Somewhere between the most saccharine dream and the gaudiest nightmare, there is Eternity Egg, a game that looks a bit like Cruelty Squad vomited on a promotional render for Nights Into Dreams. Taking after '90s CG imagery like those Bryce 3D renders⁠—you'll recognize the visuals if not the name⁠—its characters look to be assembled out of smooth birthday balloons in clashing colors.

The world around you is an abstract dreamscape of checker-patterned bedlam, but Eternity Egg has got my attention for more than the visuals, though. From what I can tell, beneath the surface awaits a world of schmovement—dynamic, skill-expressive maneuverability—the result of half a decade's work from solo developer Userlands.

Snapshots of that process have been uploaded frequently to Userlands's X account, where they occasionally drop esoteric nuggets of wisdom like "undead gnomes can be dismembered." The game released into early access on Wednesday, Dec. 10, but Userlands is careful to warn players that what they're getting into is not finished.

As they stated in a Steam news post: "I'm super excited to release into early access but I do want to manage expectations and be clear that it is EARLY ACCESS. So if you are looking for a polished game with 0 bugs, 0 jank, etc, I'd recommend you wait for the full release next year." The post adds that "devout eggheads" need not heed the warning, and that the game will be available for a discounted $20 until full release, when the price will go up to $30.

As far as the game itself, it seems like a surprisingly technical 3D platformer that emphasizes what the developer calls "fast-paced kinematic movement." In the trailer, it's easy to spot all sorts of slide jumps, wall bounces, and pogo hops over obstacles—the sort of spice that makes the best platformers sing.

While some of the user reviews on Steam lament bugs and a lack of tutorialization for the game's advanced mechanics, it's still hit a "Very Positive" review rating on the platform at time of writing, and the developer has already started working on fixes. Seems like one to keep an eye on if you like your platformers on the bleeding edge of bizarre.

Eternity Egg is available to buy on Steam, with a launch sale taking it down to $18 until Dec. 24. Userlands stated on X the full game will release in 2026.