Edens Zero Pocket Galaxy First Impressions – Gearing Up for an Adventure

Konami, currently enjoying the success of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, has ventured into the stars by releasing Edens Zero Pocket Galaxy. Based on the sci-fi shounen anime/manga series Edens Zero, the mobile game is a top-down action RPG that was just released today in Japan and global.

Note that unlike many mobile games based on anime IPs, Edens Zero Pocket Galaxy is not a gacha game. However, it does have its fair share of in-app purchases, which will be covered below.

Presentation

The game takes place in the Grand Shiki Cosmos, the universe of Edens Zero. It follows the events of the anime down to a T, with fully voice-acted cutscenes from the anime’s voice cast.

The character models are expressive and dynamic, which makes viewing the game’s many cutscenes pretty fun. Even if you didn’t follow the manga or anime, the game does a great job at keeping you up to speed. Mind you, Pocket Galaxy is chock-full of cutscenes, so much so that in my first hour of playing it, I only spent about 15 minutes actually moving around and fighting. The rest are all cutscenes. Don’t worry, they’re skippable.

Note that unlike many mobile anime games nowadays, you can definitely feel the high production quality of Pocket Galaxy. Instead of presenting the story in a visual novel format with just 2D character art and text at the bottom, basically all of the story sequences take place on the 3D map itself ala Persona 5. Character models are brimming with life when they talk or perform actions, making the game feel like a console JRPG at times.

Gameplay

Pocket Galaxy is really similar to Marvel Future Revolution and One Piece Fighting Path in terms of gameplay. Your characters can also fly on the field just like in Marvel Future Revolution, albeit for a limited time.

The game’s main hub is Rebecca’s ship which is used to travel to different planets and locations to progress the story. When you’re not in combat, you’ll mainly be moving across the map to talk to NPCs to trigger the story, or leaving it to the game’s auto function to do that. After a cutscene or two, that’s when the battle will take place.

You’ll usually face a horde of enemies as you mow them down with your characters. You can switch between your characters on the field at any time. Your other teammates will be controlled by the AI and they’ll automatically attack any enemy nearby without venturing too far away from you.

Besides flying, dodging and attacking, each playable character has multiple skills which have cooldowns. You can unlock new skills by spending SP.

In addition to levelling, characters mainly get stronger and increase their stats through the equipment they wear, which brings me to my next point.

Monetisation

The game uses a resource known as EG as its premium currency. There is no gacha in this game, so instead of relying on RNG, you’ll purchase whatever you want right away.

Instead of buying characters, you can use EG to purchase Styling, Cosmetics or Mission Passes. Styling is basically unlocking a different costume of a character, complete with different a different look and playstyle. Cosmetics are well…cosmetics. Missions Passes are basically a set of missions that give out rewards when you complete them.

The game also offers two options of monthly passes known as Mother’s Blessing.

Closing Thoughts

Edens Zero Pocket Galaxy doesn’t exactly innovate much in terms of gameplay. Combat is pretty run-of-the-mill and generic. However, what is impressive is the game’s emphasis and loyalty to the Edens Zero story. Cutscenes are polished and really capture the emotional highs and lows, something that is usually lacking in a lot of anime mobile games.

To stay updated with the game, follow the Edens Zero project Twitter account.

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