Why did they release a demo?!
Then about one year later I get a chance to play the full game. The battle system was completely unchanged, yet I'm totally addicted to it now. What gives? It all starts with an amazing FMV reminiscent of 32-bit RPGs. Nothing too flashy, nothing too dull, with just the right amount of mystery to get me thinking. The music was beautiful and I loved the (almost) complete lack of dialogue.
I saw no such thing in the demo, where they dropped me right in the middle of dungeon, and a pretty boring one at that. Another thing I didn't get to experience in the demo was walking through the amazingly detailed cityscape, or getting to know the characters a little better. These things matter in an RPG. When you release a demo showcasing nothing but the battles, you give the impression there's not much else to the game!
Back to the battle system though, it's really unlike anything else. I couldn't explain it if I tried, so I won't. What I will say is that it takes hours for everything to sink in. When it all clicks together this game will have you by the balls. The battles are both flashy and strategic. You can't mash X and expect to win. You also can't grind your way to the point where you can mash X and expect to win. It's a true thinking man's RPG.
Perhaps the game's only major flaw is that you can't save immediately before a boss fight, which means lots of backtracking unless you're 100% confident your characters are properly set up. If any character is missing "unrecoverable" HP you can just forget about it right there. The boss will focus on that character until you see the game over screen. I deducted a few points from the game's score simply because the archaic save system doesn't jive with this game's style at all. I'm also unsure if there's enough incentive to warrant a replay of the game at this point.
Moving on from the negative, there are some small features in End of Eternity which I really loved. You can completely customize your characters' wardrobes, all the way down to contact lenses, and even better you can completely customize their guns. Barrels, sights, stocks, clips, ammo, you name it. It's all done on a little grid so you get a visual of the new gun, which is a great touch. Also, a character's attack animations will change based on what kind of gun s/he's wielding--another great touch!
It's these little things you can't experience in a demo that make it such a bad idea to release one for any RPG. Curse Sega for nearly making me miss out on this fantastic game! Without doubt it's the most innovative RPG this generation, topping even Final Fantasy XIII.