Etrian Odyssey III

Did You Know?

• The game received 'generally favorable reviews' according to Metacritic.
• Famitsu gave it three nines and one eight, for a total of 35 out of 40.
• Famitsu said that 'the core charm of the series, with its Wizardry-style gameplay and player-built maps, is as strong as ever'.

Gameplay

The game presents a 3D view of the Wizardry-style dungeon on one screen and an overhead map display on the other, which players must maintain. The mapping system only partially maps the terrain, allowing players to freely place icons on a gridded map to represent sea currents, landmarks, and footnotes of encountered terrain. No pre-made playable characters exist; players build their own guild by creating characters from various classes, each with unique skills, statistics, and equipment limits. Up to five characters form the active party, while a guild can hold up to 30 characters, switchable in town. Twelve all-new classes are provided, along with a subclassing ability that grants most of a second class's skill set, except for the unlockable Yggdroid class, which cannot be subclassed but can learn sub classes. After completing the first mission, players can set sail on a ship; voyages depend on provisions, restricting movement by the number of spaces provisions allow. Sea mapping uses the same system as the labyrinth, with exclusive navigation icons for whirlpools and islands. While sailing, there are no random encounters or monsters except for pirate ships that roam like F.O.E.s on the labyrinth and sink the player's ship on contact. Sea missions involve locating foreign ports to restore Armoroad's trading roads; reaching a port unlocks a sea quest to eliminate unique monsters in that area, necessary for completing the monster discovery book.

Plot

The game is set in the sea city of Armoroad, surrounded by ocean. Armoroad prospered in ancient times with high-level civilization, but a great earthquake a hundred years ago sank the central part of the city to the bottom of the sea, along with its superior technology. After this Great Disaster, a labyrinth appeared in the hole created by the earthquake. Adventurers from around the world gather in Armoroad to find clues to the vanished city, descending into the enormous hole to seek the truth behind the disaster or the treasures buried deepest under the sea.

Development

Shigeo Komori, director of Etrian Odyssey II and III, explained the addition of the sea element in an interview. He noted that the image of Etrian Odyssey was a green sea of trees, and that of Etrian Odyssey II was the chill sky of North Europe; for the third title, he felt attracted by the warm southern sea. On February 8, 2023, Atlus announced during a Nintendo Direct event that the game would be remastered in HD and released for Nintendo Switch and Windows on June 1, 2023. The remaster is available separately or in the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection alongside remasters of the first two games. It includes updated visuals and music, quality of life changes, and additional character portraits, with portraits of Nahobino from Shin Megami Tensei V and Aigis from Persona 3 added as DLC.