Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a throwback to an period of single-player video video games that I miss.
Earlier this yr, I performed 2008’s Prince of Persia after stepping into the collection with the discharge of The Misplaced Crown. That title was forward of its time in some ways, however I appreciated that it was an all-killer, no-filler model of single-player recreation. I take pleasure in when video games merely heart the expertise round a core thought or two, then discover that completely in a compact six-to-eight-hour journey that doesn’t overstay its welcome. I used to be going through a little bit of recreation burnout after enjoying by way of lengthy titles Like Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Helldivers 2, Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 over the previous couple of months, however Ereban: Shadow Legacy supplied some respite for that.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a stealth recreation from Child Robotic Video games that’s centered round a personality who can merge and journey by way of shadows. All through its eight-hour journey, Ereban completely explores that gameplay hook in a tightly designed, artistic sci-fi journey that you may beat over the course of an evening or two of enjoying. Whereas the notion of wanting shorter video games made by smaller groups is a little bit of a cliché at this level, enjoying by way of Ereban: Shadow Legacy jogged my memory of why that’s turn into a preferred chorus for some gamers lately.
From the shadows
In Ereban: Shadow Legacy, gamers management the final surviving member of the Ereban race, which has the power to stay in and journey by way of the shadows. A megacorporation known as Helios finds this Ereban, named Ayana, and tries to recruit them to their aspect. A insurgent group known as the Forgotten Suns rapidly saves Ayana, who she then works with to uncover Helios’ plan in addition to the secrets and techniques behind what occurred to the Ereban. That quest performs out throughout eight chapters, every of which offers an open-ended degree for Ayana to discover, discover hidden ability-enhancing collectibles, and full mission aims.
Even when it will get extra linear, with the ability to journey inside shadows felt very liberating as I used them to climb to a vantage level excessive above my enemies or keep away from them totally. Contemplating most enemies can kill Ayana in a single hit, I used to be inspired to take pleasure in enjoying as stealthily as potential. The central gameplay conceit of Ereban: Shadow Legacy is simple to wrap your head round, and denoted with a neat visible impact that sees Ayana change colour relying on whether or not she’s in gentle or shadow.
Regardless of being brief, it even has some replay worth, because of a system that charges the participant after each degree primarily based on what number of enemies they killed, what number of collectibles they discovered, and what number of instances they had been caught. All the pieces I would like out of a stealth recreation is current in Ereban: Shadow Legacy, though it isn’t a masterpiece throughout the style. The sport is pretty one-note because it solely actually explores that one gameplay mechanic, and it will also be a bit glitchy. I received caught inside degree geometry in my shadow type inside quarter-hour of enjoying the sport for the primary time, and I finagled my manner out of bounds and softlocked myself a number of extra instances over the course of the journey.
Insta-kill stealth encounter design additionally isn’t for everybody. I used to be keen to miss these tough edges, although, as it is a recreation from a smaller improvement group and doesn’t final lengthy sufficient for these frustrations to turn into overwhelming nuisances. The brevity and ease of Ereban: Shadow Legacy could make it not as memorable because the likes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth, however that doesn’t reduce the truth that it was simply the form of chaser I wanted after enjoying by way of so many enormous video games this yr.
2024 is rapidly asserting itself because the yr of stay service video games and RPGs, which might be fairly exhausting to play. As such, I’m now actually appreciating the respite video games like Penny’s Huge Breakaway and Ereban: Shadow Legacy present after they come alongside, particularly after they’re bold and experimental titles from new groups attempting to show themselves. Video games are getting longer and longer, and that’s beginning to make me yearn for the period when video games like Ereban: Shadow Legacy had been far more widespread.
If what I’ve mentioned about Ereban: Shadow Legacy sounds intriguing sufficient, the sport will emerge from the shadows and at last be launched for PC on April 10.
