The Eternal Cylinder is a fun romp through a weird and wonderful world and I would consider it to be a must-play indie game for 2021. While its survival mechanics are typical of the genre, the transformative abilities of the Trebhum allow the player to get creative with their choices on how to survive and outrun the colossal cylinder bearing down on them.
There’s always something special about unabashed creativity, of which The Eternal Cylinder has in spades. Putting a specific label on the game would simply be an injustice since The Eternal Cylinder is a multitude of ideas smashed together to create something magical. Sure, it could be boiled down to simply being an open-world survival game. Sure, it could be seen as simply an inspiring tale of creepy monsters and hapless prey trying to survive. But The Eternal Cylinder is much more than that and is simply one of the best surprises in gaming in 2021.
The Eternal Cylinder revolves around the intimate story of the Trebhums; docile, yet complex, creatures that are simply trying to survive the world that has been wrought upon them. Wonderfully narrated throughout, The Eternal Cylinder presents its story as one of hope in the shadow of an otherworldly cylinder that rolls through the world crushing everything in its path. Playing as the Trebhum, the player must race to various waypoints that serve as temporary blockers to stop the cylinder in its path. Along the way, securing various resources and growing your party is the Trebhums key to survival.
Utilizing the Trebhum’s wonderful vacuum cleaner-like nose to suck in various resources, players have the opportunity to use their own creativity to solve puzzles and make their way through the world. Each resource sucked in offers different amenities; some are simply health regeneration while others are much more transformative. Early on in the game, I was delighted to discover that consuming the egg of some sort of hardshell creature allowed my Trebhum to turn iridescent. While purely cosmetic, these sort of discoveries and experimenting is why The Eternal Cylinder stands out from just any other survival game.
Trebhum travel in packs, and while the game starts the player off as a single Trebhum, there is power in numbers. Throughout the player’s journey, hunting for different Trebhums to join your pack is hugely beneficial to completing many of the game’s hidden temples and puzzles. Since the Trebhum’s are relatively fragile, having multiple in your party at a time is important to keep your story going. Being able to name each individual Trebhum in your party is also a really nice touch! Having more Trebhums in your party act as “extra lives” in a way, as if your player-controlled Trebhum dies you can easily switch to the next in line to serve as your leader. Having multiple Trebhum’s also means extra space for resources, as each Trebhum can suck in additional resources if they have the space available. Being able to have multiple upgrades, such as having one that can jump high and blow a loud horn while another is turned into a cube and can glow in the dark, is also helpful when encountering later hidden temples and puzzles.
The Eternal Cylinder only runs around 10-13 hours in terms of total story gameplay, barring any unforeseen incidents that are typical in standard survival games. Trebhum’s can freeze to death and be poisoned, and they must stay hydrated to survive. The moments in-between the planet-sized cylinder barreling down on you do allow for ample time to explore and gather resources. But when the cylinder crushes through its barricade, it acts as a wonderful way to force the player to not get caught up too much in exploring and keeps the story moving.
I did notice several visual glitches throughout my playthrough of the game. While the creature design is absolutely wonderful and creative, I found that the game would get a sort-of 3D-glasses effect if I left the game on pause for too long. While it was able to be fixed by restarting the game, it was often frustrating running into that issue. Another big issue was how often my Trebhum party would get stuck on various boulders and landmarks, often leading to their demise from enemies. The pathfinding throughout most of the game was fine, but I encountered several heartbreaking losses from my lovely Trebhum’s being stuck on a rock.
Overall, The Eternal Cylinder is a fun romp through a weird and wonderful world and I would consider it to be a must-play indie game for 2021. While its survival mechanics are typical of the genre, the transformative abilities of the Trebhum allow the player to get creative with their choices on how to survive and outrun the colossal cylinder bearing down on them.
