I feel conflicted on this one. Its hard to come down on a small team's clear passion project, that came out pretty dang polished, with decent gameplay, quality voice acting, and a clear obvious love for the games that inspired them. Its even at a more reasonable 30 dollar price point, and got an actual part in a Playstation showcase. Criticizing it feels like discouraging smaller creators from trying to make the art they want, and if I wanted to do that I'd just go work for Unity (the engine used for Eternights funnily enough).

But Eternights is just not quite there. The writing while solid in its synopsis, is real choppy in the execution, with lots of essential connecting tissue missing, and a lot of basic establishment of context just not there. Its character designs, while fine in images, don't really shine or pop in game. The action combat gives you all kinds of things that seem like options, but then funnels you down one general gameplay pattern. It also unfortunately uses some of the more common anime tropes you've seen in a thousand other anime games or shows, if at least avoiding the most heinous ones. Like hey we actually get a gay romance option so that's nice. But the character writing is just not quite there to carry a story of this kind. And the visual cohesion, thematic resonance, and UI/sound masterwork that characterize the Persona series that so clearly inspired Eternights, just aren't really possible for a smaller scope team like this.

So I've kinda settled on just a 3/5. Mainly because I like the idea of Eternights. I want more people to be willing to reach for the stars and try and make the game (or any art) they want. Even if a game of that scope might be a little out of reach for the team, and even if that result isn't a game I probably will ever play again I respect the hell out of people who do make it. Congrats to the Eternights team and I really hope their is a next one and that its better.