Video Game Review: One Step From Eden

One of the first things that players will notice about One Step From Eden is how minimalistic the tutorial is. Players are thrown into the game, taught the bare basics about a few mechanics, then thrown into battle. It’s a game that wants the player to explore and figure out the mechanics on their own. This might be a tad frustrating for some players, especially those who want clear explanations in their tutorials. Those willing to take the time to figure out and understand everything that One Step From Eden has to offer will find themselves rewarded with crisp, satisfying gameplay.

In One Step From Eden, players take control of Saffron, a mage who is trying to make it to Eden. Players will travel from stage to stage, each consisting of a grid used for real-time combat. Players can freely move around their side of the grid while shooting at and dodging attacks of the enemies on the other side of the grid. Players will also gradually build a deck full of spells to use. These spells can help a player attack, defend, or maneuver the grid.

When players get started One Step From Eden won’t seem too difficult. The first couple of stages are populated by weak enemies to allow the player to get used to the game and learn what their spells do. It won’t take long for players to learn just how deceiving the first few stages are. The game itself isn’t too difficult, but there aren’t too many locations to replenish health, forcing players to master evasion and properly use their spells to succeed and make it to Eden. Like most roguelikes, if the players fail, they will need to start completely over without anything except their growing knowledge of the game.

The difficulty can be frustrating sometimes, especially because a lot of the player’s experience will feel like it is defined by luck. Of course, like most games in the genre, this isn’t quite the case, and most of the experience is learning and adapting to what the game throws at the player. Players will experience tons of failure before ever completing the story, making One Step From Eden a grueling experience. Still, I constantly found myself diving back in, hoping to finally help guide Saffron to Eden. Fortunately, a late April patch has since tweaked the difficulty, so new players might not find the game as daunting as launch players did.

There are over 250 speels in One Step From Eden, giving players tons to work with and extending the game’s replayability. Deckbuilding is a strategic affair, but spells are cycled so much during gameplay that its hard to truly appreciate each individual one. It can also be frustrating not having access to specific spells at times since they are pulled from a deck, adding to the game’s luck-filled nature.

One Step From Eden has tons of content for players to enjoy, but most of this comes from the main story mode. There aren’t really any additional modes besides coop and PVP multiplayer, which are both fine but aren’t a reason to purchase the game. The replayability comes from the branching paths, a multitude of spells, and various characters. There are 9 playable characters in One Step From Eden, allowing for some variety for players.

One of the highlights of the game is the aesthetic, which is full of gorgeous pixel art and bright colors. The animations are crisp, bringing the whole visual package together. The spells all have a unique appearance and animations, only adding to the spectacle. The music is catchy and the sound effects are about what you would expect from a game that looks like this.

One Step From Eden is a frustrating but rewarding affair that will challenge players to grow as they play. The gorgeous visuals complement the high-speed gameplay well, making this a solid action game despite its flaws.