Eternal Hope

Game'scover

About the Game

Eternal hope is an indie puzzle platforming game developed by DoubleHit Games and it was published by themselves and Kwalee. Eternal hope was released in July 2022 alongside some other indie titles however, it was overshadowed by the release of another indie game Stray which proved to be a massive release seeing how it overshadowed other game releases that came out in July. The game was released for all available platforms such as Playstations, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and for Pc. The game as of now does not have a physical release but it may have one in the future.

What is Eternal Hope!?(prologue spoilers)

Eternal hope is follows a very simple plot whose imagery elevates it to the next level. The players are introduced to a dark male figure of the playable hero called Ti'bi is a lonely guy who is lost in his thoughts as he believes there is no-one in this world who cares about him. He was and forever will be alone. One day, he ventured outside his cave whilst still lost in his thoughts. It was a bright night and the moon was full that brighten the night sky. On top of a cliff and underneath a sakura tree a girl was enjoying the view until a small breeze took her scarf away. Thankfully Ti'bi was there to catch it and the two come together. For the first time he fell in love but also he was loved. The two spent plenty of time together as they continue seeing each other as often as they could. One stromy day Ti'bi set off to meet her again to their regular spot but the atmosphere felt weird. Upon his arrival, the girl was stcuk underneath a tree log which must ve dropped and he rushed to help her. Upon removing the log, a thunder strike hit the cliff causing it to collapse. Ti'bi tried to save his beloved one but the only think he was able to witness was the love of his life slowly dissappear in the depths leaving her scarf to him. He couldn't find her body but that didnt stop him from creating her a memorial grave to remember her. While walking away, a strange voice echoed in his ears asking him about his pain and feelings. The voice then reveals to him that it needs a favor from the hero and in return it will bring his girl back. Out of nowhere the keeper of Souls appears infront of him explainning how the girl's soul never passed and it stuck in this realm scattered in pieces. Due to this strange phenomenon he is weakened and cannot collect the pieces himself. Thus in exchange for her life he requests that Ti'bi will do the work for him after he entrusts him with a special power up. The power up allows Tibi to look into the shadow realm. A pixie also joins Tibi in order to guide him and thus he sets on a journey to collect all the soul pieces of his girl for the keeper. Needless to say, swapping in and out of the shadow realm is not something someone should do on a regular base.

Thoughts on the story

The games main plot is very simple and yet very effective. Similar to games like Limbo and Unbound World's Apart the game barely shares any dialog and it's very close to being a wordless game.In fact there are a few plot points that are delivered through visual comic panels like Cuphead. There are a few key moments within the game that caught me completely off guard as I wasnt expecting them at all. Moreover the use of animation, coloring and background music create an amazing atmosphere and sceneries for the game. The game does have have lines of words appearing on the screen a couple of times but they do not have enough to take the attention away from what is occuring on the game.

Game'meeting

Gameplay

The gameplay of Eternal Hope is very simple and easy to follow which makes it accessible for anyone with or without any gaming experience. The player gets the control of a young man named Ti'bi who moves around in a 2D environment with the goal of reaching the end and hopefully find the soul pieces of his Girl. The player has to walk from the beggining of the level/chapter all the way to the end where the chapter will end. On his own the player can walk forward backwards and jump. The height of the jump is based on the ammount of time the player held down the button. Additionally the player is capable of interacting with items to push/pull items in order to solve puzzles or activate a lever. Further down the line the player can also use the scarf given to him by the girl in order to hover on air. There is no time limit for the ammount of time that the scarf can stay open.
As stated from the story the keeper of souls entrusted part of his powers to Ti'bi that allow him to manuver inside the shadow realm. The shadow realm is filled with dead creatures that will either help the player or simply ignore him. To elaborate some will raise Ti'bi up to reach a higher area or to ignore him and be there for him to use as a platform in the water. Some platforms exist in the realm of light while others exist in the shadows. The player has to tap in and out the worlds in order to move around. There is a bar indicating the amount of time the player can stay in the shadows. If the players enters the shadow realm the game will automatically fill the bar on it's own.

The world is filled with a few monsters, a number of traps and plenty of environmental factors that can kill the hero. First things first, the player will always die from falling from high ground or falling into water. All the traps and all the enemies will kill the player as he is always one shot. Each chapter has a few of puzzles that ultilize the type of mechianic that the chapter was based on. For example, relying on gravity change or even constantly swap dimensions. Everytime a player reaches the end of a certain chapter the next chapter will pick up exactly where the last one ended. Furthermore each time the player's reaches a new puzzle or task the game gives the player a checkpoint mark.
Game'chasers

Collectables

Eternal hope has one type of collectable and these are more soul spirits. As the keeper of souls explain, the girl's soul trzaansfer event allowed for a few others to escape as well and he would be glad if the player would also collect them. Additionally, there are lore tablets that contain the lore of some inhabitants but unlike the souls they do not count towards the 100% completion.

Final Thoughts

Over all this game is very interesting with a very beautiful story. The gameplay is simple and as mentioned allows everyone to enjoy it. The level design is gorgeous which combines amazing coloring with beatiful illustratios. The music that escorts the game is very calm and relxaing but also contains a few wild moments where the game swaps pace. Unfortunately it was released alongside stray which definetely harmed it's initial release but i believe people will notice it. NOTE: the game doesn't last long as it can be 100% completed in approximately 2-3 hours. Keep that in mind when you see the game in the store.

Other Links you might be interested in

Figures Video Games
  • Back to review selection