Edens Zero

Edens Zero arrived with relatively little fanfare. A JRPG based on a manga by Hiro Mashima is nothing new - his sublime Fairy Tail has been given two games to date - but this has arrived pretty much under the radar (okay, we covered it in our news section but we’re anime-sensitive!)

This, as you'll see, is a massive shame. Because it's really rather good!

Edens Zero is a space-faring adventure that centres around a young boy named Shiki, a ball of energy who lives on a world called Granbell, where he resides with run-down robots that were part of a long abandoned amusement park. When Rebecca Bluegarden arrives with her cat partner Happy, the robots turn aggressive and chase the pair from the planet. Tragically it was all a ruse to give Shiki a chance to live among his own kind as they're all on the edge of expiry. While he leaves never knowing how they sacrificed themselves out of love for him, he still thanks them for keeping him company through his childhood. It's this heartfelt emotion that makes Edens Zero such a wonderful work of fiction, so the idea of being able to traverse the universe and play through these moments is enticing indeed.

The series deals with parallel universes, time travel and alternative histories, so it’s interesting that the game also seems to jump around its own narrative. The first playable part of the game is a battle against the alien parasites that mimic the Pirate Queen Elsie Crimson and her crew aboard the Edens Zero ship (basically a combat tutorial), before you return to earlier in the story where Rebecca first meets Shiki and his robot friends on planet Granbell. Timey-wimey indeed.

The game takes the player through the key story arcs, picking up more crew members as they search for the trans-dimensional being known as Mother. There's a terrific chemistry between the characters, especially the open-hearted Shiki and the increasingly exasperated Rebecca, which goes a long way to papering over some of the clunkier aspects of the game's construction. Everyone is so much fun to just hang out with that the game is a genuine pleasure to spend time with.

The Game Itself

But of course, we have to look at the mechanics of the title, and there are two main modes of play on offer here. Firstly, you'll take part in the story mode that moves the action forward, usually taking place across fairly linear spaces that allow you to take part in the main story arcs and battles that make up the series proper. These are replete with cut-scenes which set the scene for the enemies you'll face and the treasure you can find along the way. So far, so standard.

Shiki's Ether Gear makes exploration exciting

What really impresses is what they've done with the planet of Blue Garden, home of the many adventuring guilds. The planet is a huge open-word resplendent with quests, collectables and things to discover. There's just so much to do here that the story element seems almost redundant, as it's easy to get lost in quests that improve your rankings to open even more quests and recruiting friends that will open up new areas of your ship (see Mini games). It's genuinely addictive, even if the quests can be a bit samey after a while. Things are spiced up with different objectives - you may have to battle a major foe, survive waves of enemies or just obtain a photo, but it's all bright, lively and fun to take part in. Unlocking new gear and costumes for the characters spices up the visuals too, so I found that very rewarding. Shiki has some excellent costumes but the girls, especially Rebecca, get the most *ahem* appealing wardrobe choices, including swimsuits and even a towel...

I could spend hours just creating outfits... hours I tell you!

What hampers the experience is the game's actual performance. Yes, Shiki can take to the skies (or use vehicles) to traverse Blue Garden, but the graphical fidelity lets the game down. Mashima's cartoony designs are recreated faithfully enough for my tastes, but it's probably fair to say that the character models aren't exactly cutting edge and could have used a bit more work. The pop-in when traversing the open world is less forgivable, this is just poor coding and could have been easily avoided with more time in the oven as well. None of it is game-breaking, but it's a shame there wasn't more polish on a game that clearly respects the source material but didn't have the budget to really make things sing.

Mini Games

One of the areas of growth for the game is unlocking mini games in the ship, these tend to be timed event games like massage, but they offer a fun distraction and can also provide additional currency with which to obtain special items. 

Combat

As an action RPG, Edens Zero is very easy to pick up. You have standard attacks mapped to buttons, with a basic attack augmented by two more powerful attacks that you can string together. Your first boss fight against the Robot King Castellan will help you master the basics, where you'll find yourself able to attack and dodge effectively. Once you get further into the game you'll be able to swap between characters to utilise their strengths in combat (ranged fire for Rebecca, brawling for Shiki and effects-based attacks for characters like Witch), creating a good mix of styles to keep things fresh. Every character has their own skill tree, so it's worth giving them all some fighting time to round out your party and grow collectively. 

Fights against enemy cannon fodder can feel a bit musou-esque...

The boss fights are really the highlight, as the ground troops in their various guises are basically cannon fodder designed to wear you down, making the game feel more like Dynasty Warriors than an RPG at times. While you can just mash the buttons, it's well-worth investing time into learning the best combos and character combinations to make the most out of the game. It is possible to use characters for buffs and to set up attacking gear (Weisz for example has the ability to deploy turrets) while you just lay into the enemy with another character.

You should keep an eye on upgrades to bolster your performance, it will even the playing field for tougher foes and makes exploration on Blue Garden worthwhile. You'll see character model changes depending on what you've equipped too, which is a nice touch. 

Overall the combat is simple to grasp and flexible enough to allow for skilled play if you want to learn the ins and outs, but ultimately you will get out of combat what you're prepared to put into it - you can just mash buttons and make progress, but it's a lot less enjoyable. 

The Experience

There's a clear love of the source material shown throughout the game, with character interactions feeling genuinely moving at times. The ability to explore areas from the anime/manga in more detail is a pure delight, as Mashima's world is an imaginative and colourful one that just makes exploration a delight. Coupled with lots to see and do, attractive costumes, fun upgrades and a sensible structure taken with upgrades and skill trees, everything in the game works as it should. 

The weaker visual elements do let the game down, to the point where a patch would be warmly received if Konami should feel so inclined. It certainly deserves a little more attention, but even without it, nothing is so distracting that you'll be put off playing. 

Anime game adaptations are often weak, relying almost entirely on the audience attachment to a show in order to secure sales, but in the case of Edens Zero they've caught the heart and soul of what makes the series so appealing perfectly - I love spending time with these characters, reliving their adventures and being allowed to indulge in exploring the world is just a compelling combination.

is Edens Zero perfect? Not at all. But the game conveys the spirit of Mashima's world so effectively that you don't need any prior knowledge of the series to fall in love with what's here, and that's a huge testament to both the power of the Edens Zero generally and the work that's been undertaken by Konami.