Marvelous Reveals Turn-Based RPG Eternal Anima, Coming March 2027

One of the most intriguing announcements at today’s Nintendo Direct Presentation, particularly for fans of RPGs, is Marvelous’s new turn-based RPG, Eternal Anima. While we technically have heard of the game before today, it has been over three years, back when Marvelous only teased it under its working title, Project Life is RPG. Here’s the debut trailer:

Eternal Anima Debut Trailer

Marvelous touted some of the key staff behind Eternal Anima as part of this announcement, namely:

• Director Katsuhisa Higuchi (battle director on several classic Final Fantasy titles, and director of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin)
• Story concept writer Keisuke Makino (scenario planner on Metaphor: Fantazio and Persona 5)
• Scenario writer Kazushige Nojima (story and scenario on many Square Enix titles such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Kingdom Hearts III)
• Music by Hitoshi Sakimoto and his company Basiscape (known for Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, and much more)

Eternal Anima is a time travel-focused adventure in a world covered almost entirely by the ocean. The trailer states that “humanity has abandoned its aspirations and wisdom,” suggesting that this world is in a state of decline, perhaps of apocalyptic proportions. Urvis Ael, the last remaining city in the world, has only one rule: never strive for a better tomorrow. Wow, that’s pretty depressing isn’t it? World-threatening calamities are a dime a dozen in RPGs, but it’s rare to see a world so utterly consumed by despair, so much so that society is structure around being a doomer. Thankfully, protagonist Wade is dissatisfied with watching the world slowly waste away, and uses his ability to traverse distant memories to find a solution to this nihilistic predicament.

A different, longer trailer was provided after the Direct by Marvelous, which contains further details on the storyline:

The world of Eternal Anima previously had four great continents, each with their own nations that thrived alongside Urvis Ael. However, over 1000 years each continent faded away and sunk beneath the waves until only Urvis Ael remained. Urvis Ael is ruled by the Thousand Year Sovereign, who ensures that the city remains essentially stuck in time. The military of Urvis Ael (whom protagonist Wade belongs to) concerns itself with rooting out “heretics” who dream of a different future under the Sovereign’s directive. Wade defies the status quo and is branded a heretic, embarking on a journey across time to change his world’s future.

The gameplay implications of this time traveling ability are quite interesting, as the trailer shows Wade acquiring new combat abilities from the remnants of memories left behind. This ability is known as Psychometry, and Wade can use it on ancient ruins, relics, and other objects to delve into the memories attached to them. This is also how the player acquires new classes, suggesting that the game employs some sort of class or job system, though it’s unclear if only Wade has this ability or if the other party members shown do as well. The time travel mechanics manifest in the battle system as a timeline that provides a window into how enemies will act on their turn and for many subsequent turns thereafter, challenging the player to react accordingly and adapt their strategy to the ebb and flow of combat.

It’s not an entirely original idea (Xenoblade Chronicles and Radiant Historia employed similar ideas, just to name a few), but from the snippets of gameplay shown off in the short trailer, Eternal Anima‘s battle system appears quite robust, with certain actions resulting in forward or backward movement on the timeline similar to the timeline mechanics in the Grandia series. The visual aesthetic utilizes squat, chibi-style character models reminiscent of Bravely Default or games made by Tokyo RPG Factory, but with more detailed animations, flashy visual effects, and impressive monster designs befitting the stronger hardware of the current generation.

Eternal Anima Screenshots

Eternal Anima Editions

Finally, Marvelous gave us a peek at Eternal Anima‘s Limited Edition and outlined the standard editions as well. The game will be available physically on PS5 and Switch 2 (on a standard cartridge; no Game-Key Card here), for $49.99 USD and $59.99, respectively. The Limited Edition, seen below, will be available in North America and Europe, and contain the game, a two-disc soundtrack, art cards with stands, and an art book, and will retail for $79.99 (PS5) and $89.99 (Switch 2). According to the game’s official website, the digital editions will include the standalone game alongside a Digital Deluxe Edition that includes a digital art book and “select” digital music tracks.

Eternal Anima doesn’t appear to be reinventing the wheel, but looks to be a solid traditional turn-based RPG for fans of the classics. The wait isn’t too long either, as it launches on March 4th, 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.