Look, I know that comparing every action RPG with difficult enemies and precise timing to Dark Souls or Bloodborne is played out. The word "Soulslike" is thrown around a lot in the current era of the industry, as the sheer volume of games trying to get a slice of From Software's pie is not easy to ignore. However, I hope that in this one particular instance, you will forgive me for indulging in this trope, because I just have to get the next line off of my chest:
Eternights, the debut game from Studio Sai, is what would happen if Dark Souls was anime…and also horny.
I got hands-on time with the game both at Summer Game Fest and an extended preview demo that took me through the game's first two acts. It starts with the protagonist – whom the player is free to name, I chose "Cheeks" to stay on brand – being bombarded with questions by his friend Chani in regards to a dating app. Chani is, uh, really into dating and girls and all that, to the point where it's all he talks about.
After some questions and a brief look at a commercial for a pop star named Yuna's concert, Cheeks is free to roam around his apartment before getting some shut-eye. There aren't many interactable elements in the room, but one of them is, naturally, the tissue box strategically placed next to the PC on the desk. When he interacts with it, the dialogue box simply says, "well, at least I have you, tissue box." Teenagers, am I right?
This type of humor is rampant throughout these first two acts. When the world devolves into madness and people infected with a mysterious ailment begin attacking, Chani and Cheeks find themselves in one of many "safe rooms" located in a subway station. Chani, ever the good friend, brought the "essentials" – a stack of dirty magazines – while also asking for an extra toothbrush. Good ol' Chani, always has his priorities straight.
Eventually, the door opens and I get to explore a bit, but not before a weird dream shows me how combat works in this world. It's simple hack-and-slash fodder, as routine as action RPGs go, but the timing of the extra hits at the end of combos, as well as the timing on perfect dodges in order to slow down time, are deceptively tricky. I took a few more hits than I expected throughout this demo, especially in moments with enemies surrounding me, which leads me to believe this AI might be smarter than the average monster.
Back in the real world, Chani and Cheeks wander down dark hallways until they (literally) run into…the popstar from the commercial earlier! She's also roaming around with a friend, though her companion is less driven by the primal urges of hormones than she is by the primal urge to not want to die. Without spoiling much more, the group ventures through the labyrinthine subway halls, Cheeks' power awakens, and he's able to fight in the real world exactly how it appeared in the dream.
Between action sequences are brief moments of respite, which allow the hero to interact with his companions. Certain dialogue options build Cheeks's personality, with points in confidence, expression, and other traits slowly building over time. Eventually, those points translate into relationship points with the popstar, because in case you'd forgotten, this is a dating sim too!
As you venture through dungeons, whichever companions I decide to accompany Cheeks will strengthen the bonds between them, which can then lead to a more intimate relationship. There's no indication in the demo of how far it's going to take those relationships – though, at the end of the demo, Cheeks did accidentally walk in on Yuna getting dressed because of course he did – but the intermingling of dating sim mechanics with an action RPG is an interesting mixture.
I had some fun with this preview, but if I'm being honest, I enjoyed my time with Eternights. It's a game that will make you cringe, might make you blush, and could make you toss a controller after a difficult boss crushes you for the 15th time. Studio Sai have an interesting concoction on their hands, and if the rest of the game has the same hard-hitting action mixed in with similar interesting dialogue options, horny or not Eternights has the potential to be a sleeper hit. Well, so long as all the blood doesn't rush to its head.
