Review for version 0.5
If this review were to be a one-sentence summary of my feelings on the game, it would look something like this: Eternum deserves all the praise it gets and if you haven't played it yet, do yourself a favor and get to it.
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I like my reviews to be a little more informative, though, so I'm going to go into detail as to what it is that makes Eternum so good.
First off: the variety of scenarios you experience as you play. The game's premise allows the dev to easily and organically work various settings and genres into the game and he does this to great effect.
The game can change from a futuristic cyberpunk flick in one server to an unsettling horror-themed mystery in another, only to then switch to ancient Rome, a space station or... something much more abstract (you'll know what I mean when you see it).
Whatever setting you're currently in, they are all engaging, fun to explore and well put together, with great use of ambience sound effects, music, lighting and camera work to set the mood and give each server a unique feel.
The horror segments deserve a separate paragraph: they can get genuinely creepy, unnerving and keep you on the edge of your seat. It's obvious what games the dev drew inspiration from when making those scenes and he manages to successfully recreate the tension and sense of dread they had. If you're feeling up to it, I suggest you play the game the way I do for maximum effect: after dark, with the lights off, headphones on... and volume up.
Exploring all these cool settings serves the purpose of advancing not just the story, but also the MC's relationship with the various love interests. Eternum has a cast of seven loveable female characters that you can pursue, each one with a distinct personality, interests and mind of their own. I would genuinely have a hard time picking one if I had to, but fear not - Eternum lets you go down the harem route if you want. This is what I would recommend, as getting locked out of a girl's path means missing out on a good deal of content.
This is also where I should mention that the game doesn't rush developing the relationships with the girls. Eternum takes the slow burn approach and while there is lewd content with each of the love interests, the scenes are still relatively few and far between and stop short of going all the way with most of them (there are two scenes with side characters where you can have actual sex, though).
Not that I care - this game could have no sexual content and it would still be worth playing. Eternum is not a porn game - it's a visual novel that happens to have lewd content.
Other than the adorable love interests, the game also has a very fun and memorable supporting cast. Characters like Chang, Mister Hernandez or Chop-Chop are a riot and bring a lot of levity to the screen. Finally, it's not just the characters themselves and our interactions with them that are so enjoyable, but also the chemistry they have with each other. This, in turn, often leads to amusing situations or exchanges between them. Luna and her dad in particular are a joy to watch together.
Speaking of humor, Eternum has plenty of it and it comes in various forms - banter between the characters, clever word games, memes, creative camera work or just... good ol' plain silliness. If you're feeling down, this game will give you some laughs for sure.
Don't mistake Eternum for a goofy slapstick comedy, though; while its overall tone is light-hearted, darker themes and scenes of graphic violence do appear in the game and it takes its main story seriously.
While we're at it, the story is captivating and revealed to the player in bits and pieces, leaving plenty of room for speculation as to what is really going on or what Eternum's true nature is.
From a technical standpoint, the game is more than fine. The dev squeezes every bit of potential out of Honey Select 2. The environments are nice and detailed, some look really good, like Skyrim... I mean, Ogygia, and the characters are attractive (well, the ones that are supposed to be, heh).
Audio-wise, Eternum uses a wide range of sound effects and varied musical tracks that complement the scenes and really help with immersion. Clearly a good amount of time and effort was put into creating the game's audio and it was definitely worth it.
To sum up, there is one short word that describes Eternum perfectly: fun. Eternum is just that, and bundles of it.
Believe the hype.
