Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos Hands-On

via ign

Quinn isn't the type of cat I'd want to hang out with.

The first main character in Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos, Quinn is sitting in some boring military school class when an evacuation siren goes off and a voice over the loudspeaker starts screaming about incoming enemies. Instead of running like any smart Greckland resident would, the boy grabs Gon, a school-age chum Quinn feels the need to insult every so often, and runs to the trenches for an up-close and personal view of the enemy's newest toy.

Kids these days.

With an afternoon of Aedis Eclipse under my belt, I can tell you that the feel of those first well-paced moments as we meet Quinn and Gon - two of the more than 40 playable characters in this NIS America and Never-Land Company title - isn't lost as the story unfolds. Battles lurk around every corner, and a 2-D combat view keeps the fights fresh and animated.

Aedis Eclipse is a 35-hour RPG that spans three worlds - divine, surface and lower - while spinning a larger yarn involving "the darkness" and "souls of the other world" from the tale's meager beginning in Quinn's classroom. As players journey from the tutorials and ease of the Quinn's home in the lower world, an existence devoid of magic and fantasy and grounded in human achievement, the difficulty increases and the story gets deeper as the ascending levels focus more on demons, angels and dragons.

Although I felt that I had to tap buttons several times for the clunky, ugly menu system to progress, map textures were blocky, colors were washed out and some of the on-screen visuals were blurred, a solid, interesting set of characters and an intriguing story kept me compelled as I moved through the oh-so-easy beginning battles with beetles and Cyber Suits and began to add captains to my squad.

It's on, Jerkstore!Captains drive this game. Although you'll maneuver the map in seemingly small teams, when a battle breaks out it'll be your leader running into the fray followed by a plethora of soldiers ready to kick ass and take names. You'll get to choose eight formations - aggressive, surround, create-your-own, etc. - for your troops to take and then monitor the 2D battle using the PSP's nub.

Micromanagers can get hands-on and move the team around the screen or adjust strategies for different groups of troops, and laid-back leaders can just let the grunts do all the work.

After the battle, you can deal with captured enemies - execute'em, persuade'em to join your team or release'em - and implement and new items you might have picked up or been given access to now that you've leveled up after your brawl. Between fights, the team will explore towns, obtain items, rest up and build solider recruitment stations as they take the fight to the jerks who decided to call down the thunder..

Keep in mind this is all happening in the short time we played as Quinn. There are about 35 more characters to unlock and work your way up with.

That's a lot of RPG on your PSP.

Although the game could look better in certain departments, dialogue, quick load times and a solid story make Aedis Eclipse a game the RPG brethren should be watching closely as the game's April 25 release date approaches.