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PS2 | RPG | Ephemeral Fantasia

Boxart for Ephemeral Fantasia
Ephemeral Fantasia 15 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.0
  • SOUND: 3.0
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 2.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 2.3

Review: Ephemeral Fantasia

Review by STARDINGO | 07/19/2001 | 11:22:01 AM PST

While it may appear entirely generic at first glance, Konami?s ambitious RPG take on Groundhog Day has quite a few surprises in store.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again
This ambitious, weird RPG takes its cue from both Majora?s Mask and Groundhog Day by setting you (and your creepy, talking guitar) on repeat, forcing you to re-live the same five days until you succeed in freeing an island from its strange temporal curse. Ephemeral Fantasia?s strengths lie in its real-time nonlinear structure and bizarre Twilight Zone story. It also boasts a unique 360-degree battle system that?while not quite fully developed?is easily navigated and offers welcome new twists.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again
Unfortunately, Fantasia has a few frustrating flaws. It loads frequently, the graphics are bland and first-generation, and the music smacks of elevator-itis. Plus, the game?s looping structure is cooler in theory than in reality?keeping track of when and where you have to be to free the islanders is so complex, it almost requires hiring a personal assistant; plus, repeatedly re-treading the same ground can become pretty tedious. EF earns high marks for ambition and story, but low ones for iffy execution.