Recently, Studio Sai announced its first title,Eternights, would be releasing nine days ahead of schedule, with a physical addition to follow over the holidays.WhileEternightsis a third-person action RPG as opposed to a turn-based affair, theindietitle draws most of its influence from thePersonaseries, featuring a time management mechanic of central importance and an intriguing cast of friends and love interests. Players will level up their combat abilities as they deepen their relationships and ultimately discover themselves in the post-apocalypse.
The lead designer of Studio Sai and creator ofEternightsJae Yoo recently spoke with Game Rant about the title’sPersonainfluences, the player character’s companions, and more.
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Eternights' “Confidants”
Yoo stated the player will encounter four different love interests in the game, and five different confidants in total, providing brief details about each character. He ultimately had the most to say about theidol character,Yuna:
“Yuna is a pop star at the peak of her popularity! When people see her, they only seem to see a pretty face or a weak girl, but behind those looks is a strong, rational, and intelligent woman. She is also a person with a strong sense of justice who is more than happy to help anyone in need.”
Another confidant,Sia, is a genius researcher who can make others feel awkward with her zeal for science.Yohanis an intriguing and handsome man who may not be what he seems—while he opposes the apocalypse, nobody knows his age, true intentions, or motivations. Other characters includeChani, the player character’schildhood best friend, of whom Yoo stated “He has [the main character’s] back, no matter what,” andMin, an introverted girl suffering from a lack of confidence.
Yoo did not specify which of these characters are romance-able but emphasized that players' choices would have a drastic impact on the game’s final chapter and ending. According to Yoo, the endings are different enough to warrant subsequent playthroughs, which can be made easier via the game’s New Game Plus mode.
Moral Dilemmas and Relatability in Eternights
Yoo’s personal opinion is that the player’s ability to feel what the main character is feeling is the most important aspect of a compelling video game. To establish those deep emotional connections with his characters, Yoo relied on an essential aspect of character building: flaws.
“In the end, I resolved relatability by having characters make certain immoral actions. I don’t mean anything deeply immoral, but little things. Sometimes we can be selfish. Sometimes we say offensive stuff to people because we are feeling bad that day. […] That moral dilemma is a good way to make players feel like they have been there too.”
Eternight’s love interests aren’t perfect, and neither are the people who play it. Sia’s hyperfixation on science can be a barrier to relationships, as can Yuna’s popularity or Min’s lack of confidence. Yohan’s mysterious nature might make him hard to approach. Chani may be vulnerable tothe tragic “Childhood Friend” trope in anime, which, while not itself a flaw, represents a kind of familiarity that can make more intimate relationships difficult.
This attitude of relatability extends to the game’s main character, who must learn to move forward in the wake of loss and failure. As Yoo described it, “Whatever you do is you, so it’s not wrong,” which hints at the game’s broadertheme of self-discovery.
Conveying Emotion with Animation
A considerable challenge forEternightswas representing emotionally impactful moments with a limited engine. A 3D action title not only requires a great deal of assets—representing a lot of work for Yoo—but he stated that the models were not terribly well-suited for close-up camera angles. And without being able to seecharacters' expressionsclearly, scenes that are intended to be moving could easily fall flat.
To ensure that each character’s pivotalemotional momentswere given due weight, Yoo used 2D animation for scenes that wouldn’t be too much work to construct in-engine. These brief anime interludes are more common toward the end of the game, after player’s choices have caused the story to diverge and gravitate towards their closest confidants.
Eternightsis launching for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on September 12.
