The Eternal Cylinder
A survival adventure where mutations shape your tribe's escape.
The Eternal Cylinder is an adventure-survival game from developer ACE Team and publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment. It launched on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in September 2021, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions following in October 2022.
In this third-person open-world game, players control a small creature called a Trebhum. The Trebhum can collect items with its trunk, run, jump, and roll for speed, and can also spray water or eject inventory items. As the game unfolds, the Trebhum acquires mutations triggered by items found in the environment. These mutations fall into five categories—eye, leg, trunk, body, and skin—and each body part can hold only one mutation at a time, except for the Third Eye mutation, which can coexist with other eye mutations. A Trebhum can have up to six mutations total, with new ones replacing older ones in the same category. Players can add new Trebhum to their party by finding them in the world, hatching them from eggs, or recruiting them from Trebhum houses. Different party members can carry different mutations, and the maximum party size can be increased at special Trebhum shrines using crystal dust—a currency found as dust or processed from minerals by a Trebhum with the Mineral Processor mutation.
Mutations grant varied abilities: leg mutations improve jumping, running, or stomping; eye mutations extend vision, reveal hidden objects, or scan enemies for a compendium; trunk mutations enable fire, acid, or small tornadoes; skin mutations provide bioluminescence, spikes, or a foul odor; and body mutations allow water extraction from food, mineral processing, or bomb creation. Mutations require a catalyst to activate, and some enemies with a yellow light can remove them. However, once the mutation tree is unlocked, Trebhum can freely access mutations and become immune to that yellow light.
The world is open but progression is linear, driven by the Eternal Cylinder itself. Towers scattered across the landscape block the Cylinder’s advance and project a safe force field. When the Trebhum leave the field, the Cylinder resumes moving and accelerates, forcing players to race to the next set of towers. If the Cylinder catches them or they fail to activate the towers, the game ends. A mysterious Narrator comments on events, dialogue, and story, offering guidance and tips on items, mutations, or enemies.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Eternal Cylinder
- Developer
- ACE Team
- Publisher
- Good Shepherd Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- Windows, PS4, Xbox One / September 30, 2021 / PS5, Xbox Series X/S / October 13, 2022
- Genre
- Survival
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Carlos Bordeu
- Writer
- Jonas Kyratzes
- Composer
- Patricio Meneses
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game puts the player in control of a small creature called a Trebhum, which can gather items with its trunk, run, jump, roll, and spray water. As the game progresses, the Trebhum gains mutations classified by body part: eye, leg, trunk, body, and skin. Mutations are mutually exclusive per part except for the Third Eye mutation. A party of Trebhum can have different mutations, and the maximum party size can be upgraded at shrines using crystal dust currency.
The Eternal Cylinder itself enforces linear progression: rows of towers block its movement, projecting a force field for safe exploration. When the Trebhum leave the field, the Cylinder resumes and accelerates, requiring the player to activate the next set of towers to avoid a game over. A mysterious Narrator comments on events and guides the Trebhum.
The plot follows a lone Trebhum that hatches and avoids being crushed, then assembles a tribe and seeks escape from the Cylinder. The Trebhum encounter elders, enter the Cylinder's mind, and learn the Cylinder's goal: to absorb all existence to create a peaceful universe. The story culminates in a final confrontation with the Mathematician, the Cylinder's greatest servant, and the Narrator's revelation that he controlled the Mathematician.
Reader's Guide
The Eternal Cylinder received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. PC Gamer praised the game's landscapes and enchanted reprieves but criticized its dull mutations, basic structure, and unwieldy micromanagement systems. The game's development began from a 2015 prototype titled The Endless Cylinder by ACE Team co-founder Carlos Bordeu. It was announced on August 15, 2019, alongside a third sequel to Rock of Ages, and was released for Microsoft Windows via Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 30, 2021, with a later release on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on October 13, 2022. The game's significance lies in its unique mutation system, which allows players to customize their Trebhum tribe with abilities such as fire, acid, bioluminescence, and mineral processing, and its narrative structure where the Cylinder's progression forces constant forward movement. The game's legacy is tied to its creative premise of a world-ending cylinder and the player's struggle to escape it, with a story that explores themes of difference and unity.
Did You Know?
- The Trebhum can have a maximum of six mutations at once, with new mutations overwriting previous ones of the same body part.
- The Eternal Cylinder was originally prototyped in 2015 under the title The Endless Cylinder by ACE Team co-founder Carlos Bordeu.
- The Narrator is revealed to be the mind controlling the Mathematician, who sacrifices itself to destroy the Cylinder.
- The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in October 2022, one year after the initial release.
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