Ether Loop
- January 21, 2020
- Moon Lens
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Ether Loop is a hardcore bullet hell action game with roguelike elements, offering single-player gameplay with dynamic environments and ruthless creatures. With a multitude of unique monsters, items, weapons, and abilities, every run creates a new story, and procedurally generated levels allow for unique approaches to intense fights. Compete with other players through leaderboards and uncover the secrets of a mysterious world to help Ether escape his fate."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop, making it enjoyable for both short and extended play sessions.
- It features a variety of weapons and abilities, allowing for different playstyles and strategies during runs.
- The pixel art and music are well-received, contributing to the overall charm and atmosphere of the game.
- The game is extremely short, with many players completing it in under 5 hours, leading to a lack of replayability.
- There has been a significant lack of updates and communication from the developers since its release, leaving the game feeling abandoned.
- The balance of the game is criticized, with some bosses being disproportionately difficult compared to others, and a general lack of content and variety.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Ether Loop is generally praised for its fun and addictive mechanics, featuring smooth controls and engaging bullet-hell elements. However, many players express disappointment over the game's lack of content, progression, and synergies, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and missed potential. While the core gameplay is enjoyable, the overall experience feels short and lacking in depth, making it hard to justify its price.
“The gameplay is fluid, the animation and graphics are good.”
“Great fun bullet hell roguelite with tight controls, clean mechanics, and lots of dakka.”
“The fast resets after death make for a fun and accessible gameplay loop, and the different floors have unique atmospheres and enemies that are worth continued explorations.”
“Very basic, without any extra classes or huge item pools, the game focuses mainly on the gameplay.”
“What is not so similar, is that I found the game relatively easy and beat it after 30 minutes of gameplay on my second run.”
“Most of the gameplay is learning the items and weapons and what works with what, rolling the dice to see if you get the right combination and finishing the game in 20 minutes.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of Ether Loop are generally praised for their unique and charming art style, with many reviewers appreciating the pixelated visuals and fluid animations. While the game features a polished aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Children of Morta, some players noted inconsistencies, such as larger hitboxes compared to visual elements. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's appeal, despite some critiques regarding the art style's roughness.
“The gameplay is fluid, the animation and graphics are good.”
“A nice little rogue-lite with pretty visuals, fine soundtrack, interesting items to collect and enemy patterns.”
“Ether Loop is an addicting roguelite bullet hell in the same vein as Gungeon with visuals reminiscent of Children of Morta.”
“Bullet hitboxes felt larger than the art visuals.”
“The art style is rough overall but serviceable.”
“The visuals are reminiscent of 'Children of Morta', but they lack polish.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it excellent and enjoyable for casual play, many others criticize it for lacking content and depth, leading to a quick loss of interest. Several reviews highlight poor enemy design and a failure to meet expectations for replay value, particularly in comparison to roguelite standards.
“Excellent replay value and simplicity make it a great game to pick up just to unwind and relax.”
“It has much more polish and is a lot more replayable.”
“The replay value is endless.”
“Fun at first, but then you realize there's very little content and replayability, and the enemies are designed poorly.”
“I liked this game when I first purchased it, but it has absolutely no replay value as is.”
“Main issues are that the game is lacking in replayability, and the endless mode suffers from a bad design choice.”
- music5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and fitting atmosphere, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some players feel that it lacks variety, often blending into a repetitive loop throughout gameplay. While the soundtrack is appreciated, it is noted that the game feels unfinished and could benefit from more diverse musical elements.
“A nice little rogue-lite with pretty visuals, fine soundtrack, interesting items to collect, and enemy patterns.”
“Movement is fluid, great music, and it's pretty hard.”
“Not to mention the music for this game is also great.”
“The environments all blend together; the music feels like one single loop throughout the entire game, and there's a weird lack of feedback from various character actions.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and fails to enhance the gameplay experience, making it feel monotonous.”
“I found the music to be uninspired and forgettable, which detracted from the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being limited, as it is capped at 60fps with no adjustable video options, preventing players with high refresh rate monitors from fully utilizing their hardware.
“Performance-wise, it's not as good: capped at 60fps with no video options. If you have a monitor with a high refresh rate, you won't be able to take advantage of it.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a dynamic atmosphere with distinct environments and enemies across its various floors, enhancing the exploration experience. Fast resets after death contribute to an engaging and accessible gameplay loop.
“The different floors have unique atmospheres and enemies that are worth continued exploration.”
“The fast resets after death make for a fun and accessible gameplay loop, enhancing the overall experience.”
