Atlus teasing next Etrian Odyssey game

[The DanMan]

http://www.siliconera.com/2018/07/28/atlus-is-teasing-something-for-etrian-odyssey-with-a-mysterious-teaser-trailer/

As the above article notes, X is officially stated to be the last 3DS title in the series.

Honestly, this is going to be very bittersweet; they need to smoothly work in the map drawing mechanic, because that's a big part of the series' identity and charm that sets the overall game pacing. 

Also some people are jumping on the "lol PS4 exclusive" train which I hardly understand the reasoning behind

Though keep in mind, EOV had it's first teaser several months before we got any solid details-- though the fact we clearly have silhouettes makes me think we could get info sooner. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

Excellent news! They're keeping the Labyrinth of the World Tree alive even with the end of the 3DS. 

 

16 minutes ago, The DanMan said:

Honestly, this is going to be very bittersweet; they need to smoothly work in the map drawing mechanic, because that's a big part of the series' identity and charm that sets the overall game pacing. 

Also some people are jumping on the "lol PS4 exclusive" train which I hardly understand the reasoning behind

 

The map mechanic is indeed going to be difficult to deal with in a transition to a new system, since the DS/3DS line and its dual screens is now sadly destined for death without successors. Nonetheless, ye olde SMT: Nocturne was a generally excellently made 3D dungeon crawler, and with some dedicated workers, a superior modernized version of that is possible I believe (haven't played P5 or any Persona, or SMTIV: Apocalypse yet so I don't know if any of those succeed where SMTIV failed).

The Switch is the most logical new planting grounds for Yggdrasil. Since up to this point, the franchise has been entirely on Nintendo systems. PC might be able to reach a larger audience though, so I can see it being released on this and the Switch. The PS4 sounds like a bizarre idea to me, scarcely less than iOS/Android.

 

And looking at the silhouettes: 

The one furthest to the right is certainly a new Eastern Warrior class judging from the hat, right now I'll tentatively call it "Yojimbo" due to Final Fantasy using that look and name.

The center one is very obviously it seems to me to be an armored European male warrior of some sort.

Left of Yojimbo is some animal and someone sitting close next to it, as though they belonged together, a new Rover-like class? I'll take the summon row again.

Left of the Rover? I'm guessing its somebody sitting down crosslegged with a biwa lute across its lap. A new buffer like the Troubadour? I'm not so sure on this silhouette though.

 

 

And this isn't really related, but can Atlus confirm/deny whether EOX is coming aboard? It is releasing in Japan in a couple days (8-2). Not that I should be complaining, since I've still EOV to clear, I'm working through the 25th, level 63, and will soon be facing the final boss. 

[The DanMan]

41 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Excellent news! They're keeping the Labyrinth of the World Tree alive even with the end of the 3DS. 

 

The map mechanic is indeed going to be difficult to deal with in a transition to a new system, since the DS/3DS line and its dual screens is now sadly destined for death without successors. Nonetheless, ye olde SMT: Nocturne was a generally excellently made 3D dungeon crawler, and with some dedicated workers, a superior modernized version of that is possible I believe (haven't played P5 or any Persona, or SMTIV: Apocalypse yet so I don't know if any of those succeed where SMTIV failed).

The Switch is the most logical new planting grounds for Yggdrasil. Since up to this point, the franchise has been entirely on Nintendo systems. PC might be able to reach a larger audience though, so I can see it being released on this and the Switch. The PS4 sounds like a bizarre idea to me, scarcely less than iOS/Android.

 

And looking at the silhouettes: 

The one furthest to the right is certainly a new Eastern Warrior class judging from the hat, right now I'll tentatively call it "Yojimbo" due to Final Fantasy using that look and name.

The center one is very obviously it seems to me to be an armored European male warrior of some sort.

Left of Yojimbo is some animal and someone sitting close next to it, as though they belonged together, a new Rover-like class? I'll take the summon row again.

Left of the Rover? I'm guessing its somebody sitting down crosslegged with a biwa lute across its lap. A new buffer like the Troubadour? I'm not so sure on this silhouette though.

 

 

And this isn't really related, but can Atlus confirm/deny whether EOX is coming aboard? It is releasing in Japan in a couple days (8-2). Not that I should be complaining, since I've still EOV to clear, I'm working through the 25th, level 63, and will soon be facing the final boss. 

Keep in mind, EOV took over a year to come westward and it took so long to get a localization announcement that many thought it wasn't going to be localized at all. X is just as up in the air as V was.

The art style from the silhouettes is very different from what the series has had up to this point; seems to be realistically proportioned and (for lack of a better word) "edgier". Some people on the subreddit are thinking it could be the 7th Dragon artist.
Also, the five graves in the foreground could either represent a party of five adventurers or, alternatively, the five main EO releases up to this point; either way, what I'm gleaning from all of this is that it'll be a major shake-up.

The Switch is assumed, yes; I think no matter what happens it will release on the system, and Atlus tends to shy away from multi-platform releases. Though either way, the game won't be coming anytime soon; I'm expecting a 2020 release, almost.

[Emerson]

Ooh, been waiting for this announcement to come around. Definitely looking forward to more details on both this and the hopeful English release of X.

[Captain Karnage]

I just hope Atlus USA releases it, I'm still waiting on EMD 2

 

this announcement makes me sad, we're seeing the end of the era of dual screen gaming

Edited July 29, 2018 by Captain Karnage

[Melissa]

One concern: How'll EO's gameplay translate to one screen? 

[Captain Karnage]

1 minute ago, Melissa said:

One concern: How'll EO's gameplay translate to one screen? 

I don't think it will, you really need 2 screens to play EO

[Phasmatis]

Not particularly thrilled by this announcement, mostly due to it not being on 3DS. What will become of the map making in absence of a second screen? Cartography is a huge part of the series' identity. Without it, the games would be just another series of dungeon crawlers. In 2007, I was amazed by a feature being advertised that most other people take for granted as a convenience in most other RPGs. The maps were what drew me in in the first place, and without it, I don't have much of a reason to keep buying the new games.

 

 

 

Off topic

Spoiler

but looking back at the sites for EO1, 2, and 3 makes me miss when companies put quite a bit of effort in the promotional sites for games. They used to have things like full flash animated music videos,

 

webcomics,

 

and other miscellaneous things like free downloadable wallpapers, Twitter avatars, voice samples from the characters etc.

It's pure fanservice, but the extra effort and money spent keeps a fan from feeling like just a buyer of some product. That's how I feel anyway. It's obviously gone nowadays due to rising development costs and the want for a larger profit margin.

 

 

[Interdimensional Observer]

4 hours ago, The DanMan said:

The art style from the silhouettes is very different from what the series has had up to this point; seems to be realistically proportioned and (for lack of a better word) "edgier". Some people on the subreddit are thinking it could be the 7th Dragon artist.

We've had Yuji Himukai drawing the entire series up to this point, it wouldn't surprise me if they were getting sick of the job. (I do like their style by the way.)

And a change in the artstyle could hint at a possible drastic changing of things. To be fair, after eight installments of the same deal with tweaks and improvements to each (major ones of course, only a fool would call EO1 and EOV as playing the same), EO might be in need of something new. Stagnancy is never a good thing for series (particularly a presently prolific one, which EO has been), even when the current formulae works well.

A new artist and a major overhaul might invite some vocal citizens of the Internet to whine and call the next EO not a "true EO", but I'm open to change.

I'd be fine with the 7th Dragon artist- Shirow Miwa, I liked their work in VFD enough. Some of the female stuff was a little too fanservicey (Agent being my primary problem), but assuming they tone things back down for the pure high fantasy setting, then they're good. Their class designs for the original 7th Dragon, while more cutesy and not so realistic, doesn't appear bad at all either from a quick look at it. To see the bit of diversity is great, as it means this new stuff would certainly not be a carbon copy visually of VFD's. IF they are working on this new title. But I honestly don't care who the artist is, so as long as the art looks good.

 

5 hours ago, The DanMan said:

Also, the five graves in the foreground could either represent a party of five adventurers or, alternatively, the five main EO releases up to this point; either way, what I'm gleaning from all of this is that it'll be a major shake-up.

So in other words, Atlus is preparing the graves before we even get our first game over? How considerate of them!

Seeing the graves also brought to mind this one beta idea for the plot of Suikoden: Tierkreis which I can't quite forget because it sounds interesting to me. Apparently, instead of getting alt universe copies of the 108 Stars of Destiny, you went about resurrecting them. Just a little tangent.

 

4 hours ago, The DanMan said:

Keep in mind, EOV took over a year to come westward and it took so long to get a localization announcement that many thought it wasn't going to be localized at all. X is just as up in the air as V was.

Well the 3DS is at the end of its life presently, that is my issue, there aren't really any months left on it it seems, there is only the Luigi's Mansion port/remake left I think. Yet even if it takes until February to get it, and is literally the last 3DS title to release, I'll still buy it. 

Remind me, did Persona Q2 get moved to Switch already? Have they been mute on that, or dropped it entirely? I don't care about PQ, but I still want to know its status.

 

And lastly, on the map making thing. I like it, it is part of EO's character, but to me it's only fun once. If I do an NG+, I choose to import the maps, since a NG+ is only done to try out different teams. I've already seen the labyrinth before and went joyfully blindly through it once, but I don't need to again since it won't really be a blind experience anymore due to memory retaining aspects of it.

[The DanMan]

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

We've had Yuji Himukai drawing the entire series up to this point, it wouldn't surprise me if they were getting sick of the job. (I do like their style by the way.)

And a change in the artstyle could hint at a possible drastic changing of things. To be fair, after eight installments of the same deal with tweaks and improvements to each (major ones of course, only a fool would call EO1 and EOV as playing the same), EO might be in need of something new. Stagnancy is never a good thing for series (particularly a presently prolific one, which EO has been), even when the current formulae works well.

A new artist and a major overhaul might invite some vocal citizens of the Internet to whine and call the next EO not a "true EO", but I'm open to change.

I'd be fine with the 7th Dragon artist- Shirow Miwa, I liked their work in VFD enough. Some of the female stuff was a little too fanservicey (Agent being my primary problem), but assuming they tone things back down for the pure high fantasy setting, then they're good. Their class designs for the original 7th Dragon, while more cutesy and not so realistic, doesn't appear bad at all either from a quick look at it. To see the bit of diversity is great, as it means this new stuff would certainly not be a carbon copy visually of VFD's. IF they are working on this new title. But I honestly don't care who the artist is, so as long as the art looks good.

 

So in other words, Atlus is preparing the graves before we even get our first game over? How considerate of them!

Seeing the graves also brought to mind this one beta idea for the plot of Suikoden: Tierkreis which I can't quite forget because it sounds interesting to me. Apparently, instead of getting alt universe copies of the 108 Stars of Destiny, you went about resurrecting them. Just a little tangent.

 

Well the 3DS is at the end of its life presently, that is my issue, there aren't really any months left on it it seems, there is only the Luigi's Mansion port/remake left I think. Yet even if it takes until February to get it, and is literally the last 3DS title to release, I'll still buy it. 

Remind me, did Persona Q2 get moved to Switch already? Have they been mute on that, or dropped it entirely? I don't care about PQ, but I still want to know its status.

 

And lastly, on the map making thing. I like it, it is part of EO's character, but to me it's only fun once. If I do an NG+, I choose to import the maps, since a NG+ is only done to try out different teams. I've already seen the labyrinth before and went joyfully blindly through it once, but I don't need to again since it won't really be a blind experience anymore due to memory retaining aspects of it.

I'm rather neutral on the subject of artstyle, just noting how the silhouettes look different and what that could potentially mean.

Nintendo still hasn't officially dropped the 3DS, and Atlus has a way of supporting platforms past their prime (Persona 4 releasing in 2008 on the PS2, for instance).

And they've been completely silent about Q2; the only "news" we've had are the character designs found in accessories in P5D's data.

[henrymidfields]

Does anyone know how much Atlus give the amount of effort/consideration to EO's plot/story? (Like, comparing with, say Persona, Devil Survivor, Radiant Historia, or Catherine?)

Edited July 30, 2018 by henrymidfields

[The DanMan]

2 hours ago, henrymidfields said:

Does anyone know how much Atlus give the amount of effort/consideration to EO's plot/story? (Like, comparing with, say Persona, Devil Survivor, Radiant Historia, or Catherine?)

EO's always been pretty minimal in the plot department, with stuff only ever really picking up in the last 1/3 of the game; even the Untold games were nothing special in that department, and their entire selling point was having an alternate route with fixed party members and more plot elements.

Plus, the EO fandom in general seems to just despise anything resembling a centralizing plot and established characters (and before you say it's just the vocal minority, the Untold titles are the worst selling games in the series in Japan). Granted, this next game could very well be a reboot of sorts that ends up trying to reach a broader audience, and I have marginally more faith in Atlus to pull that off than Capcom and the POS that is Monster Runner Degenerations/Monster Hunter World.

[B.Leu]

The plot of each game was always minimum, but meaningful, something that Untold failed, Untold 2... eh, kinda ? I dunno.
It kind of goes against what kind of games the series is supposed to be.

Mmmm, give it to use already Atlus. Gonna be hard to waiiiiiiiiiit for so long. :/

RIP Mapping. We all always loved you. But you were destined to die.
Now where will the series be repopulated ? I see it just as much on the PS4 than of the Switch strangely enough.
... Gonna be weird to see EO Nocturne style.

[henrymidfields]

44 minutes ago, The DanMan said:

EO's always been pretty minimal in the plot department, with stuff only ever really picking up in the last 1/3 of the game; even the Untold games were nothing special in that department, and their entire selling point was having an alternate route with fixed party members and more plot elements.

Plus, the EO fandom in general seems to just despise anything resembling a centralizing plot and established characters (and before you say it's just the vocal minority, the Untold titles are the worst selling games in the series in Japan). Granted, this next game could very well be a reboot of sorts that ends up trying to reach a broader audience, and I have marginally more faith in Atlus to pull that off than Capcom and the POS that is Monster Runner Degenerations/Monster Hunter World.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess it will be a wait and see for me while playing my other Atlus games in the backlogs then.

Edited July 30, 2018 by henrymidfields

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, The DanMan said:

(and before you say it's just the vocal minority, the Untold titles are the worst selling games in the series in Japan)

To be fair, they were remakes of games released originally on the DS, they didn't really need remakes if recency is the determinant factor. Were they good and made a lot of great changes? Absolutely! Even if EOU is a bit plain and EOU2 was too soon a release, two remakes in a row wasn't exactly called for.

 

1 hour ago, henrymidfields said:

Thanks for the feedback. I guess it will be a wait and see for me while playing my other Atlus games in the backlogs then.

The minimalism, besides referencing the PC dungeon crawlers of long long ago, is also supposed to give free-reign to you creating your own characters with their own imagined story.

Of the stories that do exist, EOIV's probably the "best" that isn't the Story Mode of one of the Untolds, from the 2nd Labyrinth on (usually called "Stratum"- a thematic chunk of the labyrinth), the plot is always there and I felt it was decent. EOIII has a route split in the plot- siding with the Deep City or Armoroad I think it is, but I haven't played the game myself.

Typically, there is no plot for the first Stratum, other than exploring the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. The second Stratum is also generally lacking for plot. The third is where things begin shifting from just exploring a mysterious labyrinth to something bigger. The 4th usually also has some plot, while the 5th always does, since it is the last story Stratum. The 6th Stratum is considered the postgame, and therefore apart from the plot which is now over.