Nintendo Reveals Ever Oasis, an Ultra-Adorbs 3DS RPG
Developer Grezzo brings new IP to Nintendo's RPG beast of a handheld.
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With Monster Hunter Generations and Stories, Dragon Quest VII and VIII, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Yokai Watch 2 on the way, the 3DS is practically becoming a platform primarily for RPGs. And now, you can add one more to the list: Ever Oasis, a new IP from Grezzo.
This morning during Nintendo's Treehouse Live coverage, the company revealed this new title with Grezzo founder Koichi Ishii standing by to answer questions. While, at first glance, Ever Oasis looks a bit like Fantasy Life, Ishii's influence as the creator of Secret of Mana definitely shines through: This Egyptian-themed RPG features a three-character action-based battle system in which you can switch to any of your party members at will. And this is useful for more than just fighting enemies, as each character has their own unique ability that can be used to solve puzzles in dungeons.
Outside of the expected RPG mechanics, Ever Oasis places an emphasis on developing the titular oases in what looks to be a very simplified take on SimCity. Instead of buying equipment from shops, you instead invest in them with Over Oasis' currency, and receive a cut of the profits when they sell their stock. And these shops aren't just there from the outset: You'll have to build them yourself, then decide on where they should be placed within the oasis. Even though the livestream didn't go too in-depth into these oasis-building mechanics, they look to be an interesting hook on what could otherwise be a fairly straightforward action-RPG.
Even if Ever Oasis might be overshadowed by some of the more notable upcoming 3DS RPG releases, it's nice to see Grezzo do their own thing—for the most part, they've been helping out with portable Zelda games since their inception. And, considering how hard Secret of Mana crashed before it died, this could be very well be Koichi Ishii's redemption with what looks to be a spiritual successor to his line of Square RPGs. As of now, Ever Oasis doesn't have a release date, so be sure to check back with USgamer for more updates as they come.
We're at E3 this week, covering the year's biggest gaming event. Be sure to check out all our coverage on our E3 2016 hub!