Quick Review: Etherborn

Voiceless body seeks bodiless voice that constantly waxes philosophical.

A whole new way to climb a tree.

Developed by Altered Matter, published by Akupara Games and released on July 18th, 2019, Etherborn is thankfully much more than what I just described. At its core, it’s a puzzle platformer in which the voiceless human-shaped lifeform explores floating masses on their search for the voice previously mentioned. The main gameplay element is the ability to shift gravity, on the condition that the translucent body walks on a floor curved towards the angle where it wants to go. It cannot change its gravity otherwise. Said changes to gravity also extend to its falls, so you can step off the platform while upside-down and fall upwards. It’s disorienting, but it’s part of the experience.

Dodecahedrons can make enormous parts
of the world move around.

The second part of the puzzle is to retrieve little dodecahedrons and then place them on squares so they’ll modify the level they’re found in. Sometimes they’ll merely make a platform appear or move a piece of the level forwards or backwards… Sometimes they’ll summon an entire, new, gigantic piece that will perfectly interlock with the rest.

This cube was a bigger headache than
a Rubik's.

The entire game is a gorgeous visual spectacle. The setpieces are very impressive, seen from all sides. The first level past the tutorial, as an example, involves pieces of bridges, and you move from one to the other by taking advantage of the changes in gravity. There aren’t a lot of levels to the game, but they tend to be fairly lengthy and split into sections. Some of the visuals look lifted right out of a prog rock album cover. You’ll also have plenty of time to take in the sights, as most of the sets are huge and the body, even while running, will take a while to go through them.

Shifting gravity: As easy as walking up a hill!

Of note, due to the constant shifts in gravity, the body can rarely move in a straight line. It’s a bit tricky to control with a keyboard and WASD, the game thus recommends using a controller instead. Walking is the default option with Left Shift to run, but these can be reversed in the options. The plot did not hook me in all that much; the sights, the atmosphere and the challenges did, far more efficently at that. The game is short, there’s few levels, and they're accessible from a tree that serves as a hub. However, upon completion, you unlock a Game + in which the dodecahedrons necessary to complete puzzles are harder to find.

Oh, I am not looking forward to walking all
the way back to finish a puzzle!

Gameplay-wise, I was annoyed at the frequency of gaps that the character can just barely jump over; many times, I had to re-take a path because of a missed jump. Yes, the character CAN jump over those gaps, but you have to be half-standing over the edge to make it. Similarly, in spite of the sheer size of the levels, there's nary a shortcut. If you need to readjust your gravity to reach an area, or if you have to move dodecahedrons around, you will often need to make long detours. Or you can jump off the edge and die, as respawn points are frequent.

So, all in all, another very good game! Worth giving a shot for the visuals, in spite of the flaws I’ve found. Etherborn can be found on Steam for 16.99$ US.