A lot of free-to-play games with gacha mechanics have flooded the market over the years. Some are open-world adventure titles with an emphasis on real-time combat, while others have turn-based battles. Etheria: Restart, from XD Games, is part of the latter category.
I had a chance to play Etheria: Restart at the Tokyo Game Show. XD Games’ booth happened to be one of the bigger ones in its exhibition hall – numerous character standees and cosplayers also helped showcase the studio’s latest offering. That being said, the demo did leave me a bit confused, though I’m still interested in seeing the finished product down the line.
When I first started the Etheria: Restart demo, my premade character was sitting in their living room. I could either choose a Chaku Ring device, which was more of a system menu with various activities, or the Ether Link, a high-tech reclining chair where they’re hooked up to a VR headset. Thus began my foray into this adventure set in a virtual world.
The one thing that really caught my attention upon checking out the available options in Etheria: Restart was the sheer number of characters. I counted over 25 unique heroes, each with their own abilities, stats, and attributes. For instance, Doki Doki, the Truth Memetic, and Massiah, the Blade of Verdict, seem to have a golden elemental attribute that denotes their expertise. Others, such as Scarlet Ironveil Helkid and Flameborn Phoenix Lian have a red icon instead.
Character designs are what you’d expect from many free-to-play gacha games nowadays. There’s an emphasis on designs that are strikingly vivid, colorful, and, in some cases, over the top. This does work in Etheria: Restart’s favor, lore-wise, since my character, known as a Hyperlinker, is able to call upon powerful beings known as Animus.
Since Animus are considered angelic beings in this virtual world, there are those that follow a certain theme. For example, the aforementioned Massiah wields a gigantic claymore and has a shining halo above his head. Another being, Xiada, reminded me of a Kitsune or fox spirit. There’s also the Grim Penalty Khloros, who has a reaper-esque attire complete with a massive scythe. Weirdly enough, I did see a few cyborgs, oni/demons, and diminutive kiddie heroes.
As far as battles are concerned, Etheria: Restart utilizes a turn-based combat system where heroes and villains are able to act based on a variety of factors, such as their levels and other buffs. played one battle where four members in a team were allowed, and another scenario where up to five could be added to my party.
Combat also involves a rock-paper-scissors concept, where certain affinities are more effective against another. For example: Red -> Green -> Blue -> Red. Two other affinities, purple and yellow, seem to counteract one another as well.
That being said, the Etheria: Restart demo was still in the early stages of development. Certain abilities had naming conventions that were either too simple or too literal, like how Helkid has the following actions: Stunned, ATK Down, and Shield. Other characters, meanwhile, might have skills that only denoted Single Target Damage or AoE Damage.
Strangely enough, one of the selectable battles pitted my team of level 50 characters against opponents that were level 69 already. The bout that I tried after that had level 35 enemies instead, which made the whole objective a breeze. Since I was unable to interview a member of the development team or a representative, I just had to rely on what I was seeing onscreen.
Be that as it may, I’m still interested in seeing how Etheria: Restart turns out once a more advanced playable build becomes available. I’d also like to find out how the gacha system will be implemented and what I can expect from the core gameplay loop. Most importantly, given that this is a free-to-play role-playing game – an extremely crowded genre – I’d like to learn more about its narrative hook and what helps it stand out of the pack.
There’s no definitive Etheria: Restart release date as of the time of writing, but we do know that it will be available on iOS and Android devices, as well as PC. We’ll keep you posted as we hear about new developments. In the meantime, check out our list of the best mobile RPGs you can pick up right now.