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.
Reviews
- Engaging story with well-developed characters and multiple routes, providing high replayability.
- Challenging tactical gameplay that requires strategic thinking, with no random elements affecting outcomes.
- Unique blend of visual novel and strategy RPG elements, appealing to fans of both genres.
- Outdated graphics and interface that may deter modern players.
- Long and tedious prologue, with some missions feeling excessively lengthy and monotonous.
- Difficulty spikes and lack of clear guidance can lead to frustration, especially for casual gamers.
- story71 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 1 % 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, enhancing replayability. While some players appreciate the intricate lore and emotional depth, others note that the pacing can suffer, particularly during gameplay segments that overshadow the narrative. Overall, the game is praised for its compelling storytelling, memorable characters, and the strategic interplay between story and gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding censorship and pacing issues.
“The story is rich and deep, allowing you to 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, and great characters.”
“Once you pass the prologue of the first hour or two, the story becomes rather engaging through its attention to detail and setting.”
“And the way the story circumvents their shortcomings to advance is really annoying.”
“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.”
- gameplay25 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 enemies grow stronger. While the mechanics are engaging and offer depth, some players find the interface clunky and the gameplay can become monotonous over time. Overall, the game is praised for its unique blend of tactics and narrative, appealing particularly to fans of strategy games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics.
“The story is interesting, the gameplay is engaging, and the characters actually make you care.”
“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 gameplay is actually separated into base building and tactical combat, and while the first few fights are quite easy, if you don't optimize your resources, you will have a really hard time later on. 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...”
- graphics8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many users finding the sprite quality unacceptable, even for early 2000s standards. While some aspects, like battle graphics, receive mild praise, the overall art style and character designs have drawn criticism for being unappealing and detracting from player engagement. Despite these shortcomings, some players argue that the game's fun factor can outweigh its visual flaws.
“Don't be put off by the graphics; despite the age, this is a top-notch game.”
“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.”
“The artwork is pretty mediocre, but you can forgive it if it's fun to play.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it amazing and fitting for the atmosphere, others describe it as repetitive and forgettable, with a limited number of tracks. Overall, the voice acting is praised, but the music's impact varies significantly among players.
“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.”
- grinding3 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 unclear branching points and lengthy prologues that detract from the overall experience. The lack of engaging content during these segments leads to a sense of boredom and frustration.
“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.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is crucial, as resource management in base building significantly impacts the difficulty of later tactical combats; players who fail to optimize their resources may struggle against stronger enemies. Overall, the gameplay experience hinges on effective resource utilization to ensure success in the late game.
“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. 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 divided into base building and tactical combat. While the initial fights are relatively easy, if you don't optimize your resource management, you'll struggle later on. Resources are finite throughout the game, and late-game enemies are quite strong, even with the best squad you can assemble.”
“The optimization of resources is crucial; otherwise, you will find yourself overwhelmed by late-game challenges. The finite nature of resources means that poor planning can lead to a frustrating experience.”
“If you fail to optimize your resource usage early on, the difficulty spikes significantly in the later stages of the game, making it nearly impossible to progress without a well-thought-out strategy.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as initially promising, featuring an oppressive tone that enhances the storytelling and characterization. Players appreciate the combination of music and the immersive experience of being transported to another world, which contributes to the game's overall depth and strategic elements.
“The story starts off somewhat promising for the first hours with a fairly interesting premise, decent characterization, and a rather oppressive atmosphere.”
“This visual novel is easily one of the best I've played, not just because of the story, but also the music, the atmosphere, and the way it handles the whole 'transported to another world' aspect.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to truly immerse players in the world.”
“Despite a promising start, the atmosphere quickly becomes repetitive and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
“The game struggles to maintain a consistent atmosphere, often feeling disjointed and lacking cohesion.”
- emotional2 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, particularly in the opening of the eienshinken series. The addition of an emotional scene in the first new game plus (ng+) enhances the depth of the bully character, transforming them from a one-dimensional rival into a more complex figure, which resonates with players who are familiar with the narrative.
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability with seven distinct routes that alter the story and provide additional lore, ensuring a coherent yet varied experience 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.”
“The game offers incredible replayability with multiple endings and choices that make each playthrough feel unique.”
“With various character paths and decisions to make, the replayability factor is high, encouraging players to explore different outcomes.”
“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.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
“After completing the game once, there isn't much incentive to go back, as the differences in outcomes are minimal.”
