Premium Art Book For Etrian Odyssey III Pre-Orders

Atlus is well-known for their cool pack-in bonuses with their games. There’s been plush toys, art books, soundtrack CDs and all manner of other goodies. Fans who pre-order Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City won’t be left out either. Forests of Eternity is a 60 page full-color art book featuring designs and sketches from the entire Etrian Odyssey series.

“From the sparkling beauty of Armoroad and its broad azure horizon, to the haunting depths of the waters off its coast,” says Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales at Atlus, “Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is a visual treat, offering explorers a world full of varied, colorful locales to discover. As such, the addition of a premium 60-page full-color art book for fans who pre-order feels like the perfect complement. It truly is the ultimate collectible for series fans.”

Atlus, despite being a relatively “niche” publisher in many ways, has a hugely loyal following. This is partly due to cool gifts like the Forests of Eternity book. But it’s also due to their committed efforts to built a community online. Representatives from the company use Facebook and Twitter to actively engage with fans and seek feedback. The “Atlus Faithful” mailing list keeps fans up to date with the latest developments in Atlus-published games. And, of course, it helps that the games themselves are excellent, too.

A lot of developers could learn from Atlus’ example. Others are trying; pre-order bonuses are nothing new. And developers such as BioWare make concerted efforts to use social media to engage with customers. No-one seems to produce a feeling of community quite like Atlus, though.

Which is why it’s all the more peculiar that the publisher don’t have a European outlet. There are many European gamers out there who would love to get their hands on some of these goodies. But Atlus’ lack of European presence means several things. Firstly, their games come out considerably later in Europe than they do in the States. Europe is only just getting Demon’s Souls, for example. And then, because they are often published via other companies, the pre-order or pack-in bonuses tend to get lost. It’s a shame for Atlus’ European faithful, but at least most of their titles are region-free, meaning importing is a breeze.

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is due to release on September 21, 2010 for the DS. The Forests of Eternity book will be available while supplies last from participating retailers.