Eternightsseeks to change up the action RPG genre by merging itself with dating sim mechanics to allow players more choices that change the course of the game. As many of the world’s humans are turned into monsters overnight, players need to meet and team up with 5-7 other characters with strange abilities to potentially find a cure for the monstrous population during the duration of the experimentalindie game.
Developed by Studio Sai,Eternightsmade a name for itself with its trailer that showcases what fans can expect of the game’s action and romantic moments in a dramatic fashion. One part of the footage shown was quickly circulated around the internet as it shows players being told to press a button to “hold hands” with the character they’re dating, presumably to comfort her. As humorous as this scene can be, the romantic parts ofEternightshave a chance to excel in an area where even fan-favoriteRPG seriesPersonahas fallen short as of late.Eternightsallows players to date someone of the same sex.
RELATED:Elden Ring: Mohg May Be the Souls Series' Worst LGBT+ Representation
Persona’s Lack of LGBT Representation
Even though there have been five mainPersonagames and a few spin-off titles, only one of these games features anything resemblingLGBT representation. Even then, it’s strictly implied and nothing more. Players have been able to date their teacher, a drunk journalist, and other very questionable options throughout the series, yet the franchise has only allowed a same-sex relationship to happen once inPersona 2.This problem persists far beyond just romance, as Naoto Shirogane’s storyline inPersona 4deals with gender identity. After spending the entire game figuring out who she is, Naoto falls back into female gender norms in a way that almost seems to reject her being anything besides a cisgender girl.
How the plot around Naoto forces her to bend to social norms is a common trendPersonafinds itself falling into when handling topics that could be read as gay or anything remotely LGBT-related with its main cast. While onePersonagame featured an implied gay relationship, the more recent games have seemingly only increased in homophobia, asPersona 5itself features a scene where a high schooler is harassed by homosexual men on the street. The long-lasting dodging and mistreatment of LGBT themes have left many players sad and disappointed. It also seems to be strictly a choice on Atlus' part, as its parent companySega is very openly LGBT supportive, even in Japan.
Eternights’ Public Inspirations and Dating Simulator Mechanics
Studio Sai’s has been rather public about what led it to createEternights. While many of its official channels have since taken on a more professional-looking approach to promoting the game since theState of Play presentationit was formerly revealed in, some old posts on the official channels make it evidently clear what the story behind the title is. The lead developer began playingPersona 5and loved it, and once they finished the game, they immediately began work on a game of their own inspired by it.
Even though Studio Sai doesn’t hide how the game’s development started,Eternightsmost definitely aims to change things up to set itself apart. Not only does it feature real-time hack and slash gameplay instead of turn-based gameplay, but it also is rather open about how it features dating sim mechanics as well. Among the girls the player can befriend and even romance is a boy named Yohan, who has been publicly revealed by Studio Sai to be the game’s only bachelor. With howEternightswas inspired byPersona,P5in particular, this almost feels like a deliberate inclusion in the face of howPersona 5didn’t have any men to date.
There’s most definitely potential for this romance route to leadEternightstowarddoing more for LGBT relationshipsthanPersonahas done in years. However, the hack-and-slash RPG has a release window of early 2023, and the relationship will most definitely need to be seen in full context before players can make judgments on how the two stack up.
While it may seem like an oversight on Studio Sai’s part that there’s only one man players can date, the cast ofEternightsis rather small due to the post-apocalyptic plot it features. Even if the indie RPG doesn’t hit the mark entirely with its LGBT representation, the fact that aPersonafan made their own gamewhich at least tries to give players the option is a good statement as to whatPersonais lacking. IfEternights' Yohan is received well by players, it may push Atlus to look into supporting the fans that it’s neglected for the last several games.
Eternightswill release in early 2023 for PC, PS4, and PS5.
