Three years after Marvelous teased it as Project Life is RPG at its 2023 showcase, the game finally has a name, a date, and a price. Eternal Anima launches March 4, 2027 on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC via Steam, with an extended trailer shown during today’s Nintendo Direct. The team behind it includes director Katsuhisa Higuchi, story concept writer Keisuke Makino, and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, whose credits include Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X, and Marvelous is pitching the game as a throwback to late 1990s and early 2000s JRPGs with modern visuals and a time travel story.
The setup takes place in the kingdom of Urvis Ael, where wanting a better future is a capital offense. Wade questions that rule, ends up on the run, and falls into an adventure that spans multiple eras and continents, teaming up with ancestors and descendants along the way to save past civilizations from catastrophe. Actions in the past affect the present, and allies can be strengthened with the abilities of their ancestors, which is where Wade’s Psychometry comes in. He can read memories stored in objects and inherit the abilities and classes of heroes from the past, and combining those is how Marvelous expects players to build their own playstyle.
Combat is turn-based with a wrinkle called Future Sight, which shows when enemies will act and what the outcome of each turn will be before you commit. Player commands can delay or cancel enemy moves outright, so the idea is to read the prediction, then either brace for what’s coming or act first and prevent it from happening at all.
Physical preorders open soon through participating retailers and the Marvelous USA store for PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, and the pricing differs by platform. The standard edition is $49.99 on PlayStation 5 and $59.99 on Switch 2, with the Switch 2 version fully on cartridge. A Limited Edition bundles the game with a two-disc soundtrack, nine character art cards with a display stand, and an art book for $79.99 on PlayStation 5 and $89.99 on Switch 2. Digital pricing hasn’t been shared yet, and Marvelous hasn’t said whether XBOX Series X|S gets a physical release.
