Etherborn
Etherborn
Etherborn, développé par Altered Matter et édité par Akupara Games, est sorti le 18 juillet 2019 sur PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch et Xbox One. Ce jeu de plateforme d'aventure indépendant, mêlant réflexion et puzzle, plonge le joueur dans la peau d'un être sans voix qui vient de naître dans un monde où une voix sans corps l'attend, et qui doit la rejoindre pour comprendre sa propre existence. Construit avec le moteur Unity, le titre propose un système où la gravité s'éprouve perpendiculairement à la surface sur laquelle on se tient, ce qui permet d'explorer des structures environnementales à la gravité changeante. Les niveaux, aux atmosphères inspirées par les artistes des XXe et XXIe siècles, s'accompagnent d'une bande-son dynamique propre à chacun, et il est recommandé d'y jouer avec une manette. Disponible dans plusieurs langues, le jeu affiche un temps de parcours d'environ deux heures pour l'histoire principale et quatre heures pour une approche complétiste, pour un prix de 6,47 euros.
Sur le plan critique, Etherborn obtient un score de 69 sur Metacritic, 71 sur OpenCritic et une note agrégée de 68,53. La presse a salué ses visuels époustouflants et ses niveaux évoquant les œuvres de MC Escher, GamingTrend évoquant un puzzle platformer défiant la gravité, tandis que Hobby Consolas a qualifié le titre de grand jeu de puzzle fascinant par son level design, son art et sa bande-son, tout en notant quelques errements. Certains joueurs sur Metacritic ont regretté des résolutions de puzzles extrêmement difficiles et un manque d'autres attraits, quand d'autres ont trouvé l'expérience amusante et bien exécutée grâce à son concept de gravité changeante. Sur Steam, des avis positifs louent un univers superbe et un challenge de niveau formant une petite pépite, tout en déplorant une durée de vie trop courte malgré un mode New Game+ après le second parcours.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Etherborn is a gravity-defying puzzle platformer with breath-taking visuals and MC Escher-like levels. The difficulty is enough to test your observation and critical thinking, but nothing gets stressful. You'll be done with a playthrough in around five hours, but it's time well spent. »
« Etherborn is a great puzzle game that fascinates us by level design, art, soundtrack and tone. Although there are also some mistakes, it's one of the great titles of this year 2019, we mustn't lose track of Altered Matter. »
« Etherborn is worth it, because despite being a short game it is very fun. However, despite its interesting planning and its very well played gameplay, Etherborn "stays in the air", because it lacks some additional detail that can truly call the attention of those looking for a puzzle game that offers something new inside of that segment. »
« Etherborn is a beautiful and innovative puzzle-platformer that can often be headache inducing, but even so it is very much worth your time. »
« Overall, Etherborn is a short and sweet puzzle platformer that centers around ideas of identity and purpose. The story has something to say about human existence, and what it means to be a person. Not only does the narrative provide some food for thought, but it works to drive the gameplay. The platforming and puzzle solving is exceptional thanks to the neat gravity mechanic and the well executed camerawork. Etherborn is a unique puzzling experience that brings something special to the genre. »
« Etherborn is superb if you’re looking for a game to relax with. It’s certainly not without its challenges but the difficulty is wholly benign, allowing you to appreciate the carefully crafted world and its gravity-shifting environments. [Issue#165, p.96] »
« Etherborn is a dreamy trip of a body in search of its voice across beautifully crafted levels, supported by a soundtrack that is simply flawless. Plus you must solve some puzzles that toy with gravity. And that’s it - but honestly, this game doesn’t need anything else. »
« Etherborn is a great and unique puzzle-platformer with some smart level design and gorgeous views, thanks to its colourful, yet simple art style. It is a tad short and I would have liked to see a little bit more experimentation; however, Etherborn is clearly one of the better, more rewarding puzzle games in recent memory and well worth a playthrough. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« Jogo com uma proposta boa, mas com as resoluções dos puzzles extretamente dificieis, não que isso seja ruim, mas é que o jogo não tem nenhum outro atrativo, apenas a dificuldade, e quando a dificuldade é o core principal do jogo e não uma caracteristica, realmente complica. Acabei olhando na internet a solução de alguns puzzles para não dropar, pois o jogo não me pegou mesmo. »
« I found this game to be a fun little puzzler, with a basic concept (explore and solve puzzles with gravity direction changing) that's well executed. The art and music are awesome, and, even though I didn't understand everything, it also has an interesting story. The only bad aspect is its duration: the game lasted about 2.5 hours for me. There's a "new game+" option once you finish it, but I haven't tried it yet and I don't know how's it different from the first playthrough. »
« The design of the levels is superb. The "puzzles" of the game are the parts of the levels themselves, as you need to figure out how to change gravity in order to find the correct path that will let you continue and move on. The art and music are great and very atmospheric, and perfect to chill and immerse yourself in the game's world. »
« Sensational puzzle game, has left me wanting to continue experimenting with gravity changes. The visual style has captivated me, as has its soundtrack. »
« A very unique and interesting game. Well thought out puzzles and great soundtrack. Well worth your time. »
