Nintendo’s got a few additional surprises in store for their second day of Nintendo Treehouse Live coverage of E3 2016, and the first of these is an all-new IP that comes to us from Mana series creator, Koichi Iishi. Ever Oasis was announced for the first time at the showcase, a new action-RPG made exclusively for Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, and developed by the 3DS’s regular Legend of Zelda remake and offshoot studio, Grezzo. It also certainly echoes the flavour of Square Enix’s Mana games.
The gameplay demo showed players taking control of a hero called Tethu, who has the ability to manipulate winds, useful for both drawing in items and blowing away sandy obstructions. Characters from several different oasis tribes can join your squad of characters, each with different innate elemental abilities, though Tethu was the one primarily shown. The demo comprised a dungeon exploration in its latter half, which had the heroes demonstrating the action-RPG combat by taking on a handful of monsters and eventually a dangerous boss, which has Ever Oasis resembling a hybrid style between The Legend of Zelda and the Mana games. It also looks very visually ambitious, and could be one of the most attractive Nintendo 3DS games made in a long while!
What stood out even more was the management of an oasis town, which players can use as a way to accrue in-game currency. Players can donate currency to local shops, who will sell their wares to wanderers, potentially netting players huge profits. It’s an interesting switch from the simple grinding and equipment systems of most RPG’s, and the adorable bird-like citizens of the oasis town just make it all the more charming!
Ever Oasis is planned to hit the 3DS line of handhelds at some point in 2017.
Keep hiking to Eggplante for all major news and updates on Ever Oasis.