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Monsters. Spirits. Missions. Romance. Mysteries. Adventure. Magic. And a whole lot of talking... and training... and more talking. If any of those things interest you, then you may be pleasantly surprised by the final main game in Starlight Marry's popular "Eternal Fantasy" series. An intriguing and polarizing game at the same time, this 1999 title breaks rank from the rest of the series by introducing a new setting, story, and gameplay engine while adding a much greater emphasis on breeder/trainer aspects and complex character interactions. While playing the previous games will give you some understanding of SM's design philosophy, it is not required to enjoy this game as a standalone experience. This title is advertised as a SLG or "Simulated Life Game", but it is equal parts ADV game and about 10% JRPG.

Starlight Marry was, at one time, a popular game developer (who often partnered with MediaWorks) to create character-driven games with straight-forward narratives but well-developed, likeable characters. While "Eternal Melody" put them on the map, they have grown in popularity due to their "Yukyu Gensokyoku" franchise which has several spin-offs, Mangas, Drama CDs, and more. The earlier games are sometimes confused with Arc System Works' "Wizard's Harmony" franchise. This game references locations from the previous YG games but takes place in the new gulf city of Sheepcrest, and you play as a young graduate of the Japanese Coast Guard, Lucid Atray, who is a special ops leader of the 4th Security Section (Codenamed: Blue Feathers). In a world where magic was once common, you are one of a handful with the ability to tap into the gift of sorcery and were drafted to this unit due to your aptitude for magic. Your unit is small and almost deserted as you fill a very particular niche of solving paranormal crimes and you have big shoes to fill in for the team's previous leader, Zepher Bolty, who you idolized as a kid (he was injured and could no longer serve on the frontlines). Over the course of one game year, you will meet and bond with your co-workers in communal fashion as well as characters across Sheepcrest, solve cases (fighting monsters, calming the souls of the deceased, exorcising demons hiding in paintings, that sort of thing), and train... and train... and train...

This game is interesting for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it was the only game in the YG series released for the Sega Dreamcast (all the other versions were Playstation or Sega Saturn only) and this can't be understated; besides beautifully hi-res art on the Dreamcast version, higher quality cutscenes and much shorter load times, the game has smoother graphics and runs at a silky smooth 60FPS (most of the time anyway), and the DC version also has higher quality audio samples and re-written lines of dialogue. It is clearly the definitive version of the game and while it's not as great-looking as games made with the system in mind (Evolution, Tricolore, Skies, Grandia II, etc.), it's like night and day compared to its PS counterpart.

Next, it has a comprehensive trainer and adv system: Characters can be trained in dozens of different ways, tracked around headquarters to illicit specific reactions (asking what they think, how they're doing, where they are going, co-op training, etc.), and they are always moving and going about their business, where you can trigger hundreds of different events and mini-events outside of the main adventure plots and branching paths. Speaking of branching paths, the game has a lot of them as some conversations have multiple choices or trigger the game's "Emotional Response" system where you can agree, disagree or remain neutral. With a wealth of options at your disposal and seven main characters and several sub characters to build relations with, it's safe to say a firm grasp of Japanese is needed to fully enjoy the game. The characters mostly fill common tropes such as the short tomboy (Ruety), big-sis chainsmoker (Vircia, a fan favorite), the main waifu who can talk to animals (Frone), etc., but the game still touches on common and uncommon themes in a relatable way.

A single run can be anywhere from 30-60hrs and you will only be able to juggle 1-2 characters on average, so this is a LOOONG game. This wouldn't be a problem if the trainer portion wasn't absolutely tedious... characters can train on their own, but grow so slowly due to a poor regimen and needless running around, and they tend to ignore your set regimens, so you have to force them one-by one to grow the way you want. They also don't rest enough, so they go into battle at about ~50% capacity. This means you'll miss out on a lot of events around the office, but losing the rare battle segments locks you out of the best endings (but the game continues through alternate narratives). However, the characters and their scenes are nice and if you can stomach it, the game is very rewarding. A little more info forthcoming.