Etrom - The Astral Essence Demo

George Orwell’s 1984 made the dystopian society approach to the future a popular idea, complete with tyrannical rulers and excessive government involvement in people’s lives. However, ever since then, a lot of other interpretations were imagined, most of which can be admired in movies, books, and video games.

Etrom - The Astral Essence is a role-playing game with heavy hack-and-slash elements, which tries to cram as many ideas into the same pot as possible, before shutting the lid and putting the entire thing on the oven. Unfortunately, the concoction was not carefully measured and no one bothered to check whether the ingredients go well together, so the result is a mess with no taste, flavor, or purpose.

The story talks about a dystopian future, one in which advanced technology and potent magic coexist together. Powerful gods are also a rather common sight, while the society is plagued by violence and the demons that keep on attacking everything that smells like a human. You play the role of Etrom, a guy who goes on to fight against everything and everyone, while possessing the ability to turn into a demon himself when the situation requires it.

Gameplay-wise, everything revolves around killing as many humans/monsters you stumble into, since each kill provides you with experience points, as well as weapons and various other items. Once you gather enough experience, you can use it to increase certain skills and become stronger, which is crucial when it comes to fighting the incredibly powerful gods that lay ahead.

Unfortunately, the technical aspects of the game are a mess as well, including the graphics, the sound, and the interface. The latter affects the camera, which is incredibly difficult and annoying to control, especially when you happen to explore tight environments, or during combat sequences. Not a lot of work went into the level design either, since the landscapes are pretty barren and you sometimes get the feeling that you are walking in circles, what with everything being the same and all.

Etrom - The Astral Essence bit way more than it could chew, which affected every aspect of it. The story barely makes sense, the gameplay is way too repetitive, while the visuals are nowhere near what the designers intended. Thus, there are not too many reasons to give the game a try, unless you really have nothing else to go on.