Eternights

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Eternights
Steam cover
Developer(s)Studio Sai
Publisher(s)Studio Sai
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
Release12 September 2023
Genre(s)Action role-playing, dating sim
Mode(s)Single-player

Eternights is a 2023 dating sim action role-playing game developed and published by Studio Sai. The game was released digitally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on 12 September 2023. It was also released physically for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on 16 November 2023.[2] It received positive to mixed reviews from critics and sold 150,000 units by April 2024.

Gameplay[edit]

Combat in Eternights is that of a hack and slash game. Dodging an enemy attack with precision slows down time, giving the player a better opportunity to attack. Hitting an enemy enough times within a short period creates a combo, allowing the player to perform a stronger attack or a finisher.[3][4] Attacking enemies or performing Perfect Dodges charges the Elemental Gauge, and parts of the Gauge can be used for an Elemental Fist attack that breaks enemy barriers if the player succeeds in a quick-time event.[5] SP can be spent during battle to use special abilities which are granted through other characters.[6]

Choosing certain dialogue options while talking to other characters can increase the protagonist's Social Stats, as well as his relationship level with other characters. Increasing the relationship level with another character grants the protagonist new abilities in combat.[4]

The game includes a calendar system, where doing certain tasks causes time to pass, changing what activities are available.

Premise[edit]

An anti-aging drug called Eternights mutates people into monsters, and supernatural events begin to occur. An 18-year-old boy (who is named by the player) is attacked by an unknown woman named Delia who cuts his arm off using her scythe, and another woman he met on a dating app replaces his lost arm with a magical, glowing one that can also transform into a sword, allowing him to fight the monsters. Along the way are his best friend as well as the pop star idol he loves.[7]

Reception[edit]

Pre-release[edit]

Before release, Eternights drew comparisons to the Persona video game series due to its premise of teenagers fighting supernatural enemies while including social and calendar elements in the gameplay.[3][4][8] Writing for Kotaku, Kenneth Shepard praised the game for including a gay romance option, but considered the character writing in the game's demo to be superficial and the combat to be "flimsy as hell", noting a "lack of weight" to attacks and movement in the game's action sequences.[8] Reviewing a preview version from the Summer Game Fest Play Days, Push Square's Liam Croft was impressed by the game's cutscene visuals, and called the dialogue options "engaging", though "occasionally creepy".[3]

Post-release[edit]

Eternights received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the PC version, while the PS5 version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[15]

Sales[edit]

By April 2024, Eternights had sold 150,000 units worldwide.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Saver, Michael; Pung, Julia; Stanton, Devon (2024-01-04). "Made with Unity: 2023 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ "Eternights release date moved up to September 12, physical edition due out this holiday". Gematsu. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  3. ^ a b c Croft, Liam (2023-06-19). "Preview: Eternights Puts Some Indie in Your Persona". Push Square. Gamer Network. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  4. ^ a b c Bains, Callum (2023-06-25). "Anime action RPG Eternights is like a very horny Persona". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  5. ^ Bowling, Audra (June 19, 2023). "Eternights Hands-On Preview Impressions". RPGFan. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Bowling, Audra (2023-09-11). "Eternights Review". RPGFan. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  7. ^ Whitson, Hank (30 August 2023). "Dev of Persona-Like Game Eternights Discusses Romance and Important Characters". Game Rant.
  8. ^ a b Shepard, Kenneth (2023-06-19). "30 Minutes With That New Persona-Inspired Dating Sim". Kotaku. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  9. ^ "Eternights (PS5)". Metacritic.
  10. ^ "Eternights (PC)". Metacritic.
  11. ^ Handley, Zoey (2023-09-11). "Review: Eternights". Destructoid. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  12. ^ "Test Eternights : coup de coeur pour l'ARPG-dating sim" [Eternights review: favorite for the ARPG-dating sim]. IGN France (in French). 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  13. ^ McCormick, John Cal (2023-09-11). "Review: Eternights (PS5) - A Surprisingly Charming Apocalyptic Dating Sim". Push Square. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  14. ^ Bowling, Audra (2023-09-11). "Eternights Review". RPGFan. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  15. ^ "Eternights". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  16. ^ https://twitter.com/fkkcloud/status/1783527136852103482

External links[edit]

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