Another Eden

Another Eden
The logo for Another Eden
Developer(s) Wright Flyer Studios
Publisher(s) Wright Flyer Studios
Director(s) Masato Kato
Producer(s) Takashi Daisuke
Artist(s)
  • Tanaka Egusa
  • Chei Shinwoo
Writer(s) Masato Kato
Composer(s)
Platform(s) iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch
Release iOS, Android
  • JP: April 12, 2017
Nintendo Switch
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Another Eden[lower-alpha 1] is a free-to-play role-playing video game developed and published by Wright Flyer Studios. Another Eden features the collaboration of writer Masato Kato and composer Yasunori Mitsuda from Xenogears and the Chrono series of role-playing games. The game involves time travel elements, where players explore different points in time, and was released for iOS and Android devices in Japan on April 12, 2017, and will be released worldwide at a later date. A port for the Nintendo Switch is also planned.

Gameplay

Despite being a mobile game created on the GREE platform, the game has little focus on social interactions and log-in bonuses frequently found on the platform.[1] The game is free to play, with in-app purchases for in-game items.[2] The game features a 26 chapter main scenario,[3] with the gameplay involving the player time travelling through three main time periods; the past, present, and future.[4][5]

The game primarily plays as a side-scrolling JRPG, at times opening up for full 3D movement.[6] The player directly maneuvers a character between locations and interacts with non-playable characters to progress through the game.[6] Confrontations with enemy characters are played out with turn-based battles.[5] While new characters join the party and grow stronger naturally over the course of the game flow, the player may spend real-world currency on obtaining stronger items and characters as well.[6] "Chronos Stones", which can be obtained naturally through playing the game, or bought through in-app purchases, allows access to the "Star Dreaming Hall", which allows the player to gamble gacha-style for stronger items and characters.[6][7]

Plot

The game stars Aldo, the game's protagonist, and his sister, Feene. A demon king seeks to use Feene's dormant abilities to erase humans from the world. During a desperate moment while failing to rescue his sister, a distortion in space-time occurs in the air, and Aldo escapes 800 years into the future.[7]

Development and release

Development on the game started in early 2015,[8] with its first announcement occurring in September 2015, at that year's Tokyo Game Show.[4] The game was revealed as a new project by Masato Kato, who had written and directed Chrono Cross, and wrote parts of Xenogears and Chrono Trigger.[4] The game was developed by Wright Flyer Studios for iOS and Android devices on the GREE platform,[1] with Kato directing and writing the game's scenario and script.[4][9] Kato collaborated with GREE producer Daisuke Takasaki, who previously worked on Puyo Puyo Quest, on the game, as they shared the same vision of putting a more traditional JRPG on mobile device, something Takasaki felt the platform generally lacked.[8][5] Importance was placed on making free-range movement comfortable on button-less devices, something Takasaki felt was poorly, or not at all, implemented on many mobile RPGs.[8] Graphics were kept two dimensional to help accommodate the game's large scope, with 2D graphics being cheaper and easier to create on larger scale.[8] This was necessary to realize Kato's large scope for the game's story as well.[8] Similar to the Chrono series, the game is centered around time travel.[1] Additionally, a "day and night" theme is also in the game.[10][11]

The game's original score was primarily composed by Shunsuke Tsuchiya and Mariam Abounnasr, with the opening theme and some additional pieces by Yasunori Mitsuda, who had previously worked with Kato on Xenogears and the Chrono series.[1][9][12] The development team was initially unsure on whether or not voice acting should be implemented into the game, though after an impromptu questionnaire was issued to fans, over 70% favored its inclusion, so the team decided in favor of it.[5] However, the limitations of the game being on mobile platforms lead to it only being partial voice acting, not full voice acting for every scene.[5] A two-disc official soundtrack was released by Mitsuda's record label Procyon Studio on September 27, 2017.[13]

The game was initially targeting a release in mid-2016,[1][5] but was later pushed back to an early 2017 release date,[3] finally being set for April 12.[2] Prior to the game's final release, a sign-up for a 1,000 participant closed beta testing was held in late February 2017,[9] and conducted for a week in March 2017.[6] Post-release, the game received large-scale advertising and promotional support from GREE, including regularly released updates featuring new gameplay content.[14]

On the game's one-year anniversary, it was announced that a port for the Nintendo Switch was being developed.[15] An international, multi-language release was also announced, though specific languages, regions, or platforms were not revealed at the time.[16]

Reception

RPG Site praised the original Japanese release of the game, stating that despite in being on mobile devices, it still "plays like a fun, traditional RPG" and that they could "barely call it a free-to-play game. The annoying trappings (like stamina and timers) are almost nonexistent".[17] They also gave praise to the graphics, soundtrack, and post-release game updates.[17]

Notes

  1. ↑ アナザーエデン 時空を超える猫 ("Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Space-Time") in Japanese

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Smart Phone RPG "Another Eden" Features Talent from "Chrono Trigger"". Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 株式会社インプレス (4 April 2017). "スマホ用「アナザーエデン 時空を超える猫」、配信日決定 ニコ生番組出演者のサイン入りポスターが3名にもらえるキャンペーンを実施". Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 "A new aspect of smaho RPG! "Another Eden" CBT Report". March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Chrono Trigger And Xenogears Writer's Smartphone RPG Another Eden To Be At TGS 2016". September 9, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 株式会社インプレス (31 January 2016). "スマホ「アナザーエデン」、一部プレイ動画を初公開 グリー高氏がぶっちゃけながら開発方針を決める「開発定例議会」を開催". Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 株式会社インプレス (16 March 2017). "スマホRPGの新たな境地！ 「アナザーエデン」CBTレポート 冒険を能動的に楽しむ「本格RPG」に真正面から取り組むグリーの意欲作". Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Another Eden game review". GameDeets. 2017-04-13. Archived from the original on 2017-04-18.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 株式会社インプレス (18 September 2015). ""発明満載でお見せできない"新作スマホRPG「アナザーエデン」 ドット絵時代のRPGの冒険をスマホに。加藤正人氏、光田康典氏らが参加". Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 株式会社インプレス (22 February 2017). "「アナザーエデン 時空を超える猫」、クローズドβテスト参加者募集開始 新作PRG、シナリオ・演出に加藤正人氏、メインテーマには光田康典氏が起用". Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Chrono Trigger Writer Works on Another Eden Mobile RPG". Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "【TGS2015】『クロノ・トリガー』のシナリオライター＆サウンドクリエイターによるタイムトラベル冒険RPG『アナザーエデン』発表 - インサイド". Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Another Eden Original Soundtrack". iTunes. Apple. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Another Eden Original Soundtrack". Procyon Studio. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal. "Smartphone RPG Another Eden coming to Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Reese, Zack. "Game Info Another Eden: The Cat That Travels Through Space and Time global and Switch release announced". RPG Site. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  17. 1 2 Reese, Zack. "Game Info Another Eden: The Cat That Travels Through Space and Time global and Switch release announced". RPG Site. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
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