ImageEpoch attempts to try something quite different with the Japanese RPG genre, and while a lot of the game suffers from missteps, poor gameplay decisions, and terrible writing, Time and Eternity’s anime-come-to-life visual style makes it an experience that feels unlike anything that’s been released in recent memory.
Ever since this game was announced I followed it and day after day my desire to play it became stronger. When it launched I was kinda shocked because of the bad reception. Most gamers and "specialized critic" (which I've decided to ignore for JRPGs) gave scores between 0 and 4. I had all the reasons to avoid this game but I bought it anyway. For my surprise I must say that I've really enjoyed this game and I don't know what is wrong with all the haters.
Yes, the game has a lot of problems. Character animations were developed in a way that they look unnatural. For instance, sometimes they have to finish a pose in the same position as the next one starts. That may look more realistic but at the same time it makes the character staying in a position that he didn't need to be. And in some moments they used poses that weren't fitting in the situation, like the main character smiling when talking serious to an enemy.
Some basic problems are still present, like the impossibility to pause the cutscenes. You can skip them after watching for the first time, but you can't pause. If you start watching them, be prepared to watch until the end without interruption. English voices are not synchronized with the animations, so you might get frustated. That may be one of two problems: the translation couldn't fit the timing or NIS America didn't do a good job.
You play the game with two characters that keep switching each time you level up or use an item. There's a small dragon helping you too, but you can't control him. The skill system and its evolution is cool, but has nothing special at all. The skills to control the flow of time are very interesting but they make the game easier.
The battles occur with random encounters. They are fun but kinda repetitive because enemies usually do the same actions in the same order. And they're not fast because sometimes you fight against many enemies in sequence and the transitions between them take an unnecessary time. Also, I didn't find a real challenge playing in normal mode and doing all the sidequests. Most battles are finished using magic because they do massive damage. I missed the balance of physical and magical skills. There’s also a special type of battle that occurs with giant bosses, but it's less fun than the standard battle.
There are loading screens when simpling choosing a place to go on the map but they don't last long. And the soundtrack is something that people should not complaint about: it's really awesome.
About the story, I can say it’s very interesting, entertaining and exciting. And when you almost reach the end, you’ll see an unexpected event regarding the main characters. That’s when I say that you must plug yourself into the game and forget about the outside world. You’ll feel like you’re part of it making tough decisions.
I'd give a much lower score if I were analysing as a technical reviewer. But I'm a gamer and I decided to give a score based on my entire experience with everything the game offered me. I felt the immersion in an anime world, I got involved with the story and the flaws weren't enough to pull me off. I think that's something most people need to do nowadays: turn on the "let it go" and relax playing.
You know what's funny? There's a lot of games considered masterpieces out there and they're full and full of problems. We accepted them as they are, so what has changed? Why people are so critic these days putting the mistakes above everything and being blind against the qualities?
Do you really like anime or cartoons? Do you love niche JRPGs? Are you tired of the same games and formulas that are released year after year? Do you want a new experience and immersion to break your gaming routine? Do you accept that this game has flaws that might not be taken too serious due to other things it can offer? Do you want to stimulate NIS America and Imageepoch to continue bringing new games and experiences with the genre? If so, Time and Eternity is the game for you.
Time and Eternity is an great game but may not be for everyone. It is very different than what isout there in the JRPG market. There are some flaws with the game but not enough to not play it. The story line is very interesting once you get into it. It is worth a try for anime or JRPG fans, so don’t hesitate on this title.
More money and more time would have helped this game to become something better. Still there are some good ideas that a certain audience will indeed enjoy.
Rather than the suave, impressive chat-up line it could so easily have been, Time and Eternity instead sashays up to feminism and blurts ‘I like your boobs’ like Seth Rogen’s menacing delivery in Donnie Darko. It could be a misjudged line but it’s not attractive and it’s not funny. It’s just plain creepy.
Time and Eternity feels as empty and pointless as its shallow male protagonist's classless advances. It's a chore to play and a failure to its genre influences. I never felt like I had control over my characters, and I didn't really care, thanks to the focus on creepy sex talk. To put it simply, Time and Eternity is an embarrassment.
Well, I thought this game will be REALLY big disappoint For some fans it is. But is it the worst thing? (see Mindjack) No! It's not! I will say one thing. Do you like japanese games? Do you enjoy it? Then, buy it! Now, later, but if you really into these games, you'll enjoy it. Haters, go home, you're drunk.
PS. I like japanese games.
Okay, when yo start the game, you find flaws everywhere, character design, game play, quest, omg you can easily think often 'this game is poorly done'. However, for some reason i can;t stop playing it, it's bad, but that's good, I think the developers tried to focus more in their animated transitions or mix between movie/images, like a experiment. However, well, i don't know, I will play ti through the end, it's up to each person.
while the English voice acting is awful. the Japanese sounds much better. the graphics look amazing, although the animations can look awkward at times. the combat is a bit odd but easy to grasp and pretty fun. the story is alright but the characters themselves are pretty bland and models are reused a lot. there is also a lot of unnecessary movement when the characters are talking. definitely not for everyone, and a great game if you look past it's flaws
This game was a disaster for me... I gave it a shot even through bad reviews, but after 3-4 hours of play i felt bored and empty. The game seems really stupid in terms of dialogues, despite i'm not even a native speaker in English. Don't bother. I love Imageepoch, but this... Stay away.
So I bought this game without the highest hopes. Although most JRPG's aren't great games, they are usually quite entertaining. This game right here was atrocious. I tried to like it it, I really did but I just couldn't.
The graphics look great, and that's probably the strongest point of the game. Although the animation in itself was jarring and felt awkward, especially when moving through an area, Toki/Towa's running animation was just terrible.
Another major letdown was the voiceovers, they seemed bland with no emotion. And the lip syncing was way off with the mouth visibly moving even though the voiceovers had finished. The gameplay itself was also very clunky and hard to use, pressing the dodge button didn't work more often then not, leaving it a gamble to try and dodge the attacks.
The story wasn't great, but I wasn't expecting some grand epic amazing story when I started the game.
All in all I give this game a three, it's not broken and it works, and I think that's the only thing it has going for it right now, so if your reading this, buy it at your own risk.
SummaryKamza, a vibrant kingdom located on a lush ocean island, is in the midst of a national event celebrating the upcoming marriage of their princess to a valiant knight. But when a group of assassins appears during the ceremony, this dream come true transforms into their worst nightmare. As the knight lays mortally wounded, the princess reve...