VN - Ren'Py - Eternum [v0.8.4] [Caribdis]

Really well put together game with a solid concept (very SAO vibes). The story does feel a bit short/undeveloped atm but I'm guessing it will just take a long time to flesh it out due too the high quality scenes.

I'm really conflicted about this game. Graphics are amazing, it's incredible how much the developer has improved from the previous game. Characters are varied, all very attractive and kind of different, but too over the top sometimes. Writing is not bad, dialogues flows better than the average of these games and there are some genuinely funny moments (I absolutely loved the bit where the MC thought he was being followed). On the other hand the plot is very weak, it seems that the only motor of the game world is the MC, nothing happens outside of him. From the moment he starts playing the game he immediately starts solving mysteries that no one other could, there is no struggle whatsoever from his part. There are hints of him being like a chosen one to justify all this, but frankly that would be just lazy writing. At the beginning the MC is hinted as not being particularly successful with women, and it plays out as a funny scene, going on with the game one could wonder why though, 'cause every single woman in the game immediately falls for him, with no effort whatsoever on his part. I also find an extremely lazy choice to cut out any possible contrast with his best friend by making him fall in love with an extremely unattractive girl, it could have just been a funny scene, but to me it felt childish to get rid of any potential threat from his part dealing with him this way.
Anyway the game is extremely good, really, but there are too many things that makes my eyes roll painfully.

After their last fantastic game i have high hopes for this one. The story seems really promising and has the same level of strong writing. Always makes me laugh and it's a game where you don't feel you're just skipping through terrible dialogue to get to the renders/scenes. Still early but really enjoyable so far!

This game is amazing.
The story is so interesting with love, fantasy and horror elements,
chacracter designs are so unique and beutiful, easily top 1 for me. Also, developer is hard-working, always delevered the next version of the game in short times (about 3 months per version). If you looking for some high quality 18+ game, this is the game game for you. His sneek peek photos in patreon is also nice. It's worth it, check it out.

It is rare for a visual novel to blend humor, characterization, plot, artwork, gameplay, and (obviously) sex, as flawlessly as Caribdis did in Once in a Lifetime. It is rarer still to do it TWICE: as of this writing, Eternum is being kept out of the top 3 games by weighted ranking on F95 by none other than Pale Carnations and Once in a Lifetime. Cari's own game won't let him enter the top 3. Through some indescribable-and-wholly-unbelievable means, Caribdis has somehow managed to improve upon every one of the above aspects in his follow-up game. Every dial has been pushed to 11; all the engines were ready to go, and now they're almost ready to blow. It is somehow an improvement at every fundamental level.

I'll start with the lowlight. In my opinion, the weakest aspect of OiaLT was the lewd element: a few of the girls looked similar, with common body types, and the sex scenes were kind of lackluster. That was it; that was the literal one flaw I had with the game. And now, Cari has somehow blown that door wide open: Annie, Penelope, Nancy, Luna, Idriel, Alex, Nova, and Dalia are instantly some of the best HS2 models in an AVN right now. The girls are superbly well-designed, both in how they look and how they speak. Caribdis's dialogue once again shines as one of his great talents as a developer. The girls are engaging, their backstories are intriguing, and their looks are staggering. The only note I'd give here is for Cari to consider adding more dirty talk as he works on these scenes; I think it would be the real cherry on top and cement the lewd aspect as an element that is as strong as Eternum's other qualities.

The characters of Eternum grab the player from the very beginning. Not only because of the aforementioned incredible aesthetic, but the writing: the guys and gals spur immediate emotions in the reader. The cute Annie, the bullied Luna, the abused Alex... the reader is forced to quickly identify with these characters due to the charm of Cari's writing. Of course, empathizing with the characters is easier to do when dialogue keeps you laughing throughout, and Cari's timely jokes and references ensure the reader is thoroughly entertained. There will never be a dull moment, yet the game manages to thread the needle such that the humor and winks and nudges are not excessive.

However, Cari doesn't really need to rely on distractions like that to keep the reader hooked: his plot does that on its own. Eternum's story is prime ground for theorizing. The world-building has been extensive, and there's been more care put into lore than one would expect. There are mysteries abound, and Cari is committed to revealing answers in a satisfying and compelling way. One of the ways he does this is through gameplay. There is interactivity forced upon the reader by the quiz game in 0.1 and the haunted house in 0.2, which causes the player to become an active participant in the story. This immersion is ridiculously difficult to do, and even more difficult to do well. It's one of the great things about AVNs and gaming in general, and I have the feeling that Cari has been having (and will have) an absurdly good time developing sections like the haunted house.

Eternum, in my opinion, will indisputably be Caribdis’s best work. Its spot in the rankings is well-deserved, if not insufficient. It has checked as many boxes as one could hope for in a lewd VN, and it’s only on 0.2. There’s so much potential and so much to consider; the game is an absolute treasure. I cannot wait to see where Cari goes next with the game, and I am willing to bet several Eternals that he can’t wait to reveal what’s up next either.

This is an interactive movie, yeah sure, you could call it a visual novel but it really feels like a movie.

as of yet v0.2 - there aren't many sex scenes, its mostly teasing, some nudity and so on.
However, the girls are gorgeous and the renders or on fleek.
It has some horror aspects, a lot of story aspects and such. The story is actually pretty good, although some of the things lack explanation to a large extent.
What I really like is, the main portion of the story is tied to a VRMMO, but they aren't trapped in it 24/7, so there are a bunch of scenes in and out of it.
As of now, it feels way too fast paced:
Spoiler: I am very excited to see the development of this game but when those things are thrown around, it kind of feels like its close to its end, when it hasn't even started properly.

Good world-building, great intrigue, promising story, interesting characters, excellent humour, and very natural and fluid dialogue. The graphics and ambience of the game has really stepped up from the previous game and the camerawork and animation cuts are some of the most visually ambitious I've seen of all the VNs I've played. If the narrative continues to flow as well as it does while delivering satisfying character interactions and arcs, Eternum has the chance to become a top tier VN.

I waited up to 0.2 to play it because I thought there would be little content, but there was a lot.
the animations are very good and the story is well above average, the dev is relly raising the bar with this one, very good humor too, i laughed a lot especially with Luna and her father.
also all of the girls are great, theres no one you would want to skip.
Best game i have played in the site so far.

This. Is. Awesome. Just finished 0.2 and the fighting scene at the end gave me goosebumps.

Do I have to say that the game looks outstanding? Well, I do. This is, without doubt, the best-looking HS(2) game out there. It's so satisfying to look at that sometimes I forgot it was an HS-based game. I liked the utilization of camera movement and transitions too - whether it's for comedy purposes, action or to create suspense, like the piano scene.

I gotta admit I liked the worldbuilding a lot. It's both interesting and well-written. You don't just get a wall of text about how Eternum works, you learn the basics and then learn the details firsthand by playing with others.
The best part. The girls. Not only do they look extremely cute, but their personalities are likable. Even though I like the dev's previous game, the girls in OiaL sometimes seemed a little bit bland, there wasn't that much character development (at least at the beginning). It's not the thing in Eternum anymore. The little details in their looks and personalities make the girls more lively.

As for everything else, the overall story, dialogues, humor - I like them. When some things might seem too cliché, Caribdis manages to impress once again.

Don't waste your money and time on the new Call of Duty or Battlefield, play Eternum instead!

It's difficult to put into precise words what Caribdis manages to do better than other creators. Maybe it's the attention to detail, both in writing and graphics. Maybe it's being able to create a story that has just the right amount of "hook" without coming off as overly serious while still keeping your attention. Maybe it's the excellent pacing. Maybe it's the ability to write humane and humourous characters that come off truely natural and are gorgeous to boot.

Who knows. All I know is, his games are the epitome of what this website has to offer, and it looks like Eternum will be his magnum opus. For the love of God, keep doing what you do man.

Don't even read the reviews or continue reading mine, seriously just play.

The graphics, writing, etc is all great and definitely worth checking out. There are little hints and easter eggs you might not notice your first time around, so it's got replayability.


Anyway, the waiting between updates is long, so play his other game in the meanwhile, it's 100% worth it too.

After Once in a Lifetime, which was pretty good (not great, just good imo), clearly the dev is stepping up big time, the game looks beautiful, had me wondering if Honey Select 3 wasn't already a thing...
Animations are nice and crisps, the girls are very good looking, the overall atmosphere and dialogues are very nice.
The game obviously needs a lot more content, but since the dev doesn't look like the kind of dude to do 35 games and not finish all of them, but rather work hard on a single one and finish it clean, I have very high expectations.
Keep it up siree.

The models have improved considerably since the creator's last game and the comedy is still as good as ever.

While there isn't a lot of super lewd stuff at the time of writing this review (v0.2) what there is is definitely good and makes me hopeful for the future. The story itself is good too, really keeping you invested and wondering what kind of mysteries Eternum hides.

5 stars for me. Would definitely recommend this.

I almost never leave a review on a game because.......well frankly, I'm lazy as shit! But I just felt like I HAD to for Eternum! This "game" (VN) is amazing! At first, I was worried that it would turn out like so many other games that use these models and all the characters would look almost identical (facially), and the storytelling would be sub-par. But I was pleasantly surprised because nothing could be further from the truth.

• The graphics/artwork are stunning.
• The character models are each unique and have their own defining qualities.
• The storytelling is engaging, entertaining, and funny.
• And last but not least....the animations are outstanding! Some of which I fully expected to see stuttering or lagging because I have an outdated computer/graphics card, but it was all smooth and visually stunning. Especially compared to so many other games with animations that make me feel like I'm watching with a slowly pulsing strobe light while a poorly rendered image is slowly spat out of my printer in the dark!

Sorry for the rant, but this is the first game I've played where I felt the need to toss my two cents into the many other positive reviews there already are. Thank you for sharing this game with us, and keep up the amazing work. I wish you the very best!

TLDR: Amazing game, great graphics, and stunning animations with superb storytelling. Just download and play already!

[Game version 0.2]

Was a fan of Once in a Lifetime and this game does not disappoint. Great art and the story is really intriguing. Extreme Ready Player One Vibes and that's not a bad thing. I just wish there was more weight behind the decisions so they branch out more, a similar problem I saw in Once in a lifetime, where most of the decisions were just related to closing off routes. Still,rReally looking forward to how this game will turn out.

Review for 0.2

Well, every aspect of the game is awesome.
The writing is awesome. It's hot, it's funny and it held my interest until the end.
The characters are awesome, both visually and writing-wise.
Best among excellent is Chang, I enjoyed every scene he was in.
The visuals of the game are awesome. The dev has paid a lot of attention to them, and they compliment the story (and the various settings in it) really well.
The story is really good as well. It's clearly inspired by Ready Player One, but it's actually interesting.
Lastly, the game features a really decent amount of content for a 0.2.

The only con I could find with the game is that it's only on 0.2.

Tldr: Excellent game, stop reading reviews and just play it.

Alright, I'll say it: You're carrying this genre on your back, and raising the ceiling of what I considered great writing when it comes to these types of games. Eternum is quite possibly my favorite Ren'Py based visual novel, and it's only at v0.2. That say's a lot, and I really can't stress enough how good of a job you're doing with this so far, Caribdis.

It isn't very often that I read every word—usually, I get bored of the same tropes and broken English, quickly taking to the options in order to check "Skip Unseen Text" so that I can get past all the filler and junk to get to the good stuff—yet, I find myself eagerly anticipating the next line, the next joke; the next plot device, and hearing more from the characters in the world you've created.

The characters are interesting, personable, and each feels distinctively alive with a unique personality I haven't seen copy and pasted in a hundred other Ren'Py games. Are there tropes? Absolutely, but they're done well. It's well written, and there's not much in the way of typos let alone broken English.

Such tropes are probably familiar to anyone who watches a ton of anime or frequents these sorts of genres, but you've done a very good job so far of pacing it and adding your own twist on things. Without any spoilers, I was taken aback by the end of v0.2, and, as frustrating as it was to have to put it down until the next update, it was in the good sort of way.

I'm really looking forward to the next update, and I think you have something really special here. I'll most certainly be pledging to you once the next update rolls around to show my support.

Godspeed, Caribdis!

I don't know where or how to start since I'm no reviewer, but i feel forced to give a review on this.
Well how was my experience after finishing this game?(v0.2)... Let me tell you something, I'm not a guy who likes to over exaggerate things, but this game had my jaw dropped and left me with so much excitement that i don't know, how to survive waiting till the the next patch comes out.
I went completely blind on this game yesterday, don't knew the developer nor his other project and i really didn't expect anything when i saw the previews.. BUT THANK GOD i gave this game a chance.

It's a total masterpiece and has everything a good adult game.. Forget the adult part it has everything a GOOD game needs.

• Great, relatable and understandable characters
• Intriguing story and plotts
• Quality in music and graphics

But my favorite aspect would probably be the sense of humor the author put into his work here.
I've never once felt so captivated by an adult game like this, and I've played a lot of games on here, a ton. I bursted out laughing countless times (first dark soul reference almost killed me), felt excitement; sadness; fear; anger; disgust and that all in a game which is currently on a fcking 0.2 state. I've genuinely enjoyed this game as a...well as a game instead of an usual adult game, which was my prejudice. That doesn't mean that the adult scenes were lacking, they were perfect cg wise and animation wise.

Well that was my first review on this site i think, enjoy the game to everyone who haven't yet and consider supporting, it's well deserved and i will too now. Peace

Ps to dev: that ending was such a blueball.. I won't forget that

v0.2 If I ever made a game I would love it to be on similar level to this one. I started it for the "plot" but loved it for the plot. Especially as it was only second installment of it I didn't expect much... especially when I started it at midnight... I expected quick game.. oh boy, how pleasantly surprised I was when it was 5-6 in the morning of a work day.. when I ended playing. I must add that most of that time was interesting to say the least. There isn't much "plot" but there is huge amoung of plot to keep you entertained. Paceing is great, not too fast and not too slow. It looks almost real how characters develop their relationships. There is much build up before any Action. So it is all the more pleasant. If any of you sorry wankers like me expect for it to be quick.. oh boy, you are for a ride. I didn't expect soo much content in only second update of it. You got me hooked. Honey select 2... to find those models or make them by myself.. Dev, you reminded me of my long lost love to this game/Character creator i might give it another shot after long time. Looks like it might be an ideal tool to start my newbie dev life. If You can keep up the pace and quality then I will salute you and pay tribute on Patreon. I must say that I loved your game.

Best game I played so far . Characters , renders are superb
I'm also enjoying the horror elements and the potential for some supernatural or supernaturally technological shenanigans.

I also love that the game stays true to that VR MMORPG world fee
story is superb.