Etrian Odyssey 3 (DS) - a.k.a. The Rape Button

(Kinda a comprehensive review for newbs, vets, and just a quick standard rundown)

*Note: If you're interested in this game and this is the first you've heard about it, none of the stories are connected. You're ok to play this without playing the first two*

This game has literally stolen a week from me. My god.

Ok, if you don't know, Etrian Odyssey is a traditional-battle-system (menu based), dungeon-crawling rpg for the ds. The series is hard. Like, real hard. Your first time through will not be over quickly, it will be painful, and you will not enjoy it (I swear I have to look that quote up again).

But that's where the game stops being like 90% of the rpgs today. First, it's more of an old school RPG in that it IS a dungeon-crawler. Like, world map? F that, the main objective of the game is to get to the bottom of the labyrinth. (Specifically in EO3, you're looking for a "Drowned City"). The DS gimmick is that you have to draw your own map, which is pretty kool because this makes you want to explore more and makes you more willing to backtrack for fear of missing secret paths or some good loot.

The big thing that seperates it from a lot of today's rpgs, imo, is the strategy that goes into it. I don't even mean in battle. Yes, you build a party with 5 active members (30 total), from 'bout 10 classes (you start with 8). All the classes are unique from each other and have differnet functions. However, their abilities are made to help you in combat and get through the dungeon. *Points back up* Again, you got 30 people total, so with the way things are, you'll wind up having a main party for like, going through and bustin' heads, an exploration party that can actually go for long times in the dungeon and find stuff, a gathering/grinding party, etc etc. And while some classes are clearly better than others, there are quite a few ways you can go about forming any sort of team.

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Ok, that's basically getting the hang of the game if you're new, if you've played the series before, you know all that. Here's what the returning people are looking for.

1st and foremost, they renamed/revamped all the classes. I'm on the fence about that. I wanted a princess in my party SO BAD, but I also had the idea of a team of like... Landsketch(Or Dark Hunter)/Paladin/Princess/Gunner/Medic. Well, ... Princess is the only one of those that exists, lol. It's really not bad. The ideas for some new classes are pretty kool (I like Monks, and I loooooooooooooove Princess (or Prince)), but then you got some stuff that's fairly meh. Farmers are busted for what they're supposed to do, imo.

Second, the new ideas they have in the game are interesting. At first I thought the whole sailing thing was going to be a stupid gimmick, but it's actually a nifty lil' makeshift puzzle. You have to travel around, find various new locations, and do quests there (which are all fights with NPC characters), but the trick is figuring out how to get to said spots from your starting town. It's not bad, it's 'bout finding the right items, but it's not braindead.

Most importantly, I feel as if EO3 is dumbed down alot from the first two. Don't get me wrong, the game is still hard, but the game gives you a ridiculous amount of noob-outs to make life easier than it has been before.

-It's easier to make characters for two reasons. One, they lump a lot of abilities together that you previously had seperated. It's kool cause this allows some of the "returning" classes to have new abilities (i.e. Hoplite, a.k.a. Paladin), but it makes stuff braindead easy. Sure, you can use your points for spear abilities for your Hoplite, but the point of the class is to protect stuff, right? So why not dump your points into LINE GUARD when you dont even have to worry about a f(ront) guard and b(ack) guard?

*The second reason is something I actually won't mention because it's a new mechanic that they kept under wraps. When you see it, you'll drop your jaw and then realize how broke it can get.

On top of those noob-outs, they've added a few things in the dungeon to make everything easier.

-Camp grounds. Now there's a place on some floors where you can pitch a tent and get life back. Nice for when you've gotta walk down some floors and then fight the boss, but if you've managed through two games this feels like a crutch.

-Gathering attacks. Now they give you a NICE CLEAR WARNING THAT YOU MIGHT GET FUCKED UP IF YOU KEEP ON GATHERING. On top of that, in the event that you do keep going and you get in a fight SPOILER it's only going to be a battle from that floor, not a later floor like EO2 end spoiler

-You also get XP from aloooooooooot of things you never got before. On a plus, you do get XP for killing F.O.E.'s again ( ,,!,, at EO2 for that nonsense ).

So all in all, if you've stomached either or both of the first EO's before, 3 will feel easier. It won't be EASY, per say, but it won't be like 1 when you're mapping the 1st floor and you get tore out the frame by some venom moths.

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So, wrapping up with some quick comprehensive stuff.

Gameplay: Traditional battle system dungeon crawler. Build a party and go. Draw a map. I don't really have to say much. The actual gameplay is pretty simple when you think about it.

Story: o.k., I'm not going to lie. I pretty much skipped through the story of 1 and 2, and I'm not really paying attention to 3 either. However, I can safely say it is a whole lot more involved and more in attention-grabbing than the first two. I mean, that's not specifically HARD to do, but I actually have taken more note to the main story and plot in this game than before.

Graphics: It's the same. The main screen is animated a lil' better. Like, you see the F.O.E.'s move smoothly on the top screen. XD Buncha menus, buncha still, designs are good, but you won't write home about any of them. 'cept the purple hair'd princess. She da byest!! ^_^

Sound: The actual sound effects? Nothing special, really. The music? Etrian Odyssey as a whole has a solid sound track, and 3 is delivering the same thus far. Infact, it's had the weakest soundtrack of the three games, and it's still banging. Hoist the Sword with Pride in the Heart is S-Rank.

Other: ... um.... -shrug- I knew what I was getting into when I bought the game, and I knew I was gunna like it regardless, so I really can't think of much to say here.

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Ending statements:

If you've got a ds (or you're a pirate), and you want a hard RPG, or even just want to try something "different", give EO3 a shot. I imagine you'll like it, even if you absolutely hate how hard you get trashed in it. The game is solid all around, and now is a good time to start since they toned down the rape some.

Speaking of pirates, they (read: buccaneers) are a huge disappointement for what I wanted. *looks at Atlus* Gimme' my gunner back, damnit!