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Good: Three unique storylines, deep gameplay for those with lots of patience

Bad: Extremely steep learning curve, cluttered menus, vague symbols and statistics, uninvolved combat, long loads

Easier: Rocket Science

The first Generation of Chaos was an interesting strategy-RPG plagued by problems with a steep learning curve and an unfriendly user interface. Sadly enough, the exact same thing can be said for its sequel Aedis Eclipse. Instead of focusing on correcting the problems of the first title, the developers have simply added a few extra storylines to what is essentially the same game as the first. Granted, the games are both astonishingly deep, but the learning curve required to figure out all the games' nuances will likely dissuade most players within the first few hours.

One of Aedis Eclipse's biggest selling points is that it includes three unique storylines, taking place on different layers of the game's tower-like world. Each of these stories is available from the beginning, although new players will want to start with the lower world and advance their way to the top, as this underworld includes the game's only semblance of a tutorial.

Each world is fairly unique in terms of setting. The lower world is a high-tech society where magic takes a backseat to machines. The middle world is a more traditional fantasy setting with wizards, dragons, and elves. Finally, the top world is home to a host of demons and angels. Each storyline has a completely different set of characters, making for a unique play experience depending on the one you select.

Gameplay itself follows an interesting combination of turn-based strategy and role-playing. Players can organize and customize their armies by selecting from a multitude of captains, unit types, and equipment. You then navigate around the world map, engaging in missions to advance the story or power level your troops if you feel so inclined. It's a fairly standard setup and anyone who has ever played Final Fantasy Tactics should feel immediately comfortable.

It's in the actual missions where things get messy. The missions are surprisingly deep, but this actually works to the game's detriment. Play takes place from a slightly angled top-down view, with the player and the computer taking turns moving their captains around the grid-based battlefield. Among other things, you can capture and defend structures, build new structures, engage in combat with enemy troops, terraform elemental tiles, and explore various pieces of terrain.

You have a lot of options at your disposal, which makes the game's cluttered interface a huge problem. At times, it's very difficult to figure out how to perform a desired action with all the menus and submenus built into the game. The game offers a tutorial to help explain some of the basics, but it's so generic that a lot of the game is simply a trial-and-error affair. Furthermore, a lot the game's depth is buried in an overwhelming number of vague statistics with equally vague symbols all over the place. This makes equipping your characters, picking out which statistics to boost at level up, and planning effective battle strategies extremely difficult.

The game's combat system is also pretty underwhelming, which is even more disappointing considering the huge amount of time you'll spend fighting. Moving your captain onto a space occupied by an enemy captain initiates a battle. Once in battle, you can only give your troops generic formation orders as well as have your captain use special abilities and items. On the whole, it's a fairly hands-off affair, and for the most part, you just sit and watch. Making matters worse is the mostly idiotic AI present in your troops. They will frequently stand around idly while enemies chip away at you.

Gameplay is also weighed down by a ridiculous amount of loading. This is most noticeable in combat, particularly when you activate a captain's special ability. These usually take several seconds to load, slowing down the typically fast pace of combat. Unfortunately, these load times permeate other areas of the game as well. Dialogue is often interrupted by awkward loads, sometimes mid-sentence.

Technically the game is passable, albeit nothing amazing. The graphics are a mix of 3-D environments and 2-D sprites. The animations are decent enough, and the anime-inspired character drawings look good too. However, the frequent load times and occasional slowdown mar the overall graphical package.

Sound is also just OK. The music feels appropriate, albeit somewhat forgettable. Same with the sound effects. The voice-overs are pretty cheesy and frequently feel forced. This is somewhat forgivable considering the dialogue itself is pretty cheesy.

Overall, Aedis Eclipse has a lot of potential, it just gets weighed down under its own sloppy interface and under-explained complexities. Those willing to spend hours learning all of the game's nuances will find a very deep strategy-RPG that should last quite a few hours. Unfortunately, for everyone else, it's just too much.

Graphics: 7.0

Sound: 6.0

First Play: 5.0

Replay Value: 7.5

Gameplay: 7.0

Overall: 7.0