Aselia the Eternal: The Spirit of Eternity Sword
- April 29, 2016
- Xuse
- 80h median play time
Get on SteamAselia the Eternal: The Spirit of Eternity Sword is a tactical RPG where you play as Takamine Yuuto, an ordinary boy who is summoned to the fantasy world of Phantasmagoria. With 21 playable characters, you'll fight to save Yuuto's sister and protect the land from evil, with your choices determining one of nine unique endings. The game features over 50 hours of gameplay, with 38 towns across 23 tactical missions, and hundreds of skill upgrades to unlock.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a captivating story with well-developed characters and multiple routes, providing high replayability.
- The tactical gameplay is challenging and requires strategic thinking, making victories feel rewarding.
- The combination of visual novel and strategy elements is unique, allowing for an engaging experience that appeals to fans of both genres.
- The game suffers from a slow start with a lengthy prologue and some missions that can feel tedious and overly long.
- The graphics and interface show their age, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially in higher modes where resource management becomes a significant challenge.
- story142 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Aselia the Eternal" is a rich and engaging narrative that combines elements of medieval fantasy with deep character development and multiple routes, offering significant replayability. While the initial pacing may feel slow and some plot resolutions can be anticlimactic, the overall storytelling is praised for its emotional depth and complexity, making it a standout in the visual novel genre. However, some players noted that gameplay often overshadows the narrative, particularly in the early stages, which may detract from the overall experience.
“The story is rich and deep where you can build close connections with almost all the characters in the game.”
“The story has everything you would hope for from an epic tale: touching moments, hype moments, great characters, and yet it is only the opening of the Eienshinken series.”
“This tactical visual novel has to be one of my all-time favorites in terms of storytelling.”
“When the story does finally return in full force, it unfortunately fails to deliver, mainly because it resolves earlier conflicts anticlimactically and has some really unconvincing attempts at creating sympathetic antagonists.”
“During the final act it falls apart even further as it abandons any pretense of developing its villains and expands the scope of the setting far beyond what its fairly short plot can utilize effectively.”
“After the first two missions, the story takes a backseat for a while as the game focuses largely on the gameplay.”
- gameplay50 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Aselia the Eternal" combines story-driven visual novel elements with tactical strategy, featuring base building and combat that can become challenging as resources are finite and late-game enemies are tough. While the mechanics are engaging and offer depth, some players find the interface clunky and the gameplay can feel linear or monotonous over time. Overall, the game is recommended for its unique blend of narrative and tactical gameplay, appealing particularly to fans of strategy games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics.
“The gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combat. While the first few fights are quite easy, if you don't optimize your resources, you will have a really hard time later on because the resources are finite and the late-game enemies are quite strong, even with the best squad you could make.”
“When they finally gave me some gameplay beyond the visual novel, I was quite surprised by the depth of the tactics and planning I had available to me.”
“The real meat, though, is the challenging gameplay where every choice matters and which involves absolutely zero luck.”
“The gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combats, and while the first bunch of fights are quite easy, if you didn't optimize every resource, you will have a really hard time later on because in the whole game the resources are finite and the late game enemies are quite strong even with the best squad you could make.”
“Gameplay: the foundation for a potentially interesting system is there, but it's ruined by a very clunky interface and all kinds of terrible design decisions.”
“Way too slow and monotonous gameplay; the strategy section was boring as can be (just use the main character, a green spirit, and a blue spirit, repeat all day), and the story loved to go on and on and on and on...”
- graphics16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers criticizing the quality of the sprites as unacceptable, even for early 2000s standards. While some find the battle graphics acceptable, the overall art style has received mixed reactions, with particular disdain for the character designs. Despite these visual shortcomings, some players argue that the gameplay experience can still be enjoyable.
“Don't be put off by the graphics; despite the age, this is a top-notch game.”
“I guess the battle graphics are okay, though.”
“The artwork is pretty meh, but you can forgive it if it's fun to play.”
“Graphics: the overall quality of the sprites is simply unacceptable even for something from the early 2000s.”
“Music is mildly forgettable and graphics... well for an 11-pound game it's pretty bad.”
“(Also, as a matter of personal preference, I dislike the art style. It's hard for me to get engaged by all the cutesy stuff that happens with the various girls in the game when they all look like inhuman mutants - especially the smaller ones.)”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some praise the limited but high-quality soundtrack, others find it repetitive and forgettable. Voice acting is generally well-received, but the overall musical experience is seen as lacking depth and variety. Despite these criticisms, a few players highlight the music's ability to enhance the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
“This visual novel is easily one of the best I've played, not just because of the story, the music, the atmosphere, the way it handles the whole 'transported to another world' aspect, and the way it's written, as well as the strategy elements involved that force you to think hard, because every mistake you make could set you back for the rest of the game (unless you reload a save).”
“The music, while limited to about 20 songs, is amazing despite its decade-old age.”
“The soundtrack is amazing!”
“Not too many musical tracks, and they get repetitive quickly.”
“Music: completely forgettable.”
“Music is mildly forgettable and graphics... well for an 11 pound game it's pretty poor.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the lack of clear save points during alternate routes and the monotonous unit movement. The prologue is described as boring and cliché, leading to frustration and a lack of motivation to continue.
“The strategy can become a bit tedious, especially when playing through alternate routes as there are not clear branching points to save at.”
“Moving units around became tedious at the end.”
“1.6 hours of boring, tedious, and cliché prologue; I have really no idea what's afterwards and I don't want to at this point.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is crucial, as players must effectively manage finite resources during base building and tactical combat; failure to do so can lead to significant challenges in the late game against strong enemies. Overall, resource management is a key aspect that influences gameplay difficulty.
“The gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combat. While the first few fights are quite easy, if you don't optimize every resource, you will have a really hard time later on. The resources are finite throughout the game, and the late-game enemies are quite strong, even with the best squad you could create.”
“The gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combat. While the first few fights are quite easy, if you don't optimize every resource, you will have a really hard time later on. The resources in the game are finite, and the late-game enemies are quite strong, even with the best squad you could make.”
“The gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combat. While the first few fights are quite easy, if you don't optimize every resource, you will have a really hard time later on. The resources in the game are finite, and the late-game enemies are quite strong, even with the best squad you could make.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as initially promising, with an oppressive tone that enhances the storytelling and characterization. Players appreciate how the music and overall ambiance contribute to the immersive experience, particularly in the context of being transported to another world. The combination of these elements creates a compelling environment that keeps players engaged and thoughtful throughout their journey.
“This visual novel is easily one of the best I've played, not just because of the story, the music, and the atmosphere, but also the way it handles the whole 'transported to another world' aspect. The writing and the strategy elements involved force you to think hard, as every mistake you make could set you back for the rest of the game (unless you reload a save).”
“The atmosphere is quite oppressive, which adds to the overall experience and enhances the storytelling.”
“The atmosphere created in this game is immersive and captivating, drawing you into its world and making every moment feel significant.”
“The atmosphere starts off somewhat promising for the first few hours with a fairly interesting premise, decent characterization, and a rather oppressive feel.”
“The atmosphere in this visual novel is easily one of the best I've experienced, not just because of the story and music, but also how it handles the whole 'transported to another world' aspect.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its epic storytelling, featuring touching moments and well-developed characters. Notably, the addition of an emotional scene in the new game plus mode deepens the complexity of the bully character, transforming them from a one-dimensional rival into a more nuanced figure. Overall, the narrative effectively engages players on an emotional level, setting a strong foundation for the series.
“The story has everything you would hope for from an epic tale, touching moments, hype moments, great characters, and yet it is only the opening of the Eienshinken series.”
“When you start your first New Game Plus, the game adds an emotional scene that finally makes the bully something beyond a one-dimensional rival because they know you already know about this exchange.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability with seven distinct routes that alter the story considerably, providing a coherent narrative while enriching the lore with each playthrough.
“There is a significant amount of replayability, as there are 7 possible routes that change the story quite a bit each time, while still remaining coherent and providing more lore.”
“There are also quite a lot of replayability as there are 7 possible routes that change the story significantly each time, while still remaining coherent and providing more lore.”
