by Jaime Skelton

Created on: January 10, 2009   Last Updated: December 22, 2011

Visiting the world of Eternal Eden, so many things felt eerily familiar. Was it a moment of dj vu? Or was it, like the Garden of Eden, a worn out fable?

Eternal Eden
is a role-playing game set in a fantasy world. The main character (Noah) and his friends live in a special place in which they live immortally, where the Eden tower takes care of their any and every living need. Of course just like the creation tale this perfect life is about to be challenged, by someone not willing to listen to their Father's stern rules.

Game play in Eternal Eden is identical to many well-known role-playing games such as Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. In fact, the game appears to be made with RPG Maker VX, a downloadable program that allows RPG design without programming knowledge. While I can't fault the game makers for using a design program, I expect a game's innovation to shine in the storyline at that point.

Unfortunately, Eternal Eden's story seems to be just as flat as the 2D environment it's played out in. Although the story doesn't follow the creation myth to the teeth you won't find Adam and Eve as the main characters the story moves on so predictably, you might as well just read the story to the characters and be done with the game early.

Despite the heavy flaws in its storyline, Eternal Eden has crisp, bright graphics and a soothing soundtrack. Harkening back to the days of RPGs of the 1980s and 1990s, the graphics look like they'd be more at home on a handheld console than on a PC. The game defaults to a small window, and I recommend keeping it that way: full screen just feels awkward for this type of game. The music, meanwhile, while not out of place, feels generic and uninspired.

Although regular RPG players won't find any surprises, Eternal Eden hosts a brilliant welcome tutorial for those new to its turn-based system and interactive landscape. The game remains streamlined, so it's nearly impossible to get lost going from one objective to another.

If you like role-playing games and need something mindless to play through, or if you're new to role-playing games and want an easy start, Eternal Eden may be right for you. But if you're like me, and either play games for a living, or live off playing games, Eternal Eden may feel less than a paradise.

Rating: 3/5

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