Eternal Daughter

5 Cave Story-level epicness outweighs very few technical issues
What scares me is that I almost didn’t experience this gem. When I first started the game, I hated almost everything about it, but what I soon discovered is that just about every issue I had gets resolved later on.

When I first started, I faced:

the frequent two-second freezes, very bad pacing (four hits to die in a forest riddled with monsters, very short attack range), and a movement system that involved walking for a second and then suddenly start running as opposed to accelerating.

The two-second freezes stayed, unfortunately, but they never got in the way too much as they didn’t happen that often. The unforgiving beginning of the game was soon resolved as I acquired a lot more health, a lot more attack power and a lot more range (and throwing weapons). I wouldn’t pass a second thought traversing through the massive game world, and save points were everywhere. As for the movement, getting the slide technique fixed it very nicely. Not only does sliding accelerate fast, but if you jump during sliding, you could keep your momentum and run with the speed of the slide! This is great for blazing through areas, and getting around actually feels fun.

The masterful pixel-art really helped. It was consistent, and beautiful to look at. Some of the best I’ve seen. The music is very catchy and matches the game’s style well.

The world is massive, and features many varying styles. There are many secrets in the world, the amount a good Metroidvania should have. The bosses are challenging, but are very fun and cleverly designed. They are rarely too punishing (a few, though).

If I had any gripe with the game, it might be that a few things are hidden too well. For example, the path to get to the final area is hidden brutally. I had to look at a video play-through to find certain things. Another small flaw is that at rare points the game might freeze and loop the last sound. I would have to hold a button to unfreeze it, and I’d need to find a save point as fast as possible. To fix that, the game simply needs to be re-opened.

The story is one of the high-points of the game. The dialog was very well written throughout. The plot starts on a sad note, with Mia’s mother dying and village being destroyed. As you explore the world, the story unfolds beautifully. You meet new races and eventually unite against a common enemy. The ending is one of the best I’ve seen, up there with Iji’s and Super Paper Mario’s.

This review is longer than I intended it to be, but at least I got my point across. If you don’t mind some challenge, particularly in the beginning when you’re getting used to the game mechanics, make sure to give this gem a play. Looking on YouTube for guidance might be a good idea.

3 Plagued with technical problems
From what little I played of the game, it seemed to have the potential to be very enjoyable. However…

I can’t even get out of the first area, due to technical problems, especially slowdown and sound glitches (looping sound effects). The rig I’m playing it on is more than powerful enough to run this game, so it’s not a problem there.

I really wish I could get further in this, because it seems very solid from what little I’ve seen, but unfortunately, it’s problems far outweigh its potential for me.