Eternal Threads

Those few quibbles aren't quite enough to sully Cosmonaut's otherwise thoughtful game, though, and it sank its talons in deep enough to keep me experimenting with "just one more" event into the wee hours. It's possible some may mislabel its careful pacing as slow, and others may think its prosaic presentation boring. For me, however - whilst it's not without its flaws - Eternal Threads presents its story, characters, and mechanical systems with care and precision, weaving together an entirely captivating experience.

A promising mystery concept that doesn't quite give players a truly mind-melting temporal puzzle.

“Eternal Threads” almost seems aware that it’s not building a strong case for your emotional investment in whether these six people live or die. Throughout the game, mission control chimes in to remind you that these people’s lives definitely matter, that the average person has such and such number of descendants, so the fate of these six people and, more importantly, whoever comes after them could ultimately decide the fate of the world. And while that’s all technically true, I suppose, I can’t help but feel that “Eternal Threads” would have found infinitely more success laying the foundation for players to care about its existing characters instead of hinging your investment on theoretical stakes.

Eternal Threads is like if Return Of The Obra Dinn was a time-travel soap opera. It can be messy, and you'll run into walls of frustration, but if you can get over these hurdles, this is a fun kitchen-sink-drama-meets-sudoku.

Although Cosmonaut Studios' temporal narrative adventure doesn't capture the true gameplay potential of its trippy concept, the storytelling still makes it worth your time.

Eternal Threads is a game that shines in its storytelling and the way it approaches the butterfly effect, offering a rich experience for those who enjoy deep stories and exploring the nuances of human decisions. However, players looking for action or more dynamic challenges may find the pace of the game monotonous.

Eternal Threads presents a unique story with some of the best writing and character development I've experienced this year. Though it's a short and simple experience, I found myself glued to the screen to see what happens next. There isn't much else for you to do in Eternal Threads, making it the definition of a walking simulator, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Eternal Threads is a wholly unique experience and one that I definitely recommend. That said, outside of snooping in the lives of six unsuspecting strangers there's not really any other elements to rope in gameplay-heavy players.

There are some cool ideas in Eternal Threads and a series of characters that I mostly liked spending time with. The mechanics work well, even If I’d have liked to see a little more puzzle-solving and interaction. When your whole game is built around its narrative, though, it’s an issue when so little of it comes together and leaves you with a satisfying conclusion. I wish I could recommend Eternal Threads as the actual process of playing through it is mostly entertaining enough, but, in the end, I was left wanting so much more.

Cosmonaut Studios may be minnows, but they have managed to create a title that stands tall amongst the best in the storytelling genre. Eternal Threads is a great experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend to both fans and skeptics of this type of game.