Originally released as OZ (Over Zenith) in Japan, The Sword of Etheria is a single-player, 3rd person, role playing game with anime type graphics in a fantasy setting. Although some character names have been borrowed from The Wizard of Oz, the similarity ends there.
The hero and main character is Fiel (“Feel” in the Japanese version), a boy who lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his sister Dorothy. Although they are human, Fiel and Dorothy can tap into their world’s magical power, Etheria. Toto, their special cat, is able to transform itself into a sword. The brother and sister share their ability with the Katina, spiritual creatures captured and employed by evil gods to tyrannize mankind. Feel frees two Katina (Almira and Leon) and they join with him on his quest to vanquish the evil gods, rescue their world and reclaim the life-giving power of Etheria.
The story unfolds during 20 chapters called “stages”. Gameplay includes exploration of the world in a free-roaming style, conversations with NPCs and party members. Objects and animals in the environment can be destroyed to find valuable items. Combat relies heavily on teamwork and how well the player works with the AI-controlled companions. Attack combinations during battle involve passing an enemy back and forth between party members. The more adept the player becomes in handling the chained combat moves, the more bonuses and rankings can be gained.
Each character can be equipped with various armor, weaponry, and enchanted items like rings and necklaces. Items are found or can be purchased within the game.
Dialog choices during gameplay effect the “affection” value of Almira and Leon. A partner with a higher ranking in this area will chain up your combo/pass more frequently. There are at least three different endings which are determined by which mode you are playing as well as your dialog choices.
The game features Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty modes. The main difference between these modes is the amount and types of enemies that appear, items found in chests and dropped by enemies, and the respawn rate in some boss battles.
In Story Mode, only Feel can be controlled until later stages when another one of the trio can be selected. Unlockables are only available after completing the game in this mode and include bonus stages, special items, costumes, characters and a gallery with music, sounds and images.