I’m working my way through EO1 with a LTM/AA party. Just snuck past the wyren in the 2nd stratum. I’ve played these games before when they first came out, but really enjoying them more now.
The QoL stuff that has been added (speeding up animations, a sensible skill tree display, and having the bestiary available in combat) make big differences to me. The later has made a party focused on elemental attacks more enjoyable.
The mapping as been surprisingly not painful. It was definitely more enjoyable on the DS, but it isn’t terrible on switch (even docked).
I’m really hoping this is a sign that the series may one day get a new entry (or a spiritual successor).
Yeah, I found most reviews just talked about the series and glossed over improvements that were made. I play a lot of blobbers, and EO in general does a great job with the fundamentals that many games still get wrong. Character progression and difficulty stay pretty consistent and the maps are generally interesting. I think in this case people have nostalgia for it because it’s a good game.
The price is definitely too high, I agree. I bought the physical release on PlayAsia, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the digital on sale for $30 USD by the end of the year.