-By Nick Morrow Welcome to another edition of Tomorrow Reviews where I will look over various movies, shows, games, and anime and break them down Today the topic will be based on the game Edge of Eternity developed by Midgar Studios *This will be a spoiler review* ___________________________________________________________________ An ambitious labor of love that fails to hit the mark. Not many small gaming studios have the resources and dedication to create an innovative, large-scale RPG with a compelling story, engaging gameplay, detailed graphics, and a vibrant musical score. Midgar Studio’s passion project, Edge of Eternity tries its hand at incorporating as many of those elements as possible with mixed results. Story: More isn’t Always Better From the moment players boot up Edge of Eternity and begin their journey through the shoes of siblings Daryon and Selene, they are presented with the game’s best selling point: its undeniable charm and love for JRPGs of old. Two classic plots intersect in this tale of family and sacrifice as the world of Heryon is in the midst of a two-sided war. On one end their planet is seemingly on the verge of destruction as a technologically advanced race, the Archelites, have invaded, pushing the people of Heryon to the brink. On the other end looms an even greater threat over the people of the planet, the arrival of the deadly disease known as corrosion. This zombie-like infection slowly eats away at a person’s body and senses until they are reduced into monsters willing to attack anyone, including their loved ones. Both conflicts are brought into view as Daryon, a soldier for Heryon, defects from the war after receiving a letter from his sister, Selene, that their mother has been infected with the corrosion. As such, the two siblings begin an adventure to search for a cure. In the initial phases, the idea of traversing a war-ravaged country looking for a cure to a deadly disease sounds full of promise. Daryon’s jaded view from the war and Selene’s optimistic view of finding a cure were perfectly primed to come to a head, but that grounded conflict gets lost as the scales escalate to divine proportions. The inclusion of higher stakes is not an inherent problem as many RPGs follow that format after starting with a more grounded plot. Where Edge of Eternity fumbled the ball was the pacing for that escalation. The first half of the game is this slow steady build of the mystery surrounding the corrosion, but there are several jarring plot jumps where the story jumps from one plot point to the next in seconds without any proper lead-in. One such example is after recruiting the fourth party member. Upon finishing the dungeon and seemingly moving on to the next part in an established plan to cure the corrosion, the story jumps to a new location, introduces a new character, and sets the characters on a new quest that will take over the rest of the game. While that is the most egregious offender, several other jarring moments exist that make the story’s pacing feel like it’s going too fast or too slow, resulting in horrid inconsistency. Characters: Untapped Potential By far, the most charming aspect of this game goes into the siblings, Selene and Daryon. While their personalities (and color palettes) act as foils to one another, they portray one of the best sibling relationships in gaming. Kudos to the voice characters and writers for crafting a wonderful sibling bond that can be felt throughout even the smallest interactions between them. Both the main story and side quests alike are chock-full of hilarious interactions between them that add life to the party. Sadly, the game fails to deliver more than just fun interactions between the characters. Despite the rich core of each character from the siblings to a destined war hero, a tragic aristocrat, a devious spy, and a selfish sky pirate, the game chooses to lock many of the layers of depth for the characters behind, meaningless side quests and inn scenes. Fascinating moments such as finding out the main duo are adopted and further exploration into the tension behind two main characters are left to optional side conversation rather than being woven into the main narrative. Two of the main characters even feel like add-ons just to fulfill the obligation of having a full cast, which is a shame because Fallon and Theia are great additions on paper that are never fully explored. Overall there feels like much was left on the table where this cast of characters could have been one of the best in ages. Gameplay: Close but No Cigar Fueled by the classic turn-based RPGs of old, Edge of Eternity employs a new twist by mixing grind-based battles like in a tactical game with the classic turn-based formula. The beautiful integration creates a more dynamic flow of battle that traditional turn-based systems don’t have. That innovation behind this system is hurt in the face of poor ability progression for several of the characters. Most of the game, Daryon and several other characters feel like they’re using the same, effective yet boring skills while Selene and Fallon get more exciting ones. Even when new abilities are introduced, like the super moves, they are left lacking with poor presentation. As with most RPGs, much of the game is spent on exploration and random side quests. Many of which add great layers to the world of Heryon and the lore. The lore additions act as a double-edged sword as they fill the world out more, but at the same time, they make the plot of the game seem like it doesn’t fit. Quests like helping a village fight off waves of rabid animals and hunting mystical beasts seem to fit better with the dynamic of the world than appointed chosen ones destined to wreck everything. Graphics: Labor of Love Sometimes making love that secret ingredient in any creation can carry it a long way. The world of Heryon is a beautifully created landscape with lush forests, vast mountain ranges, and boundless fields that instantly catch the eye. Each area is a delight to explore as you roam the lands on a Nekaroo (an adorable cat to mount) looking for treasure and taking in magnificent sights. Despite the dire nature of the journey, the vivid scenery adds another serene aspect to the adventure. The praise for the graphics ends there as the character models range from basic, to beautiful, to just wacky. Some moments during cutscenes the fact this game was made by a smaller studio becomes vividly apparent (while nothing close to the nightmares of the Mass Effect: Andromeda debacle) as characters’ body language and facial expressions don’t match up. Other times though everything seems crisp and polished, making you marvel at how well-made the game could have been if given a full budget to rival other studios. Verdict (6/10) Edge of Eternity is ultimately an ambitious labor of love that fails to hit the mark. Within the scope of this 40–60-hour adventure, there are both high and low moments throughout the adventure leaving an odd taste. While the beginning is rife with intrigue and appeal, that initial charm begins to wane as the story goes on. Comments are closed.
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