One Step from Eden

Anyone remember MegaMan Battle Network? It had this unique and engaging battle system centered around spell cards and deck building, plus a grid based battle ground. This was unique and incredible for many reasons.  One, you, the player had to think FAST. You couldn’t spam attacks to win. You could shoot infinitely, but for only a small amount of damage. Two, spell cards are different per card– in effects, damage, type, and range. Each card plays vastly different from others.  If you’re not smart with how you use your cards, well. You’re not gonna last long. So enter One Step from Eden, a MegaMan Battle Network inspired roguelike.

I don’t normally like roguelikes. At one point, I thought they were impressive! Enter the Gungeon blew me away with its engaging core loop. So I tried more “roguelike” games. Immortal Redneck didn’t disappoint, Wizard of Legend, some others… until I realized. There’s so many. Too many roguelikes. It’s not funny. So with this drought of purely human designed games, I played Rune Factory 4, Pokemon Shield, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem 3 Houses… very little indie games. They were literally all roguelikes. (Not all! But you get the point)

Good heavens, I was not this attached and hooked in a good while. One Step from Eden manages to combine MegaMan Battle Network’s innovative battle system, and turn it into a fast-paced, strategic, and HARD roguelike. And despite the difficulty, One Step is fast, quick, and addictive.

Heart of the Cards (There is a reference in this game for that)

Meet Saffron.  Your first character, out of many. She can shoot, and cast card spells. These card spells vary. There seem to be certain “focuses”, like their function and effects. I can cast a fire bolt that leaves fire, or I can push the back half of the enemy board towards me, and damage them. Depending on the number on the card, your character uses up that many points of mana.

The amount of variety will impress you, and as you play and level up, you’ll find that there’s even more cards.

By finishing each level, you can pick a card, random, out of three. The more you play, the more you’ll realize which cards are useful to you– the player. Not what the developers intend you to play as, but your strategy.

Level Up!!!

When your character levels up (stays leveled up until the end of each run) you are presented with powerups. One could be adding 1 point to your maximum mana, or speeding the regen. Or, it could be a medkit, or perks. It’s all random, so hope your run is good. (Or, you could get good. More about that later, I promise!)

Certain encounters will spell you more XP than others. A hazard encounter will net you much more, as well as a “special” card. Sweet.

Difficulty Doozy

As One Step from Eden is a roguelike, it is pretty tough. It was never meant to be easy. Yet, I kept coming back. I only unlocked 2 additional characters — probably from sheer luck — when there are about 7 or 8, plus skins and styles. There is good news for people who have trouble with their roguelikes, though. One Step from Eden developers have stated that in about 2-3 weeks as this is written, a patch will come making the difficulty more accessible. Good news for those who appreciate a MegaMan Battle Network type game, but want a more progressive difficulty.

I myself understood the game, and although tough as nails, I still had fun. And that’s what matters. There are health regens, such as when you save hostages or a level up bonus, but it’s still tough!

Cast of Characters

One Step from Eden‘s characters are fun and lively. Despite the little quips that say very little, their fighting style and their reactions to defeat tell you all that is needed to be known. Reva’s need to protect and save, Gunnar’s toughness, and Violette’s flamboyance for music.  Their designs, too… I loved them all.

When you unlock each character, you are given a whole new play style. I do think that this is one of the joys of One Step from Eden, is the vast amount of different play styles. It’s especially great for co-op, where you can play complementing styles!

As bosses, though… they’re less fun. This is the only spot I had problems with. I know they’re bosses but some have unavoidable attacks, or memorization needed to avoid. Not cool. But, like any good game, it’s up to you to discover the little ins and outs of One Step from Eden.

Co-op

It was tough for my buddy Zach and I to get into co-op, but after a slight reduction in difficulty after a patch, we started getting the hang of it. One Step from Eden works great in co-op, and I can only imagine it gets better with the difficulty being greatly reduced for more casual players.

So, you’ve been missing MegaMan Battle Network or you’ve been missing out on MegaMan BattleNetwork. One Step from Eden is a modern roguelike that modernizes, and encapsulates the amazing system that Battle Network created. Despite being difficult, I still had a lot of fun with One Step. If that really is a no-no for you, good news. One Step will have an update making it easier for those of us who might have a hard time. I highly recommend One Step from Eden!

Highly Recommended

Did you enjoy this review? Check out our reviews of Brotherhood United and Hyperspace Delivery Service! Do you enjoy what we do? Check out our Ko-Fi, and consider dropping us a coffee! If you want to do what we do, we’re looking for new writers and editors! Fill out the form here if you’re interested. Thanks!

Reviewed by Jack Bankhead on the Nintendo Switch. Game provided by Humble Bundle.