Back in the 2000s, the PS2 launch date was a very big deal for the gaming world. Playstation 1 was such a hit with the 90s culture the hype for the next-gen iteration was nuts.
Along the console fanatics, there was a very strong JRPG following. Final Fantasy VII to IX, Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Cross, Valkyria Profile, Suikoden, and the list goes on. All high-quality games for the mayority of gamers; some more popular than others.
So, the day comes and the first week Eternal Ring is released. From Software was already kind of a legend when it came to RPGs... but they didn't work in the common JRPG ground. Their games never tackled the linear spectacle or vibrant aesthetic those titles had. They embraced dark tones, obscure and unexplained lore and a full-control scheme that stood out well for a strong but niche audience. They were NOWHERE NEAR close to what the mainstream public wanted.
Only by that fact, the first RPG for the Playstation 2 was doomed to fail egregiously from the start. But even when you visit it as a King's Field fan, the result pales to the classic KF2, Shadow Tower and, subsequently, KF4.
The thing is, the game works as intended, but the level design and structure is incapable of making the ideal KF experience justice. The best thing about the game is the ring system: so, for using magic, you must create rings with magic stones in altars. You have to combine these items in the way you prefer, and they fusion. The ring you get depends on what you use. It's a cool, brand-new system...
...That's ultimately flawed in-on itself. The fact there's a random element means you won't get what you need half the time and end wasting those crystals. The game has loads of magic that you'll probably never use unless you grind the fuck out of the already not amazing mobs, or you just look a guide -and by that point, the system becomes pointless.
And magic is absolutely vital for surviving the game, so you MUST keep making rings, and that's what makes it a bit frustrating. But the whole design suffers from these new, interesting ideas for new audiences that lack any real direction.
The whole game feel, for example, is much faster: your character always runs and you maintain X for making it walk. This means the pace of the game is much more accesible. The problem is you got some new stinkers to manage: enemies are way faster now, and they can get pretty annoying -along with shoddy hitboxes- , and the level design must be a bit bigger and wider; that way, the player doesn't surpass the whole levels in one minute each... but the "metroidvania" element from past games is gone -it's semilinear but the distances are giganormous-, and the architecture feels dull and uninspired. Very vibrant! But uninspired nonetheless. Also, this added velocity made the controls a bit awkward to dominate; it's the first time a KF-Style game took me at one hour and a half to get the hang of it. The first KF game I played, I got used to the controls around 10 minutes in.
And the story suffers the same fate. It's the same "fallen kingdom, long gone world, king gone mad" From has been recycling from the beginning, but Eternal Ring manages to even fuck up that formulaic premise, because the narrative has become a lot more clear and simpleton. Probably because they tried to appeal to the typical JRPG crowd. By doing so, the thin plot these games had is magnified to the eye, and along with more-long-than-they-should animations, I lost interest pretty quickly.
Some bosses and certain art departures are interesting, and there's still a bit of that schtick about From Software enemy designs, but I can see now why no one really talks about this game. Not even King's Field fans. So it didn't please the blockbuster market, nor the JRPG fans, and the KF/ST fans quickly forgot about it. Now that's a failure.
From should've never try to please the mainstream ever again. Oh wait, they did with Dark Souls 3. Welp.
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-actual quote on the back of the box