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Etrian Odyssey

Posted June 3rd 2007 by John S..

Etrian Odyssey is a throwback to older role-playing games on computers from the '80s and early '90s. Games that had you drawing your own maps on graph paper, grinding out levels before you could go forward, and spending many hours in deep thought configuring your specific party setup only to be forced to start over because you forgot to bring a healer. If you are a fan of such games as Wizardry, Might and Magic and even Nethack, then this is for you. A Final Fantasy fan? Then not so much, though you may find the sheer difficulty entertaining.

Etrian Odyssey is a first-person RPG where you are a random adventurer trying to find fame and fortune in a deep labyrinth outside of a city. You start off by creating a guild and then creating members who will fill out your party. You choose a name and class from the following groups: Landsknecht, which is like a fighter, Protector, Survivalist, Dark Hunter, Medic, Alchemist, Troubledour, and two hidden, unlockable classes. Then you have three skill points to further customize each character. Skill points allow you to increase specific areas of each character. For example, you can increase Hit Points or opt for more powerful Magic. Having a good mix of classes is essential, and the player needs great care on which skills they choose to spend the points on. Once you have your party ready, you then start off in the only town of the game. By choosing a location, you can go to the Rooster Inn to heal and save, the Ceft Apothecary to purchase healing items and to revive your characters from death, Shilleka's Goods to purchase weapons and armor, Golden Deer Pub to accept quests, the Explorers Guild to add and remove party members, and the Radha Hall to accept missions which are much harder and longer than quests.

After accepting the first mission, you may enter the main part of the game. Etrian Oddysey switches from the single town screen to a first person view. The top screen of the DS details the labyrinth while the bottom screen is the map that you have to create on your own. Having spent most of my youth with these types of games, I found the experience entertaining and an excellent throwback, though upstart gamers with no respect for depth in gaming may feel this is very tedious and a huge waste of time.

Creating maps is simple and easy. The player uses the stylus to draw walls and chooses icons for stairs, boss monsters, treasure, traps and other map items. Creating detailed maps of each floor is essential because this game is brutal in its difficulty. One random battle can take out your entire party if you are not careful. Defending and running are mandatory for a few of the boss monsters until you can grind up a few levels. Mashing the A button to attack will only get you killed. I find this a refreshing change from the usual RPG where you spend hours fighting peons who have no chance of defeating your party. Etrian Oddysey creates suspense and anticipation due to the always-present possibility of getting annihilated at a moment's notice if you venture too far without adequate experience.

The battles themselves are random and turn based in the style of Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy. Your turn depends upon the agility levels of each character. They may choose to attack, defend, use an item or skill, or run. Skills vary depending on which class a character is. Obviously a Medic has many healing powers, while a Landsknecht has different attack skills. After the battle your party gains experience and items which may be sold for gold. Now, boss battles are not random. You see them on your game screen in the form of a glowing orb. They move around the board when you move and may even enter battle when you are fighting some random monster. This can be a huge problem when three or four of them gang up on you at the same time. Special strategy is involved to lure boss monsters away from the group to defeat them one at a time.

The production values are a mixed bag, as one of the main disappointments of the game is the graphics. While Etrian Oddysey does include a colorful cast of characters with an obvious anime influence, the dungeon itself is static and has little to no movement. The DS does displays the 3D pretty well for this type of game, but I would have enjoyed more ambiance in the dungeon. A few critters or small animals running across your path, or swaths of bugs flying by would have helped. The music is fun and fits the mood of the game very well. The music in random battles are lively, while boss battles have more of darker beat. It is recommended listening to the game via headphones because the DS speakers do not do the game justice. While it may seem incidental, the game manual is also well done. Full color pictures and art, along with a lot of useful information make the manual a great addition. Too many gaming companies these days resort to tiny, black and white manuals that are basically useless. (EA I'm looking at you.)

The story is very basic: be awesome and get loot. Traversing to the bottom of the dungeon is the main object, though there are a great variety of quests and missions you may perform for the town. Some are simple fetch quests requiring you to find a specific item while others have you rescue unfortunate individuals who have become trapped in the dungeons depths.

The controls are very simplistic. You use the D-pad to move and the stylus to draw your maps. Since the game is turn-based there are no frantic button presses or quick thinking. You may take each turn for as long as you wish and have time to think each move through, which is very necessary if you plan to get far.

Steady Beat - In this case, RPG stands for Really Plays Great!

Etrian Oddysey is an excellent little package of nostalgia for old school gamers like myself who were brought up on map making and extreme difficulty. General gamers might find specific aspects (mostly the map making) unnecessary and the sheer difficulty a turnoff. However, if you are looking for a deep and long RPG that will not hold your hand, or something with a with a kick-you-in-the-ass challenge, then this game is for you.

Posted in: Reviews