Here’s a demo for Eternal Strands, the Zelda-meets-Colossus wizarding sim from a former Dragon Age director

Long ago in the ancient times known as the Before Times, a mysterious event sent several experienced BioWare developers across the heavens. These developers descended upon the mortal realm like shooting stars, each establishing a game development studio where they landed. Inflexion Games. Summerfall Studios. Humanoid Origin. Worlds Untold. Archetype Entertainment.

While Summerfall Studios seems to be thriving, some of the studios founded by former BioWare developers have faced challenges. Particularly, Humanoid Origin and Worlds Untold have either closed or paused operations without releasing any games. So, I raise a cautious toast to Yellow Brick Games, a studio founded by former Dragon Age director Mike Laidlaw. Their debut game, Eternal Strands, is set to release on January 28th, with a PC demo now available.

I have yet to try the demo, as it was just released, but I am intrigued by Eternal Strands. It appears to be a vibrant fantasy action game centered around a powerful battlemage who can manipulate fire, create ice bridges, and use telekinesis to move objects. It’s like being a Dragon Age Jedi with elements of Shadow Of The Colossus and free-climbing inspired by Zelda.

While the game may draw comparisons to others, I am hopeful that Eternal Strands will carve out its own identity by capturing the essence of mid-tier action games from the 2000s with real-time physics systems. Games like The Force Unleashed and Psi-Ops come to mind, where manipulating the environment was key to gameplay.

The demo offers two areas of the game world, known as the Enclave, along with a basecamp that evolves as you progress through the campaign. It features a crafting system with various weapon types and magic spells. The demo is accessible on Steam and the Epic Games Store, with potential compatibility on the Steam Deck.

You can check out the demo on Steam and the Epic Games Store.