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Eternal Threads

Imagine waking up to find your bedroom filling up with smoke. Your house is on fire, and your partner, laid at the side of you, won’t rouse.
80%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, replayability
86% User Score Based on 472 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

PCPCXboxXboxXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SPlaystation 5Playstation 5Playstation 4Playstation 4WindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchXbox OneXbox One

About

Eternal Threads is a first-person puzzle game centered around time manipulation and choice. As an operative, you're tasked with preventing a fatal house fire in 2015 by altering the choices made by the housemates in the week leading up to it. With the ability to explore and change events in any order, your decisions will shape the course of events and outcomes.

Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
Eternal Threads screenshot
+7

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 488 reviews
story165 positive mentions
grinding25 negative mentions

  • Engaging story with well-developed characters that players can become invested in.
  • Unique time manipulation mechanics that allow players to change decisions and see their consequences.
  • High-quality voice acting and writing that enhance the overall narrative experience.
  • Gameplay can feel tedious due to the need to walk back and forth between rooms to view events.
  • The ending is somewhat unsatisfying and leaves many plot threads unresolved, hinting at a sequel that may never come.
  • Some character models and animations are dated, detracting from the overall visual experience.
  • story
    460 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Eternal Threads" is a compelling blend of time manipulation and character-driven narratives, allowing players to explore the interconnected lives of six individuals in a single house. While the game features a unique non-linear storytelling approach and well-developed characters, some players found the plot predictable and the pacing slow, with a lack of significant twists or depth in the overarching narrative. Overall, it offers an engaging experience for fans of story-rich games, though its replayability may be limited due to the straightforward nature of the plot.

    • “The attention to detail is amazing, the flowchart system works super well, the writing is perfect and so is the acting. This game deals with a lot of very deep issues, trauma, abuse, loss of loved ones, relationship issues, societal issues, etc. in very realistic ways. Everything is so well written, I've been immersed in the plot so much, especially because of the several timelines mechanic, it keeps you hooked.”
    • “Eternal threads is a superb story-based adventure game that plays like a puzzle game thanks to the seamless dynamic narrative. It has a fantastic idea that's well-executed, with some great story beats and characters you can't help but like.”
    • “The story was very interesting and I really liked the memory viewing mechanics. Piecing together the story of what happened the week before a house caught on fire, and the interwoven lives of these six people, is quite interesting.”
    • “The only downside I find is that it's a single story, so I don't see the replay value as being very high.”
    • “The big issue I have with this title is that for a game that starts with someone stating something as grandiose as 'we broke the world', the actual story you're going to be dealing with is pretty mundane.”
    • “The story and how it unfolds is something more akin to watching a bunch of episodes of any soap opera, with all the predictable drama that entails.”
  • gameplay
    133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Eternal Threads" is primarily a narrative-driven experience that combines elements of a walking simulator and visual novel, where players manipulate timelines to influence character decisions and outcomes. While the time travel mechanics are praised for their uniqueness and integration with the story, many reviewers note that the gameplay can feel repetitive and simplistic, often reducing to watching scenes unfold with minimal interaction. Overall, the game appeals to those who enjoy rich storytelling and character drama, but may not satisfy players seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.

    • “As an indie game, it has an interesting mechanic: by intervening in minor decisions, you can change the sequence of events leading up to a fatal fire and along the way help people resolve some issues they are facing.”
    • “The gameplay elements are so well designed that the gameplay doesn't get in the way of the story.”
    • “Great, interactive story, the gameplay feels very non-linear and I love swapping between the timelines.”
    • “The gameplay here is extremely simple: you watch what has happened and try to change things, so maybe it will work out better.”
    • “Gameplay is largely just walking around and watching scenes and tweaking the decisions people make; there's a couple mild puzzles to figure out how to get places and the main puzzle of just resolving the scenario optimally in the first place.”
    • “Gameplay is both limited and repetitive, which means that the universe needs to carry all the weight of engagement.”
  • graphics
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the immersive atmosphere and decent visuals that effectively convey the game's spooky setting, while others criticize them as dated and lacking detail. Many appreciate the smooth performance and the integration of holographic elements, but some find the overall aesthetic to be mediocre or even an eyesore. Overall, the graphics are described as solid but not groundbreaking, contributing to a generally atmospheric experience despite some technical shortcomings.

    • “You casually walk around a deserted burnt building, jumping between different dates and times to watch ghostly holographic events play out.”
    • “With great graphics around the house and a well-designed interface when viewing the timeline, the game does a fantastic job at portraying the series of events and their relationships and importance to the overall mission.”
    • “The graphics are really good, the sound design and voice acting are solid.”
    • “I would have been willing to put up with the game if the graphics were clearer and cleaner, but it's a complete eyesore.”
    • “A decent story-centered time-themed puzzle game that suffers most from somewhat disappointing graphics, mediocre to sub-par acting, and often bland writing.”
    • “Also, the game's optimized poorly; it actually crashed on me once when trying to lower the graphics settings, and the title screen/intro sequence definitely has it the worst, though it's not a particularly appealing game to look at even after that.”
  • atmosphere
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and spooky qualities, effectively blending elements of mystery and horror, though some players feel it could benefit from brighter moments and more dynamic environmental changes. The sound design, including music and ambient effects, enhances the eerie ambiance, while the detailed graphics contribute to a captivating experience. Overall, the atmosphere is engaging and supports the narrative, though some reviewers noted that it occasionally feels static or underutilized.

    • “Fantastic plot, satisfying gameplay, interesting characters, spooky atmosphere with some mystery and a few jump scares thrown in, and sets it up for a very intriguing sequel!”
    • “The atmosphere and the detail really hold everything together.”
    • “On top of all this, the atmosphere they manage to pull out of a single indoor location - how it manages to be alternatingly eerie, horrifying, beautiful, tragic, joyful - all with tiny little changes.”
    • “Wish the atmosphere was a little brighter at times.”
    • “There's no clear reason for this atmosphere, except that it was originally intended to have horror-like elements that were cut.”
    • “It does feel very low stakes throughout, the character's problems are at a low grade soap opera level, anything that's done can be undone and your POV character isn't taking things very seriously, all of which contribute to an atmosphere in which things don't matter much.”
  • grinding
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious, often involving repetitive tasks such as backtracking between rooms and trial-and-error decision-making to unlock outcomes. While some appreciate the narrative and character development, many feel that the constant movement and the process of discovering endings detract from the overall enjoyment, making the experience feel unnecessarily prolonged and frustrating. Despite these issues, some players still find value in the story, suggesting that the grind may be worth it for those invested in the characters.

    • “Getting the perfect ending and saving all six people felt a bit tedious in the end though, because it was basically a trial and error game of trying lots of combinations to find the right outcome.”
    • “It feels tedious when most of what you do is walk from room to room, push a button, wait and see if there's a decision to make, say A or B, and then repeat the process.”
    • “The last bit is fiddling on the timeline screen flicking switches back and forth trying to unlock events you haven't found, and this part is absolutely tedious, featuring decisions that wouldn't make sense in the worst visual novels.”
  • music
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with players praising the catchy main menu theme and the atmospheric song "Dreamers" by Ali Horn, which enhances the game's mood. While the soundtrack is described as sparse yet effective, some players noted a lack of music during gameplay, relying more on ambient sound design to create tension. Overall, the audio elements, including music and voice acting, contribute positively to the immersive experience.

    • “Loved the menu screen, both the environmental design and the song that played.”
    • “The soundtrack is sparing but effective, with several catchy songs I wouldn't mind hearing as a collected soundtrack someday.”
    • “It's an amazing indie song that I instantly fell in love with just by doing my video settings.”
    • “It lacks a soundtrack (except it appears in the start menu) as well as a suitable development of the introduction and conclusion, since it seems like a sandwich.”
    • “There's not much music to speak of and the game is mostly quiet but the ambient sound design works wonders in keeping you fairly tense.”
    • “However, your character spends the whole time wandering a darkened house, you mostly see by torchlight, there's a storm the whole time, suspenseful music, and there are some minor scares, like a picture falling off the wall or a dog barking loudly on the other side of a fence.”
  • emotional
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the heartfelt scenes and character development engaging, while others feel the emotional impact is diminished by repetitive gameplay and lackluster moments. The voice acting is praised for its authenticity, enhancing the connection to the characters, but some players struggled to maintain interest due to pacing issues and overly predictable choices. Overall, while the game has the potential to evoke strong emotions, individual experiences vary significantly based on player engagement and connection to the narrative.

    • “The vibe feels a bit like a crossover between 'Her Story' and 'Silicon Dreams' - you're not just focused on any single event; I found myself paying a lot of attention to the overall 'emotional' mood of the household, and how the choices I made changed this.”
    • “The story is very touching, and you really feel for the characters and want to help them get the best outcome.”
    • “In Eternal Threads, you'll care about bringing closure to characters' stressful circumstances because of emotional scenes and get sucked into the mysterious secrets they all hide from each other.”
  • optimization
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the technical aspects like atmosphere and sound, while others criticize poor performance, including crashes and flat character animations due to a lack of performance capture. Overall, while the voice acting and writing are highlighted as strong points, the optimization issues detract significantly from the experience.

    • “The actors all give wonderful performances, and those performances are what's going to carry your enjoyment of this game through to completion.”
    • “Nice game, from the technical standpoint it's amazing; the atmosphere, the graphics, the sound, the voice acting..., and it is well optimized.”
    • “Really great performances and writing in this fantastic game!”
    • “Terrible game optimization, nothing more.”
    • “Also, the game's optimized like crap, it actually crashed on me once when trying to lower the graphics settings and the title screen/intro sequence definitely has it the worst, though it's not a particularly appealing game to look at even after that.”
    • “Unfortunately, the developers didn't do any performance capture for faces, so characters always have flat expressions and usually no mouth movements.”
  • replayability
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, as it primarily revolves around a single story that can be completed in about 10-18 hours. While some players note the ability to revisit scenes or achieve perfect endings, the consensus is that once the story is finished, there is little incentive to replay. Puzzle elements further diminish replay value, making it less appealing for those seeking long-term engagement.

    • “Replayability: the game can be played through its entirety within 10 hours and probably around 18 hours for full achievements.”
    • “So replayability is definitely strong if you want to see all the different scenes and combinations.”
    • “Like Obra Dinn, I think there's eventual replay value here, but I'd have to wait at least a year so that I can forget enough of the plot for it to pose a challenge again.”
    • “The only downside I find is that it's a single story, so I don't see the replay value as being very high.”
    • “It doesn't look like it's going to have much replayability because once you've done the story, you've done it.”
    • “The game has no replayability value; I feel that your end goal is always to get a perfect ending for all of the characters.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mix of situational comedy and clever scene titles, with some players finding it amusing enough to elicit laughter during gameplay. However, while certain characters and moments provide comedic relief, others are perceived as dull, leading to a varied experience in terms of humor. Overall, the game balances lighthearted college drama with more serious themes, creating a unique but inconsistent comedic tone.

    • “My girlfriend was laughing to herself about me walking around exclaiming, 'Well, if she tells him about the baby, then they don't have sex and he dies!' Great game, working on that 100%.”
    • “When they view a scene/choice, they type in a title for those scenes/choices, and some of those titles are funny.”
    • “[Some funny moments, deep relationships, timeline manipulation].”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, user reviews on stability present a mixed picture: while some players report a smooth and clean navigation experience without bugs or glitches, others express frustration with inconsistent design elements and tedious backtracking that detracts from gameplay.

    • “It feels like they had planned on having something else but scrapped it mid-way, leaving only traces, and the constant back and forth as you go up and down buggy stairs or rush into a room only to have to go back to the room you were just in became tedious, leading me to only really stick it out because I was invested in the characters by then.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is enhanced by exploration and experimentation with different choices, allowing players to experience varied storylines and character arcs. However, some users feel that the character designs could be improved. Overall, the game encourages players to engage with its narrative depth rather than relying on walkthroughs.

    • “Character designs could be better.”
    • “I would suggest not to use a walkthrough for this game, as it rewards exploration and trying out sub-optimal branches, which will give you a different take on the story and character development (you can always change back to the optimal choices later).”

Buy Eternal Threads

8h Median play time
8h Average play time
8-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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