As I’ve stated many times before, one of the things I tend to love most in indie games is their ability to shake up my expectations and let me play something that feels unique. One of the better ways games tend to do that is to mix together genres and styles that you wouldn’t typically consider to be compatible, and there’s no doubt that Eternights has decided to go hard in precisely that direction. Mixing together some tough action and fighting with a load of teenage angst and drama, and then sprinkling in some elements of a dating sim absolutely makes for an odd concoction. The thing is, if you’re willing to be patient with it, I’d say it at least makes for an entertaining ride with an element of the unexpected.

I won’t even attempt to detail the odd story, but watering it down, you and your pretty immature buddy find yourselves caught in the middle of a pandemic of sorts, fighting against people who are effectively zombies. Then running into an attractive pop star while trying to find shelter in a subway station, within a relatively short time the foundation for the game is set. 

Your character comes to wield a powerful weapon that takes the place of his arm, leading to some wild combat on the action side. Early on combat can feel a bit stacked against you, as getting the hang of the crucial timing you’ll need for a perfect dodge can be tricky at first. That said, once you begin to progress and unlock new abilities and perks you’ll be able to tune things a bit more to your liking. Then on the dating sim side you’ll both engage in often juvenile banter with your friend and try to flirt and generally improve your lot in love. Sure, putting this all up against what could be the end of everything is a bit odd, but when you’re young and impulsive with nothing to lose what else would you do? While perhaps the dialogue choices can, at times, feel a bit lowbrow, there are usually a few different options that feel reasonably authentic and that can make conversations fun, allowing you to take things in different directions depending on your mood.

There’s no doubt that the overall experience can feel rough around the edges, and that depending on your sense of humor some of the conversations could have your eyes rolling, but more often than not it also felt like it worked as a whole. It’s a ride that can get quite wild at times, but then pull back and feel more sincere as well. Just unlike so many games out there that feel quite familiar narratively, I couldn’t quite predict where this would go. That may not make it high art by any means, but it is a quality that I appreciate and value, making it warrant a look for the right crowd.