Diving Deep in The Sprawling Labyrinths in Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection

The revival of the classical JRPG Dungeon Crawler – Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is crawling its way to Nintendo Switch and Steam on 1st June 2023. With its unique gameplay loop, vibrant art-style, and cornucopia of characters, Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection stands firm in the sea of JRPG titles.

To better prepare yourselves for the upcoming journey, let’s delve in deeper to see if the title is worth picking up or not.

About Etrian Odyssey

For players who might not be familiar with the Etrian Odyssey series, it’s an anime-styled dungeon-crawling role-playing game developed by ATLUS that has players explore dungeons and mapping them out, all while building customised parties to engage in combat. Players will step into the shoes of a guild leader looking for riches and secrets that lie within the sprawling labyrinths.

As with the dungeon-crawler genre of games, Etrian Odyssey will have players navigate through labyrinths, mapping them out, and defeat monsters by assembling a customised party of adventurers in tactical turn-based combat.

The Origins Collection includes 3 remastered versions of timeless titles: Etrian Odyssey HD where players have to survive the vast labyrinthian forest on the edge of a peaceful village, Etrian Odyssey II HD that have players journey to a floating castle in the sky, and be transported to an oceanic paradise with Etrian Odyssey III HD.

Each of the remastered titles feature varying locations and stories in new remastered graphics, soundtrack that will surely evoke a sense of nostalgia for returning players, and a series of grand adventures for new players.

Key Gameplay Features 

In Etrian Odyssey, players will explore and map out vast dungeons where time passes only when players take an action. The games display dungeon exploration in a first-person view where characters and monsters are portrayed with 2D sprites in a 3D environment.

Players have to maintain their own map annotating a small map displayed. In the remastered version, players can plot out the progress through the labyrinth, drawing walls and placing icons via the touch screen functionality on the Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, PC players can do the same using the mouse, so despite which console you’re playing the game on, the feature will be perfectly tailored to your map-jotting needs.

Although, if you’re facing trouble keeping track of the progress you’ve gained whilst exploring; fret not, the HD remastered titles come with an auto-mapping feature which automatically records down all the floors and walls you’ve come across during your journey. Meaning that new players won’t need to worry about the daunting task of creating a map from scratch.

As the Labyrinth is filled with intimidating monsters, players will need to gather a team of trustworthy allies to clear through the dungeons. Players can select five adventurers ranging from a variety of different classes and skills to maximise the optimisation of your party and build the right team for the job.

Building the right team is part of the recipe for success when exploring the dungeons. Each adventurer has their set of skills and abilities that excel in their own way. You have the Landsknecht who thrive in the front lines with their mastery over swords and axes. Or if you’re looking for a speedy unit, look no further than the Survivalist who are skilled hunters adept with the bow. Want someone that can support the rest of your units by afflicting negative effects on the enemies? The Hexer who specialises in curses will be your go to. And that’s just to name a few of the many characters you can find in Etrian Odyssey.

Defeating monsters will increase your party’s level as well as granting you skill points which can be exchanged to unlock strong abilities for your adventurers. Monsters will also drop various materials when collected, which can be sold in the shop.

The more materials you sell, the more new and powerful weapons, armours, and accessories you’ll unlock from the shop, so be sure to collect tons of materials and exchange them.

Veteran players will be delighted to see a fresh new coat of paint over the classical titles that were originally on the Nintendo DS/3DS. From newly remastered graphics breathing new life to the already breathtaking sights, to remastered soundtracks re-orchestrating the nostalgic tunes, to a handful of quality of life improvements such as difficulty selection and save slots which makes adventuring the labyrinths a lot more accessible.

A Series of Endless Adventures 

For new players looking for a title that highlights the strategy elements in a JRPG, planning out your team in the most optimal way by theorycrafting character compositions, experiencing the mystique of exploring a foreign land and undercovering the secrets of the land by slowly mapping out the area, then Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection might just be your cup of tea.

If you’re already a fan of the original titles, re-experiencing that nostalgia but in a brand new look with tons of quality of life improvements is definitely worth picking the title up.

Coincidentally, if you’re a fan of other ATLUS titles such as Persona or Shin Megami Tensei, there’s a little something for you too. Players who pre-order the game now can receive the Early-Bird Bonus which includes the Character Portrait DLC Set which lets players change the appearances of their adventurers to some of the venerable characters from other ATLUS games. If you’re interested in having some of the most iconic ATLUS characters throughout your journey in Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, do check out the Steam Store here and pre-order before the Early-Bird Bonus ends!

Etrian Odyssey HD ATLUS Collaboration Character Portraits: 

• Joker from Persona 5 and Ringo from Soul Hackers 2

Image Credit: SEGA / ATLUS

Etrian Odyssey II HD ATLUS Collaboration Character Portraits:

• Demi-Fiend from Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne and Teddie from Persona 4

Image Credit: SEGA / ATLUS

Etrian Odyssey III HD ATLUS Collaboration Character Portraits:

• Nahobino from Shin Megami Tensei V and Aigis from Persona 3

Image Credit: SEGA / ATLUS

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection will be available for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on 1st June 2023.  For more information, do check out the game’s official website here.

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