There are some games that marvel with their technical masterpiece. Others bring something new to the table. While more still just try to standout in one way or another. It works sometimes. Other times it’s a disappointing slog. And then there is the occasional experience that does all of the above while also doing nothing. Eternal Filena is one of those games.
Eien no Filena doesn’t do too much in terms of anything. But there’s something about it that gives it a unique feel. Even for the time, the graphics weren’t great. It looks like it was built off of Final Fantasy V, with how sharp and pointy the sprites are. But there are zero flashy magic animations, and no dungeons pop out at ya. Enemy sprite work looks pretty good, and there’s zero reuse there, so that’s rad!
The music doesn’t stand out as anything special either. You’ll hear one song too many times and a few others that share similar “instrumental” effects. But there’s just enough to get ya through.
There aren’t many impactful moments. What does exist takes place before you really care about the participants. There are no plot twists, but there is a WTF moment that you might just let go because it’s easier to digest. It is a fairly standard plot. But there’s something about it that lets it shine. And I think it’s in the way it tells the story.
Eternal Filena has our hero, Filena, running from the evil Devis Empire the whole game in hopes of restoring her kingdom, which she’s never even known. For the last ten years, she has been masquerading as a man, under the direction of “grandpa” Zenna, to blend in with battlers. Battlers are slaves, clechia, who kill each other for the amusement of the ruling class. The battlers are even granted “wives,” who fulfill the obvious duties. The whole thing is a human rights violation on top of human rights violations. The battles function under WWE rules in that there are storylines for melodrama. One of the writers decided that Filena gets to fight Zenna. He sacrifices himself, giving Filena a necklace that details the truth of her life. After breaking into a fancy library with a disgruntled writer named Nest, it’s revealed Filena is the princess of the Filenia Kingdom, which ruled the sea sixteen years ago. Viewing this sets off the alarm of sedition and forces Filena and Nest to flee the city. Sadly, the wife of a battler whom Filena killed attacks her home. Filena’s wife, Lila, who knows her husband is actually a woman, is fine, but our MC gets blinded. Nest and Lila guide her, along with the assailant Milika, to the sewers. Milika has also been betrayed by the empire. But the empire is now trailing them.
But there’s something in how that story is told. Usually, the evil empire our heroes are fighting knows our every movement. And the Devis do, at first. But their understanding of Filena’s situation changes over time. And as they lose all control of the situation, we gain it back. Or do we? A movement has started using Filena’s name, and they seem successful. But we never actually see them do anything, so whatever. But there’s something in that story that interests me. Escaping from a fascist dictatorship, bringing peace to a world, and reclaiming what’s yours in a novel fashion is the one thing Eternal Filena brings.
The gameplay isn’t offensive to drag that down. It’s a standard ATB affair, but you can equip three weapons, each with its own skill sets. There are seven weapons in total, but no one character gets unique move sets with a particular weapon. It’s perfectly fine, and one of the primary characters is a dog, and he can only equip one weapon, so it feels more varied than it is. It doesn’t distract. More interestingly is the random encounter rate. I think it’s truly random. You can walk three steps to get into two battles, but it can also take a full minute between fights. But you’ll get into plenty of them and never want for money or experience. Only the final boss is tough, so you’ll never feel dragged down and get to experience the story unassaulted.
But I’m sick and writing a review with a headache, sore throat, and chills, so let’s wrap this up. Eternal Filena isn’t gonna blow anyone away with anything it brings to the table. It’s just a solid experience mired in a genre with goats. Two years of delays probably didn’t help. Releasing in 1992 might have made EF stand out, but the genre passed it by in the interim. I’ve got it as the floor of a good game. Still enjoyable, but two years too late. Unless you’re into stories with lesbian romance, but there is more here than just that. 34/50.
I wish I wasn’t sick…
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