14 DAY TRIAL // A mouth on legs is looking to catch my small group of creatures and eat them. A flying bag of gas aims to dive down on them and release a form of poison. Some snails just keep out of the way as my group rolls around. And there’s even more weirdness to be discovered as new zones open up for exploration.
The Eternal Cylinder is made by ACE Team, who have always been interested in weird and colorful locations and characters, and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment. The plan is to launch the full game before the end of 2021, on the PC via Epic Games but also on consoles from Sony and Microsoft.
The central characters are Trebhums, adorable little creatures that can roll to move around quickly and have a snout to both ingest items and spit them out. With their basic water-based defenses they would be easy prey, but for their ability to mutate and gain new abilities.
The story is built around a giant cylinder, as the name clearly states, that crushes everything in its path. It can be stopped by the player as he moves around the planet, gaining more mutations for the creatures he controls and uncovering more information. Trebhums can jump, roll around, snort water to protect themselves, and more, mixing cuteness and gameplay mechanics in engaging ways.
The only way to stop the rolling death is to activate towers, which creates bubbles where a player can safely explore. They contain more creatures, extra mutations, puzzle temples, and more. The idea is to explore each one, achieve an objective and then roll quickly towards the next massive blue glowing structure while avoiding being crushed.
The Eternal Cylinder looks impressive, not because of any technical elements but because of the beauty and strangeness of the world ACE Team creates. All the creatures, even the scary ones, are a pleasure to look at. The various interest points in the world are clearly signposted. The animations are enjoyable and the sound design is well-suited to the mix of melancholy and adventure that powers the game.
Conclusion
ACE Team’s style is the biggest asset the game has, though it might need a little more in when it comes to mechanics. The mutations are cool but they might not be able to sustain a long campaign and narrative. But the first few hours are both engaging and beautiful. The huge rolling pin might be coming for you but there’s always time to look around and admire the views.
