Edge of Eternity (video game)

Lore & Background

Edge of Eternity is a role-playing video game developed by Midgar Studio, a French studio named after the fictional city from Final Fantasy VII. The game was crowdfunded starting in 2013 and entered early access in November 2018. The developers cited a desire to add voice acting and hear feedback from players. The Windows version was released on June 8, 2021, and ports for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch (via cloud support) were released on February 10, 2022. The game's score was composed by Cedric Menendez, with six tracks by Yasunori Mitsuda.

Players control Daryon, a young soldier whose world has been invaded by a technologically advanced race. When Daryon learns that his mother has been infected with an alien biological agent, he deserts his post to help his sister find a cure. Gameplay is influenced by JRPGs and includes elements of tactical role-playing games, featuring hex grids and Active Time Battle, a form of turn-based combat used in the Final Fantasy series. The open world setting includes both science fiction and fantasy tropes, mixing robots and magic. Free updates added a dungeon with 50 procedurally generated levels, a New Game Plus mode, and other features.

In February 2025, it was announced that a sequel, Edge of Memories, is currently in development.

Reader's Guide

Edge of Eternity is significant as an ambitious indie homage to classic JRPGs, particularly the Final Fantasy and Xenoblade series. Developed by a small French studio, it attempted to blend tactical hex-grid combat with an open world and a story of alien invasion and family bonds. The game received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic. Critics praised its stunning backdrops and clever combat system, but found the world empty, the combat repetitive, and the story poorly paced. RPGamer noted that the game 'comes from a place of love' but that Midgar Studio was too ambitious, resulting in many features that do not live up to their initial promise. Hardcore Gamer called it 'a good but not great JRPG' that 'comes close to reaching its ambitious goals.' RPGFan highlighted the combat as the game's best feature, while Push Square felt the game was too large and ambitious to fulfill its promise. The game's legacy includes its crowdfunding origins, early access period, and the announcement of a sequel in 2025.

Gameplay & Tactical Combat

Players step into the boots of Daryon, a young soldier whose homeworld has been overrun by a technologically superior alien race. When he discovers his mother has been infected by an extraterrestrial biological agent, he abandons his military post to aid his sister in searching for a cure. The resulting adventure is firmly rooted in Japanese role-playing traditions while weaving in tactical strategy elements. Combat unfolds on hex-based grids using an Active Time Battle system familiar to fans of the Final Fantasy franchise, blending real-time pressure with deliberate turn-based decision-making. The open-world setting deliberately fuses science fiction and high fantasy, placing towering robots alongside practitioners of magic in the same landscapes. Beyond the base experience, Midgar Studio expanded the game through free updates that introduced a dungeon containing fifty procedurally generated levels, a New Game Plus mode, and additional quality-of-life features, giving dedicated players considerably more to explore.

A Decade in the Making

Edge of Eternity traces its origins to 2013, when crowdfunding was first announced for what would become a multi-year production. The project was spearheaded by Midgar Studio, a French development team whose name pays homage to the iconic city from the 1997 Final Fantasy VII. Before this ambitious RPG, the studio had released Hover, a parkour-focused title in 2017. Rather than rushing toward a full launch, the developers opted for an early access window beginning in November 2018, citing their desire to incorporate full voice acting and to gather ongoing player feedback throughout the build process. The Windows edition finally arrived on June 8, 2021, published by Dear Villagers. A year later, on February 10, 2022, the game expanded to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, with the Switch version delivered through cloud support. This staggered, platform-by-platform rollout reflected a studio that valued iterative refinement over a single simultaneous global drop.

A Game of Promising Ambition and Uneven Execution

Critics largely agreed that Edge of Eternity aspires to grandeur but stumbles under the weight of its own scope. Metacritic aggregated its scores as mixed or average. RPGamer acknowledged the project comes from a place of love yet argued the studio stretched itself too thin, leaving numerous features short of their initial promise. They admired the stunning backdrops but found the open areas sparse in activity, the combat repetitive and occasionally unbalanced, and the sibling protagonists unlikable on what felt like an uninspired journey. Hardcore Gamer framed it as a love letter to classic Final Fantasy and Xenoblade titles, calling it a good but not great JRPG that comes close to reaching its ambitious goals. Push Square highlighted interesting characters, beautiful art, and fun tactical battles, but felt the world ultimately reads as empty and the combat loop grows stale. RPGFan singled out the wonderfully clever and tactically-minded combat as the standout, while noting the story suffers from poor pacing, concluding the game is decent yet rough-around-the-edges, hinting at potential greatness in its later stages.

Soundtrack, Sequel, and the Road Ahead

The auditory identity of Edge of Eternity was shaped by composer Cedric Menendez, who crafted the game's primary score. Adding a layer of prestige and nostalgia, veteran composer Yasunori Mitsuda contributed six individual tracks to the soundtrack, lending the project a direct musical lineage to the series whose design philosophy so clearly influenced the game. This blend of original composition and celebrated guest work helped reinforce the title's identity as a bridge between classic JRPG sensibilities and modern open-world ambition. Looking ahead, the franchise showed no signs of slowing down. In February 2025, it was officially announced that a sequel titled Edge of Memories is currently in development, suggesting Midgar Studio intends to build upon the foundation laid by the first entry. Whether the follow-up will address the pacing and content-density concerns raised by critics remains to be seen, but the commitment to a second chapter signals that the story of Daryon is far from over.