zushi's place

Earlier today I found myself reminiscing about the Nintendo DS RPG series Etrian Odyssey.

I have fond memories of that series, especially the ability to draw your own maps in it. Having played quite a lot of games on the DS/3DS, Etrian Odyssey's map-drawing mechanic stands out as the most thought-out and polished dual-screen experience on those consoles. It really drives home the excitement of exploring an uncharted territory. The designers put a lot of care into making drawing maps intrinsically rewarding – there are few gaming experiences as unique and as satisfying as using your own map to navigate a terrifying dungeon.
Ironically, due to the game's strong integration with DS hardware, the series have trouble finding home in the Switch generation. There just doesn't seem to be a good way to draw maps on a Switch, and the franchise will likely fall by the wayside until the next hardware evolution, if there will be one.

Even emulators and tablet remasters, which have usually been the saving grace of older games, will have trouble replicating the dual-screen experience.

Seeing the publisher release what was essentially the swan song entry of the series two years ago was quite bittersweet. The DS and the 3DS are now considered outdated consoles, and given the uncertain future of the series, very few people will get a chance to experience it going forward. I do hope the series does find its way a sort of revival at some point, but even if not, it was at least nice to be along for the ride during its heydays.

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Categorized under: #gaming