Eternal threads, the true and tried-and-true experience of an adventure made up of choices

Time travel is an exciting mechanism, capable of turning the simplest of novels into a whirlwind of possibilities and twists. It is therefore ideal for a first-person adventure at a crossroads that not only exploits, among other things, the manipulation of the past to enrich the plot, but also makes the time mechanics a fulcrum of the gameplay.

In fact, he asks us to take on the role of a novice and explore a house by jumping back and forth in time, analyzing the clues and key moments that in a week led to the building fire and the death of its six residents. Precisely when switching those key moments, and making weighted choices based on recalled clues, the purpose of the title is hidden: to save as many people as possible.

We tasted all of this meticulously for Tried by Immortal Threadsis the first address of astronaut games Which will debut on Steam on May 20 and on PS4 and Xbox between May 19. The platforms and the size of the team, made up of only 10 people, anticipate a product that is certainly not geared towards exploiting the latest technology, but it is not necessary to underestimate the potential of an adventure that could be very interesting.

A puzzle hanging in time

The beginning of the eternal threads is hasty and hides nothing but exceptional production values. But in being pushed into the middle of a complicated situation, he made us feel like real recruits, displaced before something bigger than us. However, we are not completely lost, thanks to the help of the voice of the mission control men, who made us from tutorial In the early stages, it takes us to the map of time, a line along which the events separating the inhabitants of the house from the bad end are arranged, in order from the first to the seventh.

As soon as one of the countless active events kicks in, without loading, the house moves back in time up to the relative time juncture, allowing us to see what happened at that moment to the house’s inhabitants. In line with these events, we find the fateful choices that represent the main mechanism of Play. In fact, it opens the way for alternative events with other options and new evidence, very useful for understanding what is happening and for making reasonable decisions.

And here, while the house always remains the same, it becomes larger over time, asking us to find and exploit combinations of locks, smartphone messages, wills, brochures, letters and a plethora of options that transform the immediate title to play, using the classic first-person adventure gameplay that allows us to interact With a single button, in a huge puzzle is completely deciphered.

As expected, we can move back and forth along time map, jump to later events or back to initial events to change options already selected and open new paths or new timelines. Some events, in fact, are not immediately available while others may be inaccessible thanks to choices and actions. We can therefore open events marked as potential or we can block events that were initially open, making alternative versions of those time situations available instead.

In these cases, even the relevant options and clues are no longer accessible, which together with individual rescue compels us to carefully evaluate the actions we take while trying to save those six lives which, as we have been told by High. , should not have been turned off, or rather turned on, soon. The wrong choice, in fact, may prevent us from achieving a positive result, even if there are different and different ways to save the population. Possible futures For each one, in a title that promises a great many endings and a lot of satisfaction, as long as you appreciate the formula and tolerate technical humility.

Technical sector

Made with choices, Eternal Threads promise many variants too many endings, works as a highly replayable title. But in the pursuit of such high narrative complexity there is an inevitable danger that not everything, by reason of the rhythm or quality of the narrative, will fit together as best as possible. Having said that, during our testing, interest has always remained high, even during less stimulating events and also in front of a tech sector that lacks many perspectives.

The main gameplay, as we’ve said, is about choices and related consequences, but we couldn’t despise anything more stimulating from a standpoint.exploration. Conversely, we find ourselves simply wandering around the house looking for clues, holding a space-grade radar that allows us to instantly find the point at which something interesting is going on in a particular event. Nothing exciting, therefore, thanks to the visual sector that doesn’t help.

Let’s ignore the inevitable bugs and glitches, since we are talking about a version of the game that still needs to be cleaned, but we can spend a few words on graphics engine And on the origins, both are able to take us back to the past not in the way the Cosmonaut Studios title intended. In fact, we are talking about a graphic design before PS4 and Xbox, far from improving it in a general style and not particularly inspired by an aesthetic point of view.

However, the narrative aspect is not overly affected. The concept is intriguing, the soundtrack is limited but functional and atmospheric. This is also thanks to the large number of well-dubbed conversations, but only in English, and tons of carefully crafted clues. In fact, it is not lost on kilometers of useless texts, but it still contains all the information necessary to engage us and at the same time give us ideas for understanding the characters. However, some effort is needed. Among relatives, friends, suitors and details, the amount of information to be examined is enormous and this, combined with the sheer number of options, can be confusing. However, it also gives depth to a title that, despite its technical modesty, can give a lot the satisfaction For lovers of crossroads adventures.