Eternum

This review will contain some spoilers, but I will try to keep them as vague as possible. So I think it is quite safe to read.

I write this review because this game is, in my opinion, the perfect example of huge wasted potential. It has so many great things going on but, at the same time, it falls into so many clichés and storytelling traps, that it becomes hard to keep reading. Still, in my opinion, Eternum is superior to many of those cringe japanese visual novels that now saturate the market. Eternum is original, has a lot of heart and dedication, and has Soul. And it does it without so much noise, tsunderes, exaggerated expressions, and so many tropes that I find so hard to digest in japanese media.

Why I find Eternum superior to many VN'S:

+Worldbuilding: The amount of original worldbuilding in this game is amazing. We find the characters going from genre to genre, from a fantasy world, to a western movie, then, to a sci-fi horror movie. It's so refreshing to see! The author has created a world with lots of depth which is something lacking in the great majority of VN's.

+Characters: The characters are likeable, funny and feel more real than the majority of other vn's. They also have interesting progression and growth. This is actually true for the first part of the Game. Then, it falls into a lot of clichés and bad writing. But I will talk about this later.

+Dialogues: Witty, funny and clever, with many cultural references. It's not just silly pretentious stuff.

+Music: The music is great. I don't know whether it is AI or not (I recently found out that a lot of it is AI and felt a bit disappointed by it, to be honest), but it really adds the right atmosphere to everything.

+The Story: The story is interesting, nuanced, complex, not just the typical high school setting which has been done millions of time already. Well done!

+Sex Scenes. HOT af!! No fluff, no cringe dialogues like many other Vn's. Just pure, raw sex!

And now, the negatives of Eternum, and why I think it is huge wasted potential:

-The Protagonist: Starts off as likeable, ends up like the typical, mary-sue character that turns out he is good at everything. He is a god at fighting, has suddenly the biggest superpowers, 
he's the best lover, the best sex partner, the best body, he can do anything. What this does, is that the main character becomes plain and uninteresting. And this is found in many VN's and modern anime, especially in Isekai. I can see the author consumes a lot of this media.

-The female cast: They fall for Orion out of the blue, no progression, no development, nothing. The most spectacular example is Annie: she goes from being the typical childhood friend of the protagonist, to falling crazily in love with him in matter of weeks. This happens with the rest of the female cast. They just fall for him and he barely does nothing to earn it, other than being a mary-sue  (and being "nice and kind"). 

What I described happens with TONS of anime series, especially in the harem genre. Protagonists just have to "care" and simp for the female cast, for them to fall in love with them. The self-insert is very obvious. I would rather prefer a realistic story, where depending on your actions, only one female character falls in love with you, but because you earn it, not because you happen to be the protagonist. And there is a progression to it, where she slowly falls  for you, not just out of the blue, getting on her knees and sucking your dick.

-Dude, CHANG should have been in the story much more!  He is a lot of fun, hilarious, and it is what makes the protagonist more relatable and human. They are two bros and interactions between them are highlights in the story. I find the lack of interesting male characters also quite weird. I miss more friendship stuff., not just a bunch of women and girls surrounding the protagonist everywhere. 

-As the story progresses, it becomes too easy to get in bed with the girls. I want to see it as a reward, as a sort of hunting. It needs to feel as if you earned to be in bed with her.

-Characters in the later part of the game: As the game progresses, all characters become 2 dimensional. They all just fall for Orion out of the blue and their progression stops there.

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It would seem I gave more criticism to the game than positives, but that's not true. I find this game could be a masterpiece if you would add those elements, really! It's already better than many other VN's in the market, and this is impressive, because this is a solo project, a passion project. I just want to say keep up the good work!

8/10

Edit: By the way, I forgot to talk about the girls in Eternum. I actually didn't like the "main" girls that much (you know: Annie, Penny, Dalia), but god damn it! I love Luna, Alex and Nova! Oh, and Calypso, too! They have very good arcs and development. I even got emotional with Alex backstory. Can't wait to see how their routes develop!

I wanna make a Fanfic of This and Once In a Lifetime where the worlds mix

if I download 0.8, can I then delete the 0.7 file, or do I need it for my previous save games?

just curious what was the songs that were changed, i would love to re-find them again :) and what were they replaced with? you picked some good music, so was sad to hear you had to change some things.

When will the next update be released?

Is there an exact date until this game is finish? I've been waiting since Aug 22 2023(and thats the last time I play this game). Wanted this to finish so bad I can't with the cliffhangers always coming

Can someone help me I can't copy the save file if I tried to copy the file I just said access denied what can I do to resolve it? I really appreciate if someone reply. BTW I'm playing on Android.

Ok so ive tried looking for it but does anyone know the name of the song in the scene where your massaging luna at her uncles house i need it :(

before receiving the scene forbidden fruit I make a mistake and Dahlia becomes unavailable what to do I don't understand what the mistake is

(Disclaimer: There will be spoilers in this comment): Honestly, the story is actually pretty interesting and has great comedic timing (especially with everything to do with Chang). The sex scene timing thought is not always great. Bringing up a blowjob directly after cheering a girl up is NOT the play lmao (even if he got it anyway because its a porn game). Also, having the only black guy in the game be an asshole rapist who gets killed is not great either.

That said, still a very good game. It's def more than just porn. I know most people playing won't care about the gripes I brought up, but I hope the dev reads this anyway. I think they could be a really good writer if they avoided some more of the cliche tropes

I've replayed this game every release from .5 on,  it continues to be one of the best games of its kind and I don't see the quality dropping or dipping at any point.

The characters, renders, and story are all on point.

Keep on truckin' Caribdis, you're a king.

how do you unlock the mexican feast event for Luna?  I must've missed it somehow when doing my playthrough. I'm pretty far in right now and have a bout 4 or 5 hearts with all the girls.

How do you download for iPhone?

about to replay the game with the new updates and im fucking excited, no game has ever made me feel like this. caribdis, you fucking genius.

I'm not a fan of the story with the VR concept in adult games. Everything that happens in a virtual world feels fake, cheap, and ultimately unrewarding. The emotional and physical connection between characters is completely replaced by digital interactions that lack real stakes. The sensation of actual body contact—something that should be intimate and meaningful—is reduced to nothing more than simulated VR porn. After everything the MC goes through, is that supposed to feel like a satisfying reward? The journey should lead to something tangible, something that feels earned. Instead, it’s just a glorified fantasy within a fantasy, which makes everything feel pointless.