The Eternal Cylinder arrives with a much different focus from the life simulation God-complex predecessor but felt like I was transported all the way back to the 2008 version of myself given the adorable blobby species you willfully mutate. With more emphasis on survival-lite mechanics and story-centric exploration, Cylinder delivers with the intrigue and wondrous emotion of charting through an unknown world. Just like Spore though, I can’t say I had as much fun actually playing it as I imagine many others will.
A vivid but slightly unfulfilling getaway story from the punchdrunk creators of Zeno Clash, The Eternal Cylinder mixes moments of frenzy with indefinite periods of contemplation. The game's colossal antagonist doesn't chase you relentlessly. Its approach is sometimes blocked by towers that dome their surroundings in shimmering blue energy, creating an oasis where you can forage, toy with mutations and delve into ruins that house basic platforming challenges, together with lore and rarer consumables.
As welcome as it is to play something that is genuinely different the important thing to emphasise about The Eternal Cylinder is that, weird or not, it’s also a lot of fun. The game begins with you taking control of a ‘Trebhum’ as it hatches from an egg and is immediately faced with the problem that the cylinder is right behind it and on the move. There’s nothing you can do to stop it for good but there are a number of pillars dotted across the landscape which, if activated, can hold it back for a little time.
You have to of course be wary of some mutations which are more hindrance than help, especially at the wrong time. It does become noticeable after some progress as well, that most mutations are almost one-time use in their necessity to progress a story section or puzzle, after which you’ll have little to no reason to seek them out again. By the end, I was pretty much sticking to a couple of mutations that were all-purpose and only changing one of my party when the game absolutely required it, so the sense of experimentation does dissipate the further in you go to some degree.
The landscapes are no less mesmerising: pink and purple icefields, curious coral lattices and sky-scraping seedpods. The second you breach the dome, however, all that specificity and colour is forgotten in a panicked stampede for the next tower. Other creatures cease to be miracles of nature and become obstacles, to be spooked away with trumpet blasts or simply outrun. Once you've escaped, there's the chilly feeling of looking back to watch the Cylinder complete its work. Then, you roam and experiment anew.
The cylinder and game structure is heavy with symbolism of the cycle of life, and inevitability of death, but you can also read an environmental message into it, given the thoughtless destruction of the beautifully strange landscapes. Or perhaps the game is also trying to underline how necessity is the mother of invention, with creative ideas constantly in danger of being steamrolled into a texture-less pap. The game doesn’t push any specific explanation and you’re left to come to your own conclusions.
Overall, the gameplay is a mixed bag, with most aspects feeling alright at first but over the runtime it becomes more uninteresting and tedious. By the second half I was mostly beelining it for the next tower whenever I could, and begrudgingly solving whatever rudimentary puzzle was blocking my path otherwise. I imagine for those who enjoy exploring and taking everything in there’s a lot more to love, but I just didn’t feel compelled to when none of it is really necessary or engaging to complete.
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