Eron
- March 17, 2015
- David Mulder
- 9h median play time
One of the hardest most satisfying platformers I've ever played and the best game you can buy for $2.
Get on Steam"Eron is a single-player 2D platform game with stunning visuals and a great soundtrack, where you play as a tribesman seeking to stop the destruction of your village on a dangerous planet. You can switch between two realms to complete levels, though the game may have compatibility issues with some gamepads, as it has only been verified to work with Xbox 360 controller for Windows and a few similar ones."
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Eron features unique puzzle mechanics that challenge players to manipulate light and shadows, providing a refreshing twist on traditional gameplay.
- The game has smooth controls and fluid gameplay, allowing for an engaging experience without clunky mechanics.
- The pixel art and chiptune soundtrack are visually and audibly appealing, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The game suffers from a lack of tutorial or instructions, making it difficult for players to understand essential mechanics and progress.
- Many players find the controls to be unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Eron has a relatively short playtime and limited content, leaving some players wanting more after completing the game.
- gameplay119 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Eron" features unique puzzle mechanics centered around manipulating light and shadows, providing an engaging twist on traditional puzzle-solving. While the controls are generally smooth and intuitive, many players have noted inconsistencies in jumping mechanics and a lack of clear explanations for game mechanics, leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers a mix of creative ideas and enjoyable challenges, but is hindered by design flaws and a steep learning curve.
“Eron introduces innovative puzzle mechanics that challenge players to manipulate light and shadows to navigate through levels.”
“With its intuitive controls and responsive mechanics, Eron delivers a smooth gaming experience.”
“The world-switching mechanic is a pretty sweet concept and not something I've seen in many other games; it's applied here so beautifully that in a matter of minutes it becomes second nature and the game starts to feel very fluid.”
“The game starts by requiring you to hold right for what feels like a solid minute or two, and walk very slowly through some opening credits (which had plenty of time to explain basic game mechanics, like 'exploding a ball while jumping will sort of, sometimes, give you a jump boost that is required to beat some levels', or 'explode all the weird ball things in a level or you can't complete it').”
“Sometimes you feel you messed up, but a lot of times it will feel like the game’s poor mechanics and controls are to blame.”
“The shifting mechanic sometimes just breaks, randomly; there's no going back.”
- music104 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in Eron is characterized by a minimalistic and catchy chiptune soundtrack that some players find appealing, while others criticize its repetitiveness, especially due to the music resetting upon death. While the soundtrack enhances the game's atmospheric ambiance, the lack of continuity can detract from immersion, leading to frustration for players who frequently restart levels. Overall, the music is seen as a highlight for its retro charm, but its execution may not satisfy everyone.
“The soundtrack is very catchy and the design is just awesome.”
“Eron is instantly appealing with its gorgeous art style and chiptune music.”
“This title has an excellent, calming soundtrack, which very much helps you not throw your monitor out the window at the wonky mechanics of the fourth level.”
“While the absence of music contributes to the game's atmospheric ambiance, some may find the lack of variety in audio elements less immersive.”
“Now the tunes themselves would be okay, but every time you die and start over a level, the music abruptly resets as well, so you’ll get really familiar with the first 10 seconds of any given track.”
“The freakin' music doesn't have continuity, meaning that you'll be listening to the same intro to every single song until you're bleeding from your ears.”
- graphics66 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Eron" are praised for their beautiful pixel art and vibrant colors, creating a visually appealing experience that complements the game's chiptune soundtrack. However, some players note a lack of visual variety and express that while the art style is creative, it may not be enough to sustain long-term interest due to gameplay mechanics that could use improvement. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, though they are accompanied by mixed feelings about the game's controls and design.
“I purchased this to explore the pixel graphic art and it does not disappoint in that category; though it is simple, it is quite creative and beautiful... very techno-asian!”
“The graphics are beautiful.”
“Eron is instantly appealing with its gorgeous art style and chiptune music.”
“The pixel art is fine, but once again, Bubsy still had better graphics.”
“The graphics are simple and effective, although I personally believe a little more work could be done to the main character, as well as differentiating between the large black and red balls that you need to destroy in order to progress through most levels, and the smaller, but identical balls that will kill you on contact.”
“Despite some reasonable visuals and some okay music, the problem with Eron comes in game design.”
- story40 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of "Eron" is criticized for its lack of depth and development, with many players feeling that the intriguing premise is underutilized. While the gameplay mechanics are praised, the minimal narrative fails to provide motivation or purpose for the protagonist's quest against the alien invaders, leaving players desiring a more immersive and engaging storyline. Overall, the game prioritizes puzzles and mechanics over storytelling, which may disappoint those looking for a richer narrative experience.
“Eron is a 2D side-scrolling platform game, published by Red Splat Games, in which you play as a local tribesman on a quest to stop an invading race of aliens who have destroyed your home village.”
“The story is apparently about a tribesman on the planet Eron who uses his ability to switch between two parallel worlds to combat aliens that have invaded this realm.”
“And, I stopped at level 4 as of writing this so I'm just going off what other people said, but flushing out the story and narrative is definitely a must--you just know it's going to be amazing with a world this original and awesome!”
“For starters, there is very little story.”
“The only story that the player gets is in the Steam store page, and even then, it's just a little snippet.”
“This is sorely detrimental because although the environment tells a little bit of that story, there's no real element of purpose as to why the protagonist needs to carry on.”
- stability20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- -5 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that significantly impact gameplay, with many players reporting game-breaking issues within minutes of starting. While some users find the game playable and visually appealing, the overall consensus highlights a need for substantial improvements in stability and mechanics.
“I recommend it for the sole reason that the game isn't buggy, it's not broken, it is playable, and the graphics are gorgeous.”
“The game runs smoothly without any major issues, making for a stable and enjoyable experience.”
“I've had no crashes or glitches during my playtime, which really enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“The final reason as to why Eron falls short of a stellar review is the simple fact that there are numerous glitches or bad environment interactions.”
“Very nice game dead for me at the moment because of the broken controls, unexplained mechanics, and glitches.”
“5 minutes into the game and already game-breaking glitches.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent stuttering and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Additionally, the lack of key remapping options has further detracted from the overall experience. While some players enjoyed the gameplay, they noted that these optimization problems could hinder enjoyment, especially for those with less powerful hardware.
“And it might just be that Unity games aren't that well optimized, as Fez, Gunpoint, and Dungeon of the Endless had no issues on the same machine as this game.”
“Though the controls are really bad with no way to rebind them and it is poorly optimized if you have a bad computer, I did enjoy my experience, and I would say this game is a good puzzle platformer if you can deal with the issues.”
“The game stutters regularly on my system (4 cores @ 3.2GHz, 16GB DDR3 RAM) and so performance problems are going to lead to events firing late or not at all.”
“It's the next best thing I've seen since Flashback and Out of This World... I'd back/buy a sequel to Eron in a heartbeat if I knew the issues about optimization and remapping keys were addressed.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by the absence of music, creating a unique ambiance, though some players feel the limited audio variety can lead to repetitiveness over time. While the atmospheric elements align well with the gameplay, the lack of diverse soundscapes may detract from long-term immersion. Overall, the platformer successfully introduces engaging mechanics within its atmospheric setting.
“You are introduced to many fun mechanics in this atmospheric platformer.”
“While the absence of music contributes to the game's atmospheric ambiance, some may find the lack of variety in audio elements less immersive.”
“Does suit the atmosphere of the game, but after a while, it gets really, really repetitive.”
“The atmosphere of the game is fitting, but it becomes extremely repetitive over time.”
“The atmosphere of the game is fitting, but it becomes extremely repetitive over time.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that "Eron" suffers from a lack of narrative depth and character development, leaving players wanting a more immersive storyline and richer character arcs despite its intriguing premise.
“Lack of narrative depth and character development.”
“Lack of narrative depth and character development.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often involving repetitive precise jumping that becomes unenjoyable. The transition from easy to challenging levels can feel unfair, as players frequently die unexpectedly due to high kill triggers, detracting from the overall experience.
“Grinding becomes a tedious cycle of precise jumping that loses its fun. You reach a level that starts off easy, but then suddenly becomes challenging. The frustrating part is that it takes a few minutes to get to the challenging section, only to die quickly due to what feels like an unfairly high kill trigger, leaving you feeling cheated.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding leads to a lack of enjoyment. You find yourself performing the same precise jumps repeatedly, and while some levels may seem easy at first, they quickly escalate in difficulty. The transition to the challenging parts is drawn out, and dying unexpectedly due to seemingly unfair mechanics can be incredibly disheartening.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its lightheartedness and cleverness, with players appreciating the absence of negativity towards positive reviews, suggesting a community that embraces the fun aspects of the game. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the gaming experience, fostering a supportive atmosphere.
