VN - Ren'Py - Eternum [v0.9.2] [Caribdis]

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!

The best game of this site so far, no doubt. I've come to realize that I'm much more interested in the plot and characters than in the porn scenes, and that, on a +18 game site, is saying a lot.

I have to highlight that one of its strong points is the way it handles the atmosphere, as there is comedy, horror, suspense and, of course, porn scenes, but what I liked the most was the plot, as I said before, undoubtedly perfect, intriguing and makes you want more, even if that means less +18 scenes.

Very good job.

This game is so good I don't think it will ever not be one of the top two games around. It is further amazing that one of the only other games that can compete with this game is the authors first game he completed. I truly wish Caribdis fortune and pledges to do this full time for faster updates.

The central concept of the game isn't unique but it's not exactly played out either and Caribdis brings it out in very fresh ways with amazing characters. I miss his games when I'm not playing his games. It is a great world to occupy while playing and I really enjoy the company of the people in it. Even the side friends are good friends to have like your idiotic friend who is some how not someone you wish to disappear like in pretty much every single other game where your friend is not Derek. You don't even want to disappoint the shy girls dad and can enjoy spending time with that family.

Just overall amazing work at all times. Truly something special.

v0.5 review:

- Story: 5/5 - Long as well
- Frequency of lewd scenes: 2.5/5
- Quality of lewd scenes: 4.5/5 - Accounts for both realism of the scenes and the animation/image quality.

Eternum as a visual novel is amongst the highest quality and most immersive (porn) VNs I've read up in my life. It's one of the few VNs out there that has genuinely got me to put my dick back inside my pants just to immerse myself in the story and its high quality comedy and character+world building. If you're seeking a laugh with some great world building and romantic (and sexual) dating sprinkled in there then you will love this VN. Seriously, the comedy is amazing.

Eternum has for sure opened my eyes to the realm of VNs and games that have a stronger focus on story-telling rather than porn itself. Which speaking from personal experience is also its downfall if you're browsing these games with the intent to get hot and bothered and just fap. However despite entering this game with that exact thought process, it swooped me off of my feet and gave me an experience that I may not have asked for but greatly enjoyed and appreciated nonetheless. All of this isn't to say that you won't find high quality and sexy, raunchy scenarios in this game. You will. However in terms of frequency and pacing you won't have the amount of "pay off" moments you might be in the mood for when browsing these porn games relative to the actual size of the story itself, so be warned.

All in all this game deserves nothing less than 5/5. If I rated it any lower I'd be going against my own feelings of enjoyment of the game. I do want to, again, emphasize how this is VN is more about story and slow-build opposed to constant raunchy lewdy pay-offs.

Version 0.5

One of the best games I have played to date.

Excellent audio.
Fantastic visuals.
The story moves at a great pace.
Character background is woven into the story in a charming way.
Unique plot that is unpredictable.

I can't think of anything I haven't enjoyed thus far. 11/10, 6 stars. A+++.

The bar this game has set is very, very high.

I want to start this review with WOW, This game is much much more than I expected it to be. For starters, the humor in this game is incredible and will have you dying of laughter for a couple of minutes.The story is definitely the main appeal to the game in my opinion and this is a Harem Game. Most harem games(that i have played) have iffy or if that weird or rushed story lines and jump straight into H scenes. This game has a very perfect balance with all of that stuff! I have played the game twice fully and this is very unusual for me to do because I hate replaying or playing games that I already know the story of, but this game was very different in that sense. The Lore of this game is one perfect thing and it makes me feel like I am playing a Triple A Title instead of a harem title. There are many characters in the game that one can relate with and the emotions that one can get from playing this game, be it joy, sadness, or fearfulness, is all perfect. A lot of people praise this game and it is very well deserved! In terms of the story and plot,(more elaborate explanation on why this is the best part of the game imo) It is very built up and supported by many factors. The reason for that is because everything falls into perfect position like a puzzle. There are many moments where some decision in the very past will come back to haunt you in the very future, like take for example buying the pendant from CHOP CHOP or punching Axel in the face and other things that you would think would have no influence on the game later, but do. In terms of The Lore, the lore is what makes this game feel like a Triple A title. The lore has seemingly no holes in it that makes no sense. Calypso gets perfectly explained and there is still a lot more explaining to do on what and who she really is. The MC could be a source of many different outcomes, but only time will tell under that region. The flashbacks, or what i would like to say Premonitions , are very well put together and have a very good sense of horror. Not only that, but they are the foundation of the lore and how these "flashbacks" or "dreams" are put into the game is perfect. There is many ways this game can go in, which adds a lot of tension and is what a great developer would always want to do if they want to attach one to their game. Other than that the H-scenes are very balanced and take time to work up(which i personally enjoy a lot). There is no character in the game who off the rip (except for Nancyヽ(oಠᴥಠ)ﾉ just wants to outright bang Orion's salami like a normal porn characters would do. To me that makes the game very great. All the girls are beautiful as well and the game is very wholesome. It's also great that the developer, Cari, is a humble and funny person which is very refreshing!

My overall rating....................... 101/10!!!

My Recommendation Rating.................. 208/10!!!

Please play this game if you are bored and if you have the chance to..

A beautiful game with greatly designed environment, unbelievably artistic music choices fitting every single section you play through that makes you feel like you were a part of slice-of-ilfe anime and most important of all: hot, meaningful sex/lewd scenes. Every VN fan should try this game out. Can't wait to see it completed and the future of Eternum.

Edit: Coming back to this review after binging like 8-9 hours of gameplay today and finishing ver 0.5, I have to say that I absolutely cannot recommend this game enough. Each chapter is more thrilling than the previous and the fights/action-scenes are superbly done. I like the way Caribdis focuses on each side-character introduced so you never feel like they're left unnoticed and if there isn't enough content to satisfy you for the character you like - you can be damn well sure that they're going to get scenes in the upcoming updates.

The story is masterfully crafted, the humor is great and it doesn't feel out of place - the continuity between the characters, their conversation & sense of humor makes the world of Eternum one of if not the most immersive ones in VN history. Absolutely hooked on this, fingers crossed for upcoming updates.

I hate this game! I really do. Then why the 5/5 rating you might ask.
I hate that I didn't find this game sooner!
I was reluctant at first seeing this is a HS game, but the previews looked great so I downloaded just to see.
To my surprise I was totally consumed by the story, it's incredibly good!
The scenes are very well made too, the nude and lewd scenes are hot but few thus far. But I don't really care since the story is far beyond my expectations!
This game is one of few where I actually enjoy reading the story and had a few good laughs as well The Yoga instructor xD. Truth be told I wouldn't mind if this game had no sex elements.

Rated: 5/5
Based on: v0.5

@Caribdis, You earned yourself a new Patreon

Came late to this one, just picked it up yesterday (v0.05).
Got to say, "Wow!!" at the game world created.
Eternum is visually impressive, inside the game (in the game) is a treat. Transport into\between game worlds is a nice touch.

I found the writing to be excellent. The characters are interesting, each has their own distinct personality & I found all the protagonists extremely likeable!
The antagonist(s) are a little bit stereotypical (IMO), but not immersion breaking. They're still well created & very dislikeable. They suit their roles well.

I usually find young MC's to be aggravating, but this one is only in high-school & still comes across well. Intelligent, capable, yet capable of mistakes & learning from them. Human.

For the lewd side of things, I found all of the girls to be engaging, as well as highly attractive. The sex scenes (so far) didn't feel rushed or meaningless.
They fit the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this.
Excellent premise, strong visuals, beautiful girls & a highly engaging story.
Jump in!

Can't sum it up in words how awesome this game is. Great story, girls are unreal. The OST Caribdis knows banger soundtracks. Once in a lifetime was one of my first AVN's and it was unreal too and Eternum is next level. Ah the dam cliffhangers too man.