Ever Oasis | Of Seedlings And Sirens

Source: Nintendo UK

So not too long ago - actually a few days ago - I used some leftover Nintendo eShop credits to get myself a birthday present in the form of Ever Oasis, an action-adventure RPG (whatever that can mean, I'll get to that) for the Nintendo 3DS. It's been described as a mixture of Animal Crossing and Rune Factory, and I've read in one place that it was a spiritual successor to the X of Mana series. Now, having never played a Mana game before (I've heard that's how we call them?) I can't attest for the latter part.

Being a long-time fan of both Animal Crossing and Rune Factory, however, I have to disagree with the first part.

People who draw the parallels between Ever Oasis and Animal Crossing point out the latter's village-management system while ignoring the fact that the system is only proper to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and is not what one would define the series with. To say so would be to draw similarities between Ever Oasis and Mario Kart 8 because both games feature some form of character customization because, you know, you can customize karts in Mario Kart? Ok maybe my analogy there falls flat and is a little stretched, but my point is that most Animal Crossing fans, while absolutely loving the village-management aspect of the game, are mostly attracted to the series for its relaxing vibes and calm atmosphere, slice-of-life type gaming. This aspect, sadly, was not found in Ever Oasis by myself. And as a fan of slice-of-life games, that was a real let-down, having purchased the game following the judicious reading of reviews that lauded those parallels.

Similarly, people drawing comparisons between Ever Oasis and Rune Factory applaud the dungeon crawling, but while there are definitely more parallels to be drawn here I can't help but feel that a parallel with any The Legend of Zelda game would be more appropriate.

Noo, a Noot, a genderless Noot. RAY, A DROP OF GOLDEN-
Source: Gamespot

In terms of story, Ever Oasis doesn't really diverge from your standard fantasy RPG video game plot; you play as Tethi (female) or Tethu (male), a young Seedling with the power to grow oases within the vast stretching desert around you. Your journey begins at the oasis of your brother when it gets suddenly destroyed by Chaos, some kind of primordial eldritch force that corrupts everything it touches. (Seriously the Doomed Hometown trope gets applied here faster than anywhere else I've seen...) It is up to you to create an oasis that will be incorruptible by the Chaos.

Along the way, travellers can come to your Oasis as residents or travellers, with the former settling down after doing some tasks for them and the latter buying stock from your stores. From what I've seen, that is the bulk of the village-management system. By performing small tasks, travellers can become residents, which you can bring along for some dungeon delving or help them grow shops (get it? because they're Seedlings?) for Noots (see above) to buy from.

You do all that with the help of Esna, a water spirit which is really a Siren regardless of what the game says she looks and acts like a Siren even though they say she's a water spirit I'll continue calling her a Siren. Esna the Siren acts a little like a fairy companion, badgering you non-stop about what your next objective might be. Seriously at one point a potential resident asked me "Could you do X please?", then I was redirected to my quest journal which told me "You have to do X", followed by fucking Esna saying "Hey! I think it would be a good idea to do X!" like I'm some kind of spaz with the attention span of a fucking goldfish.

That being said, Esna is charming and adorable and I love her.

Tethu and Esna building their oasis together is rather heartwarming to observe, but I can't help but feel a little weird about this scene in particular. Is it only me?

Source: Nintendo France

All characters, actually, have a strong charm to them, and you can't help but feel some form of attachment to them. The character design is simplistic and elegant, with Seedlings adopting the chibi art style. The game itself is beautiful, with environments finely crafted with an Ancient Egyptian motif, the oasis itself being particularly beautiful at night with elegant light contrasts.
While I haven't done much in the way of dungeon delving - and thus won't elaborate too much on it at this time - it feels very much like in The Legend of Zelda, and reminds me strongly of Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask. The combat is simple and fun, but I'm worried it might get a little repetitive over time.

My first few hours into the game have left a good impression overall; while not the slice-of-life game I was expecting, it nonetheless provides a charming and beautiful experience. Honestly, the whole game plays and feels a little like a mobile game, and not in a bad way. Most actions, from collecting money from shops to harvesting resources in the world outside your oasis, carry that satisfyingly addicting quality that permeates mobile games. You know the one, the same feeling you get by tapping your screen and seeing money or coins or whatever get added to your hoard? I'm standing alone here? Oh whatever.

Tethi, the female protagonist, does not appear in much promotional material, but I love her design.
Source: Nintendo

In short, Ever Oasis is a charming, relaxing, stress-less game. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a simple RPG with some village-management elements. Yes I've run out of steam at this point.