Grezzo's 'Ever Oasis' takes influence from its work on The Legend of Zelda

By Steven Petite Published June 9, 2017

While the Switch has taken over the Nintendo spotlight since its launch in March, Nintendo has not forgotten its trusty handheld line. From the upcoming Nintendo 2DS XL, to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Nintendo obviously thinks the 3DS and Switch can coexist. And in just a couple of weeks, Ever Oasis arrives for 3DS. If you have not been keeping up with the new action-adventure RPG, you may want to, considering developer Grezzo was responsible for 3DS ports of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, as well as leading development on The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. Nintendo just released a new trailer and it is readily apparent that Grezzo’s work on the iconic Zelda franchise influenced Ever Oasis.

The trailer shows a seedling roll up to an oasis that was destroyed by “Chaos.” The seedling, Tethu, hatches before the eyes of a water spirit, Esna, and the two powers unite to form the last oasis. The oasis serves as your village, which you will build up from scratch while bringing in lost desert wanderers. The town aspect of the game is reminiscent of Animal Crossing, but as the trailer shows, building up your oasis is only a small part of the game.

Recommended Videos

From a third-person perspective, we see Tethu explore a vast open world. Players can take control of different party members, and recruit more team members along the way. Each party member appears to have a unique ability that will assist in solving puzzles. Tethu’s foremost power in the trailer is to create cyclones to clear paths.

Grezzo’s work on the Zelda series, particularly Tri Force Heroes, shows as Tethu and his party need to work together to solve puzzles. Chaos, the mythical enemy that captured Tethu’s older brother, deploys legions of enemies to try to impede Tethu’s progress. Combat occurs in real time, but there is an RPG leveling system and slews of different weapons to pick up and equip. Near the end of the trailer, keeping with the Zelda vibe, Tethu and team appear to enter a dungeon.

You can read more about Ever Oasis over at the website. Ever Oasis launches June 23 for the Nintendo 3DS family of handhelds.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Topics

Gaming

Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme could be the plot twist handheld gaming needed

My time with the MSI Claw and Acer Predator Atlas suggests AMD finally has genuine competition.

Intel Arc G3 Extreme Hands On with Acer Predator Atlas 8

If there’s one gadget category I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time obsessing over in the past few years, it’s handheld gaming PCs. I’ve put hundreds of hours into the Steam Deck, bought an original ROG Ally for myself, and most recently reviewed the ROG Xbox Ally X in depth. I’ve seen this market evolve from a cool experiment into something that can genuinely replace a gaming laptop for quick sessions on the couch or while travelling. I’ve also experienced its biggest weakness firsthand. No matter how good these machines get, there’s always some compromise lurking around the corner, whether it’s battery life, thermals, performance, or software quirks.

So when I landed at Computex 2026 and got the chance to spend time with Acer’s brand-new Predator Atlas 8 and MSI’s latest Claw 8 EX AI+, I was naturally excited. Not just because they looked cool, but because they represented something the handheld market desperately needed: real competition. Truth be told, Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor might just be the most important handheld announcement we’ve seen in years. And honestly? It’s about time.

Gaming

Xbox’s next era may start with a painful question about console prices

A new Xbox Wire post points to surging parts costs, tighter supply, and more pressure on future console pricing.

Xbox is putting unusual pressure on its own console business, and a new Xbox Wire post gives players a clear reason to watch for an Xbox price hike.

Microsoft says storage and memory prices are climbing fast, while Xbox can’t currently make as many consoles as players want to buy. It also says the business needs a new hardware model and new partnerships as it remains committed to Helix.

Gaming

Steam is ending gift cards because scammers were raising too much hell

Digital gift cards will remain, but physical cards are being retired from stores

Steam gift cards.

Valve is pulling physical Steam gift cards from retail stores, bringing an end to a program that has been around since 2012. The company confirmed, as spotted via SteamDB, that it will no longer send new stock of Steam gift cards to retailers once current supplies run out.

Digital Steam gift cards are not going away. Valve says users will still be able to buy them directly through Steam, and existing physical cards can still be redeemed whenever users choose. Retail stock, however, is expected to disappear by the end of 2026.