Very little has
changed since I previewed Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos, a real-time
PSP strategy/RPG that pitted good versus evil, a warmongering empire against a
peaceful kingdom and a high-tech military state against mysterious
technology-crazed enemies. This isn’t necessarily bad news since what was
experienced in the preview build was actually good but the things that needed
tightening haven’t really been addressed for the release. In the end, however,
Aedis Eclipse is still a game well worth a first and second look and is
the best Generation of Chaos game you’ll find thus far.
Aedis Eclipse
doesn’t tell
one story but rather it tells three different stories that revolve around a main
world composed of three sections: the Divine World, the Surface World and the
Lower World. These stories never intersect and there’s no real connection to any
of the characters despite the fact that you can control more than 40 of them
throughout the game. The game allows you the choice of beginning the game from
any world but since the tutorial can be found in the Lower World, I suggest
starting from there first.
Deep beneath the
Surface World lies the Lower World, a unique world that places more emphasis on
mech-styled technology than the fantasy theme of the two other worlds. It is
here that we meet Quinn, a young military student who, with his friend Gon and
snobby rich girl Keri, becomes involved in an invasion one day during class. We
find out that in this part of the world the military uses Cyber Suits but these
invaders use Cyber Suits that are far more advanced than anything Quinn and his
friends have ever seen. Just who are these invaders anyway? Quinn and the others
find out as they battle the invaders and rise as heroes. As I mentioned above,
the Lower World segment of the game contains a tutorial and it is here where we
learn the game’s many mechanics, gameplay elements and combat (but we’ll get to
the basics a bit later).
The Surface
World campaign begins in a peaceful village as a young boy named Steiner, his
lovely sister Fiona and her main crush Raphelos witness a violent invasion by
the armies of Zemora. Suddenly, the three finds themselves tossed into a battle
for survival and Raphelos is separated from his friends. Ten years have passed
and the Empire of Zemora now dominates the territory and a ship docks on the
very shores outside the once peaceful village. Three other friends arrive, one
of them – Herault – has a mysterious past. It is Herault who recognizes a now
older Steiner, who is now the Prince of Zemora. What happened during the
invasion and what connection (if any) does Herault have to the missing Raphelos?
These are the mysteries that gamers get to unfold during this segment of the
game.
Then there’s the
Divine World part that reveals a story where demons known as Hellions and Angels
have a peace agreement that has lasted for years. Then, in a secret gathering of
demons, Atrapollus, the Prince of Hell decides to break this peace agreement by
restarting the ancient war between Heaven and Hell. The problem is that
Atrapollus still has a thing for Rose, the Queen of Heaven, and has doubts about
the war. Yet with the demon Calamity questioning the Prince’s dedication to the
cause and the vicious Grozen thinking their leader is growing soft, Atrapollus
sees no other choice but to continue his campaign. Meanwhile, Rose and her
brother Walther employ powerful Angels to help them fight back the Hellions.
All three
stories are interesting and are filled with a number of interesting characters
that make the role-playing game aspect of Aedis Eclipse really quite
enjoyable. The stories don’t get to deep and involving as, say, a recent
Final Fantasy game, but each one will manage to hook you to the very end of
each campaign. The Surface World story alone is well worth the price of
admission. Yet like most Generation of Chaos game, this one tosses in a
great dose of real-time strategy gaming goodness. The strategy aspect of the
game has you commanding a sizeable army of up to 30 troops commanded by an army
of five captains. Each of the captains you control has their own skills and
abilities and this adds to the strategic decision-making.
You’ll start by
selecting the captains you would like to control for the strategy segment and
move them along the playing grid. The grid itself is composed of everything from
enemy strongholds to an enemy camp where your enemy’s captains are positioned.
How you position each captain is entirely up to you but for each move you make
your enemy will attempt to counter and set up their own attacks. You will have a
set number of turns but you’ll have plenty of options as well such as the
Terraform feature that allows you to change the elemental attributes of the land
so you can turn an unformed land into a road you can move through.
The objective is
to dominate as much of the playing map as possible and to do this you must take
out your enemies. Whether you engage an enemy captain and their troops or the
enemy attacks you, the game will switch to a battle mode where the armies clash.
Each captain has his or her own skills that you can activate during battles and
they can always learn new ones as well. The problem is that the real-time
battles are lengthy and unnecessarily complex. Battles are also very repetitive
despite your captains’ various abilities and thus the weakest aspect of the
game. Still, with a lengthy game with three particularly interesting stories and
enough strategy-based options, this portable game does some justice to the
genre.
Visually,
Aedis Eclipse looks like the role-playing games of yesteryear but at least
the backgrounds and anime-styled character models during dialogue looks pretty
sharp on the PSP. The effects literally flash on the screen, especially during
combat and you’ll be treated to cool cutscenes when a captain unleashes their
special ability during a fight. The voice acting is also handled like a good
anime and makes up for the lack of detailed sound effects. Still, it’s the
game’s lush score that wins big points here and it never gets repetitive.
I would like to
say that Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos is the RPG/strategy game I
have been waiting to get my hands on since the PSP launched but it isn‘t. It’s
far from perfect, especially when it comes to the combat, but as far as the
Generation of Chaos series is concerned, this one isn’t entirely bad either.
With three great stories that will have you playing through to the end of each
campaign, fans of the genre will certainly enjoy this one.
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Gameplay: 7.2
As a
role-playing game, Aedis Eclipse has it all in terms of story and
characters. The strategy gaming part is both complex and highly repetitive but
gamers are given the freedom (and options) to tackle a situation any way they
see fit. The game is also actually pretty lengthy as well so strategy fans will
have a lot to do in this game.
Graphics: 7.0
The graphics
will take you back to the early days when RPG characters had big heads and big
eyes during in-game action and anime-style during cutscenes. As far as the
environments are concerned, the details are actually impressive. Even the visual
effects look good during combat so expect some flashy effects.
Sound: 7.5
The voice
acting isn’t bad at all and the sound effects are certainly decent enough but
the real audio treat comes from the beautifully orchestrated score that plays
throughout the game. Each storyline has its own theme music so there’s never a
dull moment as far as the soundtrack is concerned.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Strategy fans
will certainly find plenty of challenges during combat and you’ll definitely be
keeping careful consideration of each move or deciding whom to send out. Your
enemies aren’t dummies either so you will have your hands full in this game.
Concept: 7.0
Whether you’re
taking on modern suits of armor in one campaign, fighting off angels in another
or attempting to unravel the mysteries of an invasion, the three stories are
entertaining and interesting. You have enough choices to make in battle as well.
Overall: 7.0
Striking a
nearly perfect balance between role-playing game goodness and strategy gaming,
Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos might not do combat right but it’s
still a worthwhile game for PSP gamers. With three intriguing storylines and
some solid strategy scenarios, fans who have been waiting for a decent portable
strategy game should consider buying this one.
