Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos
I typically keep an open mind when it comes to games though and if an earlier installment didn't play so well I’m more than willing to give the sequel a shot. Developer Idea Factory instituted some improvements with Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos but most of the experience still leaves something to be desired.
The game starts out like most other RPGs do. In fact most of the story, dialogue, and plot twists tend to run the gamut of RPG clichés. One nice thing that Aedis Eclipse does to shake things up involves the inclusion of multiple worlds. In total there are three different and separate realms in the game to play through, each with their own story of good versus evil. The different campaigns helm the game flow better than the original Generation of Chaos did but ultimately I found the story here underwhelming due to a certain lack of originality.
If the story fails to entertain you at least the gameplay will succeed on some level. Like the first Generation of Chaos, Aedis Eclipse is strategy RPG fair and if you have played one SRPG you may think that you have essentially played them all. That's not really the case with this particular attempt. For starters I just want to add that Aedis Eclipse actually offers a mostly comprehensive tutorial which the first Generation of Chaos on the PSP was lacking. This alone made the game better because now we are actually instructed regarding techniques, what things mean, and how the flow of battle goes.
For the most part the gameplay in Aedis Eclipse progresses through battle. The game is displayed like a grid with blocks that represent roads and places you can move your captain to. Along the paths there are enemy encampments, strongholds, and all manner of things to interact with. If you think of this section of the gameplay like a board-game you'd basically be on the right track. Really though, success boils down to capturing more of the board than your opponent does.
While moving around on the grid you can initiate combat with an opponent or the same will happen to you; either way there's going to be a throw-down. Success in battle hinges on many things. For starters there is essentially a home field advantage as you can change elements to suit your needs. This is all part of battle preparation but the system gets much deeper than that.
Once a battle springs upon you it's time to select a formation for your armada. Depending on the particular style of offensive you select you'll gain different benefits such as an increase to one stat or another. The success of your battle is largely decided by the captain you are taking to war. Each captain has the ability to learn powerful skills and frankly they are the last man standing when the cards start to fall. If you played the first Generation of Chaos you'll recall that captains had a similar style of special attack and you'll be pleased to know that this time around they are just as devastatingly effective.
There are many annoyances with this combat system however. For starters the AI hasn't improved and it really makes for a frustrating experience sometimes. Considering that combat is essentially you inputting a few commands and watching your AI battle the CPU's AI you can imagine how boring this gets. Things will be going fine for you one minute and the next your suddenly losing because of something stupid. This leaves the game feeling unbalanced and very repetitive after a short while with it.
Ultimately the gameplay in Aedis Eclipse suffers from some of the same flaws that plagued the original Generation of Chaos. Battles tend to be rather tedious with the outcome often decided randomly and the AI isn't particularly bright. There is a decent amount of depth in other systems for the game such as the development of your captains and whatnot but considering the game isn't fun for very long I suppose that's a moot point. Also the inclusion of a tutorial was a definite plus but considering the game is still hard to access easily and the instruction manual is pitiful when it comes to explanations only the diehard SRPG gamers need apply.
Generation of Chaos offers a throwback to the days of RPG when squat characters walked around with big heads. To say that finer detail is lost on the design of the character models would be an understatement but the look is effective in a minimalist sort of way. Environmental design fairs much better with some fine looking backgrounds and an easily understood world map.
Where Aedis Eclipse falters is once again in the menu and information department. You can expect to find menus hard to read and throughout the game confounding abbreviations are the norms. After experiencing Generation of Chaos it's safe to say that this is one area where the sequel did not improve at all. Sure the game is deep and chockfull of information but when you can't make heads or tails of it without investing hour upon hour is it really worth the trouble?
Have you ever played a game where you felt the voice acting was so bad that you had to mute it? That was me with Aedis Eclipse. I found nearly every voiceover in this game to be grating on the ears and though a few actors did reasonably well, the whole experience as a whole was bad to the point it was funny. Fortunately the soundtrack absolutely rocks with some memorable tunes and an addictive nature.
I wish I could report in and say that Aedis Eclipse is leaps and bounds better than Generation of Chaos but sadly I can't. The gameplay does fair a tad better with the same amount of depth and improved functionality but random events and terrible AI keep the experience relatively stagnant. The three campaigns do help keep the boredom minimal but it does set in after a while. If you really liked the first Generation of Chaos then you'll appreciate this because it's mostly more of the same. The series has become a tad more accessible to Joe-six-pack Gamer but it's nowhere near to the point that it deserves a widespread recommendation. Rent it if you're curious but that's about the best that I can say.