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.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a serene atmosphere, making exploration enjoyable.
- The dialogue and interactions with the fox character provide thought-provoking insights and add depth to the story.
- The unique skill system allows for gradual character progression, enhancing the exploration experience.
- The gameplay can feel slow and tedious due to limited sprinting and navigation issues, often leading to aimless wandering.
- The story is often cryptic and lacks a satisfying conclusion, leaving players feeling unfulfilled.
- Technical issues, such as bugs and poor audio quality, detract from the overall experience.
- story44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story, rooted in Buddhist philosophy and mythology, explores themes of reincarnation and the nature of existence, though it often presents its narrative in a slow and convoluted manner that may frustrate some players. While the storytelling is delivered through journals and metaphorical conversations with a fox-god, many players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and the opportunity for exploration, finding the lore and backstory compelling despite its abstract presentation. Overall, the narrative is seen as engaging and thought-provoking, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its pacing and complexity.
“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.”
“A deep and thoughtful storyline.”
“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 find 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.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful art style and beautiful vistas that create a calming atmosphere. However, some players report significant graphical glitches that detract from the experience, alongside a fog effect that obscures the visuals. Overall, while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are appreciated for their aesthetic appeal and contribution to the game's immersive environment.
“The graphics are so lovely and smooth.”
“The art style is just fantastic and helps create that 'dream-like' atmosphere.”
“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.”
“You play as a woman that awakes in a beautiful looking world, you have a guide in the form of a fox which gives you directions, the graphics are so-so but that's on purpose. In the first part of the game, I stood on the lookout to barely be able to see the distance.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a slow-paced exploration experience that can feel tedious initially, but becomes more engaging as players accumulate skills or "blessings" that enhance movement and abilities. While the world is visually stunning and offers a large area to explore, many players find the mechanics limiting and the overall experience somewhat boring, particularly due to slow movement and a lack of direction. Despite these drawbacks, the game provides a relaxing atmosphere that some players appreciate, though the narrative resolution leaves much to be desired.
“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 character to run faster, see better, slide, jump, and so on.”
“I really liked all the exploration in this game and it gave me a good while of gameplay, but at the same time it was hard to get all the tears and get to the ending.”
“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.”
“So the one mechanic in the game that gives you any specific directions about where to go is broken, and the dev is aware of this and hasn't patched it.”
“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.”
- music20 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 15 % 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 combination of soothing music and captivating scenery contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“The scenery is simply beautiful, accompanied by music that takes your brain on a relaxing, meditative walk.”
“The mood of the game is serene, underlined with soothing music while exploring beautiful sceneries wreathed in distinctive colors one after another.”
“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 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.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its calming music, stunning visuals, and dream-like quality, creating a peaceful yet occasionally suspenseful experience. The art style and thoughtful dialogue enhance the overall ambiance, making it a beautiful and immersive environment that complements the game's themes. Players appreciate the balance between tranquility and tension, contributing to a captivating atmosphere throughout the gameplay.
“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.”
“Also, I gotta say the art style is just fantastic and helps create that 'dream-like' atmosphere.”
“The story is based on Buddhist legends and philosophy, which adds to the general atmosphere, but is not relevant for the puzzles.”
“The art style is fantastic and helps create a 'dream-like' atmosphere.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the initial grinding in the game to be somewhat tedious and requiring patience; however, as characters gain blessings, the gameplay becomes significantly 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.”
“Grinding feels like an endless chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay motivated and enjoy the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including severe graphical glitches that can lead to corrupted save files and even hardware restrictions on some systems.
“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 development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the protagonist lacks significant character development, failing to achieve a deeper understanding of the Buddhist and Taoist principles presented in the game. This absence of growth 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.”
“The characters feel flat and unchanging, making it hard to connect with their journeys or care about their outcomes.”
“There is a lack of meaningful growth or transformation for the characters, which leaves the story feeling stagnant and unengaging.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the engaging premise and the amusing talking fox character, whose voice acting adds to the comedic charm.
“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.”
