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Etherborn

Etherborn Game Cover
68%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, replayability
70% User Score Based on 293 reviews
Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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Etherborn Game Cover

About

Etherborn is a single player platformer game with a kids theme. It was developed by Akupara Games and was released on July 18, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Etherborn is a single-player kids' platformer game with beautiful graphics and wonderful music. Gravity-shifting puzzles and exploration are the core of the game, as you navigate perpendicular gravity structures to reach an ethereal voice and understand your existence. The game features surreal levels and a dynamic original soundtrack."

Genres & Tags
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Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
Etherborn screenshot
+10
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70%
Audience ScoreBased on 293 reviews
story12 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Beautiful low-poly art style and stunning visuals create an immersive atmosphere.
  • Innovative gravity-shifting mechanics lead to unique and challenging puzzles that encourage creative thinking.
  • Great soundtrack that complements the game's relaxing and ethereal vibe.
  • The game is very short, with only a few levels, making it feel lacking in content for its price.
  • Camera controls can be frustrating, often obstructing the player's view and making navigation difficult.
  • The narrative feels pretentious and vague, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story
    113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it vague, pretentious, and disconnected from the gameplay. While some appreciate its philosophical undertones and abstract narrative, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, describing it as forgettable or irrelevant. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is more focused on its puzzles and visual aesthetics than on delivering a compelling story.

    • “The storytelling is subtle yet impactful, delivering a thought-provoking narrative that resonates long after you’ve finished the game.”
    • “The style is new and refreshing, and the translucent main character is a good design for the kind of story this game is trying to tell.”
    • “It's beautifully done, with a deeply philosophical storyline and a lot of thinking and observing involved.”
    • “The story tries to be deep and philosophical but comes off as vague and forgettable.”
    • “The majority of the story comes in the form of a faceless narrator speaking at certain places in the game.”
    • “The story is left very vague and even in the end, you can’t be sure what the main character is and what she is doing.”
  • graphics
    111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique low-poly art style and soothing color palette that create an ethereal atmosphere. While some players found the visuals to be beautiful and complementary to the gameplay, others criticized the minimalist design as lacking depth and texture, leading to a less engaging experience. Overall, the aesthetic appeal is a highlight for many, though it may not be enough to compensate for gameplay shortcomings.

    • “Etherborn is a breathtaking experience that combines stunning visuals with clever gameplay mechanics!”
    • “The art style is absolutely mesmerizing, creating a dreamlike world that you’ll want to explore endlessly.”
    • “The visuals and the levels are super.”
    • “The lack of textures is a method that lazy devs often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
    • “So aesthetically unpleasing that I quit it in 5 minutes.”
    • “But it never drew me in, since it has aesthetics but is absent any manner of intrigue in storytelling or fleshed out game mechanics.”
  • music
    109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, relaxing, and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience and complementing the visuals effectively. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to create a calming ambiance, with some tracks elevating emotional moments during gameplay. While most find the music to be a standout feature, a few critiques mention its repetitiveness, but overall, it is considered a significant strength of the game.

    • “The atmospheric soundtrack perfectly complements the experience, enhancing the emotional journey you undertake.”
    • “The music is very relaxing, and the visuals are beautiful.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, really surprising for a game this small.”
    • “The music is mostly serviceable if a bit too repetitive for my taste, so I wouldn’t recommend spending the $10 it costs to buy the soundtrack on Steam.”
    • “I finished it in 2 hours and although I thought the music was grating, I see a lot of people liked it... eh.”
    • “Con (singular, not plural): that goddamn depressing piece of sh*t music in this game!”
  • gameplay
    98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Etherborn is characterized by its unique gravity-shifting mechanics and visually stunning environments, which create an engaging puzzle-platforming experience. However, many players find the level design can become frustrating, with some criticizing the lack of new mechanics and the tediousness of certain gameplay elements, such as camera control and slow character movement. Overall, while the core concept is intriguing and the puzzles are challenging, the execution leaves some players wanting more depth and variety.

    • “Etherborn is a breathtaking experience that combines stunning visuals with clever gameplay mechanics!”
    • “Gameplay is unique, levels are pretty and puzzles challenging.”
    • “The gameplay is fantastic and all puzzle-lovers will really get a kick out of it... but you can complete the entire game in about three to four hours.”
    • “It feels like it needs more detailed lore, cutscenes, and voiceovers to be a proper lore-game, more mechanics to be a puzzle game, and more levels to be a platformer.”
    • “The gameplay is rather underwhelming, and the platforming mechanics are unnecessarily tedious due to constantly switching camera angles and precise jumping distances, making it difficult to jump between platforms.”
    • “Unfortunately, the actual gameplay can't keep up with the general mood of the game.”
  • atmosphere
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, ethereal art style, and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the emotional experience. Players appreciate the serene and beautiful ambiance, which complements the engaging puzzles, although some feel the narrative does not fully support the atmospheric elements. Overall, the game is described as a captivating experience, with a strong focus on creating a unique and immersive world.

    • “The atmospheric soundtrack perfectly complements the experience, enhancing the emotional journey you undertake.”
    • “Its nice use of colors and interesting aesthetic creates a very ethereal atmosphere indeed.”
    • “All the music really enhances the mysterious, beautiful and sad atmosphere the game exudes.”
    • “Etherborn is sold more as an 'experience' than a fleshed-out game, but the story is pretentious drivel - the narrative serves the atmosphere instead of the atmosphere serving the story.”
    • “I also personally thought the voice actor in the English version didn't manage to add to the soothing and mysterious atmosphere as they should have.”
    • “The low-poly graphical style of this game doesn't take away from the atmosphere of the game at all.”
  • grinding
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with slow movement and poorly designed mechanics contributing to a lack of enjoyment. Many reviews highlight that the game requires significant time investment for achievements, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the need for precise controls detract from the experience. While the artistic elements are appreciated, the grinding and level design are seen as major drawbacks that make the game feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Although it's a cool concept, there are a few mechanics that simply make the game tedious and boring.”
    • “I still wish there were ways to move around faster though, as moving around the map still feels really tedious and slow at times.”
    • “The audiovisual side is okay, but the gameplay is rather underwhelming, and the platforming mechanics are unnecessarily tedious due to constantly switching camera and unnecessarily precise jumping distance that, combined with the camera switches, makes jumping between platforms especially difficult.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight the game's emotional depth, noting that the atmospheric soundtrack significantly enhances the overall experience and emotional journey. Many express feelings of love and comfort while playing, with some even moved to tears by the game's impact. Overall, the game fosters a soothing and deeply personal connection for its audience.

    • “The atmospheric soundtrack perfectly complements the experience, enhancing the emotional journey you undertake.”
    • “I just watched this game's credits for the last five minutes, and it soothed me. It made me feel loved; I don't know why, but this game is soothing to me and makes me feel like me, you know?”
    • “How did I almost shed a tear for this? Even writing this, I do not know.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers some replayability through its puzzle-solving elements and a New Game+ mode, which alters the locations of polyhedral shapes. However, the core platforming challenges remain unchanged, limiting the overall replay value.

    • “Great puzzle solver, encourages replayability.”
    • “There is a New Game+ mode that adds some replay value, though the only change is the locations of the polyhedral shapes, so all of the platforming challenges remain the same on your second run.”
    • “There is a New Game+ mode to add some scant replay value, though the only thing it changes is the locations of the polyhedral shapes, so all of the platforming challenges remain the same on your second run.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change, and the gameplay feels repetitive after the first playthrough.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices or branching paths means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that the humor in the game is lacking, with some suggesting that the ability to skip unfunny moments would significantly enhance the overall experience.

  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has raised concerns among users, as it can be demanding on hardware, even for machines that typically handle modern games well.

    • “Though I have to say that the game is at times worryingly taxing on my machine, which, even though it’s a few years old now, still offers respectable performance on a lot of modern games.”
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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Etherborn is a platformer game with kids theme.

Etherborn is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Etherborn.

Etherborn was released on July 18, 2019.

Etherborn was developed by Akupara Games.

Etherborn has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Etherborn is a single player game.

Similar games include Path of Giants, Hue, Planet of the Eyes, Snake Pass, The Pedestrian and others.