62 / wfmag.ccReviewRated
GENRE
Walking sim
FORMAT
Switch (tested)
/ PS4 / PSVR
/ Oculus Rift /
Mobile
DEVELOPER
White Elk Studios
PUBLISHER
White Elk Studios
PRICE
£11.29
RELEASE
Out nowInfo
ReviewStop and smell the alien roses
clipse: Edge of Light is a pensive, first-
person exploration game developed
by White Elk Studios. Comprised
of former God of War developers,
White Elk Studios originally released
Eclipse as a VR game back in 2017, when it won
various ‘best mobile VR game’ accolades. So...
how does a three-year-old mobile VR game work
on the Nintendo Switch?
Eclipse is a walking sim that sees the player
crash-landing their spaceship on an alien
planet. After coming into
contact with a mysterious,
orb-like artefact, you have
no choice but to set off and
explore this clearly once-
inhabited place. Along your
journey, the artefact shows
you remnants of a past
civilisation, and of the path of corruption that
turned a once-benevolent messiah into a power-
consumed despot.
The story is central to the game, and is
communicated through the player’s interactions
with the various statues and monuments
they encounter. While these monoliths don’t
necessarily need to be scanned as you progress,
the story will be communicated to you via no
other means, so it’s worth stopping and smelling
the proverbial alien roses every once in a while.
On hearing the phrase, ‘mobile-VR-game-
turned-console-FPS-walking-simulator’, you’re
probably questioning just how well it all plays.Like a lot of the genre, the pace the player
moves at feels slow at first, which is initially
frustrating. As the game progresses and the
story unfolds in front of you, however, the pace
seems more and more deliberate; after all, if you
could walk any faster, you may skip through and
miss important aspects of the narrative.
Throughout Eclipse, the mysterious artefact
you pick up post-crash acts as your trusty one-
size-fits-all tool. Not only can you throw the solid,
metal orb, but it also grants you abilities such as
telekinesis and a jet pack-
style propulsion, as well as
scanning monuments and
hidden items needed to
progress. It’s a functional
system and sometimes a
neat gimmick, but ultimately
nothing special.
Visually, things are a bit all over the place,
ranging from being quite pretty one moment
(the murky, oil-coloured water is a treat to look
at), to very much looking like a 2017 mobile
game running on a 2020 console, with jagged,
sharp textures jutting out of every corner.
Eclipse: Edge of Light is a pensive game with a
deliberately slow pace that offers players room
to breathe and reflect, all the while unearthing a
mysterious and intriguing story over the course
of about three hours. While at times it feels like
the narrative is dangling a carrot before your
nose and leading you on, the entire experience
is ultimately an enjoyable one.Eclipse: Edge of Light
E
VERDICT
A mysterious exploration
game, and another
intriguing indie added to
the Switch’s roster.62 %
HIGHLIGHT
Drip-feeding the story to the
player via the surroundings is
an interesting choice, and one
I ended up enjoying more than I
thought I would. It felt rewarding,
and telling the story in real time
is certainly more organic than
using text or cutscenes.REVIEWED BY
Donogh Moore
ReviewRated
“You have no
choice but to set
off and explore this
clearly once-
inhabited planet” Throughout the game, you’ll
encounter other stranded
pilots who trod the same
path you walk – except they
all failed.
Unlike other VR games,
Eclipse: Edge of Light lets
the player actually walk
around – no teleporting here.