The dungeon-crawler subset of RPGs was formative in establishing the style as a complete, and when Atlus added cartography to the combo with its Etrian Odyssey sequence, it was a match made in Heaven. Initially launched in 2010 on the Nintendo DS, Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned Metropolis is being given a brand new lease on HD life as a part of the Etrian Odyssey Origins Assortment, though every of the three titles in that bundle might be bought individually. Whereas the primary two video games noticed story-enhanced re-releases on the 3DS of their Untold variations, Etrian Odyssey III HD marks the primary time this explicit entry has been out there in over a decade. How does it fare shifting from Nintendo’s first dual-screen handheld to its home-portable hybrid? Let’s simply say it might be price conserving a stylus useful.
Like with different Etrian titles, you play as a band of customizable explorers, who enterprise to town of Armoroad to uncover the secrets and techniques of the close by undersea labyrinth. From the outset, you create your individual guild and recruit as much as 5 get together members from the 12 out there job courses. I’ve all the time appreciated the individuality and number of warriors, healers, and mages you may enlist on this sequence, and the choices of EO3 are definitely attention-grabbing. Deciding on from the berzerker-like Gladiator and unarmed therapeutic Monk to the battle-inept Farmer and the follow-up ace Buccaneer, it is each difficult and satisfying to plan an efficient group to tackle the foes and obstacles of the multi-floor dungeon. One class I used to be notably drawn to was the Sovereign, who would mechanically heal the get together in the event that they have been at full HP, alive on the finish of fight, and even simply by taking steps round every ground.
Main story missions are acquired from the Through Senatus space on the town, however there’s additionally an inn to relaxation and revive your squadmates, a retailer to purchase, promote, and forge gadgets and gear, and a tavern to gather data and decide up sidequests. EO3 additionally incorporates a sailing-centered mini sport wherein you try to fill out an ocean map by buying new rations that allow you to go on longer voyages; right here you may additionally encounter occasions, battles, and NPCs very like you do within the undersea labyrinth itself.
What separates Etrian-style RPGs from different dungeon-crawlers is how they encourage gamers to attract their very own map of every ground as they progress. Whereas there are some useful auto-mapping options, it is nonetheless as much as the participant to mark out doorways, treasure chests, renewable harvesting spots, and different factors of curiosity. On the DS and 3DS methods, this was a a lot simpler job provided that the second display screen was devoted to the ground map and there was a stylus hooked up to the console. On Swap, whilst you can nonetheless use the touchscreen function (and I did), the implementation of button/stick controls for mapping are clunky and by no means felt fairly proper. They contain a mixture of the proper stick and the ZL/ZR buttons; the outcome may fit effectively sufficient for some, however the contact controls felt infinitely superior. When it comes to the single-screen show, you may select between a zoomed-in view of the map that divides the proper half of the display screen right into a full shot of the complete ground up after which the zoomed-in mini-map under, or else you may relegate the mini-map to only the top-right nook and have extra display screen actual property for the first-person dungeon exploration.
The basic turn-based fight is pretty simple, with a pair neat options. The primary is the Reference tab, which lets you view enemy stats, weaknesses, expertise, and merchandise drops. The second is the LIMIT capability, which permits a high-powered assault, boosted stats, or different particular transfer. What’s unremarkable in regards to the fight is that it’s not overly spectacular from a visible standpoint, which may occur with first-person dungeon crawlers particularly. The completely different dungeon strata themselves are additionally pretty lackluster looks-wise, however the character artwork has a sure aptitude that makes it interesting.
For these unfamiliar with the Etrian sequence, you don’t really earn any gold or cash from fight; as a substitute, you’ll must promote the gadgets dropped by defeated monsters to the shop on the town, and this earns you forex to spend whereas additionally including new gear to the inventory. One other wrinkle to fight and development is that relying on the way you defeat an enemy, you may decide up completely different gadgets from them. For those who bind their arms first or defeat them with fireplace or ice, you could earn a uncommon merchandise drop, which may translate to a particular weapon or helmet changing into out there for buy on the retailer.
On the subject of problem, it’s no secret that the Etrian Odyssey titles have been largely meant for veteran RPG followers. Rolling credit on EO3 requires grinding, strategizing, and persistence, however the inclusion of three problem settings, which might be adjusted any time you’re on the town, may be very a lot welcome. What’s unlucky is that the Primary and Professional choices are vastly tougher than the straightforward Picnic choice, with the latter basically a cake stroll compared. It’s good with the ability to swap between these three settings–like utilizing the Picnic choice for grinding expertise and gadgets–nevertheless it’s price figuring out that Picnic is as leisurely as its title suggests.
The ultimate title within the Origins Assortment, Etrian Odyssey III HD affords a stout RPG problem with some minor visible, audio, and quality-of-life upgrades. Whereas all three titles are a welcome addition to the Swap’s rising steady of turn-based affairs, they don’t really feel fairly as at dwelling as they did on two-screens. Mapping out your manner by the 20-plus flooring of EO3 was simply higher with a stylus in hand and a single display screen devoted to map-making; the HD shine of this re-release on Swap doesn’t fairly do sufficient to push this third sport into must-play territory. That stated, when you’re already an Etrian fan and by no means performed EO3 (particularly because it didn’t get a 3DS Untold launch like the primary two titles), then the a number of endings, assorted character courses, and nautical theming are greater than sufficient to warrant a glance.
