Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

You can tell Etrian Odyssey isn’t a game that is particularly optimised for the Switch but, despite its age, it is still a lot of fun, with a unique cartography feature that makes it stand out from other dungeon-crawlers and well worth preserving.

Etrian Odyssey I and II HD are best enjoyed as a visually and aurally improved recreation of the DS originals, mechanical warts and all. It’s nice to see the originals preserved for a modern audience despite their flaws. However, the decision not to include the additions from the Untold remakes, even as an option, is disappointing and prevents this release from being truly definitive. While I prefer the music and aesthetics of these HD versions, for new players, there is ultimately less on offer here unless you really want to experience the series’ humble beginnings. Otherwise, the rigidity of the systems and the hamstrung cartography mechanics make these remasters hard to recommend over the 3DS remakes.

With the focus on game preservation that we’ve seen in recent years, I never imagined that the Etrian Odyssey series would be preserved anywhere close to its original form. The fact that they thought it worth bringing to Switch is amazing, and though it didn’t come over entirely clean, it’s still worth bringing back Fight, Heal, and the rest of the crew for one more dungeon dive.