In practice, this adds an elaboration of the rock-paper-scissors dynamic to the field. Most Majin have distinct strengths and weaknesses against the six elemental spheres and three types of weapons. From there they can be summoned on the battlefield, sold to a friendly witch, or (in a gruesome display of blades and gears) juiced to provide useful battlefield skills.Ī major aspect of each battle is making sure that the party is diverse enough to handle any threat. Monsters who receive a set amount of massive damage beyond what is required to defeat them can be captured within a magical tome. Never does the option to bind monsters to one’s will seem like an exercise in obsessive-compulsive bookkeeping rather, it’s good strategy. These two-person attacks have several advantages over two separate attacks, one of which is the increased ease in capturing enemy monsters.Īlthough capturing monsters and forcing them to fight for the other side has a long, heroic tradition, Eternal Poison makes it seem natural. The secondary function of the Lead command is to allow combo attacks. It allows characters who delay on their own turns to act instead on the leader’s, representing his or her mastery of small scale tactics. The first point of interest is the Lead command available to the main character of each story. The battle system is straightforward for a tactical RPG, but not without its quirks. On the other hand, players may receive grinding flashbacks anyway, as they lead the same mercenary characters on the same maps, spread over the course of several characters’ stories.Īre they praying or pinned like butterflies? While this means that it is possible to find oneself in a situation where there is no mathematical way to triumph in a battle without reverting to a previous save, the gentle experience curve and near-sighted AI make such situations unlikely. Knowledge of the paths allows the player control over which foul beasts (or Majin) and treasure will be in the next fight, but leaves the dialogue and story generally untouched.Īs a result of battles driving ever forward, there is no opportunity to grind for experience points. Each story has a bad end as well as a good one, which is triggered by participating in a single, specific battle. This creates the illusion of a far more elaborate story structure than there actually is. It is here where the twisted path through Besek becomes relevant.īefore each battle, the player is given the choice between one to three paths to follow. Side characters frequently allude to events that would benefit from being further fleshed out, but remain under-developed due to the setting’s siege mentality.
While this enhances the sense of being caught within a diabolic mystery that is key to Besek’s environs, the conceit can wear thin. Despite the unique party dynamic connecting each set of story characters, major events in the three main storylines closely duplicate one another. Each gang of characters is linked by the shadowy maze Besek, which has suddenly appeared in the prosperous kingdom of Valdia, but their goals are their own.
These segments take about ten hours to complete fulfilling certain conditions within a story will unlock an additional two chapters. Upon starting a new game, the player is confronted by three stories, each focusing on a separate group of characters. One of Eternal Poison‘s major points of deviation from the tactical RPG formula is in the way its story is presented. It is a modern fairy tale, however, and thus has a happy ending: despite its flaws, Eternal Poison stands as a solid entry in the world of traditional tactical RPGs. For every aspect of the game that was improved by its dark, fatalistic theme, another was obscured or left malnourished. Unfortunately, the classification carried a great curse. It was blessed with the graces of being a gothic fairytale and all that the name granted. Once upon a time there was a tactical RPG that was called Eternal Poison.