Saturday, February 09, 2019

"Etrian Odyssey Nexus" Review

The 3DS ain't dead yet. Thanks to the determined efforts of Atlus, Nintendo's warhorse handheld gets yet another top-shelf RPG. Teeming with fan service, rich dialogue and robust collection, customization and combat content,

"Etrian Odyssey Nexus" feels like a grand sendoff for the system that proves the 3DS will continue to merit a spot in gamers' pockets for months -- if not years -- to come.

A royal decree sets a heroic party in motion to a mysterious floating city. As the intrigue deepens and stakes rise, you're tasked to build up a party of protagonists that span the entire series.

What might have come off as a perfunctory, quick-and-dirty best-of album instead emerges as a grand finale that manages to tie together the grand saga, rendering previous entries as preambles for the main event.

"Etrian Odyssey" games have always made expert use of the system's two screens, maximizing menu interfaces while providing as much real estate as possible to the visuals, and the latest entry continues to excel in that category. A complex game becomes manageable in bite-sized chunks thanks to a pragmatic design that always makes the tasks needed for efficient, optimized progression.

Bolstered by a story that packs as much range, emotion and humor as the best moments of past "Etrian Odyssey" titles, "Nexus" provides a convincing reason for lapsed 3DS gamers to dust off their old devices, charge them up again and head off on one last, grand ride into the sunset.
Publisher provided review code.

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