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

I think my issue with the game was that the MC is just such a gonk that it removed me from the story almost immediately. Again, this is another one of those cyberpunk/futuristic games that I inevitably have a hard time getting into, but I end up trying anyway because the dev has a good reputation from having made a really good game previously. I think one of my biggest issues is, I hate whatever rendering software this is (I think it's Honey Select, but I don't know enough about this sort of thing to be definitive), so in order for me to get past that, the story has to be really great and hit every button for me, and unfortunately, this one doesn't. Obviously, these are the sorts of things that boil down to personal choice, but at the end of the day, I found the renders really ugly and the story wasn't good enough to make up for it.

For a RenPy game:

Pros:
-nice looking characters, some are quite charming
-interesting idea, if it's somehow turned into an open world type game it would be great
-there's a lot of soft scenes

Cons:
-the thing is so short it's not worth playing
-would be a shite game if the devs don't let the player do whatever he wants, as the description claims
-some dialogue choices have literaly no effect besides a few changed text lines, and the ones that would have an effect still don't because the sections of the game where they WOULD have an impact haven't been introduced yet

Wait for release.

Wow! What an amazing start for a 0.1 version, certainly more content than most games at this stage and well worth a play.

"Virtual world that's more than it seems at first" is a familiar concept (although not really for porn games), but it's got a couple twists, along with beautiful women, some fun scenes, and excellent animations and environments.

Really impressive start. Good luck with the game!

Gorgeous visuals and solid writing. Good use of humor and inside references. This was an insta-pledge for me.

In terms of writing quality, I wouldn't put this in the absolute top tier, but it's not that far behind (maybe comparable to Then & Now or Harem Hotel). Visually, it's better than any of the above.

Lots of content for a 0.1. The real test will be how long we wait for and how much we get when the next one drops-- he probably spent a lot longer than a single normal dev cycle on this version. If the developer (Caribdis) can generate solid drops every month or two I'll keep throwing money at him.

Reviewing it as 0.1.

Huge ass amount of content, I spent almost 3 hours playing, I think, as I slow read and savoured the content.

The game is extremely fun and has a very unique premise, a mixture of both Ready Player One and a bit of SAO with the neuro thingy together with his/her signature sense of humor.

Easiest 5 stars as of now, and I will gladly update this when the game completes, but I highly doubt I will change the rating.

Best of luck to the dev and congrats on the game!

If you are a fan of HS games i wouldn't recommend this game if you want your pp to stay healthy.

You will get a good solid of 2 hours gameplay in this version with a lot of lolz moments and hot babes

Rating: 69/10 Totally will simping Luna again

The best 0.1 I've ever played. The story and character design are both fantastic. It has enough content to give you a feel of the world and to introduce you to some of the main characters. The VR aspect of the game offers the future possibility of a lot of varying content and experiences. As this game progresses I believe it will for sure enter into my top 5 of all time, it seems to even have the potential of becoming #1. Caribdis, you're an amazing developer and I'm looking forward to the future of your second game.

Reviewed at v0.1

Caribdis has done it again. This is a game that deserves the praise and ratings it gets.

One can see the various influences and homages to other real life media as well as mentions of the previous game (which were awesome).

The visuals are stunning, the plot is intriguing and there is surprisingly plenty content in the first release.

It somewhat reminds me of the previous game as well, but I don't think that's bad.

Am really looking forward to the next release and where the story goes!

Keep up the fantastic work!

After finishing great Once in a Lifetime, I already knew the next game is gonna be awesome but holy fcking shit, the first release exceeded all my expectations. Girls are more beautiful, story is even more interesting and humor is as funny as in the previous game. I can't wait for 0.2 and it's already sad that it's gonna end someday.
You're the best Caribdis

I'm in! What a great start! I'm excited to see how this plays out. I also wonder what other servers there will be. The writing has been a lot of fun to sit through. I also wonder what sort of player the MC becomes.

Caribdis is perhaps the most talented writer, designer and artist on this site. His work needs little explanation. The difference between his games and the many copycats on this site is equivalent to the bestseller in a bookshop and toilet paper.

He understands the essence of hentai, the poses, the facial expressions, the dialogues. That alone is a proof of his quality. I'd even go so far to say, his skills put him on the level of professional anime animators.

For an initial release fantastic art and renders, the characters already seem thought out and have depth to them. Looking forward to following the development of this one.

Because I need more characters, I will also say that the animations are fluid and the theme has a lot of promise with tons of options to explore within it.

Review for 0.1

Really appreciate the game's lighthearted tone. The story comes across as genuine and honest, also quite far from being pretentious. Always fond of a 'Porn Game' that can take its audience through a journey, but doesn't try too hard to be what its not.

Personally love the HS renders as i feel it fits/complements the nature of the story. Not sure if the game would be received as well had the story been of similar theme but uses Daz renders.

Also enjoy soundtrack selection, feel like it sets the mood very well.

Character designs and HScenes are A+ in my book. Nuff said about that.

Hoping this game keeps doing well both in terms of development and reception, while staying real and honest along the way.

P.S. Seems like every reviewer prefers using the term VN. No disrespect, but if im being real, i'm never really into books and literature. I personally like seeing these VNs as Porn Games just because it sounds more appealing (to me) that way. And if such 'Porn Game' can only deliver a lackluster story, its fine since i never expected its story to entrance me. Man can still have a wank at the end of the day. Still, it doesn't change my opinion on this game's wonderful story and my stance on the dev being an amazing and humble writer.

EDIT: Added post script and header for current release/version as of writing this review

Rating something at a 0.1 stage would normally feel a little strange, but I don't see any reason to wait. Caribdis more than proved their storytelling and design credentials on OIAL...and Eternum is dialing everything up to 10. The visuals are top notch, the story hooks you immediately, the humor might not be for everybody, but it's definitely for me.

Would I like a wincest code after how well it was executed in OIAL, I mean, sure. But it's hardly a deal breaker when the game is on this level of quality.

I'll come back and add more detail after I've played more chapters...but it's hard to imagine this game doing anything but getting better and better.

Cheers to the creator for your hard work!

Update - post 0.4

Well, that's the danger of getting caught up in hype...I put the cart before the horse. Caribdis is still a good storyteller, and you can still see the hard work and effort that he puts into his work in his games. They are polished and beautiful.

But the story is really struggling. In OiAL, whether you like wincest or not, it provided an early pathos with the various character interactions. This game doesn't have that yet, and despite some promising humor, it's not clicking all that well. The stakes also feel a little arbitrary and un-pressing...and the greater overall plot is too reminiscent of a certain book/movie combo I'm sure many are familiar with.

Also, the VR world of Eternum is rife with potential to use the imagination and explore unique and unsual kinks and storytelling points. So far instead it has plunged from one generic trope into another.

As of 0.4, I wouldn't say Eternum is doing anything poorly...but it's not doing anything exceptionally well either.

What can I say, Caribdis is a top tier writer and his second project looks to be just as good or even better than his first. I was disappointed there was no incest in project #2 but alas, we don't always get what we want.

Moving onto the review... Eternum has a pretty cool scifi setting that looks to borrow heavily from the sword art online anime. The setting is solid, the characters and store are starting off really well and as I mentioned earlier Caribdis's writing has little gems of humor that just make the game a delight to play. We're pretty lucky to have such top tier writing in a porn game. Sit back and enjoy the story-- I know I will and I look forward to future updates.

[Review for 0.1 version]
It's already on its way to be among the top VNs
Once In A Life Time was one of them. And I'm saying this based on playing just the initial release. That should speak for itself. This was one of the best initial releases I have ever played. The amount of content was mind blowing.
In terms of quality the renders and animations are just so satisfying to look at. The story is amazing and I can't wait to see what will happen in the future versions of the game. Caribdis is probably the only dev that knows how to make you laugh and scare you in the same VN. Can't wait for more. Also support the dev if you enjoyed the game. this dev really deserves it.

Forget all these other devs jerking off on sub-par game mechanics or whatever. Execution is really what separates the great game devs from the shitty ones and Caribdis manages to deliver YET AGAIN.

HE DON'T MISS.

Caribdis has a good understanding of how to stretch the medium of visual novels to its limits in a way that very few if any game devs have in the past. This is basic stuff but other games don't even understand how a fucking camera works. These other devs have barely begun to discover fire and rocks while Caribdis is wheeling a howitzer around.

What I'm saying is that this is the closest thing you're going to get to kino in this degenerate hobby.

PAY THIS MF ON PATREON

A funny and well written pop culture infused Ready player one parody from the makers of the excellent Once in a lifetime.

The version played was the initial release 0.1 and total play time was approximately 3 hours.

The early lady selection all seem to have something unique about each both in appearance and personality. The dialog and story is jam packed with references in the true spirit of Ready player one.

The humour is on point, I giggled like the Joker when an Attack on Titan themed scene happened.

I'm an unabashed leecher of the wonderful content here, backing only a few games a year for 6 months each. This dev has earnt my money a dozen times over with their past game and I'll be backing the Patreon just because it would be a true crime not to after how much I enjoyed their work.

The only weakness to my eyes is the reliance on a Honey select engine to make the game, however the Dev's stylised characters maybe more future proof than other games that try for realism and since I'm having a hoot anyway and its still fap worthy it isn't enough for me to affect the star rating.

This is only a five star review because I cant stuff more in tbh.

Wow, just finished playing the 0.1 version and I have to say Eternum is the renpy game with the most potential that I've ever seen or played. The jokes and references in the game were well timed and I laughed at quite a few of them, which isn't normal for me as I don't normally laugh at jokes written in a game.
There are a few animated cutscenes that surprised me due to the fact that they were implemented seamlessly and were of high fidelity. Speaking of quality, all of the animations in the game were very well done, not choppy and seemingly hand made, it's the quality you've come to expect of this developer if you've played their other work. The story it's self was gripping, it made me feel excited as to what would happen next or what I might discover in the vivid world of Eternum. Overall this product has high potential and I'm very excited to see what comes next in future updates. If I had the money I would 100% join their patreon and support the development of this game.

Very good first release. The models are gorgeous, the music is nice and the sound design is one of the best I've heard in an AVN. You can clearly tell Caribdis is developing his own style as the humor and suspence is reminiscent of Once in a Lifetime. Seeing the two very different worlds we've been shown inside of Eternum the concept have infinite possibilities.