[THIS IS A REVIEW] TLDR: play this game, 19.3/20
Caribdis is a genius. I am not kidding.
I recently played (and loved) Once in a Lifetime, their previous game. It was extremely intricate, with great design and near perfect writing. When i learned that they were working on another game, I thought to myself they were only developping a "simple" AVN.
The only thing is, this is not just an AVN. This is a masterclass in writing, character developpement, complete with great humour, refreshing scenes, and the scenario to go with it. The CGI was (imo) the worse thing about OiAL, but every scene in Eternum managed to impress me.
The scenario, at first, seems simple. Imagine Ready Player One if it was a good movie. Good. Put that on steroids. No kidding. You could just play this game for the lore, as it is so deep, managing to strike deep themes while staying unserious, and always keeping you on your toes. Of course, it's an AVN, so the world-building concerning the girls is kinda stereotypical (you're a boy, in school, and find yourself with a motherly figure, """"sisters"""", a childhood female friend, and random horny girls). But the character developpement is incredibly well-done, and Caribdis puts some nice twist on the classic formula.
This is not an AVN. This is not a game. It is a passion project, infused with Caribdis' personality, humour, character, and always maintains the perfect pacing. On more occasions than I would like to admit, I found myself giggling, laughing out loud, nearly jumpscared, touched by some insignificant detail, or one one occasion, on the verge of tears. Some scenes really hit you in the gut, and its a feeling i had never experienced in a bgame, rarely while watching a movie.
No part of this feels rushed, nothing feels slow. Everything down to the last, minute detail, reference, even the music and sound effects feel heavily worked on. The player has time to familiarize himself with the story, the gimmicks, the world-building and, of course, the girls. You WILL find yourself attached to the MC and the girls.
Caribdis, please, for the love of god, get yourself hired in a AAA studio as a creative director and release a mainstream game. I feel like this medium (video game developpement) was made for you. I would happily spend 50$ on a game you made.
OiAL was my first AVN ever, this is one of the few i ever played, and i've loved every part of it. I am honestly thinking about doing a few more playthroughs, not even for the scenes, just for the writing.
The game is still in developpement, but for the time being, it scores an 19.3/20 on my part.
I say this with the highest regards : thank you Caribdis.
And if you haven't played the game, please, play it.