Huge props to any development studio that creates huge-scale games with limited resources. Midgar Studio, with only eight team members, has chewed off an ambitious project with Edge of Eternity. It's taking on a feature-length, JRPG-style game with only a handful of resources. It's an applaudable endeavor, but it results in some rough patches that can hopefully be ironed out with more time and resources before the full release.

Set in a fictional war-torn world where humans are fighting back against the Archelites, an invading species that's put an unbearable stranglehold on the humans' resources, Edge of Eternity follows the story of two siblings: Daryon and Selene. The Archelites have unleashed a wicked plague known as Corrosion on the world. The virus quickly spreads through the ranks of the human army and villages, transforming anyone in its path into a vile mutation of their original self. Having learned that their mother was infected with Corrosion, Daryon and Selene desert the army and make way back home to support her.

The story begins here, where you're on an adventure to return home to your mother. The story is passable and slightly clichéd (as with most JRPG stories), but it remains interesting. You'll traverse blue-lit forests and open plains as you make your way toward the first main city to meet an old arcane tutor of Selene's. The various environments are by far the strongest aspect of the game. Those dark yet sparkling forests are littered with overgrown mushrooms and swaying vegetation. The open plains are surrounded by massive mountains and celestial rocks floating in the sky above. Each environment was a spectacle and joy to explore.

The same cannot be said for the enemy design. Where Edge of Eternity's environments felt lively and diverse, the character designs felt half-baked and devoid of any zest. Multiple enemies were some type of four-legged animal, ranging from infected deer to aggressive boars. There may be more enemy diversity in later parts of the game, but as a new player, the early goings didn't draw me in and encourage me to push forward. With that being said, it may not necessarily be the artistic design of the enemies that made it fall flat for me. Part of the issue may stem from the lack of a good combat camera; I never felt like I had a good angle on my characters or enemies.

Combat is more strategic than other JRPGs, since you can control your characters across a hexagonal grid during combat. There's still an active time battle mechanic to the combat like most other JRPGs, but the additional layer of movement across the battlefield theoretically adds a layer of complexity that I should enjoy. The mechanic has a lot of kinks that need to be ironed out. As stated before, the camera during enemy encounters can be a battle in and of itself. A static cinematic camera behind you or the enemy's shoulders isn't present due to the grid traversal. As a result, you are left with a free-floating camera that can be rotated and moved using the left and right joysticks. It always felt a bit too high above the characters, and I could never get an angle that felt right. The awkward, high-set camera angles always disengaged me from the heat of the battle. I never felt like I was getting a good look at what may be well-designed enemies. Instead, I felt like a marionette controller looking down on my puppets, but I never felt like part of the play.

Beyond this, movement in a turn-based combat system leads to some awkward situations where I was either chasing or running from an enemy during every turn without any attacks occurring (lest I risk taking a deadly hit). It led to battles that continued until I either accepted the fact that I had to take the hit or hope that the enemy AI would bug out and make a foolish decision. There's something here, though. Beyond the strange camera angles and buried in the code of some wonky cat-and-mouse AI, Edge of Eternity's combat still intrigued me, and I'm hopeful Midgar Studio can work out these wrinkles.

Despite the issues with the combat, I enjoyed my time with Edge of Eternity more often than not. There are certainly things that will stick out. The lip-synching isn't great, and there are certainly some questionable lines of dialogue and voice acting, but one should have realistic expectations. I don't go into an Olive Garden expecting a four-course meal that competes with the best plates served in Sienna. I just want some buttery breadsticks. Edge of Eternity is no different. Coming from an eight-person team, there are clearly areas where it's lacking, but the environment design is strong. The title is still in development, so here's hoping that the team has time to improve upon the combat and camera issues so Edge of Eternity's true potential can shine.