Etrian Odyssey

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Not your typical Japanese RPG...

Words: Heidi Kemps, GamesRadar US

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Etrian Odyssey is not your typical Japanese RPG, though the cute anime artwork might mislead you at first. It’s much more akin to the dungeon-crawlers of yesteryear. Instead of a pre-determined cast of characters that leave and join throughout, you craft your own party from several classes of adventurer. Rather than “Go to Town A, see event B, slog through Dungeon C, wind up in Town D, repeat” gameplay progression, how far you’ve managed to make it into the game is determined simply by how deep you’ve burrowed into the massive labyrinth. There are no gimmick-laden battle systems here, just turn-based combat that’s been the root of RPGs since time immemorial. And, of course, there’s the difficulty, which can only be described as “merciless.”

Etrian Odyssey takes place in the titular kingdom of Etria, where adventurers gather to attempt to brave the depths of the nearby labyrinth. Your goal is to form a guild of adventurers, then take a party of 5 into the maze to see just how much of it you can explore. The game’s backstory does get more complicated than this later on, but for a good while, it’s simply “explore the dungeon and perform odd tasks while in there.” Clearly, an intricate story isn't really the game's focus.