Etrian Odyssey III HD (Nintendo Swap)

It’s time to dungeon crawl prefer it’s 2010 with the immersive Etrian Odyssey III HD. The sport sheds the Drowned Metropolis moniker of the DS authentic however receives an HD coat of paint. Whereas sequence veterans will discover the core recreation gives acquainted enjoyable, are there just a few standout components right here?

“Legend has it that part of town sunk with out warning a century in the past, plunging to the underside of the ocean and taking with it untold know-how now misplaced to mankind.” Whereas plot isn’t the driving drive behind the sport, I found myself involuntarily buzzing—considerably disturbingly—’ Below the Sea’ from The Little Mermaid as a result of added focus. I blame the oceanic setting and film trailers.

Fortunately, the music on this recreation (sequence) is GREAT. Significantly better than ol’ Trev buzzing Disney tunes. I didn’t emphasize the soundtrack sufficient in my earlier Etrian recreation evaluation, however I received’t make the identical mistake right here. I’ve been a fan of Yuzo Koshiro’s work since Streets of Rage. Kirstie used phrases like ‘wonderful’ and ‘beautiful’ in her critiques of the primary two video games, and I can’t disagree. Furthermore, the music resonates on the Swap in methods it by no means might on the modest DS audio system. I discovered myself sitting and listening for prolonged stretches earlier than resuming gameplay, getting misplaced within the compositions. Crank it to max quantity within the choices for peak influence.

Shining the navigation lights again on the ocean, you may finally set sail from Inver Port when not getting into the labyrinth. You sail for a restricted variety of turns, and it will probably frustrate working out of provisions. However fishing mitigates journey prices, and it’s at all times enjoyable to research islands and report discoveries. There’s even web connectivity to barter for objects, although I didn’t take a look at it. Charting is slower, however it offers Etrian Odyssey III HD a brand new wrinkle to face out.

In fact, the core gameplay remains to be the maze correct. The ocean theme is right here too, with the Undersea Grotto being your second stratum and an attention grabbing one in HD. However it’s right here the place I wish to speak about mapping, a sequence staple. Whilst you can auto-map, which definitely cuts down the intimidation issue to an extent, a lot remains to be left to the participant. Your tackle this will come all the way down to your expertise. Or when you’ve got a capacitive stylus (wash away these fingerprints).

These coming to the sequence new, like my colleague Kirstie who reviewed the first recreation, will doubtless be okay, whereas others with DS expertise, corresponding to I, would possibly discover it gums up the works a bit. Completely different management varieties make it doable, and whereas I wouldn’t name it tough, it’s merely not as entertaining. I’ve been spoiled with DS maps having their OWN display, not blocking practically half the show as they’ll right here in order for you greater than postage-stamp visibility. However in fact, these maps look higher than any I might’ve drawn had this recreation been obtainable to me as a child.

One other introduction is new character lessons. Whereas not as distinguished as sea exploration, that is nonetheless price a point out. Celebration creation stays as cool as I keep in mind, and whereas not as strong as later entries, the variety remains to be evident. Agile buccaneers match the ocean theme, whereas farmers are useful for harvesting. Farmers are also probably the most modestly dressed, a word for folks questioning in regards to the “suggestive themes” on this T-rated recreation. Half the enjoyable is experimenting with the celebration, and further lessons solely add to that.

Like each recreation within the sequence I’ve performed, Etrian Odyssey III HD is a troublesome grind. Nonetheless, worry not, as the sport offers a number of issue settings. Earlier than venturing into the labyrinth, make sure you make the most of provisions on the town, too, which is a should to deal with the problem. Go to the native store to buy higher armor and weapons, making certain your celebration is well-equipped for the treacherous journey. Relaxation on the inn to recuperate your well being, and don’t overlook the bistro, the place you may settle for facet quests to degree up even faster. Keep in mind, in case your celebration composition isn’t understanding early, don’t hesitate to make changes. That is the kind of recreation you may sink double-digit hours into and nonetheless really feel such as you’ve solely skimmed the floor.

Atlus gave DS sequence followers extra of what they loved with this entry. Now, because of SEGA’s publishing, further gamers can expertise what all of the fuss was about. It’s pointless for me to increase this evaluation any additional with nostalgic gushing or flirts with spoilers. To conclude, whereas newcomers would possibly want beginning with the primary recreation to find out if its repetition turns into addictive, current followers would possibly discover Etrian Odyssey III HD is the installment they need. Solely please keep in mind that the mapping, regardless of finest efforts, has taken a success, which might sway this remaining rating some extent in both path relying on particular person preferences.