Edge of Eternity, the preview: we have seen the curious Midgar Studio RPG in action
Edge of Eternity, the preview
The ID @ Xbox program has always been a very interesting way to learn about atypical minor projects, or to discover pearls that would risk getting lost in the maze of the market. We recently attended a presentation dedicated to three different titles supported directly by Microsoft through the initiative, with particular focus on a specific project, actually already known to those who follow the RPG landscape.We are talking about Edge of Eternity, an RPG already available in early access for some time, which has captured the attention of many fans for its grandiose intentions despite the minute team at the reins. Despite the fact that Midgar Studio is a group made up of a handful of developers, their child does not want to be the usual pixel art title that apes the classics of the past, but a sort of JRPG with extensive maps and a respectable technical sector. In short, an indie game that seems to want to deal directly with the stars of the genre.
Ride-on cats and fantasy
It was directly the narrative designer and producer Guillame Veer who introduced us to the game and answered a few questions, with a demo lasting about ten minutes long enough to get one idea on average quite precise: from what we have seen Edge of Eternity presents an old-style JRPG structure, with teams composed of multiple characters (and inevitable specific classes for each of these), a linear narrative and well-defined objectives. As mentioned in the intro of the article, the extension of the maps and the first impact would suggest a production with a much larger team behind it, but on a closer look you can see some naivete in the technical sector (mainly related to animations) and the inevitable structural limitations that bring back those who play with their feet on the ground. The maps, for example, are indeed extensive and rather varied (from the trailer shown it seems that the biomes are several), however they seem to stick to canons already seen, and do not present particular variations or complex crossroads.Among those shown, for example, one was practically a large curved corridor rich in vegetation, while the second was a more interesting sandy plain full of monsters and freely explorable. It is difficult to say if there are more stratified and verticalized locations going forward, but for the moment it all seemed very intuitive.
Curious if nothing else than the main means of locomotion (at least in the early stages, it seems) seems to be a large rideable cat named Nekaroo: a real boon in certain areas that take a long time to walk through. Similar maps, however, involve some risks, almost totally linked to the variety of quests and the pace of the campaign; it is hoped that the work of the Midgars will give a sense of exploration, and is not limited to the usual zone-by-zone filler fetch quests.
ATB take me away
One of the most interesting elements of the game appears to be the combat system. The title, as mentioned, takes a lot from the classic JRPGs, and in the first place owes a lot (both in terms of systems and aesthetics) to Final Fantasy. The battles therefore take advantage of the strange ATB system (with action bars that fill in real time and the possibility to calmly choose what to do once full), even if mixed with a more classic turn-based tactical RPG system with the possibility of repositioning characters. The attack maneuvers of the various classes have specific areas that allow you to take advantage of various tactics on a hex map, and some of the powers reposition the warriors after execution, allowing you to escape any enemy counterattacks. Everything seems fairly basic for the moment, without any particular upheavals, yet it is a fusion of systems with potential, enriched by a fair environmental interactivity. In fact, sometimes in the maps you will find some objects waiting for you that can be used against enemies, very useful for inflicting damage or obtaining advantages without wasting resources. To clarify, in the demo shown we have seen a comfortable ballista used, capable of doing a lot of harm from a position of relative safety.Overall, it seems to be a combat system whose complexity increases in direct proportion to the number of skills available to the player, and it must probably be for this reason that the development of the protagonists is largely focused precisely on obtaining additional skills. In fact, the characters can activate new abilities by exploiting special gems - moreover of variable quality, with probable effects on the power of the attacks obtained - in a very clear and easily navigable grid menu. Hard to say at the moment to what extent the development branches are elaborated, but the fact that many contain mostly "active" skills is certainly tantalizing.
The technical sector is also doing well, despite the fact that, as already mentioned, a careful eye can notice without too many problems that there are no enormous production values behind the title. Some animations are woody, the art direction is not always very inspired (although the artworks are generally of excellent quality), and there are undoubtedly elements markedly more detailed than others. However, when you consider the number of developers, it remains an impressive and undoubtedly praiseworthy job.
Surprising project when you consider the small number of developers behind it, Edge of Eternity seems to be a quality RPG , albeit far from revolutionary. The game is undoubtedly ambitious, and it seems to have potential, but it will have to be tried much harder to understand whether or not it can deal with veterans of the genre.
