In The Eternal Cylinder, there is a huge metal cylinder on the surface of an unnamed planet that crushes everything. The artifact can be stopped and it can also be destroyed with huge magic towers. The mission to activate these structures falls on a creature called Trebhum and his friends, who have a very characteristic snout. Fortunately, these beings have the most incredible power in the universe: evolution. As this story continues, which is literally about growing up, escaping the giant cylinder becomes easier with constantly evolving skills and abilities.
When the cylinder stops near the magic towers, it is time for the player to lead the Trebhums on their way to new adventures. As for the plot, not only is there the narrator’s murmur, but the important parts are marked with rays of blue light coming from the towers, indicating your next sights. To achieve your goal, you will need a certain amount of Trebhum, which is just as important as learning new skills. The plot of The Eternal Cylinder remains in the background, although the cylinder’s secrets are striking.
Your team has a maximum of six Trebhums, all of which are quite similar in their large snouts and general appearance. Still, character development is an important part of the game. Trebhums suck berries with their snouts, and these berries give them mutations and superpowers. That way, their feet jump with more force, their bodies can be more cubic to adapt to cube-shaped spaces, and thanks to a special ability of their snout, you can make it sound to scare away enemies with a powerful screech.
To suck the berries, you have to press the trigger on the DualShock controller while the Trebhum rolls with the square like Samus Aran in Metroid. The shoot reminds me of the incredible and strange environments of Metroid Prime. Those round, brightly colored creatures also remind me of Spore, Will Wright’s evolutionary game. The character models aren’t as detailed and the environments are plain and crude, but otherwise The Eternal Cylinder does quite well. Of course, the load times on PS4 are long when we compare them to how small each area really is. I didn’t feel like I needed a map as the towers’ blue rays are enough to know where my next destination is. Perhaps there are too many visibly empty areas in The Eternal Cylinder, although the level design is original and fun to look at.
The controls are clunky, which makes jumping particularly difficult and requires a lot of attempts. On the other hand, due to their short legs and rounded shape, platforms are not the Trebhums’ strengths. The truth is, all of this makes it even clearer that these little heroes are defenseless to the threat posed by the giant metal cylinder. These limited survival mechanisms are not studied in depth, but neither do they take up much space in the game. The largest of these mechanics is a running water bar that tapers as the trebhums move. To fill it, the player must smash psychedelics. And indeed: splashing water also reduces the total amount of water.
The Eternal Cylinder is one of the most unusual indie titles of the year, on par with Anodyne 2: Return to Dust and Sludge Life. Its imaginative plot is unpretentious, so if you’re looking for something different to play with, this is it.
