Our first Classic Game That Never Was is Sword of Eternity, (or Eien no Sword in Japan) a traditional RPG on the Super NES that tried to combine the turn based combat of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest with the exploration Zelda was known for. The result was a challenging yet charming RPG with memorable characters and huge dungeons filled with traps and treasure.
Like most game stories of the era, it was very simple–in the world of Espica, the demon lord Sorsael brought terror and despair, only to be driven back by a hero wielding a magical blade–the titular Sword of Eternity. Ever since then, the people of Espica look to someone to take up the Sword when evil threatens. The game was notable for having a female heroine as its main character before Final Fantasy VI pulled it off with Terra a year later. Airyn was the exception in an era when most females in games were either damsels in distress or relagated to healers or ranged attackers. A sword wielder that also knew a few offensive spells, Airyn had the drive and spirit to achieve her goal–become a renowned heroine.
The game was also notable for having a strong minstrel character–after arriving on the heels of Final Fantasy IV, gamers and critics alike were surprised to find Tadeva, the spell singing minstrel that was anything but a spoony bard. She had a variety of strong elemental attacks, and many a gamer remembers unleashing Flaming Melody on a strong monster. Not even Sorsael was safe from her songs–it was possible to take down the demon lord with Tadeva alone, leading to the popularity of “Solo Minstrel Runs”
The press praised the dungeon design for its ingenuity–while you were often faced with as many as two routes to as many as ten, the game was nice enough to remember where you had already been and leave treasure at dead ends, proving exploration a vital skill to survive.
While the game didn’t reach the height of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, it still sold very well in the US and Japan, and retains a loyal following among gamers. Copies of the game typically run about $50-70 for a mint condition copy.
If you have a suggestion for a Game That Never Was, please let me know!
