Summum Aeterna

Summum Aeterna is a decent roguelike adventure with a great aesthetic and superb music, but its gameplay loop and protagonist left me a little cold.

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Summum Aeterna is a challenging pixel art platformer with tough-as-nails combat. As an ancient warrior, you must battle through hordes of enemies and bosses to reclaim your lost powers and defeat the shadowy figure threatening your existence. With tight controls, a variety of abilities, and procedurally generated levels, each playthrough offers a new and intense experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 415 reviews

gameplay46 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

The game features beautiful hand-drawn 2D art and animations, making it visually stunning.
The combat system is fast-paced and engaging, with a variety of weapons and customization options that enhance gameplay.
The seed system allows for unique runs with different modifiers, providing a sense of progression and replayability.

The game suffers from repetitive level design and a lack of diverse enemy types, leading to a grindy experience.
There is minimal story content and motivation to continue playing after completing runs, making it feel less rewarding compared to other roguelites.
Technical issues, such as crashes and poor optimization, detract from the overall experience and can lead to lost progress.

gameplay
103 mentions
45 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Summum Aeterna" is characterized by a rewarding loop that combines fast-paced combat with a variety of mechanics and weapon types, including swords, scythes, and guns. Players appreciate the game's dynamic world generation, fluid controls, and engaging progression systems, although some find the initial simplicity and grind repetitive. Overall, the game successfully blends roguelike elements with action RPG mechanics, offering a visually stunning experience that encourages exploration and customization.
- “Tight combat filled with mechanical depth and grind, guaranteeing that 'carrot on a stick' feeling and pushing you to play just one more.”
- “Summum Aeterna is an impressive and innovative addition to the roguelite genre, combining unique world-crawling mechanics with fast-paced combat and a stunning 2D art style.”
- “Beautiful, fun, and already polished gameplay; I have no doubt Summum Aeterna will go far and achieve great things.”
- “All of the movement mechanics are explained right away and the level design feels too simplistic because of this.”
- “If it's already there and I haven't found it after 12 hours of gameplay, then it's not easy enough to find.”
- “The first hour of gameplay I was very hesitant if I had made a good purchase or not, and I was admittedly struggling.”
graphics
99 mentions
77 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, beautiful 2D art style, and polished animations. Players appreciate the vibrant and dynamic environments, as well as the absence of bugs or performance issues, contributing to an immersive experience. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a standout feature, enhancing both the gameplay and atmosphere.
- “Incredible visuals, quite busy locations filled with interesting and slightly difficult bosses that are a pleasure to defeat.”
- “Its stunning visuals and haunting soundtrack make for a truly unforgettable adventure.”
- “Strikingly beautiful graphics, I played more than one roguelike, but only this one seemed so beautiful to me.”
- “Please introduce a medium or low graphic setting.”
- “The graphics in the anime drawing are not for me, but the picture is good.”
- “The graphics are really polished, no stuttering, no weird visual bugs, but I do have one complaint on this point.”
music
46 mentions
74 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful and atmospheric soundtracks that enhance the gameplay experience. While some find the music fitting and enjoyable, a few critics feel that certain tracks are out of place or unmemorable. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, making it a notable aspect for players.
- “Its stunning visuals and haunting soundtrack make for a truly unforgettable adventure.”
- “The graphics and music are gorgeous and polished.”
- “Great game with excellent graphics, dynamic combat, a wonderful soundtrack, it's not the first time I take games from this developer, I recommend.”
- “Most of the music feels out of place and in general the ambiance of the game is way off in comparison to the theme of the game.”
- “The musical accompaniment is quite something.”
- “Swimming beyond the limits of the future, the journey becomes more intense in the replenishment of musical reproduction.”
optimization
24 mentions
17 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment in its performance despite enjoying the gameplay experience. While some noted polished graphics and decent optimization, others reported significant performance issues that detracted from their enjoyment, leading to refunds and calls for improvements.
- “I liked it so much I did extra work measuring the continuous FPS using graphs and providing specific performance information of four similar products, which is further proof of my interest.”
- “Interesting battles and decent optimization.”
- “The graphics are really polished, no stuttering, no weird visual bugs, but I do have one complaint on this point.”
- “Nice game ruined by bad performance.”
- “May I suggest you fix your bad performance instead of harassing customers for accurate reviews?”
- “The optimization was a little disappointing, but otherwise the game is good.”
story
20 mentions
50 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as thin but exciting, with players unlocking narrative elements through gameplay. While the graphics and soundtrack enhance the experience, many reviewers feel the plot lacks depth, comparing it to other titles like Aeterna Noctis. Overall, the game is seen as more of a dungeon crawler with minimal story integration, yet it remains engaging and addictive.
- “The plot is exciting, graphics are perfect.”
- “Summum Aeterna has an interesting plot and addictive gameplay.”
- “Great game with an exciting storyline, beautiful 2D graphics, the game is addictive from the first seconds, the game deservedly gets 10/10.”
- “What story there is, is very thin.”
- “Basically the same as Aeterna Noctis, but minus plot (this is a con), and minus horrendously overcomplicated platforming (which is a pro).”
- “I would describe this game as more of a random dungeon crawler with a tiny bit of story attached.”
atmosphere
12 mentions
83 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Summum Aeterna" is widely praised for its vibrant graphics and immersive soundtracks, creating a unique and engaging world. Reviewers highlight the game's colorful visuals, exciting music, and well-designed levels, which contribute to a captivating experience in both platforming and dungeon exploration. Overall, the game successfully combines its atmospheric elements with strong gameplay mechanics, making it appealing to fans of the genre.
- “Here is its own unique world with its own atmosphere!”
- “Summum Aeterna is a pretty colorful and atmospheric 2D platformer.”
- “I'd recommend the game for players who like randomly generated dungeons with slick controls, gorgeous atmosphere and music.”
humor
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever nerd humor, featuring numerous references to classic anime and elements of nerd culture, all while building a rich world with deep lore. Overall, it is considered a funny game that successfully blends humor with its narrative.
- “A good bit of nerd humor, not to mention several references to classic anime and other nerd culture things.”
- “They're creating a fresh world with deep lore and loads of humor.”
- “[b]Summum Aeterna[/b] [i]is a funny game, by the way.”
replayability
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Replayability in "Summum Aeterna" is notably high, with each run featuring unique level designs, varied enemy placements, and hidden items. The combination of stunning visuals and impactful combat further enhances the game's replay value, making it an enjoyable experience for players.
- “Replayability is high, each run having a different level design, enemy placement, and hidden items.”
- “Gorgeous visuals, weighty combat, and a surprising amount of replayability make Summum Aeterna something everyone can enjoy.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users express strong emotional dissatisfaction with the developers' decision to implement easy anti-cheat in single-player games, highlighting a lack of responsiveness to community feedback. The communication from the developers is perceived as accusatory and passive-aggressive, leading to feelings of frustration and manipulation among players.
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game features multiple upgrade trees requiring different resources, which can lead to a grindy experience, it does not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “The game can feel a bit grindy as there are several upgrade trees, each one using a different resource to advance, but I didn't feel as if it truly took away from the fun.”