(The backgrounds, lacking in detail as they may be, at least offer some pleasant use of color, which is probably the nicest thing you can say about the visuals.). By I'm not connected to time magic. The animation of Toki makes the controls feel awkward and disjointed, as though her movements suffer from constant input lag. GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Time And Eternity | Review. It’s not even a mid level quality production, but it’s not broken or anything either. Non-player characters you meet over the course of the story are similarly irritating, typically featuring a single humorous (read: obnoxious) trait that defines their entire personality. Every ratio is a division of sorts (1:3, 2:7, etc.). What you're not seeing: incredibly unconvincing "flight" animation. Ranges offer distinct advantages: it's easier to dodge attacks at long range, while close range allows you to shatter the enemy's defense. You control a single character--either Toki or Towa--in real time, fighting one-on-one against foes. It is not a perfect game and is hampered by some flaws in its battle system, but it should be praised for trying to go against the grain. Time and Eternity kicks off with the wedding of main character Princess Toki and her fiance Zack. Trying to attack and dodge with Toki and Towa is something like playing an old LaserDisc game, just with fewer onscreen button prompts. Time & Eternity is by far one of the worst RPGs I have ever played, and even when accounting for different tastes, I cannot recommend it to anyone. In a year that has seen more than its fair share of JRPGs, Time and Eternity stands out with a bold art style. Given that I've played a lot of JRPGs that's a pretty impressive feat. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster arrives in May, adds PC version. Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin) Camerata Bern. Time and Eternity, on the other hand, wants me to think of Zach as the protagonist. I can't recommend Time and Eternity, but I’m not sorry I played it either. When I was asked to name "the main character" after starting a new game, he's the one I was naming. All the character graphics are hand-drawn, the storyline follows a maudlin tale with a quirky twist, and the combat is largely reactionary. The two characters have somewhat different skill sets, making one more advantageous in certain battles, but they trade off only when a certain item is used or when you level up. The story is centered on a princess, Toki, and her alter ego, Towa. on July 19, 2013 at 5:34PM PDT. Time and Eternity is a hand-drawn animation RPG where you will witness your own death at your wedding before traveling back in time with your wife-to-be in order to track down your killer. You can swap between ranges at will (unless the enemy has you cornered at close range), as well as guard to reduce damage from enemy attacks or sidestep to try to avoid them entirely. The Returner: Stats, skill and strategy in Final Fantasy XIV. Maybe this is common practice in Japan, but Time and Eternity takes risks and attempts something new rather than follow the same old JRPG format. Time and Eternity presents some interesting gameplay and presentation concepts, but executes them clumsily in a package that never quite comes together. Time and Eternity's biggest hook is its unique visual style. Netflix's 2021 Movie Release Lineup: New Films From Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, and Zack Snyder Revealed, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Season 1, Episode 3 Review, Outriders Online Outage Hampers Successful Launch, Super Mario Bros. It's hard to find much positive to say about Time and Eternity. During the visual novel portions, he has to choose which lady he wants to marry At some points players run into "memory sites," which unlock cut-scenes between Zach and either Toki or Towa. Toki and Towa share the bulk of their animations, but are simply colored differently, leading to motions that don't match the personality of the character in play. Great role-playing game series like Disgaea, Persona, and Tales feature visual and storytelling elements heavily influenced by the art form. Hopefully people will … For starters, you immediately notice that most of the animated characters bear only a passing resemblance to the game's illustrations and concept art. The whole experience was like looking back through a chipped lens at some of the good, and much of the bad that was anime and RPGs in the 80s. Toki's friends are one-note anime archetypes (ditzy wedding planner, shrill rich girl who flaunts her status, and boy-crazy teenager) who offer no real character development and simply exist to set up bad jokes. I first saw a trailer for the PS3 JRPG Time and Eternity before its release in 2012 and thought it looked pretty awesome. If you want to experience a beautiful anime-style role-playing game, you have many other choices, like the recent Ni no Kuni. AllMusic Review by James Manheim With a title like Time & Eternity and graphics featuring the disembodied head of violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja , you know you're in for an ambitious program. Time and Eternity has all the hallmarks of a playable anime. Combat in Time and Eternity is, simply put, not good. (As an example, you can play an impromptu metagame just counting how many times Toki and Towa do their weird leg-crossing/uncrossing animation during the teatime sequences. 2D characters look bizarre in the 3D enviroments. Unfortunately, the end product is not only a showcase for nearly every negative stereotype ascribed to anime, but a bad RPG to boot. Camerata Bern accompanies the violinist on this latest foray into the meaning of life, the universe and everything. At best, a select few may enjoy the game's sense of humor, but I'm convinced that the gameplay is so broken … N ot all marriages are hell, obviously, but Time and Eternity ’s is. Time and Eternity is impressive to watch and oppressive to play. If it played as badly as the misguided idea of slapping hand-drawn characters into fully 3D environments looks, Time and Eternity would be awful. However, despite is handful of flaws, Time and Eternity appealed to me more often than not. Toki and Towa are affectionate toward Zack in a way that feels very uncomfortable at times, given Zack's questionable behavior. Zack, the male hero--and the character whose perspective you follow--seems more interested in off-color thoughts and remarks and being "manly" than he is in Toki and Towa's genuine affection and well-being. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. As she sends herself six months into the past, Zack’s soul is … But how do you divide finite time by eternity? It would be like, perhaps, trying to divide a finite number by infinity. Even as the plot setup and central cast are being introduced, Time and Eternity seems determined to make you dislike it. The incident brings out some of Toki's innermost secrets: not only does she share a body with the soul of another woman, Towa, but her family possesses magical time-manipulating powers. Its sole points of excellence are some nice illustrations and its superb soundtrack, featuring songs from Yuzo Koshiro (ActRaiser, Streets of Rage, and Etrian Odyssey), but everything else is an ill-conceived mess executed poorly. The theme of "time" plays an important role, and is also utilized in the game's action-oriented battle system. 3.5 Bad Kopatchinskaja 's albums have been getting increasingly experimental as her career has developed, and this one is at no time boring, whatever you may think of the overall concept. Time and Eternity is a sort of summarized culmination of years of philosophical reflection and publication on the issues involved in such questions. An incoherent mess of ideas done badly, Time and Eternity is a train wreck of a role-playing game. On the day Toki and Zack are set to tie the knot, a group of assassins disrupt the proceedings, and Zack is killed protecting Toki. Since enemies take more damage at particular ranges and have certain weaknesses to elemental affiliations, you can use skill combinations to try to get the upper hand. They wanted to be more immersive by using hand drawn animated charcters instead of … To top it off, you can't manually change control between Toki and Towa at will. Time and Eternity Review (PS3) Trending. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. This has the effect of suddenly leaving you with a character who doesn't fight as well against the enemies in an area because you made the mistake of gaining a level. Time and Eternity is an animated role-playing video game for the PlayStation 3. It's undeniable that many games from Japan that make it to our shores--particularly in the role-playing genre--have strong influences from anime. Loot Box Spending And Problematic Gambling Linked, Researchers Say, Friday's Best Deals: The Last Of Us Part 2, NordVPN, Xbox Spring Sale, And More. Can I leave? Review: Time and Eternity. Honestly, I understand, this is not a top quality production. If it played as badly as the misguided idea of slapping hand-drawn characters into fully 3D environments looks, Time and Eternity would be awful. We don’t see innovation all that often anymore so Time and Eternity deserves a pat on the back. In addition, there are only a handful of enemy designs, but plenty of palette swaps for each one. Time and Eternity presents a particular issue then for, though it mechanically falters at various points, I had an immensely enjoyable time playing through it. Alas, that savior is nowhere to be found; the game is riddled with utterly confusing and often aggravating design choices that make it a tedious slog. You frequently have to return home after quests, however, and endure the grating personalities of Toki's buddies over tea as they drop new leads for your next objective, which makes that traditional RPG questing formula especially irritating here. It looks like most places picked this one up, gave it a sneer and got quickly frustrated. Craig has done a great work, and it is marvelous that now the philosophy of religion is engaging with the philosophy of science to the great benefit of both. Encountering strings of enemies one after the other makes battles even more aggravating--it's frustrating to smack down one palette-swapped bird only to fight another one (and another one) immediately afterward. We were created to exist, not in time, but in eternity. (Does that even work?) (Drake sometimes performs attacks and recovery skills, though these are out of your control.) Though that's not to imply that the story is good; Time and Eternity features some of the most insipid plot twists you could possibly conceive for the time-travel concept. Even the staunchest NIS loyalist will struggle to enjoy this game. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Time and Eternity - Playstation 3 at Amazon.com. Time and Eternity has some merits as an RPG oddity, but they aren't enough to elevate it above its crushing repetition. Time and Eternity (PS3) Review It doesn’t end there, however, because Toki has the ability to travel back in time. Verdict. While being written to the more informed layperson, Craig does an excellent job presenting his position cogently articulated and, yet, in … ), The cheap feel of the animation becomes even more pronounced when you see just how much palette-swapping goes on throughout the game. Sealed Copy Sells for Record-Breaking $660K, iCarly and Criminal Minds Are Exactly What Netflix Needs, Snyder Cut Deleted Scene Finally Lets Joker Say 'We Live in a Society', Bridgerton: Rege-Jean Page Not Returning for Season 2, Essential Tips for Getting Started in Valheim, Little Nightmares 2 Spoiler-Free Puzzle Guides, CoD Zombies: Outbreak Mode Weapon Unlocking, Things to Do First in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, How to Get the New Mario Items in Animal Crossing, Bowser's Fury: 12 Big Tips for Getting Started. Heidi Kemps The adventuring portion of Time and Eternity follows the typical RPG questing formula: get objective, complete objective, learn story bits, get next objective. Time and Eternity is one of the most unique JRPGs I have ever played. This all animates smoothly, particularly Toki and Towa’s running animation, though it tends to hitch up a bit on uneven terrain or when one comes to a … Building the SP meter by using regular attacks while dodging attacks that drain the meter on knockdown, then unleashing a massive magic attack is a … With its unappealing story and disconcerting visual style, the only thing that could save Time and Eternity would be fantastic gameplay. The combat in Time and Eternity is timing based, meaning that choosing the right moments to attack is just as important as the attack itself. Time and Eternity is intended to be a romantic comedy, and so there are plenty of moments of attempted humor. There are two positions in combat, long range and close range, and the techniques available at each range are different. — BBC Music Magazine, November 2019, 5 out of 5 stars. IGN Store: We got Tees for Spider-Man, Star Wars, and more! But despite this huge technical misstep the character progression system and the ideas behind the combat give it value. But the character development isn't the only thing that falls flat. Time and Eternity offers brand-new style of role-playing game, brought to life with captivating, hand-drawn animation. You will witness your own death at your wedding before traveling back in time with your wife-to-be in order to track down your killer! This sounds like it could work well, but it falls apart in practice. Time and Eternity is the perfect example of a game with some good ideas but bad execution. By attacking, you also build SP, which can be used to unleash special attacks you've assigned to the face buttons or use time magic, which is accessed with L2. Time and Eternity tells the story of Zack and Princess Toki, a couple of lovebirds who live in a secluded fantasy island kingdom. Eternity is more than just lots of time. It's hard to be invested in anyone's plight when almost every player in the story is unlikable. Combat is a bit more interesting…at first. Animation starts getting recycled almost immediately, Boring, simplistic combat with little strategy, Almost all of the characters are annoying and unlikable. It's best to leave Time and Eternity on the store shelves forevermore. Time and Eternity, like its heroine, suffers from an identity crisis. This clumsy attempt at RPG matchmaking throws together a super-casual dating simulation with a sluggish battle system, framing the whole thing with a story that never stops wobbling between the serious and lecherous. Here’s a rather difficult game to review actually. What initially seems like novel combat degenerates into a repetitive series of simple pattern memorization. Time and Eternity – Full Review As you may already know I get huge enjoyment from RPG and JRPG games, and so I was happy to hear that NIS America has released another JRPG called Time and Eternity. More than anything else, Time and Eternity is about its aesthetic. Time and Eternity is very ambitous jrpggame from Imageepoch and published by NIS/Bandai Namco. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Like a misguided chat-up line, Time and Eternity is a JRPG that – despite some interesting design ideas – comes across as flawed, misogynistic and deeply problematic. Later on in the game, you can perform chemistry attacks that use both Toki/Towa and Drake's abilities in tandem. Time and Eternity is a hand-drawn animation RPG where you will witness your own death at your wedding before traveling back in time with your wife-to-be in order to track down your killer. Summary: Time and Eternity offers brand-new style of role-playing game, brought to life with captivating, hand-drawn animation. Over the past few years, a number of titles such as One Piece: Pirate Warriors and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 have come remarkably close to replicating the aesthetic of their source material. Time and Eternity has its good points and its bad points. Side quests are plentiful, but they rarely break the mold of "kill X, investigate Y, or find Z," and since they generally involve exploring the same landscapes and fighting more palette-swapped foes, there's little incentive to do them. Developer Imageepoch aspired to go one step higher with Time and Eternity, billing the game as "playable anime." Time and Eternity deals with difficult issues in modern physics and brings them into relation with traditional theological doctrines. The one-on-one format strips party-synergy strategy from combat, leaving it feeling very shallow. It even occasionally manages to be sweet and insightful, even if it only tramples said insights with juvenile pandering moments later. Rather than being polygon-rendered models or sprites, every action of every character in the game is drawn in high-definition, traditional animation sequences. Just a few minutes later, you start to become keenly aware of constant animation sequence recycling. This is a face that just screams "punch me, I'm a jerk.". The player (who is in the shoes of a male protagonist during various cutscenes) even has the choice of various "pervy" dialogue options here and there, although there is almost always a more gentlemanly option to choose as well. This approach sounds interesting on paper, but the problems with its execution begin to materialize almost right away. The whole story is based around the main characters wedding day, where the princess Toki is getting married to The Hero. Toki and Towa decide to travel back in time to piece together the how and why and stop the disaster before it happens--though they are unaware that Zack's soul has come along with them, trapped in the body of Toki's pet miniature dragon, Drake. More…. The game melds 3D backgrounds and gameplay with 2D, hand-drawn character art. And if time is hard to comprehend, what about eternity? It uses 3D models for backgrounds and hand-drawn 2D sprites for characters and enemies. It is a tough game to recommend to most people – like Record of Agarest War, I know Time and Eternity is probably going to be seen as very niche, and unlikely to appeal to a wide audience. Offer,Time & Eternity. Reused and repeating animation is certainly nothing new in games, but the jerky, awkward motions of the characters and inconsistent frame rates make the rampant reuse both more noticeable and more unappealing. 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