Endlanders : First Encounter
Released Jun 2022
Build your deck, glitch through enemies, translate unknown languages and decipher the mysteries of this universe, in this grid-based real time combat indie game. This version features only one playable character and serves as the prologue for the game.
79% positive · 221 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Endlanders: First Encounter launched on June 4, 2022 as an explicitly partial release — the store's short description describes it as "only one playable character" serving as "the prologue for the game," indicating it shipped as a self-contained prologue rather than a full product. The developer posted a few patches in the days immediately following launch, but on August 23, 2024, the studio published a direct statement confirming that Endlanders is "frozen in development for various reasons." They announced they had moved on to a new project called Dunestake. No further content for Endlanders has been announced or delivered since launch, and the developer has made clear no more is coming. The game is effectively complete as the prologue it always was, with development on any future chapters or full release having been abandoned.
Evidence
Developer explicitly states Endlanders is 'frozen in development for various reasons' and the studio has moved on to a new game called Dunestake.
Short description notes this version features only one playable character and serves as the prologue for the game, indicating the released content was always intended as a partial/introductory release.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Eteros Studios
Achievements
5
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player
About this game
Build your deck, glitch through enemies, translate unknown languages and decipher the mysteries of this universe, in this grid-based real time combat indie game.
Endlanders features two main characters with diverging storylines in the same universe, fighting and exploring their way through vastly different planes with anachroninstic themes.
The game features :
A grid-based real time combat, where our two characters have distinct gameplay styles :
Fast-paced tension, with multiple spells and a huge variety of enemies :
A deck-building system, where cards are instant spells :
And a translation system, where by collecting runes the player will be able to advance the story further :
Glitching through terrain and objects to find hidden areas :
The game takes place across many planes, and each character visits a few of them, exploring, researching and trying to understand a strange substance called Source, which appears on all living (and some times not) lifeforms. Players will keep their thoughts on their log which is updated throughout the game through interactions.
Each character analyzes the mysteries of this substance in their own manner, offering different insights.
Our two playable characters are :
Cosmos, who has a more combo-oriented fast combat style, and their attacks emphasize by building combo points using "Tempo" cards, and using "Finisher" cards that deal more damage based on the amount of combo points. However if some time passes and they haven't landed a hit, the combo points reset to zero, and since finisher cards deal most of the damage, starting a combo but letting it fall flat will decrease the damage output.
Cosmos is more concerned with the "why" questions regarding this substance, and their log has entries that explore themes of purpose, faith and existentialism.
and Quls, who has a more reactive calculated combat style, and their attacks fill the tank with gas by using "Combiner" cards, or deplete it by using "Diffusant" cards. However being at the edges (full tank or empty tank) might cause unexpected outcomes, such as explosions or debuffs, so the player need to be careful. Being at edges however has its own rewards, since Quls's attacks deal more damage if their chemtank is empty or full.
Quls is more concerned with the "how" questions regarding this substance, and their log has entries that revolve around how to use this substance, how to create it, and it's interactions.
Our characters could be conceived as binary opposites on their thoughts and actions, however the more players indulge on the story the more they will understand that things are more complicated.
The prologue only features the first plane and only 1 playable character, Cosmos.
Endlanders features two main characters with diverging storylines in the same universe, fighting and exploring their way through vastly different planes with anachroninstic themes.
The game features :
A grid-based real time combat, where our two characters have distinct gameplay styles :
Fast-paced tension, with multiple spells and a huge variety of enemies :
A deck-building system, where cards are instant spells :
And a translation system, where by collecting runes the player will be able to advance the story further :
Glitching through terrain and objects to find hidden areas :
The game takes place across many planes, and each character visits a few of them, exploring, researching and trying to understand a strange substance called Source, which appears on all living (and some times not) lifeforms. Players will keep their thoughts on their log which is updated throughout the game through interactions.
Each character analyzes the mysteries of this substance in their own manner, offering different insights.
Our two playable characters are :
Cosmos, who has a more combo-oriented fast combat style, and their attacks emphasize by building combo points using "Tempo" cards, and using "Finisher" cards that deal more damage based on the amount of combo points. However if some time passes and they haven't landed a hit, the combo points reset to zero, and since finisher cards deal most of the damage, starting a combo but letting it fall flat will decrease the damage output.
Cosmos is more concerned with the "why" questions regarding this substance, and their log has entries that explore themes of purpose, faith and existentialism.
and Quls, who has a more reactive calculated combat style, and their attacks fill the tank with gas by using "Combiner" cards, or deplete it by using "Diffusant" cards. However being at the edges (full tank or empty tank) might cause unexpected outcomes, such as explosions or debuffs, so the player need to be careful. Being at edges however has its own rewards, since Quls's attacks deal more damage if their chemtank is empty or full.
Quls is more concerned with the "how" questions regarding this substance, and their log has entries that revolve around how to use this substance, how to create it, and it's interactions.
Our characters could be conceived as binary opposites on their thoughts and actions, however the more players indulge on the story the more they will understand that things are more complicated.
The prologue only features the first plane and only 1 playable character, Cosmos.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 21, 2026
Something about this evaluation looks wrong Report illegal or harmful content