Tag Archives: Eternal Ring

Eternal Ring (PlayStation 2)

Eternal Ring

Developer(s) – From Software

Publisher(s) – From Software, Ubisoft & Agetec

PEGI – 12

After reading a few reviews of this game, I found that just like Dark Souls II, even this game was overrated. And this game was given marks in the region of 6 out of 10. I would best describe Eternal Ring as the poor man’s Skyrim. It’s somewhat similar in gameplay. But it’s nowhere near as immersing or entertaining. On the back of the box, there is an advertising slogan that reads, “Who said fantasies have to be final?” suggesting that this is a strong competitor to the Final Fantasy series. After playing this, I can safely say it had no chance.

Graphics – 6/10

In terms of graphical advancement, I’d say this game did a decent enough job of showing off what the PlayStation 2 was capable of. But that’s all I’d say. There’s nothing particularly unique about the game’s scenery or style or character design. The way I see it, it was a game clearly rushed out to retail with not much thought put into it at all.

Gameplay – 3/10

Eternal Ring is not much of a joy to look at. And it’s even less of a joy to play. Just like Dark Souls II (but to a much greater extent), I grew extremely bored of it extremely easily. I spent about an hour or so trying to get into it. But I found myself incapable of doing so. Apparently, there is some kind of unique combat system involving magic rings to cast spells and enhance attributes. But I couldn’t even bring myself to get as far as to find out exactly how it works.

Controls – 5/10

I knew that this was a particularly bad game from the very beginning, given how terrible it handles in terms of controls. The controls are particularly stiff, making moving around an immense chore. Also, like Dark Souls II for example (but again, to a much greater extent than the former), combat isn’t very fluent and has severely affected the quality of the final product.

Lifespan – 3/10

Even if there are gamers out there who can make it past half an hour, the game can be made to last from 15 to 20 hours, which for an RPG, is unacceptable. Famitsu states in their review of this game that it could have done with being in development for a little while longer, but I personally feel as if it would have been better if the game hadn’t been in development at all.

Storyline – 4/10

The story of Eternal Ring follows the story of Cain Morgan who has been sent to the Island of No Return to find a ring. I think the story will appeal to anyone who genuinely can’t think of a fantasy story that involves a magic ring. Although there were certain aspects of Dark Souls II that were reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings mythos, this is a blatant rip-off.

Originality – 3/10

The only aspect that saves this game from being completely unoriginal is its unique combat system involving magic rings, but other than that, there is nothing else in this game to make it stand out for the right reasons. Like with many generic RPGs, the only other thing unique about it is how mind-numbingly bad it is.

Angrii

To summarize, Oblivion can be bought very cheaply nowadays, so just play that instead.

Score

24/60

4/10 (Poor)