Why Go Outside When I Can Play Eidolon? This Is The Review

Written By: Tyler

Rating: 8/10
Verdict: It's a slow game with a few technical hiccups, but getting lost in this survival/walking simulator is a pretty rewarding experience. 


I turned on the game, clicked the "Play" option and then the words that were there because of the title screen disappeared instantly and I was left standing -- in first-person view -- on some grass, surrounded by trees, with the whole world ahead of me. I was confused, silent but intrigued. Here is a game that I can respect in the same way as I do games like Minecraft or Terraria for its willingness to just drop the players into unknown territory and let them fend for themselves.

Eidolon isn't an exciting game and it's not one that everyone will take to. I didn't immediately take to it myself, if I'm being honest. It's a walking simulator, and it is labelled as such on its Steam page, and it's all about exploring. You walk through a massive world -- seriously, the scope is huge -- and it's easy to get lost because while certain areas do look different, a lot of it looks similar. You can walk for hours and find very little without guidance, or you might get lucky and hit the jackpot and find a bunch of things in quick succession. There are goals, but the game doesn't indicate them at the beginning, so it's up to you to decide what you want to do.

I say that the game doesn't indicate them at the beginning, but it does do a little bit to push you along if you want it to. As you travel this post-apocalyptic Washington, there are two types of things you can collect: a green shape and a white. The green has plot items, such as notes or even maps. These are all hand-written with their own personalities and piecing them together to uncover the personal and more large-scale narratives is interesting. The game has a feature that will show you the direction of the next piece of information. The white gives you items, such as binoculars, a bow, a fishing rod, etc. These are few and far between so when you collect one it's a big deal.

Some people aren't a fan of this type of gameplay, either. Some will definitely find it boring, and that's completely understandable. It really depends on your philosophy concerning what makes a "game." This may not be enough to warrant your attention. I think it has enough gameplay to keep it interesting.

Sprinkled in to add a little bit of tension to the exploration are light survival elements. You can starve, you get tired, you can get cold and die or you can get injured. Injuries can lead to death if they aren't appropriately dealt with, but there are healing checkpoints scattered throughout the world so death isn't always a bad option.

I was looking up the butt of a deer.

You can get mushrooms, berries, catch fish, kill animals with your bow (though be careful because some are aggressive and you have to be pretty spot-on with the trajectory of the arrows), and food can go rotten. Don't fear though, because the game isn't about surviving really and it feels like a game mechanic just kind-of tacked on to make it more like a conventional game. Food is everywhere in some form, and I never starved to death. This aspect of the game may give you a little something else to consider besides the scenery, but it's never overbearing or even difficult, because that would detract from the core element of the game: relaxation and discovery.

This isn't a genre that I prefer, but I like all genres because I love games. The idea of simply walking around and uncovering a world, with very little else to do, sounds interesting on paper but is often done so poorly it's boring. Eidolon doesn't suffer from that because of the care put into making the world believable and atmospheric. However, it's not perfect and has a few hiccups along the way.

But then a deer was just standing on the head of its enemy.

Since it was done by a smaller team, it's easy to forgive that the graphics just aren't that great. They're completely serviceable in this context, but the world does feel same-y and a little unpolished. Some of the models used aren't that appealing to the eyes, but I'm not saying that they're bad. The unfortunate reality, at least in my opinion, is that a game like this would benefit greatly from a bigger budget and thus better visuals. Imagine a AAA studio making this game and fantasize the incredible environments that could be created. Some genres are less reliant on top of the line graphics than others. A world in which the only thing you can do is explore puts more emphasis on the visuals than say, an RPG. Ice Water Games done a good job with the resources they have, but it's not one of the prettier indie games I've played. I deem this more of an observation than a criticism though, merely something I threw out there for the readers so they'd know what they can expect going in.

The game also stutters a bit when loading areas, but that's most likely because the world is gigantic. This is forgivable and basically ignorable. The animations of the animals and whatnot could have used some polish as they just go from standing one second to awkwardly on their side the next once you've killed them.

Despite this, it's still entertaining to adventure in this world, because occasionally you will see something like this:

The music plays a bit role in bringing Eidolon to life though. Sometimes it's non-existent, but then a song will slowly work its way into the fold and it'll be gorgeous. Slow guitar will often enter, and a beautiful ambiance permeates Eidolon, putting you at peace with yourself while you explore the world and unearth the stories of the ghosts of Washington. Or just kill animals.

Sometimes the songs are more menacing. I came across one place and instead of the typical pretty tune I was accustomed to hearing, something a little creepier, a little scarier, edged its way into my brain. I was investigating what looked to be ruins, and it was very fitting.

Michael Bell did an incredible job with the soundtrack, and it really does a lot to engulf you in this world.

Eidolon is a great game to those who are willing to give themselves over to it. It meditative, relaxing games where you simply explore an empty, lonely land aren't your thing, then avoid this one. If you are able to get into this kind of thing, there is a lot to love here.