Eternal Threads, due out on May 19th, is a time-travelling mystery adventure that aims to keep us hooked with many, many possible variations and outcomes to the story. From our time playing this PC preview version (roughly 2 hours) we’re already pretty confident that the hooks of the story have done enough to make us want to see more – and looking at the Time Map, there’s going to be a lot more to see indeed.
Taking on the role of a time travelling agent, we’re sent back in order to prevent the deaths of six individuals: Ben, Jenny, Neil. Tom, Raquel, and Linda. The exact nature of their deaths is something of a mystery, though it has to do with an unexplained house fire. We’re here then to save them using some fancy tech and the ability to replay key moments from the week prior to the fire.
It’s this that we interact with mostly. Using the Time Map we can select certain events to watch play out. Some are more set dressing and fill us in on character moments, while others are where we get our hands dirty. Time comes to a standstill and we’re able to influence the characters decision on a certain topic, altering the timeline later on and potentially saving (or condemning) them or others.
When we first looked at the Time Map there was a strong sense of being overwhelmed by choice. There are a lot of incidental moments to watch and choose from, which we can do in any order we see fit. Some are blocked off until we alter certain previous sequences or decisions, and a handy notation shows us not only what moment affects what other moment, but also which newly available scenes are now available later on, or latter scenes that are consequently altered thanks to our choices.
It all seems a bit much at first glance but Cosmonaut Studio have laid it all out as clearly as needs be. Frequent tool tips pop up to remind us of what a certain icon or display change means, and should we fancy quickly changing one decision, that’s possible too. Rather than watching a whole scene again we can simply pick the alternate option from the Time Map and see the rest of the Map change instantly.
Outside of the Time Map we play in first person as we explore the burnt out house. The events we choose play out in front of us and we’re able to move about freely while they do so. Even those that don’t have a narrative decision often offer up some other hints; one revealed a location of a key I needed in order to unlock a door, for example. The house is fully explorable too, with plenty of flavour added by certain items dotted around. Some lead to more clues within the memories, while others flesh out details and character arcs nicely.
As with the previously mentioned locked door, some areas are off limits until we find a way to access them. This means that some events are not viewable, so paying close attention to the information in each event is key.
I didn’t manage to get all that far in my time with the preview, mainly thanks to wanting to explore fully as well as re-watching several scenes to look for more clues. What I did play though certainly piqued my interest. There are a lot of potential outcomes and alternate paths to them to find and unlock, and even at this point there are a few extra arcs that have me wanting to get back in there and scavenge around for more info. The acting thus far has been average at best, but the writing feels natural and engaging enough to make up for it.
With about a month to go until launch, we don’t have long to wait to find out if the narrative payoffs can make it worth hunting through several dozen scenes and choices in order to find that sweet spot to save everyone. We’re pretty confident based on these couple of hours though, so here’s hoping!
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