| Edge of Memories | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Demo Review |
Edge of Memories is an upcoming action RPG where players look to save the world from a devastating plague. Learn more about the game’s plot, gameplay, release date, our review of the demo, and more.
Everything We Know About Edge of Memories
Edge of Memories Plot
The world teeters on the brink of annihilation as the Corrosion, an all-consuming plague, threatens to engulf the continent of Avaris. Having already devastated Astrya, its neighboring continent, the Corrosion transforms living beings—fauna, flora, and even humans—into grotesque abominations, leaving Avaris’ nomadic civilizations struggling to outrun the inevitable.
At the heart of the story is Eline, a Soul Whisperer dedicated to battling the encroaching plague. However, a mysterious encounter alters her fate forever, awakening a dark power within her—the ability to control the Corrosion within her own body.
Accompanied by Ysoris, her mentor, and Kanta, the shaman prince of a lost tribe, Eline ventures to a land in turmoil. Every step of Eline’s journey reveals new depths to this world’s struggles, forging new connections with those who refuse to surrender and unearthing the harsh truths behind the Corrosion’s origins.
Edge of Memories Gameplay
Edge of Memories departs from the turn-based mechanics of its predecessor, Edge of Eternity, by introducing a real-time action-oriented combat system. Players engage in fast-paced battles, executing combos and mastering Eline’s abilities to overcome various challenges.
Throughout her journey, Eline is accompanied by two allies: Ysoris, her mentor, and Kanta, a shaman prince from a lost tribe. With their help, players can perform coordinated attacks to chain combos between Eline and her companions.
Edge of Memories Release Date
Releases in 2026
Edge of Memories' launch was pushed back to 2026 from its initial Fall 2025 release window. It will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. An exact release date or time has yet to be announced, but we’ll update this article as soon as more details emerge, so check back soon!
Edge of Memories Review (Demo)
On the Edge of Becoming Memorable
Action RPGs are a staple in the gaming industry, and there has been no shortage of games in that genre. Honestly, it might not even be surprising to say it’s the genre that best represents video games as a whole. That being said, it comes as no surprise that new IPs tend to struggle trying to make a name for themselves in that same space, especially when it comes to anime-style action RPGs.
Some of its heavy hitters are from well-known franchises like Tales, Ys, God Eater, and even Kingdom Hearts, so it’s not a particularly niche genre. Safe to say the bar is quite high for your average action RPG, and new games will need something special to really stand out. Enter Edge of Memories, an upcoming action RPG developed by Midgar Studio to fulfill that love for flashy combos, precise dodging, and likable characters.
After trying out the demo’s first chapter, it was clear that the game has its rough edges, but has something promising with how its combat starts to ramp up in the latter half of the playthrough. Needless to say, Edge of Memories certainly has what it takes to be memorable with its gameplay and story, but it could also do even better with some of its design.
Fight Corruption With Corruption
With the land of Heryon being ravaged by a deadly plague known as The Corrosion, the continent of Avaris now faces extinction. The story follows Eline, a Soul Whisperer with a unique ability to quell people’s nightmares through a special ritual to ease their burdens. But, as fate would have it, that’s not all that she’s capable of. After attempting to save townsfolk from The Corruption, she discovers that she can control The Corrosion that’s inside her body.
Eline is much like your typical heroine, serious about her duty and rushes headlong into danger even if it puts her own safety at risk. However, she’s also quite lighthearted, and it’s actually quite refreshing to see that the story isn’t all doom and gloom when it comes to its characters and dialogue. This is evidenced by her interactions and dialogue with the various NPCs you run into, and, of course, Ysoris, the first ally you encounter and eventual mentor to her newfound powers.
Ysoris himself is also quite the character, as he reveals that he was looking for Eline for years to find a way to cleanse The Corruption from the world. He actually believes that she is the key to saving the world from the plague, especially since she was the one who saved him from The Corruption way back when. To make things even spicier, Eline actually suffers from a recent case of amnesia and doesn’t recall being able to control The Corruption or even saving Ysoris in the first place.
The first chapter certainly builds up an interesting plot and ramps up quite quickly right after the first hour of the game. I’m quite excited to see how things develop between Ysoris and Eline, as both will need each other’s help to save the world. Also, based on the game’s promotional material, it’d be interesting to see how the third character, Kanta, will change the dynamic of the group and how he fits into the plot.
A Jarring Visual Approach
Moving on to its visuals, Edge of Memories is a mixed bag. This is most evident during the majority of the game’s cutscenes, where it uses the in-game models. However, you also see other cutscene visuals that may leave you questioning why they're included in the first place.
For context, the demo offers at least three ways to showcase its cutscenes: the aforementioned in-game models moving in place with dialogue, a JRPG-style approach that shows portraits of the characters talking, and cinematic animated cutscenes with pre-rendered models with full animations and expressions.
The inconsistency of showing its narrative scenes made the whole experience jarring, and made for a very weird case of back-and-forth throughout the demo. Personally, it would’ve been better if it had stuck to one or two, preferably the classic JRPG style, to showcase more of the game’s stellar 2D artworks and just showcase the 3D models in their best forms.
As for the in-game visuals, the overall vibrance and character designs are quite impressive. This is emphasized by the way the main characters stand out from the usual riffraff, and by the way The Corruption gives the environment and the affected unsettling, disturbing designs. The animations could be better, but they’re already serviceable for what they showcase.
I wish I could say the same for its performance. There have been some mishaps with its framerate, causing stability issues and sudden drops when the action dials up. Additionally, there was a case where I had to switch systems because the textures weren’t displaying properly, even if the machine met the minimum requirements. Hopefully, this gets addressed by the time the game fully releases later this year.
In summary, Edge of Memories has visual elements that range from good to questionable, and if it uses the former much more, it would elevate the whole experience a lot more. From its narrative scenes transitioning from different visual styles too much and too often to its performance issues, it just needs to tweak things to its advantage to make it stand out a lot more visually.
Familiar Combat Identity
The gameplay itself is quite basic and familiar even for those who’ve played other action RPGs. For a direct comparison, it’s reminiscent of recent Tales of Arise and the latter Star Ocean games, which combine linear areas with open-ended exploration. As for combat, it’s much more similar to modern action gacha titles and something like Crimson Desert, where you have the trifecta of light attacks, heavy attacks, and dodging.
It’s very familiar and, quite frankly, is quite boring, especially when the combat doesn’t have that much feedback or impact when you’re attacking. But that all changed once I started to see more of the game’s combat system and to understand its mechanics better.
After about an hour in the game, when you finally get skill points to add to its basic skill tree progression system, you start to see the combat flourish a bit more with new combos and other attacks. In my experience, it got even better when I realized that I could actually dodge cancel and jump cancel a lot of the attack strings. This was when I actually appreciated the game because it wasn’t just a button-mashing fest mixed with some dodging here and there, and you could actually think of ways to deal more damage with how you can quickly weave in different commands.
The companions system isn’t great yet, and it was more of another button press to deal more damage and give you buffs. I do wish it gets better in the full release, especially since you already have the trio involved and even more skills at your disposal, but until then, it felt more like fluff than anything else.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Berserker Mode during the demo’s last few battles because that’s when everything ramps up to ten. It’s one of those special rage modes that let you feel extremely powerful, and it shows in its visuals as well. The graphics turn monochrome, and Eline becomes a demonic beast, emphasized by black-and-red contrasting hues. It’s a very raw and powerful form, similar to how it’s showcased in games like God of War with Spartan Rage and Ghost of Tsushima with Ghost Mode and its cinematic visuals.
A Lot More to Show
In short, Edge of Memories’ demo is the perfect tease. It only really gets going right at the end of it, and you just know that it’s capable of something more in all of its elements. Just imagining where the story will go, how much freedom you have with exploring, and especially the combat system when you have all three members and more engaging boss fights, it’s definitely something to look forward to.
I’m excited to see how things develop, and, of course, if they address some of the game’s issues as well. I’ll definitely be there on the full release to see more of Eline’s story, if not to also appreciate more of her banter with Ysoris as well.
Game8 Reviews
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Edge of Memories Product Information
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| Title | EDGE OF MEMORIES |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2026 |
| Developer | Midgar Studio |
| Publisher | Nacon |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Edge of Memories Official Website |
