EDENS ZERO Review

KONAMI, a publisher and developer known for their ambitious anime-inspired games, has released their newest game, Eden Zero. It is an action RPG with a lot of gravity powers and space pirate drama. The game is based on the manga and anime series Fairy Tail by the famous Hiro Mashima. It tries to capture the show's charm by combining classic beat-em-up combat with newer exploration features. 

EDENS ZERO is going to be available on PS5, Xbox, and PC. It aims to be a new anime-style game with flying mechanics and sci-fi settings. Fans of the anime and manga Eden Zero were expecting a lot from the EDENS ZERO, especially since Mashima's famous characters, like the blue cat Happy, were in it (or at least looked like them). As an adaptation, it promised anime-style cutscenes, battles that defied gravity, and a huge world to explore. But would this space adventure go smoothly, or would it fail because it was too ambitious?

When EDENS ZERO starts, there's a flashy anime-style intro that shows a lot of futuristic images and hints at a mysterious future. You quickly meet Shiki Granbell, the main character who has gravity powers and a shock of wild anime hair, and Rebecca, her tough, no-nonsense friend who fits the "classic anime heroine" mold right away. Happy, the cute blue cat that looks a lot like Fairy Tail's mascot, makes a cameo that will make fans of the show gasp.

The real story starts when Shiki gets to Granbell, a cute town with narrow streets and lots of robots. He's treated like a star by everyone, but the peace doesn't last long. Robots turn hostile all of a sudden, Rebecca is taken, and the story quickly jumps to your first boss fight on a huge space pirate ship.

There are some funny parts and some real tension in the story. It has all the usual anime tropes: friendship, space adventures, and mysterious bad guys, but it relies more on charm and spectacle than on telling a deep story. Side quests are spread out in the hub world and offer small plot points, such as taking pictures of locations or chasing down bad guys. They add variety but not much in the way of dramatic depth.

Action RPGs and beat-em-ups are both big parts of Eden Zero. The game's gameplay is a mix of simple combat, platforming and exploring EDENS ZERO's open world. You start EDENS ZERO by being dropped into a mission in the middle of the story to chase a character named Elsie on a huge pirate ship in space. 

From here, you learn the basics: light attacks can be chained together to make combos, heavy attacks are stronger and use different buttons, and skills have cooldowns. Shiki's signature power is gravity, which he can use to gather enemies into a swirling vortex that you can use to attack them.

Aside from dodging, your character's movement feels a little stiff, like they have some oil in their joints and still like taking slow steps over smooth ones. It's responsive and necessary to dodge, especially during boss fights, but it can be awkward to walk and run. This stiffness lessens the impact of the fight, making hits and punches feel lighter than they should.

After a while, you can start exploring, especially when you get to Blue Garden, which is the main area of your anime city. In this case, gravity flight is your best option for getting around. Once you press a group of buttons together, Shiki flies through the air like an anime Iron Man. The feeling is one of the best parts—freedom of movement doesn't usually feel this addictive in games like this. 

It might take a while for textures to load, but flying through an open map is fun enough to make up for it. Of course, you can also ride a motorcycle, but it doesn't seem as exciting as flying.

EDENS ZERO's combat is a mix of simple beat-em-up style and action RPG style. If you land a heavy attack, it deals more damage, and you can use special skills with cooldowns to add some flair. The most powerful ability is Shiki's gravity power, which can be used to control large groups of enemies.

During boss fights, a guard gauge mechanic is added. You can stun the boss by chipping away at their guard, which lets you use stronger attacks while they're down. But the guard quickly heals itself, so you have to stay aggressive and time your dodges perfectly.

If you can dodge perfectly, you'll get slow-motion counters and a chance to punish your enemies. This is probably the most satisfying part of fighting. However, it can be frustrating to keep doing these moves because the core movement feels stiff.

The combat system works fine and offers enough variety to keep fights interesting, but it could use some work. Attacks don't feel powerful, and battles don't feel as smooth as they could because characters move slowly when they're not dodging. The guard gauge adds another level of strategy by telling you to keep offense and defense in balance.

Perfect dodging and counterattacks are some of the most satisfying parts of EDENS ZERO, but animation delays and stiff controls slow it down sometimes. The combat isn't deep or complicated; it's easy to get into, but the controls and mechanics could be made smoother and more responsive.

Side quests and battles in EDENS ZER give you experience points that you can use to level up your characters, which is a sign of traditional RPG progression. A lot of side quests can be found in the hub town, which encourages grinding without being boring. The storyline of EDENS ZERO is balanced with optional things to do, like fights and photo challenges that give you XP.

Because fighting can feel slow and awkward, you may need to grind XP to improve your stats and get skills that make EDENS ZERO easier. Because EDENS ZERO has open areas and a lot of different quests, you can grind at your own pace. However, how much you want to do this will depend on how much you enjoy the combat loop.

The art style of EDENS ZERO is perfect for anime fans, with brightly colored characters and sci-fi settings. The cutscenes and flashy intro are full of life and energy, pulling you into the world. The graphics in EDENS ZERO aren't as good, though, because textures load slowly. 

This is especially noticeable during gravity flight sections, where environments sometimes appear late. You don't need next-gen hardware to play the hub world and open maps, but they look good. Still, the art style is cute, and anime fans will enjoy the visuals that are based on the genre.

The soundtrack is full of upbeat songs that are perfect for space battles and exploration. The effects of attacks like punches, blasts, and gravity powers are punchy enough, but not always powerful enough to make up for the stiff animations used in combat.

The voice acting is typical for anime games; the characters show emotion and energy, even if the dialogue is overused at times. Sounds in the hub town and open areas make the atmosphere lively, which makes exploration more interesting.

EDENS ZERO has a mix of anime-style storylines, gravity-powered combat, and open-world exploration. The gravity flight mechanic is, without a doubt, the best part. Flying over huge maps feels great and gives EDENS ZERO a unique edge. If you like happy anime stories, this one is perfect for you. It has classic space pirate and friendship themes.

Combat works, but it's not very smooth. The slow movement and weak attack effects keep it from being truly satisfying. Boss fights add cool guard mechanics and perfect dodges that really shine when you need to be precise, but the overall pace of combat isn't very smooth.

Exploration, side quests, and the open hub show some promise, but texture pop-ins and some questionable design choices make the experience a little less fun. EDENS ZERO could be fun for people who like anime style and simple beat 'em up games, especially if the full release makes the controls smoother and the combat tighter.

This could be your next space vacation if you want a fun, laid-back adventure with gravity-powered flying thrills. But if you like games with tight, smooth controls, Eden Zero might feel a bit rough around the edges.