Game Review – “Evergrace”

One of the Play Station 2’s launch titles in an RPG that allows you to play two independant but related storylines through almost simultaneously. It’s a neat gimmick, but there are other problems overshadowing that idea.

Company Credits

Title: Evergrace
Developer: From Software
System: PlayStation 2
Release Date: I don’t remember exactly, but it was a launch title.
Game Type: Adventure/RPG

Premise

A boy with an odd birthmark and a friend of his are transported to
another world.

High Point

The parallel gameplay was a nice touch.

Low Point

The complete lack of explanations for what Morpheus was doing, what
the crest means, how they got where they were, why they were
transported, etc.

The Scores

The originality of the game has its ups and downs. In terms
of controls, functions, quests and the like, it’s pretty standard. In
terms of the parallel gameplay, which allows you to use two characters
independantly in the same world, it’s a pretty original game. The
fact that one character could see the implications of the other
character’s actions was a nice touch. I give it 4 out of 6.

The story got off to a very good start. We had interesting
characters, a decent plot, some mysteries to solve, and the parallel
worlds to keep us interested. Then they messed it up by leaving so
much unfinished and unconcluded. It’s as though they realized they
filled up the media they were publishing on before they’d gotten
through the game they were trying to make, and just decided to stick
in a credit scroll and leave the rest for a sequel. Much of it was
unpolished, too. The subtitles often didn’t match the voice acting,
and there were a number of obvious spelling mistakes, particularly at
the beginning. I give it 4 out of 6.

The graphics are decent, and on par with the PlayStation 2
launch title graphics. I give it 4 out of 6.

The sound effects were excellent, as was most of the voice
acting. The music, however, has some serious problems. The music at
the title screen has two sets of instruments with two different tempos
going, which is positively grating. Music in other areas ranges from
bad to mediocre. I give it 4 out of 6.

It’s playable, but I doubt I’ll be getting much replay value
out of it. It’s not a short game, due to the amount of building up
your characters need, but it is a small game. A weekend rental could
be enough to finish it, if you can dodge patterned attacks well enough
to keep down the equipment repair costs. I give it 3 out of 6.

The immersion was pretty good. I like the world, and was
drawn in quickly. The sense of involvement and comradery I had was
just destroyed by the ending, though. I take serious issue with
RPG characters who leave large portions of their quest unfulfilled at
the end of the game. Still, most of the immersion happens before the
game is done. I give it 4 out of 6.

Overall, this is a decent title, but the only reason I’d pick
up a sequel would be if the people who recommend it assure me that the
loose ends that are still hanging get tied up. I give it 3 out of 6.

In total, Evergrace receives 26 out of 42.

2 replies on “Game Review – “Evergrace””

  1. multiple players?
    you mention the parallel gameplay and such but i’m not clear on how many players this is. theres so many awesome RPGs for PS2 that are only one player and it pisses me off to no end. (baldurs gate was a great 2 player game btw) i’m just not allowed to buy one player games cuz what does my bitch… err… boyfriend do while i’m gaming for hours on end?

    • Re: multiple players?

      you mention the parallel gameplay and such but i’m not clear on how many players this is. theres so many awesome RPGs for PS2 that are only one player and it pisses me off to no end. (baldurs gate was a great 2 player game btw) i’m just not allowed to buy one player games cuz what does my bitch… err… boyfriend do while i’m gaming for hours on end?

      This is a one player game, but that one player can switch between two characters with parallel stories at any time.

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