Released Pokémon Odyssey

PacoScarso · Jan 10, 2024

Rain the dragon queen said:
So, I found a strange bug that happens when minun hit's level 10 and learns a move I think quick attack, and hitting yes bugs out and you see the delete move screen buuuut there are no moves or words hitting anything resets the game back to the starting screen.

This happens cause you're using an emulator which is not a recommended one.
As I stated in the initial post, you should use mGBA in order to avoid emulation problems that can cause your game to freeze, glitch or crash.

Muffyang · Jan 22, 2024

I had my eye on this for a while but kept put off playing it. I'm not familiar with Etrian Odyssey, FR doesn't have a lot of room for deep dungeon diving, etc. etc. Really glad I decided to cut through the excuses and finally played it because this is just delightful.

The only bug I encountered was an occasional freeze if using speedup after dealing with a F.O.E. but I think that's just using an old version of mGBA
The Stamina for Mining/Gathering points doesn't really add anything. There's no risk or tradeoff to running low or out, and its not something you have to plan an expedition around. The spots are also labeled and fairly close to either a rest spot or a warp outside, it ends up that you just mash them if you want resources/sidequest stuff.
Making shortcut unlocks require some Stamina might help, or a key item to heal up for 10 Stamina or something? Making it so Gathering/Mining take more than one stamina per item would be nice for QoL at least. How is Stamina handled in Etrian Odyssey?

The maps are pretty good so far, shortcuts feel natural and not every tile being an encounter means you can get into the groove of exploring. If anything the tiles you can encounter wilds should be expanded a bit more, repels are worth less than usual.
F.O.E.s are a bit of a mixed bag, they tend to be possible to beat but not worth fighting until you outscale the stratum and feel like catching them, but only the first stratum seemed to have a unique one. Majority are trivial to avoid and being able to save anywhere really just neuters any lasting threat they could have.
The second stratum's desert was starting to bore me, so I took a break from the plot to do a bunch of side stuff and was impressed the amount of work put into the side areas. Unique biomes, tiles, encounters, a ton of stuff that someone laser focused on plot could miss out on. Seeing so much cool stuff that's missable makes actually exploring feel more rewarding.
I will say that I'm hoping the later stratums get more complex, I want to be able to get lost in a map but the current ones aren't quite doing it. The critical path is fairly obvious, but these are still early floors.

Some of the Etrian Odyssey-reference regionals don't really show their typing too well. I assume prior knowledge would make them obvious but stuff like the Raticate doesn't show its Grass typing too well.

Every Pokémon has been rebalanced;

Normally a feature like this is a very bad sign, but most of the changes haven't been too noticeable and that's really a good thing. The majority of Pokémon keep their preexisting identity instead of random mons suddenly becoming top-tier supernukers for no reason. The doubles focus on the battles also means threatening mons are easier to deal with.
Ledian is a good example, most rebalances just make it a shitty heracross and that's being nice. While it gets Huge Power in this, it still has its support niche of early dual screens and early Aerial Ace TM means it can just hold its own (for once). The only change I noticed that felt a bit cheap was Lightning Rod Volbeat, but that was just because I encountered it first while frontlining my starters still.
I'm pretty mixed on the consistent 5-levels for moves thing. It makes 8/10 levelups feel like filler, but knowing power spikes is pretty useful. TM selection and Relearner options are pretty decent to supplement that however. I assume it's some Etrian Odyssey holdover, and while it isn't bad I wouldn't want to see it become a standard feature.

Naval Exploration

Surprisingly fun, the islands being visible on the Town Map gives you nice directions that water-channel puzzles tend to lack. Sadly the town map doesn't help your relative position, so there's still a fair bit of guesswork.
Wilds being relegated to F.O.E. or dark spots on the OW does make it feel a bit empty though it's not bad.
Only being able to depart from Talrega is a bit annoying, especially for Napier's quests.

Every Pokémon in the game has 31 IVS so that you don't have to farm or breed in order to get a decent one;
You get no EVS from beating a Pokémon, instead you'll have to use Power Items or Vitamins (for a lowered price);

I didn't realize this until I finished a couple of sessions and went to type up some thoughts, playing on Normal means you can effectively ignore grinding and play on an even playing field vs the 0 EV enemies.
Due to Mining/Gathering money isn't really an issue, so I'm not sure if playing on Hard would just add tedium or not.

Misc.

The TM dispenser in the guild shop just looks like background decoration, could have some NPC mention it or give it something to stand out a bit more.
Inventory was a bit inconsistent, and got clogged up with assorted stuff pretty quickly. e.g. Shards, Star Pieces are in the Item part of the bag but mining mats get sent to the treasure pouch.
Personally I don't like getting the Adv. Codex right off the bat, being able to instantly scout wilds is nice QoL but does go against exploration.
A lot of the fodder trainers are just there, they don't put up a fight and even in the 4th stratum a lot still only have 1-2 mons. None of the trainers being able to get past hte previous stratum's captain is a pet peeve. EXP Gain starts to feel kinda bad after the second stratum, makes it hard to switch up your team if a boss is giving you issues.
The money you get is also kinda comical, even without selling mining stuff or using the amulet coin. By the time you get overworld hazards in the fourth stratum you can just buy a Tent for every time you walk into one.
"I hate pirates" quest in fourth stratum is the only one that doesn't mention where its NPC is located. "Napier's Requests" doesn't have any tracking to it, and having to do it in a set order instead of open exploration is a bit annoying.
Getting an apartment for clearing Napier's sidequest was pretty nice, most of the bosses weren't too troubling if you just lead with Thunder Wave. Bit of a letdown that all the decorations were cosmetic, you can't even use the bed. The music resetting if you go downstairs is also pretty annoying, but I'm sure that's just an engine thing.

Lots of good ideas, and fun to play. Looking forward to future updates.

PacoScarso · Jan 23, 2024

Oh hey, thanks a lot for your review!

The only bug I encountered was an occasional freeze if using speedup after dealing with a F.O.E. but I think that's just using an old version of mGBA

Yeah, that's probably the case.

Making it so Gathering/Mining take more than one stamina per item would be nice for QoL at least

That's a good idea! I'll might implement it in the next update.

How is Stamina handled in Etrian Odyssey?

The system is basically the same, unironically.

F.O.E.s are a bit of a mixed bag, they tend to be possible to beat but not worth fighting until you outscale the stratum and feel like catching them, but only the first stratum seemed to have a unique one. Majority are trivial to avoid and being able to save anywhere really just neuters any lasting threat they could have.

I'm planning to give FOEs some boosts at the beginning of the battle, just like in Sun/Moon's totem battles, that will probably fix part of the problem.

I will say that I'm hoping the later stratums get more complex, I want to be able to get lost in a map but the current ones aren't quite doing it. The critical path is fairly obvious, but these are still early floors.

And you're right! The second half of the Labyrinth will be more complex.

Only being able to depart from Talrega is a bit annoying, especially for Napier's quests.

I'll see what I can do!

Personally I don't like getting the Adv. Codex right off the bat, being able to instantly scout wilds is nice QoL but does go against exploration.

That's true, but I also wanted to reduce "time waste" to the minimum.

EXP Gain starts to feel kinda bad after the second stratum, makes it hard to switch up your team if a boss is giving you issues.

Yeah, I've noticed it after my last testing phase, I've already added some Pokémon to their teams to fix the level curve.
But in the end I don't think EXP farming is a problem, since facilities like Battle House exists.

Bit of a letdown that all the decorations were cosmetic, you can't even use the bed. The music resetting if you go downstairs is also pretty annoying, but I'm sure that's just an engine thing.

I'm already planning to expand the apartment, so no worries!

PacoScarso · Feb 2, 2024

Update time! Update time!
Oh boi, where to begin...

► A NEW POKÉMON TYPE: AETHER!

Yggdrasil's power radically changed some Pokémon, causing them to acquire the Aether type

Resistances: Fire, Water, Ground, Flying, Aether.
Weaknesses: Poison.
Effectiveness: Neutral matchup against everything but Aether.

In any case, I present to you Etrian Gardevoir (Psychic/Aether) and Etrian Dusknoir (Ghost/Aether)

Each Aether-type Pokémon will receive a signature move:

Ad Nihilo (Special) - Gardevoir
90 BP, 100% accuracy, 5 PP
Effect: Resets all stat levels of the target to 0.
Soul Trade (Physical) - Dusknoir
85 BP, 100% accuracy, 10 PP
Effect: Restores HP up to 50% of the damage dealt.

Some new regional variants, as well as old Pokémon like Castform, Chimecho, Solrock, Lunatone and many others will get the Aether type and a signature move.

► NEW REGIONAL VARIANTS

The second wave of variant is finally done! A third and final wave will be added in Beta 4.0

► SIXTH STRATUM: FROZEN GROUNDS

"A trap of ice and snow, a daunting frozen path and the gateway to sorrow."
Welcome to the Sixth Stratum: Frozen Grounds, the last playable stratum of Beta 3.0!

Aaaand that's all for today, see you soon!

PacoScarso · Mar 21, 2024

Update time! Update time!

► BETA 3.0 - ROADMAP (Release date: June 2024)

Soooooo, I was planning to finish Fifth Stratum's events by the end of March, but it seems I'm a little ahead of schedule!

Extra maps

Extra maps events and dialogues

Overworld sprites

Here's the full roadmap:

▬ MAPS ▬

Fifth Stratum (Abyssal Shrine)

Sixth Stratum (Frozen Grounds)

Beginning of Seventh Stratum (Porcelain Forest)

Extra maps

▬ GRAPHICS ▬

Firstpersonview sprites

Overworld sprites

Battle sprites

Etrian Variants (second wave)

▬ EVENTS ▬

Fifth Stratum - Main events

Fifth Stratum - Secondary dialogues

Sixth Stratum - Main events

Sixth Stratum - Secondary dialogues

Extra maps events and dialogues

► FIXES AND QOL

I've finally fixed the freeze issue regarding F.O.E. drops on certain emulators, so from the next update you should be able to play this game on MyBoy/PizzaBoy too;
I've decided to replace the Stratum's number with its respective Captain's face;
Aether-type has been rebalanced.
Resistances: Fire, Water, Ground, Flying and Aether;
Weaknesses: Poison, Dark;
Effectiveness: Neutral matchup against everything but Aether.

And I guess that's all for today! (I've also replaced the old trailer with the new one)

PacoScarso · May 3, 2024

Pokémon Odyssey - Part 3: "Truth, Despair and Hope" is finally out!

PacoScarso · May 27, 2024

Soooo, good news!
We've started working on V4.0, which will include the last two strata and the postgame; here's the first addition.

You asked for it, there you have it.

SamanthaMatoiStein · Jun 7, 2024

Something I noticed: Pokémon stats, learnset, Etrian Variants etc only has a type matchup sheet on it. The rest of it is empty. Is that on purpose? Or is that not supposed to happen?

PacoScarso · Jun 7, 2024

SamanthaMatoiStein said:
Something I noticed: Pokémon stats, learnset, Etrian Variants etc only has a type matchup sheet on it. The rest of it is empty. Is that on purpose? Or is that not supposed to happen?

Uuuuh I've just opened it and it works just fine. Are you from desktop or mobile?

SamanthaMatoiStein · Jun 9, 2024

PacoScarso said:
Uuuuh I've just opened it and it works just fine. Are you from desktop or mobile?

I figured out the problem. I didn't notice that it was seperated into seperate categories near the bottom of the screen

PacoScarso · Jun 25, 2024

Update time! Update time!

Daily reminder that Beta 4.0 will include Seventh and Eighth Stratum + Postgame, so it will ideally be the final major version of the game.
That said, let's run through this month's news:

► EIGHTH STRATUM - CYCLOPEAN HAUNT

The Eighth Stratum, called "Cyclopean Haunt", is the last Stratum of the game, as well as the place where the adventures of Nyx, Ethan and Olympia will end.
How? You decide the outcome!
We're still working on the Seventh Stratum's tilesets, so I can't show that yet.

.

► THIRD WAVE OF ETRIAN VARIANTS!

Since the Aether-type reveal, there were several users who asked for an Aether-type Eeveelution. Truth be told, I was already working on it for v3.0, but I couldn't find a convincing concept for it, so I put it aside.
But now it's finally ready. Say hello to Yggdreon!

"Radiance", similar to Pixilate and Refrigerate, changes Normal-type moves into Aether-type and boosts their base power.
Yggdreon's peculiar move, "Life Control", heals it for 1/2 of its max HP and raises its speed by 1 stage.

► GATHERING AND MINING POINT UPGRADE

I want to avoid the "Press A simulator" experience, so here's how it's gonna work from now on.
You can choose to use 1, 5 or 10 stamina points in order to obtain the same number of items from plants or mines.

1 Stamina for variety;
10 Stamina for quantity;
5 Stamina is a cross between the other two.

Aaaand that's all for today, see you next month!

Pi25 · Jun 30, 2024

Love the game and the story!

Pidge · Jul 21, 2024

Learned about this game existing 5 days ago, and I've already reached the end of V3. This is the first time a Pokemon Fangame has gripped my interest so hardcore. Can't wait for V4!

PacoScarso · Jul 22, 2024

Pidge said:
Learned about this game existing 5 days ago, and I've already reached the end of V3. This is the first time a Pokemon Fangame has gripped my interest so hardcore. Can't wait for V4!

Much appreciated! V4 will take more time cause I'm basically revamping the entire game, but it'll be worth it!

PacoScarso · Jul 23, 2024

Update time! Update time!

This month's update arrives a few days earlier than usual, BUT this doesn't mean it'll be a small one.
Let's start right away!

► ETRIAN VARIANTS - THIRD WAVE: PART 1

Here's a little sneak peek to the first half of the third wave

[PokeCommunity.com] Pokémon Odyssey [Beta 3.0]

► WHO'S THAT POKÉMON?

You'll be able to see if a move is not effective (Red), not very effective (Yellow) or super effective (Green) in the bottom-right corner of the screen

► IMPROVED TITLESCREEN

► BETTER MAPS!

This will take a lot of time, but It's totally worth it.
I've decided to improve a lot of locations

TALREGA

COASTAL ROAD

FIBERNIA

VARLEY

CHARON

POKÉCENTER

SMALL UPDATE REGARDING SOME MAPS

Top left: First Stratum's new entrance
Top right/Bottom left: I've changed where the entrance of the 4th stratum is. Instead of being placed near the lava lake, it's now near the base camp.
Bottom right: This is were the old entrance was.

► IMPROVED OVERWORLD SPRITES!

Here's what I've been working on for the last month: a complete revamp of all the OW sprites in the game.
Sneak peek:

From the top-left corner:
Nyx, Aimée, Ethan, Olympia, Brody, Karin, Rockey, Kitt, Manu.
Combat Girl, Pokémaniac, Black Belt, Ranger, Pokémon Breeder, Birdkeeper, Bug Catcher.

► SOME CHANGES TO AETHER-TYPE MOVES

The identity issue [of Aether-type moves] is exasperated by the moves themselves with a majority of the moves being named Etheric bash, slash, boon, star etc etc. I think renaming some of these and having them all thematically close could help lessen the issue.

JakeTheSnake

And that's why I've decided to change their names:

Etheric Shot ➜ Light Shot
Etheric Gleam ➜ Astral Gleam
Etheric Star ➜ Radiant Start
Etheric Bash ➜ Mind Bash
Etheric Slash ➜ Cosmic Slash
Etheric Edge ➜ Energy Edge
Etheric Decoy ➜ Shogun Decoy
Etheric Flood ➜ Azure Flood

► FASTER BATTLES AND EVENTS!

If you lose a battle during a major event, the next time you'll be able to skip dialogues and jump straight into the battle.
This will save players' time, especially those who want to play this game on real hardware, where there's no built-in speed-up function.

AND

I've reduced the delay between messages during battle to speed-up the whole thing.

► TREASURE CHESTS?

This is how chests will work.
They won't vanish once you open them, thus helping you recognize where you've already been during your explorations.
Red chests are for items and money, yellow chests are for TMs.

Aaaand that's all for today, see you next month!
(I'm tired, boss...)

PacoScarso · Aug 28, 2024

Update time! Update time!

Here we go again. This update is pretty important, although smaller than the previous one.

► EIGHTH STRATUM'S MAP: FINISHED!

That's right, this means only the Seventh Stratum and the postgame section need to be done!
I'll be honest with you... This makes me a bit sad cause it means the adventure is almost over.
Anyway, we're finally here. If you know, you know.

► NEW GAME MODE!

As you may know, there are 2 game modes: Normal and Hard. However I noticed that several users had difficulties even in Normal Mode. They were complaining about the presence of mandatory level caps and the inability to use items in battle, and that's why I added a new mode made especially for those who want to appreciate the story and exploration, without having to face a challenge.

In Picnic Mode there are no level caps; this has been done to give players more freedom, thus making the game more accessible.
However, the limitation regarding healing items will remain.
Basically:

Picnic Mode: No healing items in battle;
Normal Mode: No healing items in battle, also level caps are active;
Hard Mode: No healing items in battle, level caps are active and bosses will have EVs, held items and custom movesets.

► NEW MAIN MENU SCREEN

What can I say other than "It's cool"?

Credits to Shiny-Miner

► NEW MOVES

I wanted to add new moves to make double battles more dynamic.

Trailblaze
Flame Charge
Solar Blade
First Press (First Impression)
Volt Switch
U-Turn
Coil
Foul Play
Flip Turn
Star Drop (Chansey/Blissey)
Summer Tango (Illumise)
Spring Tango (Illumise)
Bright Song (Volbeat)
Life Ballad (Volbeat)
Rapid Fire (Magmortar)
Toxic Reap (Absol)
Wilting Miasma (Absol)
Ladybug Rush (Ledian)
Volt Wings (Spearow/Fearow)
Crazed Shout (Ampharos)
Whip Ripper (Whiscash)

► ETRIAN VARIANTS REVAMP

Some of them were old or meh, that's why they needed a revamp.
Here's an example:

Aaaaaand that's all for today, see you next month!

Jaizu · Sep 1, 2024

Updates are looking neat, I wish you luck in the development!

PacoScarso · Sep 26, 2024

Update time! Update time!

We're planning to release v3.5 in a week or two from now! Bear in mind this is a QoL update.

This new version will include:

Improved Titlescreen;
Improved New Game/Continue screen;
Improved maps and graphics;
Pokémon Compendium (Pokédex);
Almost the entire 3rd wave of Etrian Variants (68 regional forms in total), with some improved sprites (such as Whiscash, Mismagius, the Regi trio etc etc);
Reworked gathering/mining points; moreover, the sign next to them will tell you which items can be obtained;
F.O.E. boost;
Ev-Editor;
2 new sidequests;
Type-effectiveness during battle (⁠odyssey-news⁠);
Less delay between in-battle text and move animations;
Chest system instead of overworld Pokéballs;
Picnic Mode (no level caps);
"Cutscene skip" function after you lose a battle during a story event;
New moves: Trailblaze, Flame Charge, Solar Blade, First Press, Volt Switch, U-Turn, Flip Turn, Phantom Force, Coil, Foul Play, Star Drop, Summer Tango, Spring Tango, Bright Song, Life Ballad, Rapid Fire, Toxic Reap, Wilting Miasma, Ladybug Rush, Volt Wings, Sealing Light, Crazed Shout, Whip Ripper, Phalanx Guard, Venom Gust, Subzero Gale, Double Hammer, Stomp Crush, Icy Aria, Frost Curse.
Last but now least, the Level Candy!
Level Candy is a key item (unlimited use) you'll be able to obtain by interacting with the Nintendo Switch in Nyx's house from v3.5 onwards.
How does it work? It's pretty simple, lemme explain:
- If you use this candy RIGHT BEFORE a Captain battle, your party level will be set to the current Level Cap-1 (in case you wanted to evolve your Pokémon via level up). Let's say you're about to fight the first Captain (Level Cap = 18); your party will be set to Level 17;
- If you use this candy BEFORE REACHING the Captain, your party level will be set to the previous Level Cap.

The game will notify you before proceeding with its use, so rest assured.
Battle House and Chansey's hyper training will still be relevant for mid-stratum grinding.
This has been done (together with the introduction of the Ev-Editor) to reduce the time needed to build new team members.
I hope you'll like it!

PacoScarso · Sep 30, 2024

v3.5 of Pokémon Odyssey is scheduled to be released on October 4.

PacoScarso · Oct 4, 2024

v3.5 is out!

Released Pokémon Odyssey

★ NYX

★ AIMÉE

★ ETHAN

★ OLYMPIA

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Novice

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Novice

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Novice

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Novice

Rookie

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Rookie

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey

Lead dev of Pokémon Odyssey