Edge of Eternity is a turn-based RPG that follows two siblings, Daryon and Selene, as they search for a cure for a terrible sickness known as the Corrosion. The game has been in Early Access since December 2018, and its latest update added a new prologue to the game. This “Chapter 0,” also titled “Seeds of Destruction,” shows what happened to Daryon prior to the start of the game.
If you’ve already been playing Edge of Eternity, you can just start a new game to see Chapter 0, since it doesn’t affect any of the later content. Meanwhile, if you’re a newcomer like me, this new prologue provides the ideal starting place to get into the story. I haven’t kept up with Edge of Eternity since the pre-alpha demo back in 2015 and it’s changed greatly since then, so I went into Chapter 0 almost completely blind.
Chapter 0 begins with Daryon and his friends preparing for their role in the war against the Archelites, the invaders that threaten the world, when he gets the news that his mother has been afflicted with the Corrosion. He doesn’t think he’ll be granted leave to go see her, but even as he tries to decide what to do, the Archelites attack and force Daryon and the others to fight for their lives.
Combat is a bit more complex than your average turn-based RPG system. Although it isn’t a full-on strategy RPG, battles take on a small grid and positioning matters. You’ll need to be adjacent to an enemy for basic melee attacks, and you can avoid certain magic attacks if you move to a safe space in time. Some attacks can also be interrupted, attacking from behind does extra damage, and sometimes you can interact with the environment for an advantage. It’s a lot to take in, even with the mechanics spread out over the handful of tutorial battles in Chapter 0. Although it felt overwhelming at first, I had a better grasp on combat by the end and it seems like it will be an interesting system.
As an introduction to the story, this chapter does a great job. Its little teases of mysteries and plot points left me with many questions–in a good way, since this is a prologue. I ended the chapter wanting to see where the story goes from here, and even though I’m usually the sort of player who waits for Early Access to end before playing the full game, I’m tempted to continue now. I didn’t quite form an attachment to Daryon yet, but my interest in the plot and world are enough so early in the game.
The chapter does have some performance issues and awkward animations that are probably related to it being in Early Access, so I hope those are smoothed out by the final release. I also noticed that the subtitles didn’t always match up with the spoken dialogue, usually with only a word or two changed, but one point had several lines appear (and quickly disappear) despite the spoken dialogue being simply, “How…?”
Overall, while this prologue is too linear and narrative-focused to get into the full gameplay of Edge of Eternity, it’s a nice introduction to the world and story that certainly got me interested in seeing the rest.
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