In this review we will tell you about the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, a package that contains the first three titles of the iconic Atlus series
If you love i Turn-based RPG eh dungeon crawler then for sure you will know very well Etrian Odyssey. The titles of this iconic Atlus series were born on Nintendo DS and, despite the somewhat niche genre, over the years they have managed to grab a considerable slice of the public.
Until now these titles were only linked to the old Nintendo portable consoles but now finally even new players will be able to try them. In fact, it was recently published l’Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, a package that brings the first three installments of the series on PC and Nintendo Switchh, and in this review we will tell you about it in detail.
Straight into the game | Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection review
The titles of the Etrian Odyssey series are very basic dungeon crawlers they favor gameplay over narrative. This means that all three games in this package will really be present very few cutscenes and dialogues. In addition, your party members will also be entirely devoid of personality and will be characterized solely by their class and by the aspect of their portrait.
Certainly this lack of narrative will not be appreciated by those who prefer more story-driven games but, unfortunately for them, this has always been one of the characteristic features of the series. The Etrian Odyssey in fact are characterized by the fact that they throw the player immediately into the actionletting him experience intense gameplay sessions without any story-related breaks.
Classici hardcore | Review Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection
Etrian Odyssey are gods first and foremost dungeon crawler and consequently the exploration represents one of the main aspects of the series. The main objective of the game is in fact to thoroughly explore the labyrinths which are teeming with traps and lethal enemies, and to do so you’ll need to pay close attention to your surroundings and create a well-detailed map.
One of the funniest aspects of the Etrian Odyssey is in fact the possibility of manually create your map marking things like traps, points of interest, and even enemy paths. In fact, around the dungeons there are some very powerful creatures that they roam the map following a fixed path and in the early stages of the game it is essential to avoid them to stay alive.
However, that of the dungeon crawler is only one of the two faces of Etrian Odyssey and the other is obviously the one to Turn-based RPG. Before venturing into a dungeon you will have the opportunity to create a party of up to five adventurers. These characters will be entirely created by you upon recruitment and you can customize them both in terms of class and equipment.
In battle your team members will need to be lined up in the front or second line, and later you can take advantage of their combat skills as in the most classic turn-based RPG. From this point of view the Etrian Odyssey they are not particularly original or innovative and prefer to remain anchored to the classic styles of the genre. Despite this, however, the titles boast a RPG component very deep indeed which will allow you to create extremely effective parties in battle.
Both the Dungeon Crawler side and the turn-based RPG side are therefore extremely cared for and they are still as valid today as they were fifteen years ago. New players foror they will have to be ready for extreme difficulty which characterizes all the Etrian Odyssey and in particular the first three chapters. In fact, these games are extremely difficult and are really necessary to complete them many hours of commitment and dedication. Fortunately, however, the difficulty it’s never unfair and consequently if you are a challenge lover you will certainly not be discouraged by a couple of game overs.
Too much laziness | Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection review
Now the time has come to talk about what it is the most important and also the most disappointing aspect of this collection: the technical sector. The three titles included in the package are in fact simple porting in HD of the first three Etrian Odyssey for Nintendo DS and consequently no changes have been made to make the games more suitable for new platforms.
The most striking example is given by map That, originally located on the DS touch screennow it is simply stuck on the right side of the screen in a very rudimentary way. There are also many flaws that, if they were the norm on Nintendo DS, are really unacceptable nowadays. For example there are serious pop-in problems while exploring and very low quality textures. These flaws are also even more difficult to bear if you think that on 3DS there are remakes that from a visual point of view are really much more pleasant.
It is also a pity that not even many new features have been introduced to make the collection more interesting. The only ones new features inserted in fact are only the possibility to activate l’auto mapping and a new one very easy difficulty. In the end the only real improvement made by this collection is related to portraits of characters and enemiesnow in HD and much more beautiful to look at.
Conclusions
Now the time has come to sum up the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection. Overall i games contained in this package are still very good and are perfectly capable of offering a very entertaining experience to all dungeon crawler and turn-based RPG lovers.
But unfortunately the collection itself leaves a lot to be desired as it brings virtually no improvement on the original products, which are much better on the DS and even more so on the 3DS. Despite this, however, the titles are more than enjoyable and, given how difficult it is to recover the original versions of the first three chapters, the Origins Collection certainly represents the best compromise to recover the origins of this historic series Atlus license plate.
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection è available now for PC and Nintendo Switch. If you are interested in staying up to date on all the news on the world of video games and much more, then continue to follow us here on techgameworld.com. Furthermore, in case you want to buy some games at an advantageous price, we suggest you take a look at the many offers on Kinguin.
Great classics badly adapted
Plus points
- The first three Etrian Odyssey in one package
- Still very fun gameplay
- Hardcore gamers will find something for their teeth
Points against
- The collection itself is really too lazy