The game feels polished.


TLDR: To me, this is one of the best examples of what a visual novel should be like. I am invested in the story, and the (comparatively) slow burn is great. If I just wanted to get off quickly I could have just watched porn Kudos to the developer!

Simply love it! I sometimes forget it's an adult game because it's so much more than just skin! Heck, I wish we could play the game like the characters in the game do! I keep coming back to see if there is an update lol. While I like many of the games that I found here, this game is exceptional and the writing of the story is top notch!

Wow, just wow! The game starts off a bit slow but it gets really good once you start developing relationships with the female cast in the game!

Unlike most reviews who just say how awesome the game is, I'm going to explain what I liked and disliked about it.

Pros

• Excellent characters
• Unique and fun love interests (all likeable)
• Excellent sex scenes (long and immersive)
• Good to excellent animations
• Excellent story
• Excellent writing
• Excellent humor
• A decent amount of choices
• Some choices are meaningful (rare)
• Likeable MC who isn't a spineless moron

Cons

• The MC does progress quite a bit in the game but there is no way to really see this or track it (aside from his improved physical appearance). The MC's real power in Eternum has nothing to do with his Eternum level.
• Honey Select 2 models and graphics
• Classic pear shaped female bodies which ALL females suffer from (huge hips, asses, and thighs - even on the supposed "thin" girls)
• Slow burn story (may or may not be a con to some) - I'm just not a fan of verbose or pointless dialog which there is plenty of. I like to get to the core story elements without much "fluff"
• A bit too much cock blocking (blue balls) for me at times. I will say that once you finally get there it is well worth the wait...
• Very slow sex content progression with some of the main love interests in the game. The author is definitely playing the "long" game here
• Constantly using "Jesus Christ" as a swear word is a huge turnoff for many people
• A few missing words here and there but the English is excellent overall

Overall, the game is one of the best on this site (definitely top 10 and maybe top 5).

Honey Select 2 is an improvement over the original but it still suffers from many of the same drawbacks as the original. Honey Select doesn't allow for non Pear shaped female bodies. I have yet to see a Honey Select game with females with realistic body proportions (non Pear shaped female bodies).

Honey select also doesn't deal with age well at all. For example, Luna's Grandma looks like an 18 year old girl with gray hair and grandma clothing. There are also few options with skin textures with Honey Select which makes the skin of all females look like perfect porcelain dolls.

One advantage, however in using Honey Select is that (due to the lower details of the characters and environments), the rendering time is much lower compared to using DAZ or similar tools to create the renders. An author using Honey Select can develop content much faster due to the much faster rendering time.

I will say that the author did an outstanding job and made the most out of what was available to him using Honey Select 2!

There is a decent amount of nudity in the game but the sex scenes are somewhat rare. This is a story driven visual novel with sex not being the main emphasis.

I really liked how the author added sound effects to many of the sex scenes in the game. I also liked the fact that the sex scenes weren't rushed and the scenes were shown from multiple viewpoints. These things made the sex scenes so much more immersive! Thank you! 80% or more of the games I've played on this site have "rushed" or "lackluster" sex scenes.

The writing, story, characters, and attention to detail really set this game apart from so many others! The author did a brilliant job with this game and it shows!

I highly recommend this game and encourage others to give it a try!