The center of the franchise was not misplaced in translation

Making the bounce from a two-screen system to a single-screen expertise generally is 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. Most video games have a logical path ahead shifting from the Nintendo DS/3DS to trendy {hardware}.

However Etrian Odyssey just isn’t like most video games. This franchise is categorically related to the dual-screen period of gaming that it’s nearly onerous to think about the way it may presumably work on Swap. I imply, what’s Atlus going to do, cram every little thing onto one display and hope for the perfect?
Sure, that’s precisely what it did. And surprisingly, it really works.

One purpose why there’s all the time been a query mark round porting the Etrian sequence to Swap or any single-screen system is that its id is in its map-making. Dungeon-crawling RPGs are fairly prevalent right now, however few of them ask gamers to make their maps the best way Etrian Odyssey does. That was the enchantment of the unique sport; the way it tied into the pen-and-paper tabletop RPGs of the ’70s and ’80s. It was a gimmick that labored exceptionally nicely with the Nintendo DS and 3DS contact screens. Tons of of hundreds 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 sequence. Etrian Odyssey simply isn’t “Etrian Odyssey” in case you’re not drawing partitions and dropping icons for treasure chests it’s essential revisit. So, for Atlus to discover a technique to port the primary three titles of the sequence to trendy {hardware} that retains its distinctive area of interest within the trade is sort of the achievement. It is probably not elegant, and it could not look nice in screenshots, however by god, Atlus’s single-screen answer works.

The left aspect of the display is devoted to the first-person dungeon crawling expertise. It really works nicely as a result of all three video games originated on the Nintendo DS. You’ll bear in mind the highest display of the Nintendo DS was not widescreen at it was on its successor, so becoming the image to one-half of the Swap display doesn’t in any respect really feel like something is getting scrunched. The appropriate aspect of the display is for the mapping system. On prime, you’ve the general map of the dungeon flooring, 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’ll the stylus on the DS or 3DS to attract these partitions and set these reminders. If in case you 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 will not be correct. Additionally—and that is only a private factor—however I hate touching my OLED display. I’m going out of my technique to by no means unintentionally go away 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 appear slow-going at first, as soon as I received the cling 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 methods. This management possibility makes use of the ZR and ZL buttons in tandem with the management sticks.

What’s essential to know is these management choices are separate from the character motion controls. You’ll transfer your celebration by every stratum flooring utilizing the directional buttons/directional pad, and any actions related to exploring the dungeon flooring are separate from the map-making instruments. After an hour or so of enjoying by Etrian Odyssey II and Etrian Odyssey III, the management scheme felt like second nature to me, and I may simply chart every dungeon flooring as I moved my celebration by them with out feeling like I used to be getting slowed down by busy work. Should you’re enjoying in handheld mode, you’ll be able to swap between the 2 enter choices on the fly.

Should you by no means cared about mapping a dungeon flooring, there are auto-mapping choices obtainable that can chart out the format of every dungeon flooring however won’t put down any icons for you. And in case you’ve by no means performed an Etrian Odyssey sport earlier than, there are a number of choices right here to assist ease you into the expertise. All three video games of the gathering function three problem ranges—Picnic, Fundamental, and Knowledgeable—that may be modified at any time with no penalty. There are a number of save slots in case you’re the kind of participant to make the most of these, a fast save possibility inside the labyrinth, and an auto-save possibility you’ll be able to toggle. There are three management choices, however they’re restricted to the management sticks and directional buttons/pad. Should you’re left-handed and would favor the mapping home windows on the left aspect of the display, there’s an possibility for that as nicely.
All-in-all, this can be a well-rounded bundle that’s welcoming to newcomers whereas retaining the weather that made this sequence such a distinct segment hit. Etrian Odyssey’s conversion to a single display will get the job executed even when it’s not essentially the most subtle 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 purpose, you do go for a single sport 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.]}

CJ Andriessen

Editor-at-Giant – CJ has been a contributor to Destructoid since 2015, initially writing satirical information items earlier than transitioning into common information, options, and different protection that was much less prone to get this web site sued.

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