ETHEREAL
- February 3, 2019
- Nonsense Arts
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Get on itch.io StoreETHEREAL is a single-player puzzle game featuring sensational mechanics and pretty visuals. Winner of the Audience Award at IGF 2019, it offers a non-verbal narrative through its beautiful minimalist art style and awarded music and sound design. Explore 4 different worlds with 24 hand-crafted levels, taking your time to solve puzzles and uncover secrets.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features beautiful abstract aesthetics and a unique visual style that stands out.
- Puzzles are cleverly designed and progressively increase in difficulty, providing a satisfying challenge.
- The sound design and music are exceptional, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
- The lack of guidance and maze-like levels can lead to frustration and confusion about where to go next.
- There is no option to replay levels after completion, and finishing the game results in the deletion of save files.
- Some mechanics can feel finicky and lead to softlocks, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- gameplay55 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its clever mechanics and gradual introduction of new elements, creating a satisfying yet sometimes frustrating puzzle experience. While the game features unique and aesthetically pleasing designs, some players found certain mechanics to be unclear or cumbersome, leading to moments of confusion. Overall, the gameplay is engaging and rewarding, with a good balance of simplicity and complexity, though it may require patience to fully appreciate its depth.
“The mechanics are really interesting, and it's fun to think about how they apply to the game's world.”
“Incredible little game, the puzzles are well designed and the introduction of new mechanics is done in an easy to understand and natural way.”
“Every puzzle and mechanic is so elegantly designed, making for slick gameplay and non-stop moments of euphoria and allowing it to keep things fresh even to the final levels.”
“It's not that I didn't have fun at all, but the maze aspect combined with mechanics like the rotation can render everything rather tedious and even frustrating sometimes.”
“My only gripe with the game is that although it introduces new game mechanics one by one, it was on several occasions completely unclear to me what the new mechanic was and I only stumbled upon the new mechanic by accident after much trial and error.”
“The primary mechanic of the game mainly serves to make basic movement slightly harder and more confusing without actually making the puzzles more interesting, which compounds the fact that the keyboard controls aren't great.”
- graphics31 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and beautiful abstract aesthetics, complemented by excellent sound design. Players appreciate the minimalist yet varied visuals that enhance the gameplay experience, although some have noted that certain effects, like the fisheye distortion, can be disorienting. Overall, the art style and audio create an immersive and aesthetically pleasing environment, making it a standout feature of the game.
“A logical game with clever mechanics and beautiful abstract aesthetics.”
“The visuals are really nice too: simple yet varied, with just enough decoration to make it pleasant without making it distracting.”
“The puzzles are engaging and scale well, the visuals are simple but beautiful, and the sound is immersive and so enjoyable.”
“Those visuals quickly turned sour when the fisheye effect made me queasy after 10 or so minutes each play session, which is quite weird because I play VR for hours at a time with no problem.”
“The visuals are unique but the 'puzzles' aren't stimulating.”
“On a few occasions the graphics or level layout confused me, but maybe I'm just a little dumb.”
- music15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game have received high praise for their quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting the ethereal and minimalist soundtrack that complements the gameplay. While some players desire more musical variety, the existing soundscapes effectively create a sense of immersion and match the game's aesthetic. Overall, the combination of music, sound effects, and visuals contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere.
“I've only played the first world (of 4) so far, but I can already recommend this game for the sound design and music alone.”
“The sound design and soundtrack is also excellent, and I loved how it all came together in the climax. Never underestimate abstract imagery.”
“Ethereal is a great zen puzzle game with awesome music, graphics, and puzzle designs!”
“I think that they could put more music, but I understand that the design of the game is to give you this sense of eternal solitude, so it's okay.”
“I love the sound design, but I wish it were a little more musical.”
“There are resolution options, windowed mode, and only a single volume slider, but there's no real background music, so it's fine.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its intriguing and relaxing qualities, enhanced by ambient sounds and unique visual presentation. Players appreciate the effective world-building that complements the engaging puzzles, making it a rewarding experience to return to after breaks. Overall, the atmosphere is described as abstract yet immersive, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“An interesting puzzle game with a good atmosphere.”
“Abstract and somewhat weird presentation, ambient sounds and good pacing create a relaxing atmosphere.”
“Puzzling in an atmospheric, abstract place with highly unique properties.”
“The game has its atmosphere, and returning after a break is a pleasure.”
“What's more, the other aspects of this game, such as audio, atmosphere, and art are not inferior at all.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious rather than challenging, with maze-like mechanics and rotation elements contributing to frustration. While there are many interesting levels, the movement difficulties often feel more like a chore than a genuine test of skill.
“Isn't particularly difficult, just tedious.”
“It's not that I didn't have fun at all, but the maze aspect combined with mechanics like the rotation can render everything rather tedious and even frustrating sometimes.”
“Many interesting levels, though in some the difficulty of moving around doesn't add real difficulty so much as tediousness.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The story is perceived as less dramatic than suggested by the trailer, with players finding it more casual and straightforward during gameplay. Overall, the narrative is described as nice and compact, fitting well within the platforming experience.
“The trailer seems to imply a more dramatic story than what you actually experience during a casual playthrough.”
“The narrative felt disjointed and lacked the depth that was promised.”
“Character development was minimal, making it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, primarily offering value for players who may want to uncover missed secrets, and is considered short in duration. It is recommended for fans of puzzle games, but those seeking extensive replay options may be disappointed.
“It has no replay value (unless you missed some secrets), is pretty short, and I recommend it if you enjoy puzzle games.”
