G4TV

Etrian Odyssey wants gamers to forget everything they've learned from playing Final Fantasy games. The world isn't about to end. No super-powered maniac plots to unleash ancient magic. This RPG for the Nintendo DS is a throwback to the old-school dungeon crawl. The premise is modest, but compelling. Players assume the role of freelance adventurers seeking fortune by exploring the depths of a massive, intricate and deadly labyrinth. It's a refreshing, back-to-basics approach for a genre that seems to favor bloated plots and silly drama.

Stellar Cartography

The Nintendo DS's dual screens are ideal for Etrian Odyssey's classic game design. Most games simply slap a static map on one of the two displays. Here sketching out the details of the dungeon is a key part of game-play. Players outline paths, plot locations of doors, stairways, treasure and creatures and even add personalized notes, all via stylus and touch screen. The map is always available for doodling, even during the game's turn-based battles. This kind of multi-tasking breathes new life into the game's traditional fights, which play out much like a Pokemon battle. They're not exactly riveting unless you're up against a particularly nasty monster.

Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered

Be forewarned. Etrian Odyssey is tough. The first several floors of the game's massive dungeon are filled with failure and death. It's a brutal learning experience that prepares adventurers for challenges to come. Add the fact that money is scarce early on and the potential for frustration is high. But once lessons are learned, Etrian Odyssey lets up granting short-cuts, free health and mana refreshes and enough treasure to finance equipment and potion shopping sprees. This merciless approach would be unforgivable were the game not so thoughtfully designed. But as the game progresses players soon learn that they're in competent hands. Etrian Odyssey is hard, but not cruelly so. Each death makes only makes the next slaughtered beastie that much more sweet.

What's My Motivation?

Role-playing games are about acquisition. Skills, weapons, armor, potions and statistical upgrades are the cheese that keeps players scurrying through the maze. Great games spread the morsels in such a way that adventurers feel compelled to press on. Here the cheese is low-fat, yet very tasty. There are no cut scenes or extended story-telling sequences to slow down the treadmill. Some may find the presentation spare, especially if they're used to the bombastic, CG blow-outs of Square-Enix. Etrian Odyssey's 3D dungeon view is simplistic and character avatars are mere drawings that show up infrequently. It's downright quaint when you think about it. But for those who want nothing more from an RPG than an excuse to grab a torch and hunt, Etrian Odyssey offers the perfect bait.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa