Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos: Another Generation. More Chaos. Company: NIS America If the name Generation of Chaos isn’t familiar don’t worry, you’re not alone. This Strategy RPG, which hit the PSP last year, wasn’t well received by the media or gaming public in general. Although it offered a lot of game, especially for the PSP, it didn’t quite pull things together. The interface was bad, the game was too long and it wasn’t all that interesting. Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos is a follow-up to Generation of Chaos and revises the formula in hopes of making it a little easier to understand and play. The world of Aedis Eclipse is split into three levels. The lower level is a hybrid of modern and medieval elements with a few fantasy items like airships and cybernetic armor (which looks like medieval armor) thrown in. The middle level is more of a fantasy warzone with magic, while the highest level is populated by demons and angels. All three levels are connected by a tower which is at the center of the game’s story. Aedis Eclipse follows the same pacing and story structure as the original. The story is split into parallel storylines revolving around 40 characters from each of the three world levels whose nation is under invasion by a group who aims to take over the tower. As for actual storytelling, things feel a little confusing at first and even now I’m not 100% sure what is going on. However, a few elements are beginning to come together, so it should become less cryptic. Unlike the original, the overworld map is set up similar to a board game. Each area map is divided into several tiles that you navigate around. Some panels will lead to you battles, bringing us to Aedis Eclipse’s revamped combat system. For the most part, the system stays the same as the original. Two armies line up at opposite ends of the battlefield and charge headfirst at each other. Meanwhile, you control the Captain, who can issue orders to the soldiers, attack, and use special techniques. Really, it all came down to a battle of attrition where the Captain who used techniques best won. Aedis Eclipse adds a little more depth to the strategy by offering new ways to interact with your army. The biggest change is that Captains can now mix up the type of soldiers under their command. In other words, Captains aren’t limited to a corresponding soldier type; instead they can have different types allocated. During battle, you can use different troop formations and micromanage things as it goes on. There is still a lot of ground to cover in Aedis Eclipse, but so far the improvements that have been made are welcome and make for a better playing game. There are still a few areas that I’m not quite sure about, but hopefully these will clear up with more play time. Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos is set for release in April. Look for our review next month. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos -- Official Site NIS America