Etrian Odyssey games have always made me nervous when playing them. I like a challenge, but sometimes these games can take it a bit too far, especially if you don't have a lot of time to focus on the game. This is in no way a knock on the game, many people like that aspect, I just never had time. Well, Atlus seemed to focus on solving that issue with Etrian Odyssey 4. There is a casual mode that decreases difficulty, allows you to use items over and over again, and instead of giving you a game over the game sends your party back to town. This is just what I needed to get into the series. The game is beautiful, the 3D is done well, and the characters and story really bring the world to life. There is a lot of game here and it's not for the feint of heart. But, if you like a challenge (even casual is tough by the way, just not as tough as before) and want to experience a game akin to Wizardry of old, then this is your ticket.… Expand

Etrian Odyssey IV is a classic dungeon crawling RPG for the Nintendo 3DS that bears similarities to Wizardry. Is it a great addition to the RPGs on the 3DS? I would definitely agree that it is.

The plot of the game isn't anything of major interest and contains average writing overall, but with games like these, the story isn't the major focus of the game to begin with.The music in this game is absolutely beautiful, and fits well with the mood of each area and events in the game.

The gameplay resembles Wizardry and other classic dungeon crawling RPGs with you exploring areas by airship and on foot, finding treasures, hunting monsters, doing missions, drawing maps and fighting in strategic turn based RPG battles all while advancing the plot, gaining levels, getting better loot, making money and improving equipment and items. The game has two different difficulties, normal for people who want to play the game in its normal difficult format, and casual for people if they find normal too difficult and unforgiving.

The game is packed full of content, plenty of hours worth of play time with the story, side-quest missions, exploring, hunting enemies for supplies and anything else to collect and see everything it has to offer. Once you have completed everything in the game, you can even scan QR codes given out by Altus to get even MORE side-quest missions to play. You can also share guild cards via QR codes with other guilds (and if your level is high enough, you can hire members from other guilds to join yours and help out but they can't gain experience or have their equipment or skills changed). There is even a New Game where you can replay the story again will all of your characters and their equipment remaining in the next playthrough, however, all of the items that aren't equipped to characters (that are in the inventory or storage) are deleted.

Although many people find this game to be rather difficult, I tend to disagree, I had my entire party at level 70 by the time I reached the 3rd floor of the 3rd main dungeon when playing on normal difficulty, but I will admit that the bosses in the post-story can be extremely difficult and unforgiving if you aren't properly prepared. The last two secret bosses in particular can even take down a party of level 99s pretty easily if you don't have a good plan or strategy in place.

Overall, its a great RPG dungeon crawling game, but it can consist of a lot of grinding, strategic planning and fighting difficult battles to complete fully, if you aren't put off by that, then I suggest that you check it out.… Expand

The game's main draw is the sense of accomplishments you get from exploring a dungeon drawing it out making notes and successfully completing a dungeon filled with challenging and diverse enemies. The battling is fun making you command several different classes with branching special abilities which you can customize to your play style. Liking this game far more than expected too.

Ever since the SNES era, I've been a huge RPG fan. From Japanese masterpieces like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and EarthBound to American franchises like The Elder Scrolls, I'm always enthralled by the epic storylines, memorable characters, and ridiculously immersive gameplay.

There are, however, plenty of pitfalls in the genre. Sometimes, a game with all of the above qualities will simply force you to grind way too much (hello, Secret of Mana!). Other times, games turn into a slugfest of item and/or stats management that makes it a lot harder to enjoy their other qualities (much like The World Ends With You).

To be blunt, Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan features none of the qualities I mentioned above AND all of the hassles. The game is an endless grind, with no real compelling story and no memorable characters (all of your party are almost-faceless, player-created drones).

Everything you do in the game, you do in the coldest way possible, through a crapload of menus and submenus. You don't get to wander around towns, approach townsfolk, look for secrets in the back alleys... you simply choose what to do from a list, suffer through boring dialogues, and proceed to grind the next dungeon.

As if all of this wasn't enough, the game (apparently, the series) forces you to draw your own map as you go along. Words can't describe how aggravating I found that experience. Of course, it's something that real life adventurers would have to do, but it's also the sort of minutia I really don't want to have to deal with in a game. It makes adventuring seem more like a job than, well, an adventure.

I know there are stat-grinding aficionados out there. For them, this game must be heaven (and the excellent graphics will definitely help). If that's not your case, however, chances are you'll find it a soulless, charmless drag.… Expand

This is the fourth in a series that became my favorite on Nintendo's DS, and even though the series is not a graphics powerhouse, the still artwork put into the characters and the backgrounds is beautiful, and one of the most attractive attributes of the series. But the biggest draw of these dungeon crawler-style games is definitely the mechanic of having to draw a map of the labyrinths on a grid on the bottom screen of the DS and now the 3DS. The point of view of the player is first-person, like the dungeon crawlers of old, and the view is now enhanced with the use of 3D on the upper screen. All in all, if you want a deeply involved role-playing game for your 3DS, this is one of the best! Managing the powers, attacks, and weapons of your characters as you slowly level up is incredibly nuanced, and you will start thinking of these avatars as real people by the time you clock in your 25th hour on the game. This is not a game that will charm everyone, though, as you will need a lot of patience and handle frustration well unless you play it on the new "casual" mode (although I can't imagine the game being much fun on that setting!). The developers also implemented a very clever use of the Street Pass and the use of QR codes for this installment that will give a whole new twist to veterans of the series. Highly recommended, but play the demo first (available on eShop) so you know what you are getting into! Incidentally, this is the first time I have encountered a console game demo that will let you save your progress and then use it towards the full version of the game... clever move!… Expand

Fantastic game. Hard, pretty, strategic. Not a hugely engaging story, but one that keeps things interesting enough. QR Quests keeps things busy. Nice level branching. StreetPass is nifty. Awesome dungeon-crawler JRPG.

Actually, I've been very, very impressed with this game.
First, the core elements are actually very well executed. You get to build a team from a few classes that you think will gel well, and the skill tree gives the opportunity to really play with some combinations in interesting ways. Each class has its own purpose, and a couple different ways of achieving that purpose based on how you build them. There are lots of different items and equipment, many of which offer depth instead of just raw upgrades. Enemies are plentiful too, often offer challenge at a good pace (while showing how much your team has grown as inititally big guys get easier and easier to take down), and have enough interesting traits to keep you on your toes even when dealing with common enemies, instead of just mashing through the attack button.
Some of the more fringe elements of the game are what made it turn out to be a real gem. Being able to build my own map is surprisingly fun, even though it's a feature that probably could have just been forgone. It has a certain old-school charm to it, like making notes and scrawling down home-made maps in days long gone. The fusion of random battles (re-imagined to make them a not-agonizing mechanic) and set battles (which still move on the map during other battles) adds some real feeling of tension and a sense of urgency that I never thought a turn-based RPG could have. The mechanic to distract big monsters is a nice touch and adds a lot of depth to even navigating the game's maps.

There are some small quirks. The anime style isn't particularly offensive, but I always hate to see single, static character portraits for dialogues, especially in a game that puts in as much personality as this. It is not hard to add a couple of extra visuals of major characters, so they can change their expressions. In spite of some very small shortcomings, excellent game! Highly recommend to all fans of RPGs.… Expand

This game brings an enhanced graphics engine boasting polygonal enemies and new 3D special effects. An exceedingly atmospheric and fully orchestrated musical score. It also features more immersive 3D dungeons.

This series has come a long ways from the first entry on the ds. With the added power of the 3ds we now have a better draw distance in the dungeons as well as visible foes. no longer are forced to run into them to see what we are going to fight. visuals look excellent compared to even the previous entry. this game however is not for the faint of heart as its one of the more challenging games out there! Be prepared to spend upwards of 70+ hours to even get close to the end! With the added casual mode its now accessible to New comers as well as veterans of the series! If anything check out the demo to see if this game's for you!… Expand

I would recommend this game to anyone who wants a customizable, immersing experience, but first I would recommend playing the demo (free on eShop). All of your progress from the demo will transfer easily into the full retail version of the game. The uniqueness of this series is from the map drawing, which admittedly I was very wary of in my first Etrian experience (3). I got over it fast. There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with the map drawing, and it's surprisingly enjoyable and easy to get the hang of. The combat is challenging and evolves throughout the entire game, forcing you to pay attention to your party and skill choices. The game is truly hard, but balances out if you play it skilfully. The music is stunningly composed, and the cutesy-ness of the characters is juxtaposed by the brutality of the game and fate of many soldiers and other adventurer NPCs. The sense of exploration and discovery is palpable. They place enemies that will decimate your party on the map in the first zone and all others, and when one gets sight of your party and chases after you, the tension is thrilling. This ranks in my top three 3DS games. For the time it will keep you hooked, which is at least 60-80 hours, it is a great value.… Expand

Purchased this game on a hunch based on the good user reviews, and thought i should come back to confirm it was a good hunch. This game starts a little slowly, but the more you put it into it, the more it gives back. It is a very rewarding game experience that makes excellent use of the 3DS hardware. I have binge-played it for a couple of days and just made it to the beginning of the second world area. Character customization is seemingly very deep, already some of the ones i made have a multitude of abilities and ive yet to break past the "novice" tier of character skill development.

The more you learn about how to play, how to take advantage of the mapping features with the touchscreen, and progress the game, the more fun the game has become for me. One doesnt have to play it all in long sessions, either. it is quite possible to spend small jaunts of time quite productively, as well as going all-out to try and bend the gameplay to your will. If you attempt the later i believe you will find the challenge beyond satisfactory. Rushing ahead is punished harshly, but almost miraculously i dont think you will be compelled to do so. This is a fun experience to be savored patiently.… Expand

Etrian Odyssey IV is a wonderful addition to the Etrian Series and the 3DS Library of games. One of the best, if not best, game for the 3DS this year. This game will not appeal to everyone though, unfortunately. The game is ridiculously difficult, and if you manage to stay along with it, you'll be rewarded. The mapping in the game is easy to learn and fun to do, and the labyrinths/caves are amazing. My only complaint is that the city is a menu, although that doesn't affect the gameplay of the game that much. The bosses/Foes are fun and the puzzles are pretty good. The music is definitely one of the better soundtracks you can listen to nowadays, and the art is amazing as well. The many varieties of classes/sprites, map items, and exploration, prove to make this game a definitely worthy buy. You can even roam the world in an airship! If you are reading this now and is/are an rpg fan, buy the game as soon as you can you won't regret it… Expand

Like the ds, all players can deeply thanks atlus for all the good games.

Etrian odyssey 4 is a hardcore donjon-rpg but far better than any wizardry, class of heroes of whatever else.
The 3ds give finally some good graphics for this serie (3d models are cool, but they didn't do ugly 3d artworks), you have a lot of class to make your team, the musics are great (even if Etrian odyssey 3 is unmatchable)..

If you have a 3ds and you want a good (and not easy) game, you NEED to buy EO4.
Because we need more games like this one, more good rpg games, the 3ds don't have enough of them actually.… Expand