Etrange Overlord
Developer: Gemdrops, Superniche
Publisher: NIS America
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Switch, PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $49.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
There’s always room for some experimentation in the video game industry and while many of those experiments come from indie developers, Japanese developers also often take a swing with something unique and different. The only problem is, many of these more unique titles tend to never see the light of day in English but now NIS America is branching out further from Nippon Ichi Software and looking to bring an unique little game that is as ridiculous as it is charming. Featuring the creator of the Disgaea franchise behind the helm and developed by Gemdrops and SuperNiche, Etrange Overlord does what it can to prove that even niche developers can punch up when given the chance.
Story
Without even the grace of a title card Etrange von Rosenburg is marched out to the guillotine where she is accused of plotting an assassination of the king, a crime she herself says she never even would think of. But rather than give those executing her any semblance of joy she takes her execution like a noble and arrives in hell, looking immediately for sweets to satisfy her sweet tooth. Instead she runs into a trio of demons intent on beginning her torture but after a thorough beat-down by Etrange’s magical powers, the three not only grovel but even transform into enhance devils willing to do her every bidding and start assisting on her journey.
Rather than seek revenge against those who plotted against her or whatever false allegations were made up that ended her life, Etrange simply wants to have a happy new life down in hell even if it means taking over everything in her path to do so. Thankfully, or perhaps not so thankfully, her beloved pet and personal maid were also executed in similar fashion and soon join her in hell, leading to Etrange gathering quite the menagerie of companions that only grows more complex as she continues her adventures through hell, seeking to topple whatever may stand in her way of a comfortable sweet-filled life all while occasionally breaking into song with her new allies along the way.
Etrange Overlord plays almost everything completely straight-faced even in the most ridiculous of situations. Estrange herself is an absolutely overpowered monster of a character that it is hilarious to see her questioning why her own compatriots are cowering in fear of her latest accomplishments. Either that or she’ll transform into something so absurd that she’ll wipe out her whole team while trying to partake in a battle of wits. In fact, the whole reason that vengeance doesn’t even cross her mind is that she believes that the kingdom itself was beneath her in the first place and that if she actually cared enough to eliminate the empire, she could have done so in an afternoon and this villainess aspect is played through and through to some great laughs. This is especially well-done when combined with the way that Etrange reacts to her companions joining her side and actually acting like they like her, something that she literally had to remember the definition of.
These small things build up to plenty of humor throughout the story from Etrange herself but her companions are just as hilarious. While we won’t spoil what exactly happens here, nearly every major foe that she comes across ends up joining her side either because she was already their ally, sheer terror, or because they want the sweets she is always craving. Watching these characters interact makes for some excellent comedic moments and it really helps that to support all of this humor is a genuinely impressive overarching storyline to back things up.
While the moment to moment storytelling is rather simple, the grand narrative, especially the ones that are told through side-stories that players can visit optionally and give players a look at the human realm and the plans of the so called “heroine” are outstanding, especially given the villainess storylines that have grown so popular lately. Combine this with the fact that the narrative pushes players beyond hell and even to heaven itself to question the meaning of one’s fate and Etrange Overlord goes above and beyond with telling Etrange’s adventures for a better life… or in this case afterlife.
Gameplay
Etrange Overlord is a rather simplistic game that sees players traveling around a small overworld with items that players can pick up, used for cooking or upgrading a character’s weapons, and finding stages to challenge. These stages are designated, usually, as little towers that tend to have multiple hidden conditions for extra bonuses if players manage to complete them. All include completing the stage, but some bonus objectives include things like never being hit by an environmental trap, never losing a companion, or winning quick enough. Shortly into the game players will obtain a vehicle that serves as Etrange’s mobile-base that includes shops and upgrade stations as well as the ability to bust through boulders.
The combat in the game is simplistic almost to a fault, with the biggest variation coming from what each stage might ask players to do. Most simply involve killing enough enemies while others involve defending a certain character for a period of time, gathering items faster than the enemy team, or even capturing and holding bases. Once players obtain a party of four almost every battle going forward will allow players to select four characters to bring into battle with each character having their own strengths and weaknesses. Estrange for example has long distance attacks while her pet cat is agile and uses melee attacks but is more vulnerable to taking damage. During combat players can swap between allies at will as well as order them to target enemies, victory conditions, or objects to help dictate how their AI works. Should a party member fall in combat they can be revived simply by moving over to them and holding square to pluck them out of the dirt.
The most unique element to Etrange Overlord‘s combat is the Lane System which works something like a conveyor belt of items. Along these lanes various items such as attack boosts, shields that absorb attacks, cake that heals, and “special attack” unlocking stars will slide along. Other things such as bombs that can be picked up and thrown at enemies, especially during gimmick bosses, and dangers can also travel along these lanes. Players can customize the way lanes are set-up such as the various bonus items that appear and even power them up at the mobile base. Similarly, items obtained from winning a fight or in the world can be used to boost the strength of a character’s weapon, including how many projectiles they can shoot and more, and even cook food that will provide a temporary boost to the entire team for the next fight.
One thing that really does stand out, as mentioned a bit earlier, are the boss battles. Almost every boss fight has some unique mechanic that players will need to take advantage of to properly defeat them and it generally involves something only available on that stage. This means players will need to do some quick thinking sometimes to defeat a foe. That being said, the game does start to feel quite repetitive after a while since the core combat rarely feels like it changes things up enough to feel worthwhile, especially if players have focused their upgrades on their favorite characters and blow through even tougher stages with ease.
Audio & Visuals
Etrange Overlord sticks to a familiar art style and does a solid job of it, working with chibi character models that persist even in dialogue sequences. These character models are lightly detailed and it would have been nice if there were a bit more variety to level design as well since, other than later areas in the game, most of the locations players battle and travel through are quite simple. It must be said that the character design, as simple as it is, is still top notch and what one would expect from these developers.
Etrange Overlord only offers the original Japanese voice track but this is for its benefit as it features quite the line-up of stellar voice actors to fill the character roles. Etrange herself is outstanding as a villainess and even Hololive’s Watame voices Sweetia, her maid. Another character that we won’t spoil here is also voiced by another Hololive member, Fubuki, so fans of the VTubers will be in for quite a treat here. The soundtrack for the game is somewhat of a mixed bag unfortunately and that is due to the fact that although the game billed itself as a musical, the only actual singing comes during short sequences at the end of every major stage which are a bit underwhelming despite the dramatic flair of it all. The rest of the game’s soundtrack during exploration and combat is similarly rather generic.
Overall
Etrange Overlord may not look like the type of game that will impress at first glance but appearances can be deceiving. This villainess story is not only quite deep but filled with humor and clever writing, making for an endearing journey that players will want to see through to the end, especially with some stellar voice work for the cast. There are a few stumbles along the way, such as the lack of musical numbers and the game’s core combat being repetitive after a while but despite these drawbacks this Etrange’s journey is certainly one to remember.
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