Edens Zero Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Konami has been at the wheel of the development and publishing of Edens Zero, which you may already know from the anime and manga series of the same name. And with such a big name taking the reins of the action RPG’s development, we’ve been expecting a stunning level of execution and polish. 

From the demo, there were still a few kinks that needed ironing. The combat felt too simplistic, the animations stiff, and the overall gameplay rather bland. Still, the core experience felt fun. And by the end of the playthrough, you were left craving more of the relatively laid-back space-faring adventure. 

With the final release out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms via Steam and Microsoft Store, and going for the price of $59.99, you’re probably wondering whether it’s worth the buy. Well, tag along on our Edens Zero review while we explore all the facets that make up the entire playthrough. 

Trodding Through Space

Being an anime and manga adaptation, it’s hardly surprising that the story mode lifts the key plot points from the source material. Fans of the Edens Zero anime and manga series will draw similarities in the characters, environments, and worldbuilding. Even boss fights are accurately depicted from the anime. 

However, Edens Zero is far from a copy-paste of the anime and manga. For one, the story has been stripped down to the most heartfelt and spectacle moments. Perhaps a bit too thoroughly, so much so that newcomers may miss out on the full impact of the most unforgettable story moments. 

Still, Konami has done a great job of, at the very least, allowing newcomers to make sense of protagonist Shiki Granbell’s intergalactic adventure. Even as the extremely likeable Skiki explores a mysterious planet full of robots, before running into Rebecca Bluegarden, and her feline alien companion. 

You’re always tucked neatly into the emotive and significant story developments, quickly catching on to the source material’s aura and intent. Being a series with a beefy space-faring story, Konami has gone ahead to punch the gas on the story mode’s pacing. 

You seldom get moments to catch your breath before the next substantial story arc is thrown your way via cutscenes or voiced text-based dialogue. Well, unless you’re battling often waves of enemies in a largely linearly structured story path.

Overall, I imagine there are areas fans of the anime and manga will be left disappointed, precisely the fast-paced storytelling that often fails to fully capture the most emotional and impactful moments. On the other hand, newcomers will hardly notice anything amiss.  

Salad Dressing

Additionally, what makes up a compelling story is the characters. And on that front, Konami nails it spectacularly so. The characters have distinct personalities you’re instantly drawn to, alongside fascinating designs and costumes. 

Even the voice acting from the original cast hits the mark, seldom let down by one-note dialogue. Fortunately, though, you’ll soon unlock the spaceship navigational hub where you indulge in bonding side activities. These reveal more of the characters’ backgrounds and personalities, and give you a breather from the spotlight that is often always on Shiki and Rebecca.

Bonding with the characters proves essential when you engage with the party-based action RPG of Edens Zero. As many as eight playable characters are free to unlock during story progression, each one adding a new spice and flow to combat, whether functionally with distinct abilities, varied play styles, or aesthetically with stylish designs and costumes. 

The Stronger Foe

Each character has a unique skill tree that builds on the initially shallow breadth of abilities and fighting styles. Soon, you have characters specializing in wielding magic, others dual-wielding pistols, and others still wielding up-close-and-personal gravity-based punches and kicks. These all greatly deepen your strategy during combat, dipping into a bigger variety of moves and weapons at your disposal. 

Further, skill trees unlock buffs and accessories that come in handy against stronger bosses. The upgrades unlock just in time to breeze through more taxing and formidable enemies down the road. Yet, even with the relatively huge repertoire of abilities and weapons, Edens Zero’s combat feels all too easy to grasp and master. 

Even more so are the similar types of enemies you fight. Besides bosses, regular enemies are largely the same and hardly put up a challenge. If anything, the difficulty arises when they spawn in numbers. But even then, it’s more annoying than rewarding, given you’re still dipping into the same, repetitive combat flow. 

It’s a mixed bag, where veterans will likely find the simplistic combat disappointing, but fans of anime may revel in a straightforward action RPG. And the steps Konami takes to enrich your playthrough, allowing switching between distinctly skilled characters, for instance, might just be more than enough to fully satisfy. 

A Taste of Something New

Eventually, the intermittent flow of the story, from cutscene to battles to cutscene, on repeat, will eventually grow tedious. Eventually, you’ll find yourself curious about the Exploration mode, where new items, treasures, and equipment lie hidden. 

On paper, Exploration mode sounds like a blast. You enter the open-world planet of Blue Garden, and freely explore all your heart desires. It’s a pretty vast planet, with environments and buildings stretching over the horizon. So, access to a motorcycle or flying mechanics for traversal is welcome. 

While exploring, you’re mostly seeking treasure, fast travel points, exciting items, and side quests, all to progress your characters’ skills and ranking. And at times, it’s fun to unlock rewards for pursuing fetch quests and battling enemies. But even that grows underwhelming when you realize just how bland Blue Garden is. 

There are NPCs living in Blue Garden, but most don’t interact with you, thus feeling generic. Meanwhile, the planet itself lacks exciting things to do. Sure, you can take on side quests, but they’re often repetitive. You can find treasure, but they’re too few and far between. For a world as vast as Blue Garden, there surely must be more to do than merely soaring the skies and unlocking the occasional reward for your effort. 

Kick Your Feet Up

One way Edens Zero does spice things up is in the spaceship hub. Here’s where you unlock new items and upgrade your characters. You may also unlock new rooms, and even fun minigames like the massage parlor and cooking mechanics. While relatively short, the minigames are a welcome change of pace from the repetitive combat and bland exploration of Blue Garden. 

Nitty Gritty

You’ll surely find plenty of criticism to go around. After all, anime adaptations haven’t always been top-notch stellar. You have to admit, though, that Edens Zero does try. And perhaps Konami’s first hack at the franchise may not be perfect. The texture pop-ins and frame rate drops, especially while soaring the skies, are an instant indication of an entry still needing more care and love. 

It’s also true that you’ll likely find the combat fun, at least when you unlock new characters, and further, progress their foundational skills and weapons. You can come up with some exciting combos, from stringing together different characters’ basic attacks, to cashing in on your charged-up Ether Gear special abilities. 

You can craft and upgrade weapons, items, and accessories to better face stronger bosses. And the mechanics come with a lock-on feature for individual enemies or a boss’ body part. Even more exciting is mastering the perfect timing of a dodge, and slowing down time as a result to unleash a devastating counterattack. And more often than not, charged-up counterattacks are enough to destroy enemies. 

Perhaps this makes you feel overpowered. When you can tap into support allies, boosting your HP, attack, and defense. Perhaps the enemy AI could be more intelligent, posing a bigger challenge by unleashing more varied attack patterns. Edens Zero is certainly imperfect. But does it do well enough to justify making a purchase?

Verdict

It all comes down to your passion for the Edens Zero anime and manga franchise. Being the first action RPG adaptation, and Konami choosing to tread the beat ‘em up arena-style combat and open-world, free-form exploration, I’ll say there’s something special here for fans to enjoy. It’s your opportunity to experience the world and characters of the source material in gaming form. 

But beware, there are aspects of Edens Zero you’ll find disappointing, maybe even distasteful. The graphics are certainly far from the standards we expect on next-gen consoles. It has PS3-era graphics and style, which you might find amusing or otherwise. Combat, on the other hand, can use improvements, particularly in enemy design and variety. At its core, though, it can be pretty fun switching between characters and exploiting their various, distinct abilities and fighting styles.

The open-world exploration is the most disappointing. Certainly, with a map as vast as Blue Garden, Konami could have added more varied environments that draw interest in the secrets and special items they hide. The quests could have been more fun to chase, and the NPCs interactive. Perhaps Konami will iron these issues out. If not, there might be a price drop in the future, you could keep an eye out for.