Eternal Strands

The first game from Canada's Yellow Brick Games, which employs renowned ex-developers from Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and BioWare, is called Eternal Strands. It's an action-adventure with surprisingly good and creative combat against towering enemies - and it seems pleasingly focused on the core elements.

Magic, world interaction and battles against giant bosses are the strengths of Eternal Strands. In this action-adventure, players take on the role of Brynn, a young but fearless Weaver determined to restore her people's cultural homeland in a fantasy world that, despite its generic appearance, boasts good world-building, but the story isn't always as convincing. On the plus side, the magic system is really impressive when used skilfully against enemies. Ice can be used not only to cool a dragon's fiery breath, but also to freeze parts of the enemy to the ground so that it can be attacked. Players can block incoming attacks with a wall of magical ice or uprooted trees, unleash waves of flame from a two-handed blade, hurl enemies off a cliff with telekinetic force, or rip objects from the environment and use them as throwing weapons. These powers can be enhanced with enchanted weapons and armor.

In Eternal Strands, players use magic to turn the world into a weapon. But it all comes together when battling colossal enemies so large that players can climb them (even in mid-air). Players will then be able to shatter their armour, burn their fur or catch projectiles and turn their attacks back on them in battle. Players will also have to deal with extreme weather conditions, which will affect the environment. To get a glimpse of these battles as a key element, it's worth checking out the demo.

The world can also be explored, with players able (according to the developers) to really climb on any surface, which sometimes feels a bit janky, or use magic skills to create new paths - ice can be used to create a bridge, for example. The game doesn't have a classic open world, but players enter hand-crafted worlds from a hub, similar to Monster Hunter. And unlike many other games in the genre, much of it is more compact and less time-consuming. The central meeting point, by the way, is Base Camp, where players return from their travels around the world to find other characters waiting for them, all eager to discover the secrets of what has happened to this lost bastion.

Eternal Strands is developed and published by Yellow Brick Games. It is the first game from the studio, which was founded in 2020 in Quebec City, Canada by Thomas Giroux (CEO), Jeff Skalski (COO, Executive Producer), Mike Laidlaw (Chief Creative Officer) and Frédéric St-Laurent B. (Game Director), all of whom made their mark at leading studios such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and BioWare, where they contributed to internationally recognised franchises such as Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed. For example, Laidlaw was Creative Director on the Dragon Age franchise and Jade Empire. "The studio leverages the founders' vast experience in the production of world-renowned franchises through an agile and human approach, which brings game production back to the pure and simple pleasures of crafting original and exciting experiences for the most demanding players," said the developers. Yellow Brick Games now employs 70 developers between its Quebec City and Montreal offices.

Additionally, Yellow Brick Games has partnered with Square Enix's Creative Studio III ( known for Final Fantasy XIV Online and Final Fantasy XVI) to design new, original content for Eternal Strands. The first post-launch update will be available for free and will feature a new creature, weapons and armor set designed in collaboration with Creative Studio III Lead Artist Yusuke Mogi.

"As a long-time fan of Square Enix and the games Creative Studio III have made under the helm of Naoki Yoshida, member of Square Enix’s board of directors, and studio head of Creative Studio III, this is a dream come true for all of us here at Yellow Brick Games. To first have the opportunity to create our own original fantasy IP and then have the chance to work with the Creative Studio III team to further enrich it with all-new content is just a once in a lifetime moment. As an independent studio working on our first game, we will forever be thankful to them. I can't wait for the players to experience the new cool designs from the master artist Yusuke Mogi when our first free post-launch update for Eternal Strands arrives in the spring of 2025" - Jeff Skalski, COO & Executive Producer at Yellow Brick Games

Eternal Strands was released on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass on 28 January 2025. The game is available in seven languages, including German, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, as well as English and French, both of which will feature fully localised voice acting at launch.

Conclusion

Eternal Strands has some surprisingly good and creative combat - and it sticks to this essentials.

Features

• Powerful magic-based combat system, especially against large enemies
• Interactive environment where you can climb almost anywhere
• Focused narrative without feeling too bloated