During the September 9 Nintendo Direct, Marvelous announced Eternal Anima, a brand-new turn-based JRPG set to release on March 4, 2027 for PC (Steam), Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Previously codenamed “Project Life is an RPG,” the game boasts a rather star-studded development team, headed by Square Enix veteran Katsuhisa Higuchi.
Eternal Anima follows protagonist Wade – who possesses the ability to read the memories of objects – as he journeys between the past and present to alter the course of events and uncover the truth behind the world’s lost history. Reading the memories of objects allows Wade to inherit classes and abilities, which the player can combine to create a custom battle style. Battles play out in a turn-based format, with a Future Sight mechanic that lets you forsee the enemy’s actions and strategically rewrite the future.
Eternal Anima’s director, Katsuhisa Higuchi, is best known for his programming roles in Final Fantasy II, III, IV, and V, as well as Chrono Trigger, Xenogears and Chrono Cross. He was also the technical director of 2007’s Lost Odyssey.
The game’s scenario is penned by Kazushige Nojima, who was the scenario writer for Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X, the Kingdom Hearts series, and most recently, the FVII Remake trilogy. The scenario is based on an original concept pitched by Japanese novelist Keisuke Makino, known for his contributions to the stories of Persona 5 and Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Likewise, Eternal Anima’s music is produced by Hitoshi Sakimoto, the composer behind the OSTs of Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII. With a team like this, Marvelous’ new title has garnered much attention from Japanese gamers and RPG fans, and expectations for the final product are high. In a promotional clip released by Marvelous following the game’s announcement, director Higuchi talked about the game’s time travelling system in a dialogue with Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who praised the team for committing to such a complex mechanic.
Eternal Anima is scheduled to release on March 4, 2027 for PC (Steam), Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
