Etherium

 PC
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 19
  3. Negative: 3 out of 19
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2015
    50
    Even if you fight simultaneously on multiple fronts, the game drags on and wears you down with repetitiveness and tedium. [06/2015, p.77]
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  2. The Digital Fix
    May 28, 2015
    60
    It might not scale the lofty heights of its illustrious predecessors, but it’s got some fresh ideas and is certainly worth a look if bossing units around is your bread and butter.
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    May 14, 2015
    63
    Developers tried really hard to make sure that battles don’t always go the same way: there are mercs, global strikes, camouflage and sandstorms, not to mention “rocks-paper-scissors” balance and surprisingly competent AI. Of course, Etherium is not David that can bring down Blizzard’s Goliath, but it’s great to see that RTS is no longer a forgotten genre. [June 2015, p.79]
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  5. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 12, 2015
    40
    RTS lovers will be satisfied as long as they are the encyclopedic fans only. Repetitiveness of the campaigns, soulless environment and a weird interface make this game extremely boring and odd. [Issue#252]
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  6. Multiplayer.it
    Apr 29, 2015
    77
    Etherium is a good RTGS that give its best in multiplayer, if you find someone to play with.
  7. Games.cz
    Apr 23, 2015
    40
    Although Etherium is a complex strategy, its tactical fights are boring and global section is trivial. The repetitive nature of the game undermines any other effort, so eventually you will again reach for its obvious inspiration called Empire at War.
  8. IGN Spain
    Apr 21, 2015
    70
    Etherium shows good ideas and it tries to bring some fresh air to the RTS scene but it suffers from a variety of mistakes that, in the end, play against it.
  9. 4P.de
    Apr 17, 2015
    63
    Etherium shows a lot of potential but lacks inspiration. The three factions don’t play diversely enough, base building is rudimentary at best.
  10. PC Gamer
    Apr 8, 2015
    55
    Etherium is never aggressively terrible, but there’s nothing to recommend it over other, more interesting RTS games.
  11. Vandal
    Apr 8, 2015
    68
    Etherium is an RTS that sticks to the classic formula of the genre. It doesn't do anything particularly outstanding, but still works.
  12. Gamer.nl
    Apr 8, 2015
    70
    Etherium is a solid science-fiction RTS. It does not bring a lot of new things to the table, but it still is very entertaining. The tutorial is a bit short, we miss depth in this game and the design is not always as smooth as we would have liked. But, this games holds our attention for way longer than we would have expected. Etherium is highly addictive because of its high difficulty level and strategy elements.
  13. Gamestyle
    Apr 3, 2015
    70
    Might not be one for veterans, but newcomers will get plenty from Etherium.
  14. Game Rant
    Apr 1, 2015
    60
    There’s a potential for greatness within Etherium, but this isn’t fully realized throughout the game.
  15. 3DJuegos
    Mar 31, 2015
    70
    Etherium is a good strategy game that shines in its multiplayer options.
  16. Quarter to Three
    Mar 31, 2015
    40
    Since there’s no way to play the campaign multiplayer, you’re stuck beating up the sad confused AI players in space, while falling prey to its ruthless efficiency planetside.
  17. Meristation
    Mar 30, 2015
    69
    Etherium makes a bet by mixing the best ingredients, but the result is not exactly the best dish.
  18. COGconnected
    Mar 27, 2015
    75
    There’s a lot of familiar territory and some attempt to move in new directions, but nothing particularly ground-breaking.
  19. GameStar
    Mar 26, 2015
    70
    It's not as huge as Supreme Commander and not as fast as Star Craft, but it doesn't want to be. But without a single player campaign there's something missing.
  20. Hooked Gamers
    Mar 25, 2015
    75
    It doesn’t have much of a story or a big sprawling singleplayer campaign with characters, but then neither does Chess or Draughts, and they’re still fairly solid strategy games!

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 27
  3. Negative: 8 out of 27
  1. suneater
    Apr 25, 2015
    1
    Have you played an RTS within the past 10 years? Then you probably have seen everything worth seeing in Etherium already. The biggest issueHave you played an RTS within the past 10 years? Then you probably have seen everything worth seeing in Etherium already. The biggest issue with RTS games nowadays (and other "dead genres" being "revived" lately) is that they try to get away with being just "good enough". There is nothing groundbreaking, nothing creative or inventive, no new game design ideas present here and, despite having its release pushed back multiple times, feels like instant bargain bin fodder during a genre drought.

    Outside of the mandatory multiplayer, you have a campaign with convoluted rules (with each side having their own secondary victory conditions) and a skirmish mode. The campaign is very frustrating because of simple oversights, like not being able to save during your opponent's turns and a star system UI that doesn't provide enough information. I spent easily almost two hours defending my territories during opponent's turns simply because quitting the game meant restarting the opponent's turn. This is of course on top of all the issues present in the actual gameplay...

    ...of which there is little to mention. The main objective (and single game mode) is to either destroy the other player's main base or deplete their tickets by bombarding their mothership with turrets high in the tech tree. Regions of territory are strictly defined and can have only one base inside for adding upgrades onto. The problem with the territories having a fixed size is that smaller territories only allow smaller bases. This creates claustrophobic maps, with clearly defined chokepoints that force you down a corridor to your opponent's base. Most of my campaign victories were from converting the neutral factions on the map and attack-moving them into the enemy's main base.

    The absolute bare minimum went into Etherium's factions and their unit design. Units for each race have creative names like Standard Infantry, Siege Vehicle, and Bomber. Races share all the same units (!) with each having only 4 unique units. This might be acceptable in a turn-based strategy game where you have 20+ factions or dozens of units, but here you only have about 6 different units for each unit type. Each race also shares 3 of their 6 faction skills, similar to Dawn of War's faction ability system. Everything about the races just feels very cut-and-pasted and bland and makes me wonder why this game's release was pushed back multiple times.

    I am ashamed to have fallen for the hype for this game. If you are thirsty for a good (or great or amazing, whatever) RTS, then revisit an old one instead of wasting money on this. This game couldn't be any blander or generic if it tried. If a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter could eventually type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, then this game is proof that they can code a video game too.    … Full Review »
  2. Faust-RSI
    Apr 1, 2015
    9
    I gave it 9 despite I'm not too far into this game. But I'm really fond of its ideas. It's not too strong graphically (especially talkingI gave it 9 despite I'm not too far into this game. But I'm really fond of its ideas. It's not too strong graphically (especially talking about unit models), but does it matter for an RTS? Personally, I discovered many new aspects of the genre, and mostly in terms of economics and technology development that are strongly dependent on territory control and force you to constantly seek and count the balance of defence, attack, technology and some smaller nice nuances. Besides, for the sole ability to look into the sky of the battlefield I couldn't give this game a low score!… Full Review »
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