Marcus Hendricks of Millfield discovered this week that what he believed to be the full version of fantasy role-playing game “Eternal Kingdoms” was actually an extended tutorial sequence, after accidentally clicking a small “Begin Adventure” button he had previously assumed was decorative.
Hendricks, who had logged 847 hours mastering what he thought was an impressively complex combat system, expressed shock upon learning that his meticulously crafted character build and extensive inventory collection existed solely within the game’s learning module. “I genuinely thought the repetitive goblin encounters and identical treasure chests were just really committed world-building,” said the 28-year-old software developer, who had been livestreaming his “expert-level gameplay” to dozens of confused viewers.
The actual game, which Hendricks accessed for the first time Tuesday evening, reportedly contains over 400 unique enemy types, 12 different kingdoms, and a storyline that doesn’t revolve entirely around collecting wooden swords from the same three goblins named Gary, Barry, and Larry. “I kept wondering why the community forums were discussing dragons and epic battles when I was clearly in the most sophisticated stick-fighting simulator ever created,” Hendricks admitted.
Game developer Jennifer Walsh confirmed that the tutorial was designed to last approximately 45 minutes, though she noted that the company’s analytics show at least twelve players have spent over 500 hours in the introductory sequence. “We’re honestly impressed by their dedication to mastering basic movement controls,” Walsh said. “One player has achieved a frame-perfect goblin-dodging technique that we didn’t even know was possible.”
