In action RPG Etrange Overlord from NIS America, Gemdrops, and BROCCOLI, you’ll need to find a way to live through hell… quite literally! Learn more about this one in our Etrange Overlord review!
In action RPG Etrange Overlord from NIS America, Gemdrops, and BROCCOLI, you’ll need to find a way to live through hell… quite literally! The game will be placing you in the role of Lady Étrange von Rosenburg, the daughter of a Duke. You find yourself falsely accused of assassinating the King, which is why you’re swiftly sentenced and executed. After you wake up in hell, you decide that the only way to make this bearable is by taking over the whole place. You know, as one does. The good news? You are one very fearsome villainess with charisma up the wazoo. You’ll quickly realize that there are many who are ready to join your cause and follow you on your new mission to conquer hell. Oh, and did I mention this one is a musical?
You’ll meet a trio of demons as soon as you set foot in hell. They seem to think you’re a helpless damsel who will soon be screaming to try to save her life. If only they knew who they’re about to go up against. After you request that they make themselves useful and bring you a fluffly bed, a luxury tea, and a confection of the highest quality, they get a bit more roudy, so you’re forced to teach them a lesson. This is when the game will kindly teach you the basics of combat.
Take control of your character by using the left analog stick, as you use the A button to attack and the B button to dash, so that you can hopefully avoid an incoming attack. Use the right analog stick to move the camera around as needed, so that you can get the best view possible on the battlefield. You can throw items by pressing the ZR button. Special attacks are mapped to the ZR button. Since you won’t be fighting on your own, you’ll be able to swap between characters by using the D-Pad and pressing left and right. If a companion falls in battle, you’ll have a chance to revive them by approaching them and pressing the Y button.
At least you’ll soon be reunited with Cat-Smith, your beloved cat from your previous life, who is just as faithful in hell as he was before your execution. Remember the three demons from before? Once you defeat them a couple of times, they’ll realize that serving you as vassals is better than being destroyed by your mighty power. After joining your cause, they will transform into reformed versions of themselves and will change appearance. You’ll also give them names, which is something new to demons!
Your new companions will be Cackie, Chuckie, and Chortie. You come up with their names based on how they talked before you converted them. Cackie will act as your butler, serving as your right hand. Chuckie will turn into a dignified warrior, ready to shield allies while also dishing out a ton of damage to those foolish enough to try and stop him. As for Chortie, they will be moving all over the place with switch dashes and powerful attacks from a safer distance, always spreading a positive vibe.
You’ll be able to explore the overworld between battles. You’ll be controlling Étrange while doing so, and can interact with sparkly spots to collect items or to get yourself some extra coins – known as Darks. While exploring, you’ll work on conquering stages to remove the enemy flags and replace them with your own. This is how you’ll be able to progress the story further. You can replay stages, mix up your formation, and switch which party members will join you. This will also allow you to collect additional items and more Darks.
You can use your hard-earned Darks when visiting Chortie, who is in charge of the shop. That way, you could add some useful items to your inventory, such as a Magical Shard or a Magmalite, which you can use for weapon or equipment enhancement. You might sometimes want to return to previous stages to grind for some extra Darks and items, so that you can have a better chance of surviving the more challenging battles, especially those against bosses.
Another option is to visit Swetia, who happens to be your personal maid, with whom you’ve reunited in hell. On top of excelling in combat as a solid ally who is up for slapping as many of your enemies as possible, she’s really, really good at crafting delicious confections. This is important, since you can use your money to have her craft delicious treats from the recipes you find, which will grant you some temporary boosts that might be enough for you to claim victory in the next battle.
The game will soon introduce the concept of lanes on the battlefield. Lanes exist thanks to the musical energy of the land. Lanes will circle around the battlefield, carrying around useful items. You could find yourself with some bombs that can deal good damage over an area, or perhaps a turret that will shoot at your enemies. You can also ride lanes to travel. Maybe if you enhance lanes, you’ll be able to more easily gain the upper hand?
Visit the menu to review your current Happy Life level, level-up rewards, character status, and more. Be sure to pay special attention to the sections that show a ! icon, since that means there’s something new for you to check out. Check each character’s type, current weapon, attack damage, projectile count, and attack range, as well as their special character illustration – which you can move around and zoom in and out to get a better look.
In action RPG Etrange Overlord you’ll need to find a way to live through hell… quite literally! The game will be placing you in the role of Lady Étrange von Rosenburg, the daughter of a Duke. You find yourself falsely accused of assassinating the King, which is why you’re swiftly sentenced and executed. After you wake up in hell, you decide that the only way to make this bearable is by taking over the whole place. You know, as one does. The good news? You are one very fearsome villainess with charisma up the wazoo. You’ll quickly realize that there are many who are ready to join your cause and follow you on your new mission to conquer hell.
Once you’re strong enough and your group has grown in size, you’ll be able to send characters to explore locations that have been seized by your army. That way, they might be able to find items that are not sold in stores. Conquering an area is not the end of your experience there, since you’ll need to pay attention to the new monsters that are now under your rule. If they become dissatisfied with how you’re handling things, they might revolt, and you’ll have to reconquer the area.
You can turn on Sweets Mode if you’re having a hard time with battles. This will allow you to focus on the game’s story since the challenge will be dialed back a bit. There’s also the “Eww Bugs” Mode, which, as its name suggests, will remove bugs from the game. The game can be played by up to four players, either locally or thanks to the online multiplayer option, as long as you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Etrange Overlord launches on Nintendo Switch on March 26 with a $49.99 price tag. If you want to try before you buy, you can check out the Etrange Overlord demo.
Disclaimer
This Etrange Overlord review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by NIS America.
