Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection Review: a blast from the past

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Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection Review: a blast from the past
etrian odyssey origins collection review: a blast from the past

Etrian Odyssey is back in an edition that includes the first three chapters of the saga, a nice nostalgia operation for all fans of the Atlus series.

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection Review: a blast from the past

There is no casual clash that holds, there is no type of exegesis of the evolution of game design. Etrian Odyssey has gone beyond all of that, making the history of a genre and recalling all the classic elements of exploration, children of The Bard’s Tale and Wizardry. Developed and distributed by Atlus, the progenitor of the franchise dates back to 2007, when it was released on the Nintendo DS: in Europe it arrived a year later, earning the praise of the public and critics.

From that moment on, nine more episodes have been launched, including six of the main saga, the remakes of the first two chapters and as many spin-offs. After 15 years, Atlus has decided to re-release the first three iterations of the sagacollected in a remastered version that could distinguish itself from the two remakes published in 2013 and 2016, because it is dedicated to the pair of original games of 2007 and 2008.

Dungeon mapping is your strength

Etrian Odyssey is a dungeon-crawler with RPG elements, which means that its main focus is to lead you to explore mysterious dungeons. Set in a labyrinthine context, with a building that is very reminiscent of Dante’s circles, your party will have to descend to the depths of this world made of dense vegetation, for the sole purpose of finding and understanding all its secrets from floor to floor.

Although Atlus over the years has made sure that this type of gameplay became known thanks to other titles, including Persona Q (remember it? Here is the review of Persona Q to refresh your memory), the peculiarity of Etrian Odyssey lies in the map. The game, in fact, does not provide you with any indication and leads you into a real blind run to discover what is in front of you. Armed with a lot of patience, therefore, you will have to leave clues and traces, compose the “map” yourself. In this way the wanderings in the dungeons become more challenging and satisfying. The player is called to understand where the FOE (Field on Enemy) are, which are the most threatening monsters of all, but also where to use the Cut, Take or Dig actions. Over time, these solutions will become fundamental for improve your party and recover valuable resources to then be able to sell in the city. The latter will act as a real game hub, between the infirmary, the inn, the guild headquarters and the armory, where you can bring back the loot which will increase the items that can be purchased from time to time. In addition, of course, during the exploration it will be necessary to face all the random encounters with the creatures that populate the labyrinth: through a turn-based system, in full JRPG style, our five-piece party he will have to deal with all kinds of threats, in order to survive and reach the depths of the forest.

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What is hidden behind the dungeon-crawler

The whole team is customizable: you will have the Warrior, the Paladin, the Archer, the Healer and so on, all ready to support you with different skills and characteristics. Each of them will have their own skill tree and you will therefore have to spend the points at your disposal wisely for the refinement of the builds. In this world you will come to pack a team capable of facing any kind of danger in the next floor. Almost like Dungeons & Dragons, at some points in the journey you may encounter damage or a bonus for the leader and his team.

So what’s new in this Origins Collection? Primarily, the graphics have been completely remastered, and in fact the settings have a greater level of detail, like the effects related to the blows delivered by our warriors. Although they remain static on the screen, the opponents are generally more pleasant to look at, but some of them – especially with regard to the first Etrian Odyssey – are exceptions. The soundtrack itself has benefited from a remaster, and is now perfectly matched to the Nintendo Switch audio chip. We also mention the addition of a difficulty selector: Atlus’ goal, on the other hand, was to make the gaming experience as accessible as possible, so as to transform Etrian Odyssey into an experience suitable even for less experienced users . There are three levels of challenge – Walk, Basic and Expert – just like it was in the aforementioned remakes. Then there is the quick save, also active during the exploration of the labyrinths, and therefore designed to avoid making you lose all progress in the event of an untimely departure.

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On this aspect we point out a small criticality: from the main menu the “continue” button always leads to the last quick save and not to the most recent, so sometimes you may find yourself, by mistake, loading a game earlier than the one you would have liked.

How do I create my maps on Switch

We then come to another cornerstone of the discussion, namely the creation of the map. Atlus has introduced a touch-screen mode to take advantage of the Switch screen, much wider than the DS initially had: the goal is precisely to emulate the lower screen of the historic Nintendo console, but while there we could rely on a nib for drawing, here we will have to do it with our fingers.

Not a very convenient solution, given that the experience changes a lot and the DS worked better in this aspect. In short, noting down your steps in portable mode is not exactly easy and, although I cannot say it with certainty, the mouse support of the PC version should behave better in terms of “customizing” the maps. With regard to the playful recipe, the second chapter brings three new classes as a dowry, to reach a total of 12 playable, against the 9 of the first episode (2 of which are unlocked at a later time, Ronin and Lanciamalie). We could not fail to mention a new mechanic, the Automap: you can decide whether to activate it and in what mode, between full and moderate. By doing so you will have the possibility of not having to draw the walls or everything you will find during your exploration (doors, excavation points, cutting points and so on), because the game itself will take care of it. The system will save you from having to mark the walls as well during your explorations, allowing you to dedicate yourself only to exploration: you will sacrifice part of the Etrian Odyssey experience, but you will be able to make it more accessible, that’s for sure.

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In closing, the Etrian Odyssey pre-order bonus also ensures the possibility of unlocking Joker from Persona 5 and Ringo from Soul Hackers 2 (here is our review of Soul Hackers 2) for the first chapter, Demi-Fiend from Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne and Teddie from Persona 4 for the second, Nahobino from Shin Megami Tensei V and Aigis from Persona 3 for the last. One more peculiarity, from an aesthetic point of view, for those who really can’t live without Atlus.

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection
Etrian Odyssey Origins CollectionNintendo Switch Analyzed VersionEtrian Odyssey Origins Collection is an excellent collection of three titles that have made the history of their genre. The gaming experience may be anachronistic for the youngest, but it is a nostalgia operation that works very well: beyond some aspects penalized by the console, such as the need to get a stylus not supplied to better map the dungeons, we are facing a return of a piece of history of the Nintendo DS. Among other things, the amount of content within the package is remarkable, to the delight of fans of the series.