JRPG dialogue is rarely “good”, as the entire genre hinges upon tropes, fan service and more than a little tragedy to move the plot along; however, for those who have learned to love the genre (myself included), the genre has a lot to offer, and narrative depth doesn’t end with Final Fantasy, with many smaller franchises and standalone titles offering surprisingly deep, and engaging narratives.
Edge of Eternity’s narrative won’t win over anyone who is not already a fan of JRPG storytelling; however, for longtime fans of the genre, Edge of Eternity offers a lengthy and well-paced narrative filled with lovable characters.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
A small team made Edge of Eternity, and some lack of polish is to be expected; however, the character models at times appear to be from different console generations, with background characters barely reaching late PlayStation 2 quality, NPCs coming in at PlayStation 3 quality, and main story characters looking like an early PlayStation 4 indie project.
I would have preferred the entire game to be in PlayStation 2-era animation rather than what we currently have. Seeing character models of radically different qualities sharing a screen is jarring, especially when said characters are in focus.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
While main characters have passable facial animations at best, every other character classification has terrible facial animation. Several NPCs have entirely broken animations, including one character whose mouth appears to have been rigged upside down, resulting in his top lip moving wildly while his jaw remains inert.
However, the developers have addressed this issue by admitting there is very little they can do as they lack the resources and workforce to do any better.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
Despite being an indie game with a limited budget, all main characters have passable, if not good, voice acting, helping to make the narrative far more immersive and helping to mitigate some of the problems caused by poor facial animations and dated character models.
While some models look from the Unity Asset Store, the developers have created an enchanting world filled to the brim with exotic locations. They have done as well as expected for a small team on a limited budget.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
I am a huge fan of turn-based/party-based tactical combat; combining the skills and abilities of various characters to unleash powerful attacks is one of the best things about the JRPG genre.
Unfortunately, while fully functional, the combat system in Edge of Eternity feels like a cheap imitation of the combat systems found in newer Final Fantasy titles, and while there are plenty of similarities with the latter, Edge of Eternity fails to capture the sense of urgency and polish that Final Fantasy games are known for.
In all honesty, I often wished an encounter would end, as repeating the same few repeatedly while enemies shuffle about in predetermined attack loops is not engaging and feels archaic in 2022.
I will say, however, that I liked that I could move party members to new grids and use tank classes to protect my castors; I only wish the combat was faster and more impactful.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
Unlike most JRPGs, the developers of Edge of Eternity have (thankfully) decided not to release a swimwear DLC, something that has become all too common for the genre and has caused a slight stir among the seedier aspects of the Edge of Eternity community, who are “upset” female companions cannot be dressed in skimpy outfits.
I feel it is fans such as these and developers who cater to their whims that cause anime and JRPG to be (wrongfully) dismissed as the province of perverts and nerds exclusively, overlooking just how much the genre has to offer when it focuses more on quality and less on panty shots.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
Pictured: the king of clipping, who strides through his robe at every opportunity.
While even AAA games have the occasional clipping problem, Edge of Eternity has one of the worst cases of clipping I have seen, with hair, robes, limbs, weapons, and facial features frequently clipping in the most visible of ways, including one character whose eyes clipped through his face and another who constantly stepped through his robe.
During the tutorial, the player is introduced to Daryon and his friends, and my first impression was just how GOOD these characters were; while they leaned heavily into anime tropes, they were very likeable and, for the most part, had decent voice acting.
Little did I know that over just 15 minutes, my entire party would be killed one by one until only Daryon remained.
While I would go on to meet new characters and grow my party again, introducing and killing off an entire party of characters in just a few minutes does not give players enough time to grow attached to any of the characters. As a result, their deaths lacked emotional impact, except for one.
Image credit Edge of Eternity - Published by Dear Villagers
Edge of Eternity is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
On average Edge of Eternity takes between 27 and 80 hours to complete.
Estimated completion times are derived from various sources and may vary based on the skill level of each player.
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Edge of Eternity is rated PEGI 16+ and contains the following:
Edge of Eternity is an acquired taste, and while the developers have done a fantastic job of creating a Final Fantasy-esque JRPG, it comes across as trying too hard.
Honestly, I wish they had spent more time forging their identity and less time trying to copy the tempo & aesthetic of Final Fantasy 8.
While I recommend it to those looking for a budget JRPG, there are many better games for those willing to play older titles or spend a few extra dollars.
