really loved all the companions and their storyline side quests were so good same for the bazar quest 👍

I'm really glad I gave it another shot after all the Aeterna shills over here who said I should give it another shot because. This game is extremely interesting, not only as a Metroidvania but as a game, because there's quite nothing like it. It's a truly original take on a genre that has been deeply codified.

I think this game has a lot of problems due to the Hollow Knight bullshit copycat stuff I'll talk about this later but I clearly have never raged this much in a solo game, and it's also quite brilliant in many ways.

First, I'm going to go over what I think are Aeterna's strongest points:

__Platforming is simply the best in the genre:

I have done every platforming section Aeterna has to offer, and at one point I stopped for a second and asked myself a question: "Just how many platforming sections does this game have as a whole?" The answer is: A LOT. A LOT. A LOT.

But more importantly how did the devs manage to keep it entertaining and engaging for so long? Because clearly, I was not bored a single time with the platforming. I always found it fair(RAGE RAGE RAGE), challenging, exciting, and while constantly renewing itself, i also really like the platforming section that works more like puzzles.

It's the best platforming in the genre so varied so rich and probably the best platforming I've experienced in a game I'm not really fond of platformers, to be honest so this should tell you a lot lol.

these guys must have put so much effort and passion in this game because of how generous it is. yes i raged so much called the platforming unfair many time but damn now that its all set and done the quality was so high that's why i was so invested.

__The arrow is probably the best Metroidvania ability:

The arrow mechanic was extremely frustrating at first because of the really weird controls, but once you get it, it becomes second nature but its going to take hours and hours of practice and deaths before you reach this state. It's truly an outstanding and original ability because it opens up the game in so many creative ways and completely changes it while also giving you a huge learning curve, by the end of the game you'll be doing some crazy stuff you struggled before with extreme ease.

Plus, the first time you get your arrow is one of my fav backtracking sections in a Metroidvania with sotn bat mode. So many new areas open up with exciting challenges and great rewards.

__The game is huge and not bloated and consistant:

It took me 42 hours to 100% the game (I didn't do the DLC). That's the biggest MV in my book, bigger than Hollow Knight 1 and Afterimage.

I don't think the game's length is bloated either. I didn't notice any quality drop; it's actually the opposite games gets better and better, as some of the best moments and areas occur in the late game or mid game.

Overall, Aeterna's scope is fucking scary. You go to HELL then SPACE then to HEAVEN, just holy shit.

__The game is accessible and its extremely difficult reputation is exaggerated:

I feel like Aeterna's reputation has scared a lot of players away. I think it's exaggerated because i believe this game is accessible to anyone but you'll only realize this by the end game after everything you went thru and how good you got without realizing it.

Don't get me wrong, the game is super hard. You're going to bang your head against a wall. But overall, there is only one section, and it's 100% optional where I really had to really tryhard for an hour because it was the moist brutal thing in the game: (Emperor Seal 4) and it was still fun as fuck.

The game will constantly throw checkpoints at you. Most of the platforming sections have checkpoints, and the most difficult ones that don't have them are short and well, fun as fuck.

I played on Noctis, the original difficulty. Just don't play this game on Aeterna, its original difficulty is the way to go It's well designed.

oh and time sapphire(slow mo boost when shooting arrows + slow mo jump) is the best gem in the entire game use it use it use it use it use it use it use it use it.

__The difficulty curve and progression are insanely good:

What I mean by that is the fact that at the start this game is brutally hard and by the end I was steamrolling through some of the most difficult sections like nothing.

At one point, everything just clicked, and it truly felt like a crazy power-up not because I unlocked a new ability, but simply because I had gotten so good at the game after so many deaths and different varied platforming section that teach you something without you realizing it patterns starts to appear.

And that genuinely surprised me.

The fact that you get most of the abilities by the middle of the game is also great, this is where the real game start, where everything is possible and your skill is the only limit.

The game has some of the most memorable shit in any MV:

In retrospect, I have to admit that this game has some of the best shit I've seen in a Metroidvania the kind of stuff i won't forget in a saturated genre aeterna noctis is so memorable.

The COSMOS? Goated. ( i now believe that it's the best and most memorable area in any metroidvania, because they pulled something like that in the late game where most games are in their last breath)

The 10 Trials of the King? Goated.

Emperor Seals? Goated.

The Abyss? Goated.

And most, if not all, of the zones were just high quality i just noted my favorites.

And then there's the Temple of Truth? fuck that

combat is OKAY not bad not good either:

i feel like the combat was okay the game first part was challenging with the bosses and all no way to cheese anything you had to learn their patern.

then after that when you get the arrow and do backtracking get more powerful stuff you get pretty nice rewards and you can steamroll thru everything even the final boss i killed her in a few hits same with emperor it was easy because i was so broken with my katana build yeah katana+leech is just busted. I don't know if that's a bad thing as i honestly dont really care about the combat but its true that exploring turns you into a god in this game so maybe aeterna rewards backtracking too much? the first part was more about the combat and platform and the second part (post arrow) more about the platform? idk but i liked it.

I dont want to put it down:

this game you just dont wanna put it down when it clicks it clicks i finished it in a week, with a fulltime, job trust me even at work you'll only think about one thing: go back home and finish that game 42 hours no time for doom-scrolling, i don't know why, its just one of the most addictive game i have ever played. Just makes you feel like a kid, maybe its because the dopamine you'll get in these platforming section is insane! nothing looks the same its one new thing after another.

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Now for the negatives:

Too much Hollow Knight/Souls bullshit. Just stop that crap:

1. This game had no business having a cartographer dude.

The dude can go to heaven or space and act like nothing happened he has no dialogue outside of the first encounter???? Most of the time he's placed in a way where it's hard to miss him, but in a game as open as Aeterna, it was a stupid idea.

This dude serves no purpose, and he's not even doing any sounds like Cornifer from HK.

2. The game had NO BUSINESS having corpse runbacks.

It's a hardcore platformer where you die and retry. Just why?

It literally adds nothing to the game. I played 80% of the game with a gem, Crystallized Soul, that allows you to kill the runbacks, and I recommend anyone to do the same.

The map is annoying:

Okay, the map is not really bad. I just hate how you can't fill everything. Everyone hates that shit, right?

I'm glad the cartographer allows you to buy a map of an area to see if you've missed something, though.

Visual clutter is insane

Visual clutter is insane. Truly insane. It gets much, much better in the second half and I had no issue with it later on, but holy smoke, it was so bad in the first part! Phoenix is a complete-ass boss where you can't see shit.

Tower of Light? Can't see shit.

The Forge? Can't see shit.

Crystal Cave? Same.

That giant burned horse? Same!!!

Just so many of the areas/bosses had terrible contrast and visibility. Someone made an excellent video about this issue, so I'll leave it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZbt_uMdHg

Fast travel is flawed:

Fast travel is just bad. First, there could have been more thrones because the game is so big, but overall, that's okay...

Second, to go back to a throne when you're not near one, you need a potion, which is pretty expensive early game. But only the cartographer sells the potion, and the cartographer is never next to a throne.

The only throne where there is a cartographer is the FORGE THRONE.

So you'll go back to the Forge so many times to buy potions, just so you can go back to the thrones to teleport after, let's say, a backtracking session where you dont wanna run back to that same throne.

And then, to avoid having to walk all the way back again, you use your potion. But because you only have like two slots (1 at first second you'll have to find it), you'll have to go back to the Forge to buy potions AGAIN!!!!

And why is it that the teleporting potion 3rd slot is one of the most expensive items in the game? 75K FOR THIS? It should have been a cheap item. Overall, this is utterly retarded.

Side quests are total SHIT:

This game has a journal system that tracks your side quests while not even noting the most critical information. So if you missed a line of dialogue or forgot about something, it's over look on the internet.

Most of them are okay, but some are absolutely some of the most obnoxious quest designs I've ever seen.

For example, the Samurai side quest requires you to kill a guy in a grotto.

Well, that grotto? You explored it five hours earlier, and it was a random small area that looked like all the previous ones, with a chest at the end. So that's it, right? The reward was the chest?

Nope. Twenty hours later, I finally decided to check the internet to figure out where the grotto was. well, it was indeed that random piece of land I ALREADY VISITED IN THE FIRST HOURS OF THE GAME, but now there was a samurai guy who poped I had to kill there.

So, to find that grotto,you need to to open your map and read the description of every single area just to find one that said **GROTTO....**just WOW.

The Oracle side quest: This requires you to find hidden letters in the most exhausting area of the game, just after you've already fully explored it!

So the player needs to go back and go through every room AGAIN to find hidden letters with their arrows. And lots of them are really well hidden. It's just not fun. Why not make it so the letters were there before? Why did they have to randomly appear NOW?

Collector side quest: It wants you to kill random hidden boss things. Okay, mostly doable and logical.Then it wants you to kill a "celestial dragon."

Well, these pieces of shit randomly appear in the previous area you visited 10 HOURS AGO, and there is no hint as to where or when they appear......yeah bye.

overall just use the internet if you don't know, don't waste your time.

opening the forge early was a really bad idea.....

That's the reason why i initially ragequited the game i went thru the forge before the tower of light and it was shit i don't know why its open it left me with a really bad impression because you can progress but you are also locked in many way due to the fact you do not have the yellow arrows.

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OVERALL 9/10: i did not play aeterna at release so i can't judge on how bad it was, but this game has no business not being at least very positive on steam and not being more popular....

i can see why its so polarizing as even i ragequited at first 3 hours not because it was difficult lets just say the game doesn't give a good first impression? i'm just glad i gave it another shot its a revolutionary take on a genre that is deeply codified its so ambitious, hard, creative and flawed! its just GENERATIONAL.

and i want to thanks again the aeterna shills who praised the game when i said it was boring i was on the verge of never playing it again =D.

i remember i shed tears back in the days lol 😥

man i try harded for like 3 fucking hours i can finally rest now.

so far ive been able to do all the platforming challenge in this game but this one is 100x harder than the hardest shit i have seen in this game its so ridiculous compared to the rest of the game.

for those who never played this game its 100% optional, its part of a quest where you have to go thru 4 door each presenting a tough challenge to revive the emperor. expect this one is nothing like the other 3 who were also pretty tough but had checkpoint....

its a long gallery of perfectly timed jump everything is viciously placed in a way to instantly kill you if you make one mistake there is also some nasty arrow section miss one you are dead forget to switch your arrow before the section? you are dead.

but more importantly this is the only challenge in the game (so far) with 0 checkpoint so if you die you need to redo everything no cheese AND THERE IS A FUCKING SPIKE WALL THAT CHASE YOU from behind meaning you cant take your time you see a new section you dont know how to progress? you have 3 seconds to think before you get crushed and its long its fucking long! i think i'm near the end i really hope so.

and i should also add the fact that the hitboxes are just bad and broken i mean just look at this: https://imgur.com/a/SWL5Oan i died so many time in this angle its supposed to be a safe jump but you just die its disgusting

edit: done it! its not that long actually!

man i really can't put this game down even after all the rage lol i'm raging like crazy while playing this game holy smoke, i finished the temple of truth, the abyss, and the big open area to reach the sky today now i'm in space baby!!! i really liked the abyss, best area in the game so far? the platforming section were so ridiculously good over here and it was so straight foward so i was in flow state.... this game is just impossible to put down, even when im at work i just want one thing: to get home and play, that's crazy rarely this happens

these space inverted controls seems to be a HUGE pain in space tho, i really hope they dont put some hard platforming over here LOL plus the inverted arrow controls damn its a nightmare but for now on i'll have to explore to the undersea base before cosmos.

it was pretty damn good actually.

this area was full of puzzle no combats just one boss and i finished without any guide so i guess it was well designed .... the only thing that i do not know is how i did the infamous bell puzzle literally by pure luck on my 5th attempt.

i also respec my character and switched to a full blood path with the leech gem that restore blood it turns the area into something much less frustrating with that double heal i'll probably use this technique again in the hard platforming section since it allows you to have way more death before checkpoint its so good i dont think im gonna change it anytime soon damage were useless in this game that blood path + dark path is so op.

as for the new Enigma of the Oracle quest i unlocked, honestly she can shove it in her ass i already spent a lot of time time in this place going back to try find hidden symbol seems bs to me.