The Wild Eternal
- April 13, 2017
- Ilsanjo
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"The Wild Eternal" is a first-person exploration and adventure game set in a breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious Asian-inspired landscape. As the spirit of a deceased elderly woman, players must meditate, explore, and interact with the world to uncover the mystery of their own death and achieve inner peace. The game features a unique art style, immersive soundtrack, and a focus on non-violent interaction and self-discovery.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a calming atmosphere, making it a visually appealing experience.
- The exploration mechanics and the unique skill system provide a satisfying sense of progression as players uncover hidden areas and collect items.
- The philosophical themes and thought-provoking dialogue between the characters invite players to reflect on deeper existential questions.
- The gameplay can feel slow and tedious due to limited sprinting capabilities and a lack of clear direction, leading to frustration while navigating the foggy environments.
- Many players found the story to be confusing and lacking in coherence, with an ending that felt abrupt and unsatisfying.
- Technical issues, such as bugs and poor audio quality, detracted from the overall experience, making it difficult for some players to fully enjoy the game.
- story88 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story, rooted in Buddhist philosophy and themes of reincarnation, is described as slow-paced and at times nonsensical, often requiring players to read extensive scripted dialogue without voice acting. While some players appreciate the spiritual and exploratory aspects, finding the lore and atmosphere engaging, others criticize the convoluted narrative and lack of clear direction. Overall, the story offers a unique experience that encourages reflection and exploration, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its abstract nature.
“The story is based on Buddhist legends and philosophy, not relevant for the puzzles though, just for the general atmosphere.”
“Really well done exploration game with an engaging storyline that you uncover wandering in this mysterious, sometimes dreary, and bizarre world.”
“I found the protagonist to be creative and compelling and deeply identified with her backstory.”
“But in the end, all you get is some mumbo jumbo about getting lied to and not accepting life as it is, the usual mediocrity you get in an average side quest in some game.”
“The story - goddamn this story is slow and most of the time nonsensical. It constantly tells you about what has happened, what is happening, and what may happen, but in this very annoying riddle-like way. Nothing is voice acted; it's all scripted, which will consume serious time to read everything.”
“This isn't some puzzle you're trying to unravel - it's obtuse musings on the nature of life, reality, and existence, when all you want is a proper backstory for your character.”
- graphics56 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their colorful and artistic style, creating a calming and immersive atmosphere, though some players noted issues with fog obscuring visibility and occasional graphical glitches. While the visuals are described as lovely and smooth, they are not considered groundbreaking, leading to mixed reviews regarding their overall impact. The art style effectively contributes to the game's dream-like quality, enhancing the experience despite some technical shortcomings.
“The graphics are so lovely and smooth.”
“The art style is colorful and pretty, and the relaxing soundtrack fits it perfectly.”
“I thought the world was beautiful; one of my favorite parts about the graphics were the colors, which were vivid and well-balanced.”
“This game is full of seizure-inducing graphical glitches, the worst of which permanently corrupted my save file and caused my laptop to block the game from using its graphical hardware entirely.”
“Aside from the graphical issues, the audio is poorly compressed and really grates on the ears after a while.”
“The graphics are nowhere near mind-blowing but the visual presentation still finds a way to be fantastic.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a slow-paced exploration mechanic that can feel tedious initially, but becomes more engaging as players earn "blessings" that enhance their character's abilities. While the world is visually stunning and offers a large area to explore, the limited movement options and reliance on audio cues can detract from the overall experience, leading to a sense of frustration and a lack of direction. Despite these drawbacks, some players appreciate the peaceful atmosphere and the rewarding nature of certain mechanics, though many feel the gameplay ultimately lacks depth and excitement.
“The most interesting game mechanic is that you will earn skills ('blessings') at shrines where you need to offer tributes, which will gradually enable your old character to run faster, see better, slide, jump, and so on.”
“Okay, this game is absolutely beautiful in every way - atmosphere, music, gameplay, story - it pretty much has it all.”
“The gameplay is very relaxed and the sounds are so peaceful; I could probably fall asleep to these in a heartbeat if I left them on in the background.”
“The gameplay is mostly just walking, but it's somehow worse than usual.”
“The core gameplay is basically run around to find collectibles, which in itself would be fine, but exploration is terribly unfun as you don't move fast and have a super limited sprinting meter that recharges outrageously slowly.”
“Forcefully slowed down gameplay to increase game time; it's also generally boring.”
- music40 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the serene and beautiful visuals. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a perfect complement to the game's introspective themes and stunning environments, creating a relaxing and immersive experience. Overall, the music is described as memorable, soothing, and integral to the game's enchanting atmosphere.
“The scenery, music, and atmosphere are absolutely gorgeous, with thought-provoking dialogue throughout.”
“The music perfectly complements the sense of mystery, which at first seems mostly innocent, but grows increasingly suspenseful and mysterious the further you descend into the depths of the fog-covered wildernesses.”
“The writing is thoughtful and introspective, and the music and scene design is surreal, stunningly beautiful, and very memorable.”
“The music is appropriately atmospheric and low key.”
“The environments, music, and story sucked me right in and I found myself enjoying the feeling of being lost, trying to understand what was happening.”
“- relaxing soundtrack”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming music, stunning visuals, and a dream-like quality that enhances the overall experience. Users appreciate the blend of peaceful elements with suspenseful moments, creating a dynamic environment that keeps players engaged. The art style and thoughtful dialogue further contribute to a gorgeous and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The scenery, music, and atmosphere are absolutely gorgeous, with thought-provoking dialogue throughout.”
“The visual style of the game is absolutely superb, and it creates the perfect atmosphere.”
“Okay, this game is absolutely beautiful in every way - atmosphere, music, gameplay, story - it pretty much has it all.”
“The story is based on Buddhist legends and philosophy, not relevant for the puzzles though, just for the general atmosphere.”
“The art style is just fantastic and helps create that 'dream-like' atmosphere.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game initially tedious and requiring patience; however, as characters accumulate blessings, the gameplay becomes smoother and more efficient.
“The gameplay mechanics can be a little tedious at first and require patience, but as your character accumulates blessings, things start to get a lot more smooth and efficient.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from severe stability issues, including frequent graphical glitches that can induce seizures and have the potential to corrupt save files. These problems are significant enough to cause some systems to restrict the game's access to graphical hardware.
“This game is full of seizure-inducing graphical glitches, the worst of which permanently corrupted my save file and caused my laptop to block the game from using its graphical hardware entirely.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, particularly highlighting that the protagonist fails to evolve or gain a deeper understanding of the Buddhist and Taoist principles presented throughout the game. This stagnation detracts from the overall narrative experience.
“The principal reason for me is that the protagonist does not go through any character development, and never comes to a deeper understanding of the Buddhist and Taoist principles found scattered throughout this game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game engaging, particularly appreciating the charming and funny talking fox character, whose voice acting adds to the overall appeal. The premise also contributes to the game's comedic elements, drawing players in from the start.
“When I started playing the game, I was drawn in immediately by the premise and the interesting and kind of funny fox that talks to you (I love his voice acting, by the way).”
