Ethereal Enigma
- August 22, 2020
- PixelFade
- 21h median play time
Get on SteamEthereal Enigma is a first-person puzzle-adventure game set in a mysterious, alien world. Players must navigate through beautifully designed environments and solve mind-bending puzzles to uncover the secrets of this strange new world. With a soothing soundtrack and atmospheric visuals, Ethereal Enigma offers a unique and immersive gaming experience.
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Reviews
- The game features high-quality voice acting and beautiful animated character sprites, enhancing the overall experience.
- The story is engaging and humorous, with well-developed characters that players can easily become invested in.
- Ethereal Enigma offers a fun slice-of-life narrative that balances lighthearted moments with emotional depth.
- The plot can feel tedious and lacks significant conflict, making some parts of the story drag on.
- Choices often feel inconsequential, with many leading to similar outcomes, which can diminish player agency.
- The game may not meet the expectations set by previous titles from PixelFade, as it is lighter on plot and character development.
- story659 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Ethereal Enigma" is primarily a slice-of-life narrative that follows a group of friends navigating their high school lives, interspersed with fantasy elements. While some players appreciate the character interactions and humor, many find the plot to be lackluster, predictable, and lacking in meaningful choices that impact the storyline. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for those seeking a lighthearted experience, but it may disappoint players looking for a more engaging or complex narrative compared to previous titles from the developer.
“This game does not fail to live up to its predecessors, with an enjoyable slice-of-life storyline and lovable characters that you can't help but become invested in.”
“The way the novel starts off with the encounter of Erilynn is done well enough to start an interesting story on why she is here and finding a way for her to get back home sounds promising, even if it does hit a lot of fish-out-of-water tropes in the reverse isekai genre. I like these types of storytelling.”
“The characters in this game are well developed and the plot is thought out quite well; the only downside would have to be some of the background scenes being reused between various settings. However, this is not a critical point when looking at the overall quality of the game.”
“The story is completely focused on one of the love interests and when not romancing her, all the romance scenes feel like filler between the important story bits.”
“The main plot seems to be put on the backburner by the time you go to the hot springs and there seem to be hints at a grand finale which simply doesn't come.”
“The story was underwhelming because it focused mainly on slice of life.”
- humor120 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in this visual novel is widely praised for its lightheartedness, clever dialogue, and self-aware quips, often leading to genuine laughter and heartwarming moments. Players appreciate the well-developed characters and the engaging voice acting, which enhance the comedic experience, while pop culture references and playful innuendos add to the charm. Despite some critiques regarding the story's depth, the overall consensus is that the humor is a standout feature, making the game enjoyable and memorable.
“It was a stereotypical slice of life anime, but the game was very self-aware of this fact and often made quips about itself that were hilarious to read.”
“Getting to enjoy all their shenanigans made me laugh harder and more often than I have in a good long while!”
“The characters were the highlight of the novel, and mixed in with the hilarious dialogue and amazing voice-over work, you can get some really funny and heartwarming moments.”
- music75 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the catchy and smooth tunes, particularly the excellent opening song, while others find the overall soundtrack to be unmemorable and derivative. Despite this, many players appreciate the music's ability to set the tone for scenes and enhance the emotional experience, especially during key moments. Overall, while the music may not stand out as exceptional, it is generally considered good and complements the game's art and storytelling effectively.
“The art is also beautiful, and the music is honestly charming to listen to.”
“Music by Eric Benaim will both hook you and set the mood perfectly, backgrounds are once again a beautiful part of the game, from the gorgeous waterfall at the camp, the boardwalk at the beach, and even the bakery are all drawn with care.”
“As someone who casually creates music from time to time, the tunes are quite catchy and smooth to the ears.”
“The music in the game is not really memorable, except for the excellent opening song; other songs are nothing special.”
“Music never stuck out to me.”
“The music is bouncy, but nothing particularly memorable.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their high production quality, featuring beautiful and meticulously designed artwork, vibrant backgrounds, and well-animated character sprites that enhance the storytelling experience. The voice acting complements the visuals effectively, creating an engaging atmosphere that feels almost like watching an anime. While there are minor issues such as typos and occasional bugs, the overall presentation is considered a strong point, making it a recommended choice for fans of visual novels.
“The visuals were vibrant and the characters are all lovely with interesting personalities; their friendship bond was sweet and some of the scenes actually made my heart flutter.”
“Backgrounds are beautiful, character artwork is beautiful, and is animated, and is lip-synced to voice acting: on auto mode you're almost watching anime.”
“Visuals make or break a game like this, and Pixelfade's team did not disappoint.”
“Overall, I would say it is a teeny bit of a step down from both previous titles in terms of story and graphics.”
“The odd typo or missing voice line (I counted just one of each) are minor nitpicks at best, and there seems to be the odd and inconsistent bug with some save files and graphical live-2D issues.”
“The artwork, presentation, soundtrack, UI, and voice acting are all great but the execution and delivery of the story is certainly lacking.”
- emotional55 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome storytelling, with well-rounded characters that evoke genuine feelings through humor and touching moments. While some critiques mention a lackluster plot and limited choices, the overall experience is described as enjoyable and memorable, often leading players through an emotional rollercoaster filled with laughter and sentimentality. The game's art and voice acting further enhance its ability to create a delightful and engaging emotional journey.
“The characters were the highlight of the novel, and mixed in with the hilarious dialogue and amazing voice-over work, you can get some really funny and heartwarming moments.”
“I couldn't stand Erilynn at first, but her route turned out to be so touching that I nearly cried manly tears.”
“Once again, Pixelfade does what they do best: make a visual novel that is not only heartwarming but extremely enjoyable and memorable.”
- character development37 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the slow and subtle growth of characters, particularly in the slice-of-life context. While some characters, like Kira and Erilynn, have been noted for their limited arcs, others are praised for their depth and relatability. Overall, the character designs and voice acting enhance the immersive experience, though some players feel that the development could be more intense compared to other titles in the genre.
“The character designs were also very beautiful, the 3D models looked great and had a diverse range of facial expressions which really added to the immersion and enjoyment of the story.”
“It's a slower-paced slice of life story with excellent character development.”
“The character development has been good.”
“You won't find much character development in here; it's not that there is no character development, but the game is geared towards a slice-of-life story.”
“I feel like Kira needs an after story to, you know, finish her character development because I felt very underwhelmed after her route.”
“They do try and make her likable and show she can be generous, but it feels backhanded and there is little to no character development with her.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Ethereal Enigma" is primarily choice-driven, allowing players to shape their character's personality and relationships through numerous decisions, though some may find the lack of significant mechanics limiting. Pixelfade has enhanced its gameplay with each release, offering a rich narrative experience with multiple romantic routes and character arcs that evolve based on player choices. While it may not feature traditional gameplay elements, the engaging story and character interactions provide a fulfilling experience, even in its early access state.
“Ethereal Enigma takes the best of both worlds; there are hundreds of choices that let you really build more unique relationships with characters, while also providing multiple romantic routes that make your entire gameplay change with each subtle choice.”
“Whenever you play a Pixelfade game, you can always expect a few things: a wonderful story that can be told in multiple ways and end in different ways, friends who support you throughout your gameplay and experience their own arcs, regardless of if you lead them into it or not, and of course an excellent job by all those involved with the game, from the voice actors and artists to the writers and sound production team; all of them worked very hard to bring another Pixelfade game into this world and they have done their jobs perfectly.”
“Even with it only being early access, in its current state I had a good 4 hours of gameplay going through just one story alone.”
“There are no mechanics, just choices.”
“It was different than I thought when I realized it was a visual novel and not one with any serious gameplay.”
“Choice-driven is more of a 'next few lines are different,' which is not a bad thing, but if you read more visual novels where every choice has big consequences, you might find this mechanic annoying.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
"Ethereal Enigma" offers notable replayability through its multiple character paths and the opportunity to unlock various CGs, making it engaging for players. However, some reviewers feel that certain choices, like club selection, lack significance, which may detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many find the game entertaining and worth revisiting.
“There's actual replay value in this game.”
“The relationship system is actually rather simple, and going down each of the character paths gives the game a good amount of replay value, especially if you're trying to unlock all of the CGs.”
“They even pretend like you're going to have some more replayability by having you choose a club which becomes inconsequential and just another quick scene you gloss over.”
“The replayability is there, and the game design made me fall in love.”
“Multiple routes leading to replayability.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many expressing that the story becomes boring due to excessive and unprovoked insults from a female character. This repetitive nature detracts from the overall enjoyment of the narrative.
“The story was getting tedious and boring.”
“This gets tedious real quick; a few jabs once in a while are fine, but I cannot think of too many story segments where a female character didn't dish out unprovoked insults and disrespect.”
“The story was getting tedious and boring.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally praised, with only a few minor visual and audio glitches reported, indicating a high overall quality and a smooth experience for players.
“The overall quality of the game - amount of bugs, visual glitches, misspellings, etc. - is very high, with maybe only one or two actually noticeable visual glitches throughout the whole novel.”
“Not much else to say this early on, but I did notice a couple of minor audio glitches at some scenes.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the voice acting, particularly Megan's performance as Kira, significantly enhances the game's immersion, showcasing a strong emphasis on character development and dialogue quality. Overall, the optimization of voice performances contributes positively to the game's emotional depth.
