Shards of Eradine
- March 12, 2018
- CryptidTech
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Shards of Eradine" is an action-adventure game with a rich story and hand-drawn landscape inspired by the 16-bit era. Players join Cosmo and his sidekick Frea on a quest to restore the lands to their former glory by battling and recruiting over 40 unique nymphs. The game features over 100 map locations and over 20 hours of gameplay with side quests and hidden content.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features fantastic music that enhances the overall experience, especially in later stages.
- The worlds are unique and fun to explore, with a variety of interesting characters and personalities.
- The game has a solid premise combining Pokémon-style mechanics with adult humor, which some players find entertaining.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including game-breaking glitches, poor save systems, and unresponsive controls.
- The art style is inconsistent, with some character designs being poorly executed and not visually appealing.
- The gameplay lacks depth and challenge, with a simplistic battle system and tedious grinding required for progression.
- story19 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally regarded as simple and predictable, often serving merely as a vehicle to guide players through the gameplay rather than offering a compelling narrative. While it wraps up loose ends adequately, many players find it lacking depth and coherence, with some even describing it as barely passable. Additionally, the game restricts exploration under the guise of "story reasons," which can detract from the overall experience.
“I don't care, I was enjoying the story that I glossed over any of those sorts of errors.”
“Entertaining story”
“The story does wrap up most of its loose ends in a way that isn't great but isn't disappointing either.”
“The game constantly locks you on the story path, and you don't find out until the game makes quips about not being able to go back to previous areas because 'story reasons'.”
“Basic at best, full of holes at worst, the story only serves to shuffle the player from one area to the next, quietly imploring the player to move along without looking too deeply.”
“Story-wise, the game is barely passable.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by severe stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Players report a clunky experience, including problematic controls, UI issues, and game-breaking errors, leading to an overall frustrating and unrewarding experience. Many reviewers strongly advise against playing due to these persistent stability problems.
“The game is severely buggy to the point of breaking the game.”
“This game is buggy, has terrible controls that are not mapped to be convenient for PC players, and damn is it janky, especially when entering and exiting conversations.”
“Mechanically, the game is a buggy and clunky mess.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a solid Pokémon-style RPG but suffers from significant mechanical issues, including bugs and a lack of engaging gameplay loops. Players find the combat and catching mechanics unsatisfying, with evolutions feeling inconsequential, and the world leveling system poorly implemented. Overall, the gameplay experience is rated around 3 out of 5, indicating room for improvement.
“The gameplay is a solid Pokémon-type RPG.”
“I can see the mechanic of the world leveling up with you being useful in a Pokémon-style game, but when you're nearly forced to sit at a stone and dread getting into combat when you aren't near one, it's not being implemented properly.”
“Gameplay 3/5 ish.”
“Mechanically, the game is a buggy and clunky mess.”
“Gameplay wise, the game seems to have very little understanding of what makes a satisfying gameplay loop.”
“The moves make very little impact, the catching mechanic is non-existent other than having to find the monster, and the evolutions feel inconsequential.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and basic, with many expressing frustration over the time required to progress, particularly in evolving characters. Some recommend waiting for the addition of free-roaming grinding features to alleviate the grind, while others are holding off on further reviews until such improvements are implemented.
“Fighting seemed pretty basic and, as everyone else was saying, tedious, right?”
“1/5 - grinding a nymph to the third stage of evolution - I...uh...hope you like grinding.”
“You'll be grinding a while.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives generally positive feedback, with many players praising it as fantastic or really good, particularly in later stages. However, some reviews note that while the soundtrack is decent, it is overshadowed by poor-quality artwork, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the music seems to provide a redeeming quality for some players amidst their mixed feelings about the game.
“The music in this game is fantastic, especially later on.”
“Music is really good.”
“There were points in the game where the music helped me break away from my self-loathing and made the experience more enjoyable.”
“The graphics and soundtrack are pretty decent, but the artwork is very poor quality and somewhat disturbing... definitely would not recommend.”
“There were at some points of the game, due to the music, where I broke away from my self-loathing at playing the game and found myself not completely hating the experience.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by self-aware writing and a mix of meta jokes and adult themes, which many players find entertaining. However, some reviews note that the execution can be hit or miss, with certain comedic elements feeling underdeveloped or awkwardly integrated into the gameplay. Overall, while the humor adds charm, it is often overshadowed by technical issues and inconsistencies in the game's design.
“Solid writing, self-aware and funny with lots of meta jokes and adult humor.”
“This game is hilariously badly reviewed.”
“It's like making a deck out of Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon; it's glaringly obvious, lol. Again, nothing major, but it looks funny when most are different looking.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics received mixed reviews, with some users noting decent visuals and soundtrack, while others criticized the poor quality and inconsistency of character artwork, particularly for the main romantic interest. Additionally, technical issues such as glitches and a cumbersome UI detracted from the overall experience.
“The glitches, the cumbersome UI, the equipment bug that eats items, the lack of direction in the art styles, and the one-direction design that prevents you from even going back inside a store once you leave it.”
“The graphics and soundtrack are pretty decent, but the artwork is very poor quality and somewhat disturbing... definitely would not recommend.”
“The unlocked artwork is horribly inconsistent in quality; and the main character's art, particularly the principal romantic interest, is atrocious.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that the game offers a solid 9 hours of gameplay, with significant replay value that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“9 hours of playtime with great replay value.”
“The game offers multiple endings and choices that make each playthrough feel unique.”
“I love how different strategies can lead to entirely new experiences every time I play.”
