In light of recent years, it's hard to imagine a failed FromSoftware game, but one of its earliest attempts at a JRPG, Evergrace, was considered exactly that. While there is merit to the criticisms that were leveled against Evergrace on release, it stands as a perfect candidate for FromSoftware to revisit; the pieces of a successful game are all there.
It's crucial to stress that in order for Evergrace to be successful, it would have to undergo a fairly significant remake rather than a simple remaster. However, despite the fact that Evergrace's issues run deeper than surface level problems, they remain relatively easy fixes, meaning that FromSoftware could stay true to Evergrace and still develop a spectacular game from its blueprint, thereby redeeming one of its few PS2 RPGs.
FromSoftware Has Mastered Combat Since Evergrace Released
One of the biggest issues plaguing Evergrace was its lackluster combat system, and it's hard to imagine that FromSoftware would struggle in any respect to fix it up. With the ability to borrow from any of its Soulsborne titles, FromSoftware could blend a classic JRPG with Soulslike engagements to create a truly unique experience. Since Evergrace already totes a fairly extensive equipment interface, it naturally lends itself to FromSoftware's modern systems.
While Evergrace shares a lot of similarities with many Soulslike titles, its equipment-focused progression behaves differently. There isn't a requirement for builds per se in Evergrace, but equipment remains important throughout the entirety of the title, even playing a crucial part in traversing through the levels. Again, a remake could keep this core concept and lean into it, while the capabilities of modern systems could facilitate an even greater degree of creativity than was possible during the PS2 era.
Evergrace Boasts One Very Important Quality
Evergrace's greatest strength is that it's unique. In an oversaturated genre, it's important to be familiar but not derivative, and unique but not absurd. For all of its shortcomings, Evergrace can at least be proud of the fact that it treads these lines well. If the success of Elden Ring's lore proved anything, it showed that FromSoftware is not only one of the best developers for gameplay mechanics but also for world building. FromSoftware's signature blend of dark and quirky already runs through Evergrace; it just needs to be teased out a bit more.
With a clunky — and oftentimes downright laggy — combat system hampering players' progress through Evergrace, the title never got to properly showcase its story. Not only would implementing a modern combat system make the entire experience more enjoyable, but it would also allow FromSoftware to explore the unique world of Evergrace properly without fans growing weary of the title halfway through. Even though Evergrace was never considered as having the deepest lore for a JRPG, the underpinnings of the story are solid enough for FromSoftware to work with.
The Timing Is Right For FromSoftware To Change It Up
Coming off the massive success of a title like Elden Ring, FromSoftware has basically limitless possibilities of where to go next. While the most logical move would probably be to focus on an Elden Ring sequel or another entry into its Soulsborne roster, a shocking departure into a JRPG like Evergrace might be just what the doctor ordered.
Even though developing a title like Evergrace would likely come as a huge surprise to fans, it would be a relatively safe endeavor for FromSoftware due to the striking similarities between Evergrace and later Souls titles; it's not as different from FromSoftware's usual work as it seems at first blush. FromSoftware could use a game like Evergrace to gauge whether it could successfully maneuver into other genres today.
Evergrace is available on PlayStation 2.