End of Eternity (Resonance of Fate) - TGS Hands-on Impressions

End of Eternity, to be known as Resonance of Fate outside of Japan, is a forthcoming strategy/RPG game with guns a plenty. It’s being developed by tri-Ace (the Star Ocean series) and published by SEGA (Sonic Unleashed). I had a chance to play the 15 minute demo at TGS on the Xbox 360 (EOE will also be on the PS3) and I came away with mixed impressions. The layout of the demo was relatively straight forward: move from one area to another whilst following a linear path, using your three characters to defeat a succession of enemies, which culminated in a boss showdown.

End of Eternity mixes aspects from a number of different games and genres, and from what I could tell from the 15 minute playable demo, it does so relatively successfully. Combat is a partially real-time affair, where by making use of angles and positioning yourself between your other characters, you can pull off satisfying combos which see you jumping through the air effortlessly, wielding your dual guns. The battles moved quickly and smoothly, and despite not being entirely confident with the set up, I always felt in control. The battle system was certainly fluid and allowed the player free roam of the enclosed level. However, the enemies were relatively dull and generic, and seemed quite content to do the same attack over and over.

The combat areas were a succession of small enclosures, with an industrial, steam punk feel. Upon vanquishing one set of foes, you ran to the highlighted exit, which in turn transported you through to the next area. There was no room for exploration in this set up, but there was no indication if the whole game would be like this or if other parts would play out in a less linear fashion.

As anyone who has seen the current trailer will know, EOE is rather stylish in its presentation, and puts a great deal of stock in the balletic gunplay of the leads. The character animations are impressive, but the in-game levels were bare and uninspiring for a current generation title and there was an abundance of grey throughout. Bloody steam-punk!

My brief experience with the demo left me interested in, if not entirely sold upon End of Eternity. There is certainly a great deal of potential, and the game mechanics are pretty sound, but its just not quite there yet. Give it a while, and maybe it will become the game that people are hoping for.


ODDS & ENDS

Two final thoughts on TGS, both hardware related :

Of the hundreds of Xbox360s that were up and running during the 4 days of TGS, I wonder how many red-ringed? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to learn the failure rate of the consoles that were working overtime during that extended weekend? I’m sure it’s the kind of information that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo would want to keep very close to their chest. I did notice that every 360 I saw was accompanied by a large external fan.

What happens to all the consoles and peripherals that were in use during the show? Are all the controllers disinfected and used again for the next industry show, or are they simply discarded? These are the kinds of questions that keep me awake at night!