Eternal Ring

Escape to a realm of magical mystery with Eternal Ring, a forgotten PlayStation 2 gem from renowned Japanese developer FromSoftware. You play as Cain Morgan, a youthful magician investigating the sinister Island of No Return in search of the legendary Eternal Ring.

Along your journey, you'll clash with a frightening menagerie of mythological monsters utilizing both swordsmanship and the game's ingenious ring-creation system. Though lost amidst the triumphs of its era, Eternal Ring offers a bewitching and spellbinding experience worthy of rediscovery. Now that FromSoftware has achieved worldwide recognition as the "Dark Souls company," it's as good a time as any to rediscover its hidden gems such as Eternal Ring.

A Magical World

Eternal Ring immerses players in a first-person fantasy world reminiscent of FromSoftware's beloved King's Field series. Players spawn onto a vast and visually diverse island filled with treasure-laden dungeons, lush forests, and gem-dotted beaches – all awaiting exploration.

Players encounter numerous non-player characters who offer side quests and lore, though some are more helpful than others. An array of rings, amulets, and other magical artifacts provide supplemental abilities to aid the journey. At first glance, it sounds like your average RPG experience, but that changes once you start exploiting the ring-creation system.

Forging Rings and Fighting Monsters

A key differentiator of Eternal Ring is its robust ring customization system, allowing players to craft unique rings imbued with magical properties. Players collect a variety of magical gems throughout the world which can be slotted into ring templates to produce numerous ring combinations.

These player-made rings grant powers like attack spells, stat boosts, and special abilities that enhance the player's character and complement different combat styles. Combat requires strategic use of these rings, with enemies demanding specific ring configurations and spell combinations to overcome.

The ring creation system thereby adds significant depth, choice, and a sense of personalization that elevates Eternal Ring above many of its role-playing peers.

A PS2 Hidden Gem

Though largely overlooked upon release, Eternal Ring contains several features that give it appeal to fans of action role-playing games. Chief among these is the ring crafting system that grants players the substantial ability to customize magic abilities and combat approaches through different ring configurations.

It's easy to spot the similarities between these mechanics and what the rings would eventually become in Dark Souls and Elden Ring's talismans years later. For those seeking an overlooked role-playing experience with an engaging gameplay loop centered around experimentation and character progression, Eternal Ring provides dozens of hours of dungeon crawling, combat encounters, and puzzle solving across its large fantasy world.

Be warned, though, the formula still has a lot of room for improvement. Much of what made King's Field so frustrating for some players are still present in this game, which could make or break how much enjoyment you can get from this punishing adventure.

Pros

• Unique ring-creation mechanic adds a lot of gameplay variety
• Varied locations to explore
• Solid plot

Cons

• Blocky visuals
• Janky gameplay
• Confusing level design