Into the Eternal, an action RPG inspired by Zelda II, coming to Switch

Thanks to Kickstarter, Zero Infinite Games has achieved successful funding for Into the Eternal, an upcoming action RPG that’s intended to be a spiritual successor to Zelda II. It will launch on Switch sometime in 2021.

Here’s a bunch of information about Into the Eternal as well as a trailer:

An unknown sorcerer has infiltrated the kingdom of Felsand and cast a terrible curse upon the royal family – their bodies turned to solid stone. High Priest Valadar scrambles to recall all of the palace’s guards from their duties to track down the assailant. Sneaking in among the group of kingsguard is Cavin, courier (a fancy word for “errand boy”) to the princess.

Needing all the help he can get, Valadar allows Cavin to join in the quest. It is believed that “The Eternal” has been opened by the socerer, and he procured powerful magic from within its halls. In Felsand, and much of the world, they believe in “Eternity”, a series of books detailing the creation of the world and the origin of its inhabitants.

The Eternal is a legendary palace that has been shut for millions of years – awaiting a warrior capable fo solving the riddles to enter it and retrieve the powerful weapons within. This hero (or villain) would have the power to bend the will of the world.

Into The Eternal is inspired by Zelda 2 on the NES. An under rated and misunderstood game that, while flawed, probably gets more hate than it deserves. Our goal is to keep the features people love, and alter the ones they didn’t. Puzzles will be more logical, and the difficulty will be more fair.

You’ll have many ways to upgrade your character in order to become strong enough to progress through the game. You’ll traverse a huge overworld seeking out towns, treasures, and secrets. Fish in any lake, pond, or ocean. Pick fruits. Hire a pirate captain to take you treasure hunting. Join the Hunters to track down rare and exotic monsters. Visit farms to grow crops, or see the seedstress to have her smash fruits into seeds so that you can grow even more.

One of your main quests will be to venture through the great dungeons in search of the Eternal Artifacts. Legend says that he who collects the 9 will unlock The Eternal. These dungeons are massive. Some of them may encompass close to 500 rooms. There are minibosses, treasures, traps, puzzles, and of course – a great boss at the end. Some are so large that they might even feel like an entirely different game, as you might not breathe fresh air again for quite some time.

These dungeons will have their owns maps with markers automatically placed for unopened doors and chests that you may need to return to later. These dungeons will have a major Metroidvania feel to them, while the rest of the game is different – the overworld is an eagle-eye view, while local battles and towns are mostly simple side scrollers. There will be smaller dungeons and caves that will be mini-Metroidvanias as well. Smaller labyrinths containing puzzles and rewards.

Into The Eternal is a massive game. There will be hundreds of hours of gameplay. The world is so huge that there will be vehicles you can use to traverse the world more quickly, as well as the ability to create your own fast travel points by collecting teleport runes. Can’t defeat a boss and need to return to town to resupply? Set a rune outside the boss door and return later instantly.

The game is primarily split into two parts: The top down overworld and the side-scrolling battles. Each completed battle will reward you with treasure and skill points. Some are simple, some are more complex. Some of the side-scrolling areas will not have battles – such as towns. In towns you can collect quests from villagers or trade items with them.

There are still about three weeks remaining in the Kickstarter campaign. Those that are interested can contribute here.