Etrian Odyssey (video game)
A first-person dungeon crawler with player-drawn maps.
Etrian Odyssey is a Nintendo DS role-playing game from 2007 by Atlus. Players create a party and explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth from a first-person view. Critics gave the game mixed to positive reviews, finding its brutal difficulty both a barrier and a source of satisfaction.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Atlus, Lancarse
- Publisher
- Atlus (JP)
- Atlus USA (NA)
- Nintendo (PAL)
- Sega (HD) (WW)
- Engine
- Unity (HD)
- Director
- Kazuya Niinou
- Programmer
- Mitsuhiro Hoshino
- Artist
- Yuji Himukai, Yukari Yokoro
- Writer
- Shigeo Komori
- Composer
- Yuzo Koshiro
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players explore and map a vast dungeon in fixed increments, with time passing only when an action is taken. Movement, random encounters, and combat are entirely turn-based. The dungeon is presented in first-person view using 3D computer graphics for environments and single-frame 2D sprites for enemies. Players maintain their own map by annotating a small map on the DS touchscreen with a stylus, using a limited set of pre-designed symbols; the number of symbols per level map is also limited. In addition to random encounters, FOEs (Field On Enemies) are exceptionally powerful monsters that wander the dungeon like the player's party, advancing whenever the player does. Most FOEs follow a set circular path until they sense the party, then move directly toward it. If multiple FOEs are present, additional ones may join a battle if they reach the party before the first is defeated. Characters are created from several classes; only five can be in the party at once, but more can be kept at the guild hall and swapped in town. Skill points are allocated to specific skills during level advancement.
Plot
The player forms an adventuring guild to explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth from the town of Etria, encouraged by the Radha and chieftain Visil. The rōnin Ren and hexer Tlachtga teach the player to explore and descend into each stratum. Near the lowest stratum, the player encounters the Forest Folk, a humanoid race that tries to prevent further descent citing an ancient pact. The player defeats their guardian bird, the Iwaopeln, and enters the lowest stratum, discovering the ruins of post-apocalyptic Shinjuku, revealing the setting as a far-future Earth. Ren and Tlachtga then confront the player to kill them, claiming that discovering the labyrinth's secrets would stop explorers from coming to Etria. The player defeats them and confronts Visil deeper in the labyrinth. Visil, the immortal lead researcher who created the Yggdrasil Project to restore the planet, merges with Yggdrasil's core to become the Etreant. The player defeats him, destroying Yggdrasil.
Development
Atlus revealed Etrian Odyssey to the public through Famitsu after a private demo at E3 2006. Kazuya Niinou, who had previously directed Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the DS, led development. Yuji Himukai handled character art, Shin Nagasawa designed the monsters, Shigeo Komori wrote the story, and Yuzo Koshiro composed the FM-style soundtrack. The international release was originally planned as Yggdrasil Labyrinth, but the name changed to prevent mix-ups with Yggdra Union or Deep Labyrinth. On February 8, 2023, a Nintendo Direct announced an HD remaster for Nintendo Switch and Windows, launching June 1, 2023. This remaster uses the original DS version rather than the 2013 remake, featuring upgraded visuals and music, quality-of-life improvements, and new character portraits. Downloadable content added portraits of Persona 5’s Joker and Soul Hackers 2’s Ringo.
Reception
Etrian Odyssey sold 32,511 copies in its first week in Japan. Media Create/Famitsū reported 119,584 copies sold in Japan as of July 1, 2007. Atlus's July 2007 investors report listed US sales at around 30,000 units roughly two months after release. The game received favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Critics recognized it as accomplishing its goal of presenting a classic RPG experience, but noted this limits its appeal to a hardcore demographic. IGN remarked that out of ten players, one or two might truly enjoy it. GamePro stated it is for genre fans, not the short-on-time. 1UP.com concluded that it appeals more to the OCD'd than the ADD'd, and its punishing difficulty and deliberate pacing may turn off younger gamers, but it offers a sense of wonder and accomplishment. N-Europe awarded an 8/10, criticizing its lack of story and being too old school for some. Josh Bycer in Black Gate said that while dungeon crawlers are less common, an audience exists for well-designed RPG systems, and balancing difficulty with design requires a skilled team.
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