''Eternights'' is a 2023

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developed and published by Studio Sai. The game was released digitally for

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, and

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on 12 September 2023. It was then released physically for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on 16 November 2023. It was later released for

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on 17 October 2024. It was finally released for

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and

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on 20 November 2024 for Crunchyroll subscribers as part of the Crunchyroll Game Vault program. ''Eternights'' received mixed reviews from critics and sold 150,000 units by April 2024.

Gameplay

Combat in ''Eternights'' is that of a

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game. Dodging an enemy attack with precision slows down time, giving the player a better opportunity to attack. Hitting an enemy enough times within a short period creates a combo, allowing the player to perform a stronger attack or a finisher. Attacking enemies or performing Perfect Dodges charges the Elemental Gauge, and parts of the Gauge can be used for an Elemental Fist attack that breaks enemy barriers if the player succeeds in a

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. SP can be spent during battle to use special abilities which are granted through other characters. Choosing certain dialogue options while talking to other characters can increase the protagonist's Social Stats, as well as his relationship level with other characters. Increasing the relationship level with another character grants the protagonist new abilities in combat. The game includes a calendar system, where doing certain tasks causes time to pass, changing what activities are available.

Premise

An anti-aging drug called Eternights mutates people into monsters, and supernatural events begin to occur. An 18-year-old boy (who is named by the player) is attacked by an unknown woman named Delia who cuts his arm off using her scythe, and another woman he met on a dating app replaces his lost arm with a magical, glowing one that can also transform into a sword, allowing him to fight the monsters. Along the way are his best friend as well as the pop star idol he loves.

Reception

Pre-release

Before release, ''Eternights'' drew comparisons to the ''

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'' video game series due to its premise of teenagers fighting supernatural enemies while including social and calendar elements in the gameplay. Writing for ''

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'', Kenneth Shepard praised the game for including a gay romance option, but considered the character writing in the game's

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to be superficial and the combat to be "flimsy as hell", noting a "lack of weight" to attacks and movement in the game's action sequences. Reviewing a preview version from the

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Play Days, ''Push Square'''s Liam Croft was impressed by the game's

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visuals, and called the dialogue options "engaging", though "occasionally creepy".

Post-release

''Eternights'' received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for the PS5 version, while the PC version received "generally favorable" reviews, according to

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website

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Sales

By April 2024, ''Eternights'' had sold 150,000 units worldwide.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.studiosai.dev/eternights 2023 video games LGBTQ-related video games Dating sims Windows games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Indie games Action role-playing video games Video games about drugs