I haven't kept it as much of a secret that I'm not a huge fan of roguelikes, and I also haven't kept it a secret that One Step From Eden is a big exception. But why? Why is it that One Step From Eden is able to hook me, and critically acclaimed entries in the genre like Spelunky and Hades just aren't able to?
To figure out why One Step From Eden lands so well for me, let's start by going over what I don't like about the roguelike genre. Roguelikes tend to go for somewhat of an arcade-y style of progression where each run is around 45-60 minutes in length and dying sets you back at the start. You're encouraged to replay the game over and over again building up your skills until you can beat the game. I tend to have a pretty massive backlog so investing an unknown amount of time into a game like this isn't something I particularly like to do, but it's not like permadeath progression is some inherent deal-breaker for me. I am a Touhou fan after all, I like arcade-length games that set you back at the start if you lose. So I think my bigger issue with roguelikes is the procedural generation, each run being created to be entirely different from the last. This means that you can't rely on rote memorization, you need to be legitimately great at the game's mechanics to make it to the end, but it also means that level design in roguelikes can end up feeling samey and repetitive, especially in the early game.
So how does One Step From Eden avoid these pitfalls? Well, first off, the gameplay is fantastic. One Step From Eden basically aims to be a souped-up version of the battle system from Mega Man Battle Network, utilizing a larger 8x4 board compared to Battle Network's 6x3 board along with faster attacks with a wider radius. Battle Network's combat still felt a bit turn-based to a certain degree, each battle frequently pauses for you to select new chips to use, but One Step From Eden cuts out that step entirely. You have access to your entire deck in-battle, but you can only ever use two cards at a time to make sure it doesn't become too overwhelming. These changes generally make for a far faster-paced experience than Battle Network, as dodging enemy attacks end up feeling more like a bullet hell, and instead of strategic deck-building, the focus becomes to quickly use the right cards at the right place at the right time. I don't think either approach is inherently better, but I personally prefer One Step From Eden's faster gameplay, and I think it's incredibly conducive to a fun and replayable roguelike. When I find the gameplay just inherently fun, the earlier, easier levels don't feel like a hassle to play.
One Step From Eden's structure is as follows. You play as one of the game's eight major bosses and have to beat each of the other seven, each in their own world. Each world has a world map with paths leading to enemy encounters, shops, rest stops, treasures, and missions, but regardless each encounter can take from a minute to a mere 10 seconds. The fact that the game is pretty much entirely composed of bite-sized Battle Network battles not only makes it quite brisk, but it also just fits in with a randomly-generated format like a roguelike. Most RPG battles are already randomly-generated, so each run of OSFE kinda just feels like a miniature RPG with the overworld cut out. I find more level-based roguelikes like Spelunky or Dead Cells can start to feel a bit samey once you begin to recognize the same few level chunks, but in the content of a Battle Network battle, seeing the same few enemy arrangements doesn't feel nearly as repetitious, especially since you're likely to have an entirely unique deck with entirely unique weapons. I also just love how much player agency One Step From Eden gives you, from being able to chart a path through each world map, to deciding if you want to prioritize healing or getting money, to figuring out your build as you slowly gain new cards, to picking which world you want to visit next in the hopes of getting to fight one of the hardest bosses earlier.
Speaking of the bosses, One Step From Eden's encounters absolutely rule, they're fast, frenetic, and a joy to fight over and over again. Each fight in One Step From Eden has its own unique gimmick from quickly dodging Selicy's fast-paced icicle stabs, to pushing against Shiso's magnets and bear traps, to Hazel flooding your side of the board with boxes, to Terra constantly cracking the floor, to of course, the iconic musical battle against Violette. But on top of being fun fights, they're all fun characters as well, with colorful personalities and striking designs. The boss fights also introduce another very cool layer to One Step From Eden, the morality system. After beating a fight, you can choose between sparing the boss or killing them. If you do the former, they'll become an ally who helps you occassionally, and if you do the latter, you can get a powerful artifact. This of course means that OSFE also has a pacifist route and a genocide route depending on if you kill or spare all the bosses (including the Shopkeeper who's not only the hardest boss in the game, but a game-breaking unlockable character in her own right), and while the genocide route is undoubtly the hardest one, it comes with far and away my favorite boss in the game, Serif. I've raved about Serif before but I'll reiterate here, Serif is a brutal but incredibly fun final boss who not only boasts a massive health bar and some brutal attacks, but starts the fight by breaking the divide in the middle of the board allowing you to move around the entire space, something not even Battle Network has done from what I can recall.
In general, One Step From Eden does a really good job at encouraging the player to keep replaying the game even after they've completed their first run. Each character has a bunch of costumes that unlock as you beat the different routes with them, some even containing references to other pieces of media, and as you play the game you'll gain XP that will net you more cards to use in the next match. This does mean that OSFE ends up falling more into the roguelite category, but most of the cards you get at the start of the game are still more than sufficient enough to make it to the end on your first go. Replaying the game and leveling up your experience to get more cards really only helps to increase the variety in the kinds of decks you can build. And of course, I also can't go without mentioning the recent Duelists Of Eden game which took the gameplay of OSFE and put it in the context of competitive PvP battling. While I still personally prefer the less restrictive, single-player combat of the original game, Duelists Of Eden is still a wonderful complement that only makes me love the One Step From Eden series even more.
Another aspect about One Step From Eden that keeps me playing is the impeccable audiovisual presentation. The spritework is absolutely gorgeous, there's such a beautiful sense of flow to the way the characters move and attack, and the colors are bold and vibrant. The overall art design goes for somewhat of a futuristic cyberpunk look, but a much brighter one than the dingy and dark dystopias of Cyberpunk 2077 or Va-11 Hall-A, more akin to something like CrossCode. This cybertopia vibe is only amplified by STEEL_PLUS's phenomenal soundtrack. I've raved enough about STEEL_PLUS, he's never once missed with his music, and his energetic synth style fits the world and pace of One Step From Eden so incredibly well. From the calming and vibey environment themes (The Forest), to the frenetic and energetic stage themes (Battle Of Ice I, Battle Of Ruins I, Battle Of Fire II, Battle Of Ice II, Battle Of Eden), to the varied and hard-hitting boss themes (Fairfrozen, White Knight, Drawing Dead, Unbreakable, Neverending Song, Triggered), One Step From Eden easily stands out as one of my favorite soundtracks in all of gaming.
Overall, One Step From Eden can be best described with one word: Relentless. This is a game that never stops moving, attacks fly fast and furiously, you are constantly making decisions, the music is blistering and energetic, and you work through each world at an incredibly brisk pace. And I think this fast pace is what helps One Step From Eden be such a palatable entry point into the roguelike genre for me. Losing never feels discouraging, because playing One Step From Eden and existing in its chaotic cyberbattle-ridden world is always fun.
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