There's a curiously old-fashioned feel to Ever Oasis - though perhaps not so curious when you realise it's been made by Grezzo, the studio hitherto best known for its 3DS remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and led by Secret of Mana director Koichi Ishii. Like those games, its origins seem to lie in a bygone era: in this instance, it's as if some lost N64 game has somehow been revived, with all that implies. By turns awkward and beguiling, it compensates for its shortcomings with lashings of character and charm.
You're Tethu, a squat little hero who finds himself appointed the chief of a small oasis. This has sprouted up around a giant, watery bloom encircled by a lustrous rainbow that helps keep the ravaging forces of chaos at bay. It's rather parched as the game begins; your job, with the help of friendly water spirit Nesu, is to transform it into a leafy, flourishing sanctuary for the various tribes wandering this barren desert land.
Before long, your first visitor arrives, and the game settles into a moreish loop. Each new arrival asks you to fulfil a request or two before they'll become a permanent resident. If they belong to the same Seedling tribe as Tethu, they'll plant a heart-shaped stone that blooms into a store, whose goods will attract the shopaholic Noot tribe for a brief visit. The booth's takings - which, amusingly, you collect by launching a small tornado - are the currency you'll use to pay for further developments, or to help synthesise new weapons and gear to arm yourself for expeditions.
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