Eternal Legacy for the iPhone or iPad is a game that I have a soft spot for. Its features are not entirely overwhelming save for a couple of bright spots, and from the picture you are already aware that this game borrows heavily from the acclaimed Final Fantasy franchise. But at the same time, the faults are easy to forgive in the grand scheme of things; everything else actually works fine, if not pretty well. In the end, it isn't the best RPG but is still a decent package.
Eternal Legacy follows the tale of Astrian, a rebel trying to steal the Varsh Stones (power source) of the mighty state Algoad. However, the plan goes awry thanks to the enigmatic villain Reinherz and Astrian finds himself having to not only save his companions from the botched up scheme, but also start looking for other Varsh Stones. On the way, Astrian learns about his origins and the true purpose of the Varsh Stones, and his mission gains much more importance than anticipated.
The product's greatest strength lies in its presentation, at least on the graphical side. While the whole thing might look dated to those used to consoles the game manages to pack a good visual punch. The world is fully rendered in 3D and despite its block-iness looks majestic thanks to its grand locales from temples to forests to volcanoes. Character designs and enemy designs are much like the background; not a lot of detail for specific like the arms and facial expressions, but everything else is solid enough. The large bosses are worth a look at least once because of their incredibly epic-like design, looking the part of the legendary beasts they are supposed to be.
I also applaud the story writers for at least having a bit of thought as to how the world works and its goings on. The mystery world the gamer is transported to is a case of urban superpower bullying its rural counterparts. There is also a good bit of history as to how the urban state Algoad gained power and prestige in the first place, the several rebellions that tried to stop it, and how that history is tied to several playable characters in the game. I won't say the game world is as developed as Ehb from Dungeon Siege 3, but I still came away impressed as to how much planning went into the settings and its histories.
I am also pleasantly surprised to see that Eternal Legacy gets better later on. There are several factors to note. First is the character Edmund, who joins Astrian's party. He wields dual pistols and with his poor imitations of gun-fu (esp. one move called "Bullet Time") is the best source of cheap laughs and epic badassery for me. At that time, the game's customization options, though still limited, also start opening up and you can experiment with different combinations of fragments that increase the stats of the characters or teach them a new move. These two trends make the game noticeably better later in the game, so give the product some credit.
The major problem for this game, if you want to see it as such, is that its design doesn't scream innovation; you've seen it before. You move your party around a 3D plane from Point A to Point B with enemies in the way. When you run into an enemy battle ensues. Fighting consists of 3 on 3 (or less) on both sides, with each combatant capable of normal attacks, offensive spells, defensive spells and a super spell (the latter three needing mana). Unfortunately, both facets of the game is not entirely entertaining. First of all, exploration is somewhat limited; even if you decide to ignore the arrow pointing to your objective there's not much to explore, and the rewards for doing so is not entirely impressive or enticing. Battles degenerate into an exercise of two cavemen whacking each other with clubs until one goes down, as there is no strategy involved and it boils down to a war of attrition.
There are also some notable rough edges. For one, if you want to replace a fragment, you have to get another fragment to remove it off the character, even though there is no explicit rule saying the slotting in fragments is permanent. The rough edges also translate to the characters and the voice acting. Although I like the scenery the characters are not as impressive, since most of them are two dimensional at best. It does not help them that the voice acting is really poorly done; voice actors either sound way too stiff and bland or apply the wrong emotion at the wrong time. The soundtrack is just "meh" to me, as there is only one track I like but don't outright love (it's the normal battle music. I am a sucker for solo guitar bits). Side objectives are also minimal, and even when there is one these affairs are bland fetchquests. However there is at least one where you race on a Piyagi (amphibian-like monster) for prizes.
It's also worth noting that the game is for the most part easy. Enemy drop loots for example usually consist of many health potions, and by the middle of the game you will have 100 or more health potions to use. Most enemies or bosses don't put up much of the fight as long as the party heals up. Buying items devolves into no-brainer situations, since from the price and the stats from each tool will clearly indicate which is superior. On the one hand such easiness can turn off players who want more difficulty and substance in the game. On the bright side, the easy level allows the game to proceed at an appropriate pace and in turn gets players into the later portions of the game which is a good thing (see above).
At the end of the day, Eternal Legacy isn't the best RPG is the iPhone/iPad market, but most of the issues I've noted are easily forgivable. The problem is that the strengths are not very recognizable either, resulting in a slightly average to above average game. If you are a bit of JRPG fan then this is a possible game to look into; just keep your expectations in check.
Pros:
+ Strong Graphics
+ Developed world
+ Edmund (playable character)
+ noticeably better later
+ Easy in terms of pacing
Cons:
- Easy in terms of lack of strategy, challenge, customization etc
- Two dimensional characters and their respective voice acting
- Everything you see here has been done before and done better
Final Verdict: 3 stars. The game doesn't break new ground, but at least it is majority-frustration-free, so that's something.
Note: This review is also seen in my personal blog, Chronicles of Ciahlo. This is not a case of plagiarism, so please don't take this piece down.