~eden* 「They were only two, on the planet.」 エデン~

A game I was totally looking forward to, considering how much I loved the atmosphere and story-telling in ef. Wasn’t really amused that I wasn’t able to access their site thanks to the foreign IP blocking nonsense and pretty much made do with what little information magazines provide, but decided that I wanted to support them nonetheless since I really liked the ef series.

So the main premise of the game goes that the world faces total destruction in 100 years. It was then that 2 plans were brought into action: a central government for the entire earth, and the “フェリクス計画 (Ferikusu plan)” which will lead the way to escape the earth into space. 99 years later, the plan has proceeded smoothly and the girl who has overseen the evacuation remains and the protagonist is assigned to protect her while she remains. The story begins when they meet…

Small box as per what the ef series came in, but also as pretty :p

Manual is the same deal as well, full color awesomeness of one piece of paper folded in half.

Minori discs always have such atmosphere to them~

Lycee trading card included inside the game.

And once you install PLUS+MOSAIC, an additional option pops up between Memories and Exit in the title screen. Besides the 18+ scenes that add-on disc includes, violence and blood is also more accurately reflected in eden*. The PLUS+MOSAIC option is not accessible until you have cleared the main game.

Same sized as the main game, but with the thickness of a DVD case. Quite a bare bones affair, just includes an installation sheet, the sheet with the serial number, and the game disc.

Game disc.

Phonecard that comes as a pre-order bonus. Nyaa~ Nothing great in terms of bonuses for eden*, but that’s mitigated somewhat by the very nice visuals, and story-telling that minori provides. There could be lots of sweet extras and whatnot included, but if it’s a crap game, it’s a crap game.

Characters

シオン – Sion

The Ferikusu that possesses the highest intelligence on earth. The most important element in the plan to evacuate earth. Her outer appearance resembles that of a young girl, but in reality has lived almost 100 years. Ever since her birth in the lab, she has never stepped out of the lab before. She wishes to stay on earth after the project has been successfully completed.

エリカ – Elica

Born from the same genes as Sion and plays the elder sister role, Elica specializes in medicine. Likes listening to music and cherishes an old radio. For some reason seems to know the protagonist from earlier before they met.

浅井・F・ラヴィニア – Asai.F.Lavinia

A sociable female soldier and is of the same age and rank as the protagonist. Paired together with him to be the bodyguards of Sion. Very popular among the other soldiers, with fights breaking out over her. Very proficient with knives, she has undertaken a secret mission from Naoto.

稲葉 直人 – Inaba Naoto

The commander in the lab where Sion resides, an excellent soldier but does not have any interest in promotions within the army. Sympathizes with Sion and Elica deep inside his heart, basically a nice guy. Was the person that helped the protagonist enter the army as a child.

榛名 亮 – Haruna Ryou

The protagonist of this tale, was assigned to the lab where Sion is to be her bodyguard. Was abandoned by his parents during troubled times and lived in the mountains, leaving his home and joining the army only after a certain incident happened. An exceptional soldier that has achieved great results in the battlefield.

And some sample screens of what I’ve seen so far~

Really sweet and stunning visuals, the atmosphere the game provides is truly awesome and since this is more an interactive novel rather than the AVG types where you make choices that determine the flow of the game, the way the story unfolds is really something that works. Featuring the “Musica” engine, the story plays like a movie where the camera shifts focal points depending on the situation and is truly a nice touch. And add to it a stellar soundtrack and great voice-acting (fully voiced, including protagonist) and you’ll be wanting more as the story proceeds. Definitely a game worth getting even from the little I’ve experienced so far.

Publisher: Minori
Character Design: ちこたむ (Chikotam), KIMちー(Kimcheee)
Genre: Interactive Novel (Romance)
Released: Sept 18, 2009
Price: 5800 Yen (eden* main game) – 1980 Yen (PLUS+MOSAIC)
Availability: eden* (in-stock @ HobbySearch & ErogeShop)
PLUS+MOSAIC (in-stock @ HobbySearch & ErogeShop)