Eternal Threads is a story-based game that puts the player in the role of a time-traveling agent sent back to right some wrongs. The eerie dystopian future requires things to be changed, and the player must change the timeline of events in order to stop a disastrous fire from happening. The catch is that it must be done by altering the characters' choices, rather than just preventing the house from catching fire.
There is a lot to love about this story-based indie production, and it performs really well in a lot of aspects, but there is always room to improve. For players who love walking simulators or light puzzle games, Eternal Threads shines. However, with a few changes, the game could be even better.
8 More Interactive Content
Eternal Threads is a great atmospheric game, but at times can be a little too much like a walking simulator. Some of the scenes are rather long, and some players will find it difficult to sit and concentrate on the narrative without having any gaming mechanics to complete.
More interaction would solve this. Adding a few timed button prompts would help engage the player while they focus on the game’s scene by adding some timed tension. The focus on narrative is fine, and some players love that style, but adding a few more interactive elements would not take away from the story and would give the player a little more to do.
7 Varying Character Personalities
As the game is very narrative-heavy, the characters should be more vibrant, engaging, and maybe likable. At times, there are some fascinating and humorous interactions between characters, but there could be more depth to each character to keep players engaged in the storyline.
The voice acting is very well performed and holds up a lot of the dialogue. However, the characters themselves feel like mere cogs in the machine. Adding different personality types would create drama and tension by forcing the player to attach to certain characters, rather than dissociation from them.
6 Multiple Subplots
The game excels in its mechanics of storytelling and execution of the timeline exploration. Although the game currently suffers from having binary options for relationships between characters, it could amplify the tension by allowing for more interactions.
In its current state, the mission is to save everyone, but it would be nice to see some subplots and add some depth to the mission at hand. It is just a very simplistic goal for such a great game. It would feel a lot more open if there were multiple goals to achieve.
5 Definitive Puzzles
Speaking of engagement, one surefire way of keeping gamers engaged is with puzzle-solving. Keeping the audience attentive is a difficult thing to accomplish during long cutscenes. The cutscenes in this game are a perfect chance to provide clues, divulge hidden information, or become an interactive puzzle. As Eternal Threads relies so much on the story and narrative, some players feel that it lacks identity in terms of gameplay.
There is enough dialogue in the game to filter in some way of adding bonus information that players use to solve puzzles. For example, some of the achievements in the game are related to finding certain letters or recordings, but there is not much solid puzzle-solving applied to these where they could easily be.
4 Fast Forward or Skip Scene
It might go against the theme of the game, but there are multiple reasons that a player may need this feature. A long cut scene can sometimes be so difficult to get through, that a player gives up from sheer boredom. Video games are supposed to be entertaining, so if there is a scene that a player wishes to skip or move on from, an option to do so might make the experience more enjoyable.
This is especially true when playing through the game for a second or third time. As most gamers can attest, the first play-through doesn’t always work out. Coming back to a game like Eternal Threads can be overwhelming, so being able to skip through parts that have already been watched would be a huge bonus.
3 A Voluntary Save System
This is a small improvement that will help certain players enjoy the game. Roughly, the game will last around 10–15 hours depending on each person’s play style. However, the game doesn’t allow the players to save; rather, there is an auto-save system.
This is fine, but some players will need to save or pause at specific times. It would also be nice to see cloud saving implemented so that Steam Deck users can play on either system and not lose progress.
2 A Satisfying Conclusion
Being story-based, Eternal Threads sets up the narrative really well and builds around an interesting concept of time travel. However, some players have criticized the ending as underwhelming, as it’s a story-driven game that ends in text boxes.
The game needs to address this. One viable solution would be a flash-forward sequence showing the character’s new futures. However, due to the nature of the game, each person may have many different outcomes, which is perhaps the reason the developers used text boxes instead.
1 No Cliff Hanger Ending
If a player manages to complete the game with the perfect ending for each character, there is a special ending that leaves players with a cliffhanger. The downside of this cliffhanger is that the game feels incomplete, and it leaves everyone waiting on a sequel that may never come.
While those who played the first game will look forward to a second game, many would have preferred a complete first iteration and a sequel that improves many of the faults of the game with a brand-new storyline.
Eternal Threads is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.