Edge of Eternity Review (Xbox Series X|S)

Edge of Eternity is a case of having to know exactly what you are getting. It’s not hard to find JRPGs on the market with medium budgets and big ambitions, and so, this review does not exactly reprimand the studio on any technical shortcomings. What JRPGs fans love and support about any games is the story first and foremost, and the vibes that make it emotional in ways that cannot be conveyed by any other genre or medium, and Edge of Eternity is one of these stories that is made by fans for fans.

The game does not only act as a love letter to the creations of the old, but also comes with its own set of circumstances, most notably the early access release and how the chapters were released regularly over time and not as a complete package. This might have affected the development positively and negatively in various ways. What we have today is the full version of the game, finally released on gaming consoles after two years of progress and an early PC release.

Edge of Eternity is now available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S (Tested), Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Edge of Eternity Review …

A Very Personal Tale of an Ending World

Edge of Eternity follows a subset of Science Fiction narratives known as Dystopian stories, that often feature epidemics, plagues, and natural disasters as the driving forces of the story, and this is what we have here. Your enemy is not exactly the mysterious alien invader that wages war against the human inhabitants, but instead, the focus can be said to be revolving mostly around their ultimate weapon: The Corrosion. A terrible sickness that is responsible for all the mental fears and physical abominations you will witness in-game.

Your goal is to find a cure for your mother, who is bedridden in sickness. By closely following the journey of the two siblings: Selene and Daryon, you endeavor on a journey of responsibility and conviction. The topic is very relatable especially during these enduring times, where the pandemic doesn’t only lead people to die, but creates high-stress environments that directly affect the mental health of the living and completely change their lifestyles.

This is mostly reflected in the disposition of the two protagonists. Selene has a calm and collected personality and is not affected by the atmosphere around her, while her brother has a sharp tongue and quite a temper. Selene speaks politely to everyone, but is also stubborn and will not listen to Daryon’s objections once she has made up her mind. Daryon on the other hand, doesn’t have enough faith in those around him, and the corrosion has turned him very cynical of humanity in general.

To be completely clear, Edge of Eternity is not a story about the world, nor the other race responsible for the devastation of humanity. Everything is centered around these two, and the exchanges they have over every situation. The writing of these exchanges is very well done, even poetic at times, I wouldn’t say its ground breaking in terms of literary value, but the choice of words contains many provoking concepts and rich meanings, encouraging the player regularly to shift their perception and reexamine the bad methods they might use to cope with the harsh challenges of life.

A Chinese poem comes into mind when I want to address the visuals, called an “Ode to a Pomegranate Tree”. The song argues that it’s not necessary to have a lot of colors in the spring, as the picture of the lonely Pomegranate on the tree becomes lively and beautiful when it is embellished in the background of rich green. In the same way, the lack of technical finesse in the models departments was quickly offset by the beautiful landscapes and weather aesthetics, and I would even argue they sometimes reached the same level of artistic direction as Ghost of Tsushima.

Midgar Studio knows too well how music is an important component of any JRPG, especially because you get to spend quite the time traversing locations and conducting battles. Not only did they do an amazing job at it, but the collaborative effort between Cedric Menendez and Yasunori Mitsuda added a new refreshing take on the soundtracks I mostly used to hear from Mitsuda, and it certainly felt like Love was there in every note and admiration from Cedric for the legendary musician.

The battle system feels like Resonance of Fate but better. You get to control a maximum of four characters at any point in time on a hex grid-based battle area, decide how you will use your weapons and elements and conform your strategies with the ATB gauge that determines the time of your attacks and also the enemy’s. Nothing is really different from the normal gameplay systems players are used to in most Final Fantasy games, and it never feels like a chore to go through these battles.

This is mostly due to the Crystal system (Edge of Eternity’s Materia system), which can be equipped to the characters to give them various states, and allow access to various spells. The customization system if very sophisticated and players will enjoy their time tinkering with them, not just because of their effectiveness in battle, but because of how they interact with the environment. Crystals are very easy to find and purchase, and there is even a cute overgrown animal companion to help you go through the map as quickly as possible.

The only downsides are, as I have implied in the beginning. None of the other cast members actually make an impression or live up to their initial potential. The story release structure makes the story feel disconnected at times, there isn’t much motivation to keep going and understand the grand scheme of things or connect the dots of the story. Edge of Eternity can be mostly enjoyed as chunks of introspective spiritual debate sessions, instead of set pieces in the overall grand scheme of things.

Furthermore, the story, despite having spent over 20 hours with it, felt like it ended abruptly in the middle, or more accurately, it felt unrewarding from a larger point of view. The main character’s plotlines get resolved, but that’s just the gist of it. The world itself, and neither the side quests play into making you feel the emotional payoff and the importance of what were you trying to protect, but in the end, it was a story with personal motivations after all, so you have to suit your expectations in that area and not look for anything further.