Shiki was a young man who lived as the only human in a world filled with robots. One day, he meets Rebecca, a woman who has come to this place as part of her content creator career, alongside a blue cat called Happy. They end up becoming friends with the boy after having to deal with a messy situation, and they decide to adventure together, exploring the universe.

Edens Zero is a space opera with the magic element of Ether Gear in its setting. As Shiki and Rebecca travel to various worlds, they’ll get to meet individuals who will become their allies and eventually set out on a journey to see an entity called Mother.

The game can be divided into Story Mode, which covers various arcs of the manga, and Exploration Mode, which allows players to freely explore the expansive planet Blue Garden. In between diving into either mode, players can move around a spaceship hub which gets more facilities over time.

As the story progresses, players unlock more allies, upgrades, new options inside the ship and more quests in Exploration Mode. It takes a while for the game to open up many basic elements and even just getting out of town on Blue Garden may prove tough at first due to one of the first encounters available on the map having a large group of enemies with ranged attacks.

A Buffet of Characters, Skills and Strategic Options

As an action RPG, combat is at the forefront of what Edens Zero provides. Players can create a party with up to four characters and change between them on the go by pressing a directional button. The playable cast includes not only Shiki, Rebecca, Weisz and Homura, but also Witch, Sister, Hermit and Jinn.

Each character has specific strengths to keep in mind, with some of them being close-range fighters, like Shiki and Homura, while others have the advantage of longer reach, like Rebecca, Weisz and Witch. There are three basic attack buttons, but players can unlock more options like charged skills and a follow-up Homing Attack by spending Ether Gear Points.

The enhancement options also include increasing damage, making dodge easier, getting extra slots for accessories and other additions. If players want to test out other build options, it’s also possible to reset everything, getting the points back to unlock different branches. Equipment is another thing to keep in mind as it may affect HP, Attack and Defense, with accessories also having other effects like resistance to status ailments.

Battles start when the party gets close to visible enemies or reaches an objective mark for a scripted encounter. These fights happen in a limited arena and may feature many enemies at a time, with locking in as an option to target a specific enemy or the body part of a large boss.

Besides basic attacks, each character has special skills that may be helpful in different situations. Shiki can use gravity to pull enemies together, leaving them vulnerable to area attacks. Weisz can summon turrets to help deal with enemies for a limited time. Witch can change the alignment of her attacks between Fire, Ice or Electricity, with each also causing ailments to enemies.

Beyond all these options, it’s also possible to dodge attacks and doing it at the perfect timing leads to a powerful counterattack opportunity. While this option is good, the game has rigid animations that don’t feature canceling chances to dash out of trouble. While this means players have to strategically plan their moves to avoid this situation, it also makes avoiding damage significantly harder than similar action games.

As an action RPG, combat is at the forefront of what Edens Zero provides. Players can create a party with up to four characters and change between them on the go by pressing a directional button.

Fashionable Characters and Oddly Barren Worlds

Beyond combat, equipped items also affect characters’ looks. After a specific point in the story, however, it’s possible to unlock the Dress Factory feature, which lets players mix and match any items that have been previously obtained and save the outfit in up to five slots for each character. This locks the cosmetic alterations to let players upgrade them without worries.

Getting more of those options, just like many items, demands exploring and going beyond the straight line of following the next objective mark. Despite the search for more rewards and the sidequests available on Blue Garden, the world feels strikingly barren.

Walking around streets with many characters but no interaction option with them makes it all feel inorganic and hollow. Blue Garden is a vast expanse, but there are large gaps with just nothing of real interest. It’s even worse in Story Mode, as many areas are just corridors to go from point A to point B with some opportunities to deviate and get loot.

This is not to say that the game isn’t fun at its core. The combat and character building are solid enough that it's enjoyable to go around fighting enemies and getting more items. Nonetheless, it leaves a lingering feeling that the worlds are all sterile.

Closing Comments:

Edens Zero is an enjoyable action RPG that offers solid variation in combat skills and an interesting look into Hiro Mashima’s work. Despite its worlds feeling oddly devoid of life due to the lack of interactive opportunities beyond battle and looting, it’s still a good journey to depart on.