AeternoBlade (Switch) is a polygonal 2D action game with a Metroidvania feel. Originally released for the 3DS in 2014, it has already been ported to several consoles, such as the PS Vita and the PS4, and now arrives on the Nintendo Switch. Developed by Thai studio Corecell Technology, it offers exactly the same content as the 3DS version, except for the HUD and menus redone in HD and small changes to some textures. The re-release on Nintendo’s hybrid is the developer’s way of funding the sequel, which reached only 7% of its crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo but remains in development. It is also a way of introducing the franchise to potential buyers of that sequel.

Narrative: 5

The game tells the story of Freyja, a warrior seeking revenge for the destruction of Ridgerode, her home village, and the consequent death of her people. Right in the introduction, Freyja dies at the hands of the villain Beladim. However, she gets a new chance by going back seven days in time thanks to the power of her sword, AeternoBlade. Each level represents one of the days in the character’s life until the repetition of her encounter with Beladim. It is only this aspect that saves the story from being a complete and absolutely worn-out cliché. The narrative unfolds through dialogue with bosses and NPCs, plus occasional cutscenes rendered in real time and in CG. The plot doesn’t try very hard to make the player care about the story and its characters. It is certainly not the kind of story that makes the player want to reach the final credits.

Mechanics: 6

The combat system is somewhat boring and repetitive. With the Y button, you use the sword. There is a special attack with the X button, but its use is limited. You will spend a good part of the time just pressing the same two buttons: jump and attack, in a succession of combos with little variation. New moves are introduced as the player advances, but there is little difference between them.

The few enemy types are not very original and, to make matters worse, the artificial intelligence is practically nonexistent. Still, the level bosses bring a great challenge; they do a very good job of breaking the monotony, as they often require clever use of the time-manipulation mechanics. Those mechanics are slightly reminiscent of Braid’s, although not as well executed. They are useful for solving puzzles found in the scenery, such as when you activate a lever to make a platform come down within your reach. By climbing onto it, you make the scenery rewind in time so that the platform returns to its initial height, which lets you proceed. Nothing very elaborate but at least it works and helps create the work’s identity.

There are also some RPG elements, such as relics that are acquired along the journey and can be equipped to unlock special attacks and improve certain attributes. Persistent players will be rewarded with a game that starts to become reasonably interesting around the halfway point. Unfortunately, most will give up before that.

The enemies are real dimwits. In some cases, literally moles.

Audiovisual: 4

As soon as the first cutscene with in-game graphics is shown, it is already evident that this is a simple 3DS game running on the Switch. In fact, it would easily pass for an emulated PS1 title in HD. The opening CG animation seems to have “1998” written on every frame, to the point of even feeling nostalgic. The scenery and enemies are very simplistic and some animations are funny (unintentionally). On the huge level bosses, you can tell that many of the details represented by textures could easily have been built with polygons, even by 3DS standards. Everything would be forgivable if the art weren’t so generic and bland.

The quality of the music oscillates between forgettable and very irritating. There isn’t much to say about it beyond the fact that it exists and doesn’t always match the context or the action shown on screen.

This is not a PS1 game, I promise!

Final thoughts

AeternoBlade is far from what Switch players expect to fill the gap between one big release and another. For aficionados of the genre, it can be a good option, as long as they are already prepared for a title without much substance. At the price of 15 dollars (the same charged at the original release in 2014), it is hard to recommend to the general public. There are many better options at similar prices on the eShop.