Form versus function.
Style versus substance.
They have this fight everywhere from designing cars to designing spatulas.
But when you're talking about video games, you also have to take into account playability.
Not just how the game looks and how the game works, but how those two come together, moment
to moment, to make an experience.
Time and Eternity looks really good.
Its mechanics are unique, engaging, and interesting.
But they really have trouble coming together, almost like they're two sides of a coin with
no edge.
And that's a shame.
I really wish this one played as good as it looks.
You play as bog-standard cocksure JRPG protagonist man #106, default name Zack but your hair
isn't black so I ain't buyin' it, gleefully awaiting tomorrow's wedding.
Y'see, it's your own wedding.
And your bride-to be is not just adorable, she's also a princess.
Yeah.
that usually ends well.
So you sit and tolerate your mutual circle of friends-slash-anime character archetypes,
until the big day arrives and...
BAM.
ASSASSINS.
And to your credit, you look moderately badass, claiming the life of the bastard who ran you
through with a sword and... wait, why did her hair color just change?
And why is she kicking copious amounts of ass while you're just lying there bleeding?
And why is she talking to herself?
Did she just jump back in time six months, to when an oracle foretold the attack?
Does she notice you're totally scoping the oracle out?
Not like you'd have a chance anyway, pal, because you're now Mr. Comic Relief Insatiable
Lech Dragon Pet companion.
Basically P-chan with wings.
And Akane's got a gun.
Turns out there's two sides to your bride: Toki, the cheerful redhead you fell in love
with, and Towa, the blonde bombshell who's got absolutely no qualms about shanking any
SOB what stands in her way.
They're two souls inhabiting the same body, but they differ in style: Toki prefers ranged
attacks, while Towa specializes in melee combat.
Which one you use in battle is a matter of range between you and the target, with two
planes to navigate and real-time combat consisting mostly of attacking, dodging, and spamming
special attacks.
And here's where we get to the crux of the game: Yeah, this looks really, really good,
almost like some weird JRPG attempt at Dragon's Lair or Space Ace.
Unfortunately, for as good as it looks, actually getting that beautiful animation to respond
with timely dodges and attacks is kind of a pain in the butt.
And it's mostly downhill from there.
The audio's plagued by bad muxing and abrupt, awkward cuts, the environments are kinda irritating
to navigate considering so much of the screen is occupied by Toki or Towa's back, the minimap
can't zoom out and, y'know, be useful, the game hands out cash with an eyedropper...
oh yeah, and Toki and Towa switch with each other every time they level up, whether you
want them to or not.
And to give either of them new abilities, you have to spend Gift Points to unlock nodes
on a tech tree, that don't actually activate until the next time they level up.
But wait, there's more.
Not only are you dealing with the usual numbers game that's expected of an RPG, but there's
also - of course - an Affection meter.
Of course there is.
Depending on your actions, and which event scenes and sidequests you choose to see with
whom, one or the other girl will be favored.
And there may be painfully-acted moments of indulgence.
Time and Eternity tries to be interactive anime, but while it's certainly got that WOW
factor up front, it doesn't last for the duration of an RPG.
You can do really awesome art and animation in this space - just look at Ni no Kuni for
a shining example of just what I'm talking about.
But this isn't Studio Ghibli-class, despite its aspirations.
It's not Honey and Clover-class, either.
It's not even Toradora-class.
It's a little more crass, a little more exploitative, and a bit more eye-roll-worthy, and it can't
even skate by as a quality game.
And that's really unfortunate because, on paper, this is exactly the kind of game I
want to work: a JRPG with significantly more visual flair than just the standard oversized
sprites staring to the left or right.
Cute girls with rifles don't hurt, though.