With the recent Nintendo Direct came an announcement for theEtrian Odyssey Origins Collection,an HD remaster of the first three games in the series. Its reveal may point towards a lingering trend around video game companyAtlus' focus on bringing its older titles back for more action.
TheEtrian Odyssey Origins Collection, slated for release in June of this year, brings the DS classics back to modern platforms via the Nintendo Switch and Steam. With over a decade and a half since the firstEtrian Odysseyreleased, the company’s decision to remaster the games proves to be a nod to the nostalgia of its older fanbase. Along with the game’s announcement came a second reveal for its DLC content, which included even more references to past titles in the company’s history: character portraits of belovedPersonaandShin Megami Tenseicharacters, includingShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne’s Demi-Fiend andPersona 3’s mascot character Aigis, are available for the title as a pre-order bonus.
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From Atlus' Past to the Present
Whether it be through ports, remasters, sequels, or even cameos, it seems that Atlus is taking the nostalgia of its fanbase to heart. Since 2018, the company has had a recurring focus on making its older titles accessible and relevant once again. This has involved methods such as taking past games likeCatherineand enhancing their original storylines with new characters and content, as well as going the more conventional route through its treatment of traditional ports likePersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Golden’s modern debut. Atlus' trend on nostalgia has even extended into bringing back games that were presumed to be long-gone;Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, the 1997 PlayStation and Sega Saturn release, was just recently extended into a series through the company’s 2022 release ofSoul Hackers 2.
Soul Hackers 2took a stand-alone approach in its story and characters, which might point towards a future case of Atlus re-imagining its past titles in a way that brings their core themes and concepts back to light in a different context. The game’s release could also prove interesting for a continuation of anotherDevil Summoner. With theDevil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunohagames stuck on the PlayStation 2 platform, a port of their titles or even a successor in the series might be a part of the company’s next steps. This would also tie in with Raidou’s feature inShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster, who took over the role ofDevil May Cry’s Dante as a boss and playable demon.
This trend towards bringing the past into the present might also be a good thing forShin Megami Tenseifans in particular. With the Nintendo Switch release ofSMT’s fifth mainline entry and theNocturneHD remaster back in 2021, this could point towards a focus on porting, or maybe remaking, the 3DS’Shin Megami Tensei 4and its successorApocalypse. This would be a particularly apt time as well, considering theend of the 3DS lifecycleis drawing ever closer. As with theEtrian Odyssey Origins Collection,concentrating on bringing older DS and 3DS titles to the Switch feels like a particularly smart move, given the games were designed with handheld compatibility in mind.
Lastly, with the recentPersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Goldenports, this also means that ports, remasters, or remakes ofPersona 1andPersona 2: Innocent Sin/Eternal Punishmentaren’t completely out of the question. After all, anAtlus surveyback in 2022 demonstrated a high interest from fans in seeing 1 and 2’s mainline entries brought back into the limelight. If the company takes these results to heart, then there’s a good chance we could see these titles brought to the Nintendo Switch, maybe even through a similar remastered treatment as theEtrian Odyssey Origins Collection.Whatever Atlus decides to do, however, it’s likely that this isn’t the last of their trend on nostalgia.
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collectionis set to release on June 1st, 2023 for PC and Nintendo Switch.
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