DHGF: Elminage Original really could have used a better translation team, but the core experience and the sheer number of races and classes makes this the best Wizardry clone to hit US shores since the Dark Spire or well…the last Wizardry game. It’s a lot more open world than nearly every other dungeon crawler ever produced and the sheer number of options open to you will be intimidating and confusing to some while equally exhilarating and liberating to others. The game is as tough as veterans of the genre might expect and you’ll want a wide range of min/max’d characters to constantly rotate in and out of your party lineup to truly master the game. While it won’t replace Shining the Holy Arc or any of Sir-Tech’s games in my heart, this was one of the few games of 2012 that didn’t disappoint me, and that’s saying something. With a little more emphasis on a quality localization, I would love to see UFO tackle one of the many other games the Elminage franchise has waiting for us back across the Pacific.
Ninja Games Japan will release Elminage Original for the Nintendo 3DS in North America this week.
From the review - Only the most dedicated, willing to spend countless of hours into fruitless effort, will get a modicum of enjoyment out of Elminage Original. Enjoyment is not the exact term though; rather, it will be a feeling of withstanding hardships, with no lingering gratification present. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Push Square: "Elminage Original's classic design certainly offers an alternative to more modern dungeon crawlers, but its inability to explain even the simplest of mechanics make it a difficult game to get into. If you've got fond memories of classic RPG titles, then this offers a reasonable way to revisit that nostalgia. It is, however, a title that can only truly be recommended to a very small niche."
