Eternal Step

About

Eternal Step is a single player and multiplayer survival hack and slash game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Once More With Gusto and was released on October 16, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

Eternal Step is a deviously difficult, rogue-like action adventure game. In Eternal Step, you battle your way through an ever-changing, endless tower. Bosses will crush you. Enemies will swarm you. Traps will deceive you. Collecting Loot Cards and skills will help you turn the tides of battle, but you never know what awaits on the next floor… An all new rogue-like action adventure from developer…

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58%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Challenging and punishing roguelike gameplay that rewards mechanical mastery and persistence.
Interesting card and loot system allowing a variety of builds and strategic choices with persistent character progression.
Boss fights are intense, well-designed, and rewarding, adding meaningful milestones to the gameplay experience.

Technical issues including poor performance, lag, UI glitches, lack of options, and awkward fullscreen behavior detract from experience.
Simplistic and minimalistic graphics and sound design, sometimes considered bare-bones or janky, fail to impress visually or aurally.
Steep difficulty curve with spikes and occasional perceived unfairness can be frustrating and off-putting, especially early repetitive levels.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
Eternal Step delivers a challenging, old-school roguelike experience focused on mechanical mastery and procedural exploration, with diverse combat styles and skill-based dodging. While some praise its depth and boss encounters, others criticize its clunky mechanics, occasional bugs, and lack of visual polish, leading to a mixed reception on gameplay balance and enjoyment. Overall, it appeals primarily to players seeking persistent challenge over narrative or presentation.
- “Eternal Step is a punishing, old-school roguelike action title developed with gusto and published by Green Man Gaming Publishing that places mechanical mastery and persistence above all else.”
- “The core gameplay loop revolves around descending deeper into a procedurally generated tower made up of more than a hundred floors, each populated with enemies, hazards, and occasional rewards.”
- “Gameplay wise, this game offers a lot more depth than many current games of the same kind, with plenty of different ways to play due to different weapon styles and skills.”
- “Eternal Step is a terrible, simplistic action game that uses the term 'rogue-like' as an excuse not to design levels or balance the gameplay.”
- “After I managed to start it, the game presented itself as a series of tiny floors with crappy game mechanics and a random reward after finishing each.”
- “Couple this with the game's clunky mechanics and bad graphics and you have a game that's only fun for a few hours.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's graphics feature a unique, retro-inspired art style that supports gameplay clarity and adds charm, though it lacks polish and technical refinement. Reviews note issues such as poor performance, limited visual options, inconsistent UI, and a lack of resolution settings, which detract from the overall experience. While some find appeal in its nostalgic visuals, the technical shortcomings and subpar presentation limit its broader attractiveness.
- “The art style is consistent enough to support gameplay clarity, though it lacks the visual identity or polish of more celebrated indie roguelikes.”
- “Eternal Step boasts a rather charming art style, reminiscent of older dungeon crawlers yet still able to deliver a fresh look ensuring you don’t miss out on the myriad of ways your character can die.”
- “The graphics for the game work surprisingly well, everything is nicely animated and all enemies have their own personality and feel.”
- “Janky laggy mess. How does a game with this style of graphics perform so terribly?”
- “Couple this with the game's clunky mechanics and bad graphics and you have a game that's only fun for a few hours.”
- “Eternal Step gives an interesting variance on the traditional rogue-like/rogue-light formula but does so with a horrible technical presentation, weak graphics and awful sound.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game is atmospheric and fitting, smoothly transitioning between combat and ambiance to enhance the dark dungeon experience. While generally good and occasionally eerie, it is considered pleasant but somewhat forgettable, with some audio elements not standing out significantly. Overall, it supports the game's mood without being particularly exceptional.
- “In-game music and sound flow freely from combat to pure ambiance, sparking curiosity about its creators.”
- “The music is good, eerie, and atmospheric, lending itself well to the kind of dark dungeon adventure you're on.”
- “And the soundtrack as heard so far is serviceable, no better than that but certainly no worse.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “In-game music and sound flow freely from combat to pure ambiance, while not versed in the knowledge of who created the music for the game, it has certainly piqued my curiosity.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The story is notably minimal, lacking clear character arcs or context, which some players find unmotivating and empty. While this sparse storytelling may limit broader appeal, especially in a genre that often values atmosphere, it remains engaging for fans of challenging roguelikes. The narrative's ambiguity leaves much to player interpretation, with little explicit plot development.
- “While its minimal storytelling, inconsistent visuals, and severe difficulty limit its broader appeal, it remains a compelling experience for dedicated fans of hardcore roguelikes.”
- “There is no explicit story driving the descent, no character arcs, and little contextual explanation for the tower or the protagonist’s purpose.”
- “For others, it can feel empty or unmotivating, especially in a genre where atmospheric storytelling often plays a larger role.”
- “Also, and maybe it would have been revealed had I continued to play, but the complete, utter lack of a plot was also offputting.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by eerie and fitting music that complements its dark dungeon setting, but some users find it lacks depth and motivation, noting that easy early levels followed by sudden difficulty spikes disrupt immersion.
- “The music is good, eerie, and atmospheric, lending itself well to the kind of dark dungeon adventure you're on.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers excellent replayability, providing an engaging experience that players can enjoy repeatedly without losing interest.
- “Infinitely replayable”
- “It has great replayability.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is described as brainless and tedious, particularly due to the repetitive movement and enemy kills combined with only one attack animation, which diminishes variety and engagement.
- “Brainless grinding, moving and killing.”
- “I know that can happen in a rogue-like, but with only one attack animation it just feels more tedious.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game’s stability is hindered by frequent UI glitches and occasional bugs during gameplay, which can disrupt the experience. These technical issues, along with inconsistent font choices, detract from the overall polish despite the fun minigames.
- “The actual gameplay is fun, if a little buggy at times.”
- “There are numerous UI glitches during gameplay that seem to trigger at random.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, featuring stuttering gameplay that hampers the experience. Additionally, difficulty spikes abruptly around level 20, creating unfair and frustrating boss fights.
- “Super crappy and unfair spike in difficulty around level 20+. The game is super easy and repetitive, then gets unfair and near impossible with corny, near-cheating boss fights combined with miserable stuttering gameplay.”