It follows Darius and Sharline, two Player Characters having separate storylines. They both possess a mark on their hands, called a Crest, which is considered cursed and brings their bearers (and everyone who encounters them) misfortune. And it might be true. One day, these bearers somehow find themselves whisked away from their home continent of Edinbury and into the magical world of the Rieubane Empire, a kingdom considered a fairy tale in their home world.
The game traditionally plays like an Action RPG, and places a heavy focus on managing your stamina meter, here called your Power Meter. There's tons of loot, lots of unique weapons, and a wide assortment of odd bits of equipment to help you on your way. Evergrace was classified by From as a "coordinate RPG", as it would be possible to switch between the two palyer characters' storylines at certain points. The game is perhaps best known for its experimental soundtrack; the closest approximation is cacaphonic-electronic-country-folk music with wildly shifting tempo and a focus on woodwind and string instruments, as well as a heavy focus on odd throat-singing. It helps carry the games' strange tone quite well, and sells that the world of Rieubane is an odd one, to say the least.
This game has a Prequel titled in a Non-Linear Numbered Sequel style, Evergrace II, also known as Forever Kingdom outside of Japan. Following Darius and two new companions at some point before the events of the first game, this game takes another stab at being a "coordinate RPG" by having the player control all three members in real-time battle at once.
Tropes related to Evergrace:
- All There in the Manual: There are two novelizations of Evergrace, with the writer of one of them going on to write for Evergrace II/Forever Kingdom.
- Bottomless Pits: There are chasms, cliffs, and bottomless pits in various places throughout the game that players can fall into, which is instant death if they fall into one.
- Disc-One Nuke: For Darius. In the starting zone there are a series of pillars that when punched have a chance of spawning a palmira bee, a Fragile Speedster with a predictable spawn location (although good luck if you miss the first hit), which can drop either Palmira Ore (which sells for a large sum of money) or a Dark Guide Post (which sells for a lesser sum of money but still more than you could get just fighting normally). What's more, the Dark Guide Post allow the player access to the Shadow Tower, a Bonus Dungeon filled with powerful equipment (typically randomly dropped by enemies) that isn't too hard so long as the player takes the time to properly gear up.
- Discount Card: The shop keeper is fond of mushrooms, and giving him one will have him repay the favor by giving the player a discount on their next purchase.
- Distinguishing Mark: The Crest, whose bearers (and those they come into contact with) are subject to misfortune.
- The Dreaded: Crest-bearers are feared and reviled by everyone, from average folks to even boss monsters.
- Dub Name Change: In the Japanese version, Sharline was named Sharami/Shalami (シャラミ), and Darius was Iterarudo/Iterard (イテラルド)
- Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: The game features three physical attacks and four magical elements — Slash, Blunt, Pierce, Fire, Lightning, Tree, and Ice. Some monsters in the game can be weak to certain weapons and/or magic element while some others can outright absorb damage from it.
- Equipment-Based Progression: Apart from using Blue or Red Fruits to raise your character's base stats, your character becomes stronger through finding various weapons, pieces of armor, and accessories as well as upgrading them at the shop to unlock their Palmira Actions.
- Fairy Companion: Krisalis, a once-human Forced Transformation victim who joins Darius immediately. She's actually Sienna, the woman who helped Sharline in her storyline and was later transformed.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Between the two player characters, Darius is the one who wields a sword. Sharline is instead an Archer Archetype.
- Final Boss, New Dimension: The final boss battles takes place in two alternate dimensions: Heavenly Chamber, a red void taking place on hexagonal platforms, and Land of All Ends, a vast flowery field in the middle of a rainstorm with a green sky.
- Infinity +1 Sword: If the player can defeat Demon Darius at the end of the Shadow Tower, they'll earn the Moonlight Sword, one of the most powerful weapons in the game that grants a massive stat boost in all areas and access to powerful Palmira Arts.
- Katanas Are Just Better: One can be purchased at the shop at the first shop in the Soaring Tower for Sharline or at the Final Story for Darius. It only has a Palmira Power that caps out to measly 98, however, it has a massive Slash ATK stat of 516.
- Magikarp Power: Zul's Toy is a toy hammer which becomes a Lethal Joke Item (and the most powerful weapon, capable of defeating the final boss in about two hits) when you upgrade it twice.
- Mana Meter: The Palmira Power meter on each piece of equipment you wear. It not only depletes upon using their respective Palmira Actions, but it steadily depletes over time while using it. Once it hits 0, it will break and turn to stone, rendering it useless until you can get it repaired at the shop.
- Meaningful Name: The fairy-like Krisalis gets her name from the word chrysalis. Given that this is Sienna, her current state is not meant to be permanent.
- Not Quite Flight: The Dragolos Armor and Boots provides the Float Palmira Action, which allows Darius and Sharline to levitate slightly above ground to cross over hazardous surfaces, but it does not help them against bottomless pits.
- One-Word Title: The game's title is a portmantitle of "Ever" and "Grace".
- Pressure-Sensitive Interface: If the pressure sensitivity feature is enabled, one can fine-tune how much of the Power Meter will get depleted with each attack. If it's disabled, then the whole bar is used at once.
- Rummage Sale Reject: The comical or downright strange-looking weapons and armor, ranging from a frying pan WITH the bacon and eggs still in it, to a bird's nest with the bird still in it (worn as a helmet), to a downed tree (the 'sacred pole', which is about 20 feet long and when not in use is off the edge of the screen), to a random globe you find on someone's desk, to a fanservice-y bit of armor which is just two straps with gigantic pauldrons all megaboost one or more stats. Keep also in mind they can be upgraded and utilized like normal equipment too. The shopkeeper even calls you out on it ("YOU want to upgrade THAT? You're weird."). However, the best all-round builds with an even increase in stats are all plain and generic armor of sorts. And the best full set in the game only looks out of place because this is a medieval fantasy game. It's a suit of futuristic armor that resembles one of the Armored Core hover leg mechas. Since a good amount of enemies have an immunity to one form of attack or another, using a ridiculous-looking build to Min Max just a couple stats leads to a lot of 0 damage hits on some areas. (An interesting gameplay quirk is that armor that boosts attack doesn't just boost attack, but one of the three kinds of melee attacks too, piercing, chopping, slashing. Whatever is the highest becomes your 'main physical attribute' and determines what is immune to you).
- Scarf of Asskicking: Darius possesses at least three wrapped around his shoulders.
- Secret Final Campaign: Upon completing Darius' and Sharline's campaigns, players are greeted with a Final Story campaign that picks up from where Darius' campaign ended.
- Sequencing Deception: Due to the player being able to choose between playing either Sharline or Darius, it's entirely possible for the player to subject themselves to this by playing the game out of chronological order, if only broadly speaking. The chronological order of playable chapters is; Sharline's story first, Darius' story second, then the Final Story.
- Sprint Meter: The Power Meter, which depletes steadily whenever you run. Depending on whether or not the player opts to use the game's pressure-sensitive capabilities on a DualShock 2 controller, attacking can either use a portion of the Power Meter depending on how hard the Attack button was pressed, or attacking uses the entire Power Meter when the pressure-sensitive feature is disabled. It is possible however to sprint even when 0% power, but attacking enemies with little-to-no power will result as such when dealing damage.
- Super-Speed: The Dash Boots' Palmira Action Dash allows the wearer to run at incredible speeds.
- The Very Definitely Final Dungeon: The Soaring Tower, a gigantic tower high in the sky, serves as the final dungeon for both Darius and Sharline.
- Too Dumb to Live: Early in Darius' story, you'll come across a bystander standing by a cliff. Talk to him, and the guy will notice Darius's Crest, back away in fear, and consequently fall off the cliff to his demise.
- Ungrateful Bastard: In the same area, Darius saves an old man you spoke to before from a monster. He opens the gate to let Darius proceed...but then he notices the Crest on Darius' hand and, without a second thought to the contrary, locks the guy in, blaming you and your cursed mark for him being attacked and then wishes for your death.Old Man: "I hope you die!"
- You later learn that this old man may or may not be the Emperor of Rieubane, shortly before he expires..
- Wham Line: When Darius first finds Sharline during his story, he exclaims that This Cannot Be! Why? Because the last time he saw Sharline...was when he killed her. Although this, like many plot points, is not explained in-game, the novelization explains that Darius believes Sharline died years ago because of the Crest, when in reality she was sent to the world of the Empire.
- Year Outside, Hour Inside: While the game doesn't really talk about it, it turns out that Sharline had entered the Empire world first, followed years later by her little-brother figure Darius. Because of the strange flow of time, their disappearances from their homeland were years apart, while their appearances in the Empire were separated by presumably a few days. By the time Darius comes across Sharline, he recognizes her; while it takes Sharline some time to recognize that this stranger is in fact Darius.
Tropes related to Evergrace II/Forever Kingdom:
- Art Evolution: While some of Darius' artwork did feature him with more menace than his usual stoicism, the srt style used in Forever Kingdom makes Darius appear more angry by default.
