REVIEW : Edge of Eternity (XBOX Series X)
The people of Heryon fight a desperate war against a strange invader known as the Archelites in a planet ripped apart. A new menace arises from the battlefield as the war between magic and technology reaches devastating dimensions.
The Corrosion is the Archelites’ most heinous weapon, a horrific disease that poisons the body, bends the limbs, and warps humans into hideous, malformed abominations.
Daryon, a despondent soldier in this godforsaken war, is ready to give his life for his country… until he receives a letter from his sister. Their mother has been diagnosed with the fatal condition, and they are counting on him to discover a cure.
Daryon will have to make a decision on that day that would forever alter his life and the fate of his world. Coming from Midgar Studios, a self-proclaimed JRPG fanatics who were funded through a successful Kickstarter effort, Edge of Eternity aroused my attention even more. It was first released on PC on Steam in 2021, and it has now been given an Xbox release.
A JRPG’s story must be exactly right to draw you in, make you care about the characters, and eventually keep you playing. The story provided by Edge of Eternity is great, but I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers. All I can say is that the story revolves around brothers and sisters who go their separate ways. Darion is a soldier and his sister Selene is a magic-learned priestess. So we have wizards and tanks. JRPGs so far.
They dwell on the planet Heryon, and an alien race arrived in the skies above their cities some time ago. Everything was OK at first, but the invaders concluded that the only way forward was to fight. This was horrible enough, but the invaders then unleashed a disease known as The Corrosion, which is always lethal but leaves its victims transformed into twisted monstrosities. Daryon receives a letter from his sister informing him that their mother has contracted The Corrosion but is on the verge of finding a treatment. As a result, the path has been determined.
The game is set in a number of enormous, if distinct, locations, with landscapes and backdrops that are really pleasant to look at. All of this is aided by the fact that the characters are well-designed and each have their own distinct personalities, which are reflected in their actions. The Edge of Eternity’s design is reminiscent of Final Fantasy 12, with a similar setting to the main screen, characters running around joyfully, and diverse critters in the environment minding their own business until you step on their foot. The presentation is also on par, with the typical JRPG sound effects in the fight screen and a gorgeous soundtrack provided by composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The characters’ voice acting is also commendable, as they manage to give the people you encounter, particularly those you can recruit, a sense of depth. So, all things considered, a big tick in the category for presentation could be appropriate.
Now, on to the meat of the matter, and as is customary in similar games, Edge of Eternity is divided into two halves, roughly 50/50 between combat and non-combat stages. Assuming, of course, that you want to fight everything you come across. Why wouldn’t you, when a little gentle grinding goes a long way?
I’ll start with the combat system, which Midgar Studios has built to be incredibly engaging. It’s a turn-based system with some strategic overtones and an Active Time Battle (ATB) aspect. This translates to a standard turn-based battle in which you can attack, defend, use an item, magic, or summons as usual, but it’s also a system in which you can choose to attack, defend, use an item, magic, or summons. You can fire more powerful assaults and cause more damage if you can move your way behind an attacker. But be wary, as your foes can do the same to you.
Gaining strength allows you to do more damage and take advantage of some of the more spectacular moves, like in any good JRPG, and the entire fighting system is a lot of fun to learn. One word of caution, though: pay heed to the enemy’ levels; if they are lower than yours, winning is almost always a sure conclusion. If they are even one level higher than you, the result is usually a complete stomping and a trip to the hospital.
Everything else that is involved in taking this adventure ahead — whether it be creating, exploring, or simply chatting to people – covers the other focus of Edge of Eternity. And there has undoubtedly been a significant amount of effort put into this.
The only problem with trying to describe a game this large and complex in a single paragraph is deciding what to leave in and what to leave out – for example, when sleeping in an inn, you can choose to eat food that will give you buffs for the next day while also allowing you to talk to your companions and get to know them better. Edge of Eternity’s systems are well-thought-out and well-designed.. This isn’t a perfect game, but the flaws are few and far between. There are also strange graphical anomalies, such as when we meet Myrna, whose skirt looks to have its own life, flying up in front of her face and then clipping into the floor. Daryon’s running animation is also a touch strange, and the two-tailed cats that you can ride are very adorable.
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