Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is a compilation of three remastered dungeon crawlers from the Etrian Odyssey series: Etrian Odyssey, Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard and Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City. It was created by Atlus, the studio responsible for the original games, and published by Sega.

Plot

Each game included in the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection tells the story of an adventurer traversing vast and dangerous labyrinths alongside their party members in search of treasures and secrets. Etrian Odyssey HD takes place in the underground below the titular settlement of Etria, Etrian Odyssey II HD - in a legendary flying castle near the city of Lagaard, while Etrian Odyssey III HD - inside the sunken ruins of the ancient metropolis of Armoroad, where remnants of wondrous technology are rumored to rest.

Mechanics

Each game included in the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection starts with creating our character and choosing their class; these include fighters, mages, alchemists and many others. After doing so, the game begins.

The gameplay is shown from the first-person perspective (FPP). Each installment revolves around exploring mazes. The dungeons are vast and full of secrets, therefore the game allows us to create maps of them, drawing wall layouts or sticking notes regarding resources and enemies.

Speaking of enemies - combat is turn-based, although the player must decide quickly to avoid additional damage. Progressing through the game lets us develop our character, unlock new skills and acquire new equipment, which means we can face gradually harder challenges. We gather information about encountered monsters from an ongoingly created codex.

In-between exploring dungeons we visit cities. These serve as bases, as well as places where we can sell unneeded items and stock up on more necessary supplies. Additionally, since exploring alone isn't very smart, we can recruit new party members to help us in our tasks.

Technical aspects

The games making up the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection have all received a significant visual overhaul. The graphics are colorful, featuring manga-styled character portraits.