Turn-based role-playing games are where I learned to love this particular genre. It started way back with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy and continues even now. While this type of title has changed from then until now, Midgar Studio decided to take its shot by going in a similar but different direction in Edge of Eternity. This title holds up well against other similar titles and here is what I think about it.
Edge of Eternity starts off as most games do with a brief tutorial on how to move around and control your characters while in battle. The story follows Daryon and Selene, siblings, who set out to find a cure for a disease called Corrosion. As its name suggests it withers away at a person’s body. It is something that plagues the entire world and it all started with an alien invasion.
It is not your typical turn-based RPG however. Battles are filled with hexagonal-shaped areas that you can move your characters into which get you closer to the enemy so that attacks can be used. I prefer to play turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest because you set your attacks and continue the fight. I feel like the type of tactical combat in EoE will be good for some people because it feels like you are playing chess as you move your pieces into place. Some areas have ballistae in them which can be used to attack the enemy forces. In terms of helping a player out this one isn’t such a bad mechanic. There have been worse mechanics in games comparatively.
I am also a huge fan of the look and feel of EoE. The huge open world feel gives you so much to explore and quest through. From pickups for crafting to treasure chests for loot and all of the creatures, you can defeat to earn your experience points from. There is no shortage of enemies to fight and you quite literally run into them to start your fights. From frozen mountains to beaches on the sea, every element seems to be crafted perfectly to immerse you in the game world. For a company with very few people, the amount of detail in the world itself along with its characters and NPCs is astonishing. There are other companies with more employees that don’t hit the mark like some of the models of this title did. Tie these wins together with the storyline Midgar Studio has created and I feel that this is a winning title.
One thing that turned me off while watching the trailers was the tactical nature of the combat system. As I touched on before it is not a system that made me want to continue playing because it is time-consuming to waste a turn on moving into another location just to attack. In the overall view of fighting multiple fronts within the story, it does make sense though. Some of the quests in the story do take a while to get to as well, which isn’t in itself a bad thing, but adding in all of the side quests makes it feel less streamlined than other RPGs. In other titles, even with all of the side quests, it takes less time to get around with more of a story connection. This isn’t a make-it-or-break-it for me, just an overall statement of comparison since I love all sorts of RPGs.
Note: Our copy was reviewed on Steam with a code provided by PR.
