The center of the franchise was not misplaced in translation
Making the bounce from a two-screen machine to a single-screen expertise is usually a tough proposition. Some video games, like The World Ends with You, lose one thing within the conversion. Others, like Layton’s Thriller Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy Deluxe Version, uncover life can effortlessly go on with only one display screen. Most video games have a logical path ahead transferring from the Nintendo DS/3DS to trendy {hardware}.
However Etrian Odyssey shouldn’t be like most video games. This franchise is categorically related to the dual-screen period of gaming that it’s nearly exhausting to think about the way it may probably work on Swap. I imply, what’s Atlus going to do, cram every little thing onto one display screen and hope for the perfect?
Sure, that’s precisely what it did. And surprisingly, it really works.
One motive why there’s all the time been a query mark round porting the Etrian collection to Swap or any single-screen machine is that its identification is in its map-making. Dungeon-crawling RPGs are fairly prevalent at this time, however few of them ask gamers to make their maps the best way Etrian Odyssey does. That was the enchantment of the unique recreation; the way it tied into the pen-and-paper tabletop RPGs of the ’70s and ’80s. It was a gimmick that labored exceptionally properly with the Nintendo DS and 3DS contact screens. A whole lot of 1000’s of individuals noticed the enchantment, which is how we managed to get six mainline entries, two remakes, and two Thriller Dungeon spin-offs.
To take away the cartography options, or to dial them down, would take away the very soul of the collection. Etrian Odyssey simply isn’t “Etrian Odyssey” if you happen to’re not drawing partitions and dropping icons for treasure chests you should revisit. So, for Atlus to discover a method to port the primary three titles of the collection to trendy {hardware} that retains its distinctive area of interest within the business is sort of the achievement. It will not be elegant, and it could not look nice in screenshots, however by god, Atlus’s single-screen answer works.
The left facet of the display screen is devoted to the first-person dungeon crawling expertise. It really works properly as a result of all three video games originated on the Nintendo DS. You’ll keep in mind the highest display screen of the Nintendo DS was not widescreen at it was on its successor, so becoming the image to one-half of the Swap display screen doesn’t in any respect really feel like something is getting scrunched. The precise facet of the display screen is for the mapping system. On prime, you have got the general map of the dungeon ground, whereas the underside is a zoomed-in view of your location icon. The highest map additionally homes the varied mapping instruments you should utilize, and gamers have two management choices for utilizing these instruments.
With contact controls, you’ll use your finger as you’d the stylus on the DS or 3DS to attract these partitions and set these reminders. You probably have a stylus that works along with your Swap, even higher. You’ll get a extra exact placement with that. I don’t have an acceptable stylus, so I’ve to depend on my fingers and people sausages aren’t correct. Additionally—and that is only a private factor—however I hate touching my OLED display screen. I am going out of my method to by no means by chance depart a fingerprint on that factor, so I clearly spent the vast majority of my time with the opposite management possibility.
The second management possibility is extra intricate, and whereas it may well appear slow-going at first, as soon as I obtained the dangle of it, I began to take pleasure in mapping out dungeons right here nearly as a lot as I loved it again on the hand held techniques. This management possibility makes use of the ZR and ZL buttons in tandem with the management sticks.
What’s necessary to know is these management choices are separate from the character motion controls. You’ll transfer your celebration via every stratum ground utilizing the directional buttons/directional pad, and any actions related to exploring the dungeon ground are separate from the map-making instruments. After an hour or so of enjoying via Etrian Odyssey II and Etrian Odyssey III, the management scheme felt like second nature to me, and I may simply chart every dungeon ground as I moved my celebration via them with out feeling like I used to be getting slowed down by busy work. In case you’re enjoying in handheld mode, you may change between the 2 enter choices on the fly.
In case you by no means cared about mapping a dungeon ground, there are auto-mapping choices accessible that can chart out the structure of every dungeon ground however won’t put down any icons for you. And if you happen to’ve by no means performed an Etrian Odyssey recreation earlier than, there are a number of choices right here to assist ease you into the expertise. All three video games of the gathering characteristic three issue ranges—Picnic, Fundamental, and Skilled—that may be modified at any time with no penalty. There are a number of save slots if you happen to’re the kind of participant to make the most of these, a fast save possibility inside the labyrinth, and an auto-save possibility you may toggle. There are three management choices, however they’re restricted to the management sticks and directional buttons/pad. In case you’re left-handed and would favor the mapping home windows on the left facet of the display screen, there’s an possibility for that as properly.
All-in-all, this can be a well-rounded package deal that’s welcoming to newcomers whereas retaining the weather that made this collection such a distinct segment hit. Etrian Odyssey’s conversion to a single display screen will get the job completed even when it’s not essentially the most refined of transformations. Whether or not or not that’s sufficient to justify charging $80 for the gathering—or $40 for every title individually—is actually up for debate. If, for some motive, you do go for a single recreation within the assortment, go together with Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned Metropolis HD. It’s the perfect of the gathering.
[This impressions piece is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
