Ephemeral: Fantasy on Dark

About

"Ephemeral: Fantasy on Dark" is a 2D side-scrolling action game set in a beautifully hand-drawn gothic world. As the mysterious character Eneas, players must navigate treacherous environments and battles, using strategic combat mechanics and solving environmental puzzles. The game's gripping narrative explores themes of loss, redemption, and the blurred line between good and evil.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

story20 positive mentions

monetization3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and high-quality voice acting, enhancing the overall experience.
The storylines are engaging and emotional, with complex characters that evoke a range of feelings.
The episodic structure allows for easy navigation and makes it a light-hearted read between more complex games.

The English translation is poorly executed, with numerous grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that detracts from the enjoyment.
The main character is often perceived as lacking depth and intelligence, making it hard for players to connect with her.
The pacing of the story is rushed, leading to unrealistic character developments and relationships that feel forced.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
75%
8%
The story aspect of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a variety of character-driven narratives that range from heartwarming fairy tales to more complex themes like class inequality and personal identity. While some stories are engaging and emotionally resonant, others suffer from poor writing, translation issues, and rushed pacing, leading to a lack of depth and coherence. Overall, players appreciate the charm and variety of the stories, but many express disappointment in the execution and quality of the writing.
- “Shiba's romantic story is a real bedtime fairy tale with a happy ending.”
- “The most reasonable story where love conquers class inequality.”
- “It is one of my favorite otome novels so far; I have played it on my cell phone but it is very worth buying, it is a captivating, fun, and passionate story.”
- “Unfortunately, the writing is poorly translated (multiple misspelled words, wrong tense, and sometimes appears to be even wrong gender or just can't put sentences together enough to know what the author is trying to say), the plot is bad, and the characters are unlikable.”
- “Despite the hilarity that is to be found in the translation, the story is so dull and cliché that I could barely keep my eyes open at times.”
- “I know it looks like I've sunk 20 hours into this travesty, but a good 14 of that was me tabbed out and doing other stuff because the story is so cliché and boring that I need to take frequent breaks from it.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and haunting artwork, with many players noting that the visuals are a standout feature. However, some reviewers feel that while the art style is impressive, it cannot compensate for the game's shortcomings in other areas, such as the story and overall value.
- “Hauntingly beautiful graphics!”
- “I can’t tell you how many people have commented to me that with artwork so beautiful, the game can't possibly be that bad.”
- “Although the art style is lovely, this isn't enough to redeem it.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it charming and fitting, while others describe it as standard or even terrible, leading them to mute it. Overall, it appears to lack the standout quality that would elevate the game's experience, with some reviewers noting that it does not significantly enhance the storytelling.
- “The musical accompaniment is also on point.”
- “Characters can be liked despite their stories being rushed and cut short, and the music in its own way is charming to the game.”
- “The art, voice acting, music, and story are top notch, and I give them a 10/10.”
- “The music is terrible; I muted it.”
- “The music was standard, nothing to write home about.”
- “The music is terrible; I muted it.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heart-wrenching storyline, centered around a zombie protagonist with a short lifespan, which evokes deep feelings of sadness and investment from players. The themes of self-sacrifice and the inevitability of loss resonate strongly, leading to both tear-jerking moments in good endings and even more devastating outcomes in bad endings. Overall, players find themselves profoundly moved by the narrative and character relationships.
- “I cried throughout this book because the main character is a zombie with a short lifespan and will eventually rot away. You can already tell that the premise is sad; she will never live as long as her lover, and her beauty doesn’t last as she rots away over time.”
- “What’s actually tear-jerking are their self-sacrifices for the sake of the main character. That’s present in every good ending, and the bad endings are even more heart-breaking.”
- “Emotionally, I am so invested, and I just played the romance part and some of the lovers' part of Natsume.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its light-hearted moments and varied character stories, preventing the narrative from becoming tedious. Players find amusement in the protagonist's obliviousness to her boyfriend's toxic behavior, often expressed in a humorous tone, as well as in the amusing typos and poor translations throughout the text.
- “The story has quite a few funny bits, so it doesn’t get too serious and boring. Each chapter is rather short and the stories are varied for each character, so the visual novel does not get too draggy and mundane either.”
- “What's funny to me is that the main character sometimes recognizes the toxic behavior of her super handsome boyfriend but ruins everything by saying, 'Uhh, but I love him so muchhh I don't care if he's a psychopath :)'.”
- “I have to admit that the typos and bad translations are quite funny to read.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The monetization model allows players to make in-game purchases to access subsequent chapters, particularly for those who choose not to participate in the pay-to-read (p2r) system.
- “They provided options for in-game purchases to access the next chapters if you choose not to be a pay-to-read user.”
- “They offer in-game purchases to access the next chapters if you choose not to be a pay-to-read user.”
- “The monetization strategy heavily relies on in-game purchases, making it difficult to progress without spending money.”
- “The game feels more like a cash grab than a genuine experience due to its aggressive monetization tactics.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is closely intertwined with the story, creating a seamless experience where narrative and mechanics are effectively integrated.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers feel that character development is hindered by the brevity of the routes, suggesting that longer narratives would allow for more meaningful growth and depth in the characters. This concern appears to be a common issue across all routes in the game.