Eternal Strands' Physics Systems Make Its World Your Greatest Weapon

Discover how Eternal Strands' innovative physics systems turn the game world into a dynamic weapon, offering players new ways to interact with and manipulate their environment for strategic advantage

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Eternal Strands, the debut title from Yellow Brick Games, is turning heads with its unique blend of action-adventure mechanics, drawing inspiration from games like Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, Dragon's Dogma, and Monster Hunter. But what truly sets the game apart is its ambitious use of physics systems to make the world itself a powerful tool in the hands of players.

The game revolves around Brynn, the protagonist, who wields three types of powers: Flame, Frost, and Telekinesis. Each of these abilities offers unique ways to engage with the environment and enemies, but it’s the integration of complex physics systems that truly transforms the world into an interactive sandbox. Developers Mike Laidlaw and Frederic St-Laurent explained that these systems allow the player to manipulate their surroundings in ways that feel rewarding and integral to the game’s core mechanics.

Eternal Strands Uses Complex Physics-Based Thermodynamics

The physics systems in Eternal Strands are built around thermodynamics, bringing a level of depth and realism to Brynn’s elemental powers. Rather than simply casting traditional spells like fireballs or ice blasts, players can tap into the elements themselves, manipulating the environment in response to heat and cold. The Flame and Frost powers don’t just deal damage—they interact with the world in ways that allow for creative problem-solving and combat strategies.

For example, Brynn can freeze bodies of water to cross gaps, or ignite obstacles to clear paths. The game’s dynamic interaction system lets the player create bridges of ice, burn barriers, or freeze enemies in place. Laidlaw emphasized that developing this system was challenging, as it required building a thermodynamic system where heat and cold impact every object and enemy in the world.

"As opposed to the traditional approach where powers are simply linked to interactions with specific objects," Laidlaw explains, "we developed a physics-based simulation where heat and cold influence both the world and the creatures in it, allowing for more reactive gameplay."

Designing an Open World That Could Be Used as a Weapon Presented Some Challenges

Of course, designing a game world that fully reacts to thermodynamics came with its own set of challenges. The open-world nature of Eternal Strands means that everything in the environment needed to have weight and properties that could be affected by the player’s powers. For instance, Brynn can use her powers to destroy pillars, freeze enemies mid-fight, or set the environment on fire, which requires all in-game materials to be carefully designed with their own set of rules and reactions.

St-Laurent notes that one of the key hurdles was determining the parameters for every material in the game. "Finding the right balance of how each element interacts with each other, how heat, cold, and force behave in this world, was perhaps the biggest challenge in development."

Despite these obstacles, the team’s approach has paid off. Laidlaw highlights that the systemic design allows players to "create their own fun with the tools we provide." By using their powers in creative ways, players can interact with the environment and enemies in endless combinations, making the world feel like an ever-changing battlefield of possibility.

The End Result: A World as the Ultimate Weapon

The result of all this work is a game where the world itself is your greatest weapon. The physics-based systems in Eternal Strands offer players an unprecedented level of freedom, allowing for strategic gameplay that is as much about how you interact with the environment as it is about defeating enemies. Whether freezing an entire battlefield to gain the upper hand or manipulating the terrain to trap foes, the possibilities are vast and varied.

Yellow Brick Games has succeeded in creating a truly dynamic experience, where every interaction with the world feels meaningful and satisfying. Eternal Strands proves that with the right balance of creativity and technical expertise, a game world can become not just a backdrop, but a powerful ally in the player's journey.