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Etrian Odyssey

On the outskirts of a tranquil village called Etria a crack appeared, leading downwards from the forest. News and rumours of the contents of this natural cavity travelled across the reaches of the land, beckoning to adventurers young and old to come and explore the labyrinth. Successful explorers could expect to garner riches, renown and reputation for their discoveries; however there is only one reason any guild of explorers exists for: to experience the true, death-defying spirit of adventure.

Aside from events here and there throughout the labyrinth, that’s pretty much it for the story. Etrian Odyssey is a game that comes up short in the added bells and whistles department, but harkens back to a time when games were cruel and didn’t hold the gamers hand throughout. If you feel games lack the challenge of old and you want to test your mettle in the sprawling Yggdrasil Labyrinth, then this could well be the game for you.

The labyrinth is where you will spend most of your time, so make sure you do!

At the beginning of the game you find yourself in Verda Plaza in the town of Etria. Here you can access the Inn for resting and saving, the Apothecary for reviving fallen party members and buying medicinal items, the shop for buying and selling goods, the pub and Radha Hall for accepting and reporting successful quests and missions, the forest entrance and most importantly for when you are beginning the game: the Guildhouse. In the Guildhouse you create and name your guild and then register your personnel, selecting from a range of classes and character portraits to depict them. Everything is left up to you, the game doesn’t restrict you in anyway, however, it should be evident that a varied party of adventurers is the wisest course of action. Venturing into the labyrinth with five medics might seem novel, but you will soon realise that you won’t get anywhere.

Initially there are seven classes available with an extra two being unlocked as you play through the game. Landsknechts are frontline warriors who use axes and swords, Survivalists are ranged bow and arrow attackers, Protectors are there to soak up damage and draw fire away from the rest of the party, Dark Hunters use whips to disable enemies attacks before making an easy kill, Medics are healers, Alchemists are mages and Bards are there to boost the parties stats during battle. You can have up to five members in your party at a time, divided into the frontline and backline. If you have your Landsknecht on the backline then he will do less damage than he would from the front, likewise if you have your medic on the frontline, he is more likely to be targeted and killed. It’s worth thinking about who goes where so as you can make best use of their abilities and attributes.

The aim of the game is to explore each floor of the dungeon, map it all out as you go and find what treasures and wonders lie at the bottom. It’s played in a first person view with the labyrinth being shown on the top screen and the map on the lower screen. You can set it up so that the game will map out each tile you walk on, but you will have to draw in walls, add icons for doors, treasures and item points and so on. If you feel particularly hardcore then the auto map option can be turned off. It may sound incredibly boring, but you will fall in love with Etrian Odyssey because the creation of your own map makes you feel like a true adventurer. When in battle the map remains on the bottom screen so you can continue with your cartography between turns, and believe me, you will because it’s addictive and compulsive. The completionist in you will strive to have everything mapped out as fully and efficiently as possible.

It is not unlikely that you will see the game over screen after your very first battle, because despite not being totally thrown in at the deep end, B1F is a lot more tricky than you will expect. Difficulty is constantly a threat in Etrian Odyssey and is what provides the thrill of the exploration. Is it worth pushing on to map out another section or is it time to get back to town to heal up and save your progress? This is the perilous path you will tread. If you get to know your limits then you won’t see the game over screen as much as someone who plays a bit more recklessly. You will feel a great sense of achievement when you are able to slaughter your way through previously difficult floors- then when you progress to the next stratum the basic baddies will kill you at ease, just as though you were starting out on B1F again. You will still press onwards, needing to discover what lies deeper in the dungeon.