System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Year: 2007
Rating: Teen
Current Amazon Price: $21.50
The Skinny:
If you like extremely traditional turn based Japanese RPG (JRPG) combat,
exploring, and don’t mind getting your teeth kicked in every now and then
Etrian Odyssey is a must for you. Others may want to give it a pass.
The Meat:
Etrian Odyssey is an
interesting beast. This Nintendo DS exclusive title from Atlus, the folks better known
for the Shin Megami Tensei series, is a first person turn based dungeon crawler
that cares little for the gameplay innovations of the past 20 years. From a
gameplay perspective this 2007 release would not look out of place among the
early 90s fare that it so clearly draws its inspiration from. The task it sets
before you is simple. You are an explorer who has come to the town of Etria
which is situated near a massive maze known as the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Form a
guild and explore it. What are you waiting for? Off you go! The game offers
little explanation or guidance in the form of story that we have become so
accustomed to in modern games. While this may seem like a criticism, it is
actually one of the game’s greatest strengths. Presenting the player with this
mysterious labyrinth and giving them no direction or instructions other than “go
exploring” creates an interesting and unique experience. Every player will
approach this task in their own way. Will you create a party of brutish thugs
who rampage through the labyrinth smashing everything in your path or will you
create a team of agile archers and survivalists who harvest materials and items
from the labyrinth to sell for increased funds? Will you explore every floor
carefully and find every hidden nook and cranny or will you rush through each
layer of the labyrinth in a mad rush to uncover its deeper mysteries? The game
places no pre conceived notions or requirements on you other than “go forth”. While this task is simple and refreshing in
concept, it is far from easy.
Standing in your way first and foremost is the Yggdrasil
Labyrinth itself. As its name would imply it is a forested maze teeming with
life. You explore the labyrinth in a first person perspective and this really
allows you to realize how convoluted and twisted the pathways and locations
are. Without a map you will quickly become hopelessly lost. This is where one
of the more unique aspects of Etrian Odyssey comes to the fore. Most modern
games would provide you with a map or have a map be filled out automatically as
you explore. Etrian Odyssey would never hold your hand like that. It requires
that you utilize the lower touch screen of the DS to draw your own map. While
this may sound cumbersome it is in fact brilliant and enjoyable. You step into
this labyrinth with no knowledge of what to expect. And then through your
careful exploration of the starting areas a map of your own creation begins to
take shape. You find shortcuts and secrets. The exploration becomes personal
and you feel as if your guild is actually exploring an unknown realm. It gives
a feeling of accomplishment and success to get to the end of a floor and see
your carefully created map detailing every bit of the inhospitable maze you
just traversed.
As mentioned above, the labyrinth is far from a dead place.
It is filled with creatures and beasts, none of whom appreciate upstart
adventurers wandering through their territory. When you inevitably bump in to these critters in random encounter battles, which happen at an extremely high
rate, you enter first person turn based combat. This combat is about as
traditional as it gets. Monsters are represented by nice static sprite
drawings, and what battle animations can be seen are quite simple. Your options
are the normal attack, skill, item, defend, escape, etc. If you've played a
turn based RPG before you will be immediately at home here. However, unless you
cut your teeth on old school NES RPGs of the early 90s the difficulty might catch
you off guard. These monsters aren't playing around at all. Even basic battles
can kick you to the game over screen faster than you can say Dragon Warrior.
However, while difficult, the combat never enters the realm of unfair. With
proper preparation, leveling, and strategy you will persevere and fell your
foes. Once dead they will drop pieces of their bodies or materials that can be
taken back to town and sold for currency to purchase items and equipment. And
the more materials you sell to the shopkeeper the more equipment you can buy.
Looking for a better shield? Better go find a dragon scale that you can have
the shopkeeper make it from then. This almost Monster Hunter-ish aspect of the
game makes hunting for a specific monster or drop meaningful and fun. While
nothing in the gameplay and battle department is new or exotic, it is all
executed with such precision and expertise that it never gets stale,
repetitive, or boring. The developer knew what they were doing, and it can be
seen and felt clearly in the end result.
Aside from the basic monsters you run into in the maze there
are also the imposing FOEs. These monsters can be seen as angry looking orange
or red snarls of energy in the dungeon. If they see you, they will chase you.
If they catch you then you’d best hope you’re ready. These mini boss level
monsters are extremely dangerous. When you first enter a floor you had best do
your best to avoid them until you have done some serious leveling. This adds an
aspect of cat and mouse to your exploration of the unknown. Turning a corner
and seeing a FOE waiting for you leads to a terrified run hoping nothing gets
in your way and that it doesn't catch you. Finding ways around these obstacles
is a kind of puzzle solving in its own way. If it’s blocking your path do you
let it see you and lure it out only to sneak behind it or do you wait until it
leaves on its own? Is it moving in a set path or randomly? Only one way to find
out.
As stated earlier the game gives you very little direction
or purpose. Every now and then a member of town will ask you for a favor or the
town leadership will task you with slaying a particular monster or collecting
something. However, the exploration of the unknown is the true driving force of
the game. As you go deeper into the labyrinth and it begins to change around
you more questions arise than answers and you can feel that the answers are
waiting if you can only get a bit deeper. Why is this labyrinth here? What is
it? Where are these creatures coming from? The only way to find out is to play
and go deeper.
The Bottom Line:
Etrian Odyssey is a supremely difficult, perfectly executed
traditional JRPG firmly rooted in old school mechanics. If simple turn based
combat isn’t enough for you then you may want to look elsewhere for your fun.
This is not the place to go for a deep, gripping story or in depth character
development. However, if the thrill of exploring the unknown and a really solid
battle system coupled with an addictive mapping mechanic sounds like your cup
of tea then drink up because this game is a blast for the right type of
audience.
Grant Nielsen
Grant Nielsen
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