Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth

Whether it’s your first foray into Yggdrasil or your fifth, playing Etrian Odyssey V is a true pleasure. Its addictive central gameplay loop combines engaging exploration, strategic combat and DIY cartography, all wrapped up in a charming presentation and a lush, organic aesthetic. It’s gorgeous to look at it, beautifully balanced, and polished to a sheen, but perhaps best of all Etrian Odyssey V feels like the culmination of a concept that’s uniquely tied to the 3DS. With its touchscreen mapping and masterful use of stereoscopic 3D, it feels utterly at home here, and while the little handheld may have plenty of life in it yet, we still can’t imagine a more fitting swan song for this extraordinary era of dual-screened RPG wonder. A must for any aspiring adventurer.

Perhaps Etrian Odyssey V is the swansong of a franchise that has been one of the few to make meaningful use of an approach to technology and gameplay that has now been obsoleted as Nintendo has retired the dual screen idea. If that’s the case, I’m not going to lie; I’m sad for the end of the end of the franchise, but at least in Etrian Odyssey V it went out on a real high note.

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth continues the proud tradition of the franchise with its stellar character customization and level designs as it poses a daunting challenge, well worth conquering- one tile at a time.

Etrian Odyssey V might not have changed much over previous installments, but it has refined the already sophisticated cartography to a T with its clever environmental puzzles and great user interface.

Immersive, challenging, and personable, Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth on Nintendo 3DS is an excellent RPG that balances both difficulty and customisation with a considerable amount of care.

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is an excellent addition to the dungeon crawler RPG series from Atlus: players will find a lot of exploration, a huge variety of classes and races, and an intriguing - yet quite challenging - gameplay.

A challenging yet accessible dungeon crawler that rewards thoughtful party construction and thorough exploration.

Etrian Odyssey V is a fun and interesting game for anyone who likes a bit of challenge and isn’t put off by having to create your own maps. There’s a good balance between explaining enough to get the player started in figuring things out and leaving a lot to be discovered. The combat system is also deep and allows for a lot of customization and strategic choices.

Etrian Odyssey V is a digital adventure that leans analogue, with pen-and-paper sensibilities that delight far more than they frustrate.

While Etrian Odyssey 5 may not be well-suited for genre novices or people who shy away from the combat side of RPGs, you'd be hard-pressed to find a stronger example of this particular slice of the genre. It offers enormous customization; fresh challenges both inside and out of combat; a setting rich with things to do besides simply fight; and best of all, that addictive mapping feature. Here's a game destined to appeal to the lizard brain of Type-A personalities, to people who love to line up details and see everything slowly take shape. With each line you draw on the in-game map, you bring a tiny bit more order to chaos and transform the unknown into the familiar. Etrian Odyssey 5 isn't simply the best game in its own franchise, it's easily the richest and most satisfying dungeon crawler to appear in the past decade.

Etrian Odyssey V is a true successor to the original two Nintendo DS Etrian Odyssey games but one that has modern improvements to gameplay and a best in class customization system.

This is an intense and satisfying adventure, full of challenges to guide us through its dungeons. It isn't revolutionary, but if you like the series, give it a try.

When it comes to rewarding dungeon exploration, you can't do much better than Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. Even with its frustrating aspects, what's here is a treat for gamers who love old-school dungeon-crawling adventures.

The combination of careful, quiet exploration punctuated by fierce combat is what makes Beyond the Myth so much fun.

Despite a weak story, a boring beginning and well known mechanics, the complex character generation, the flexible management and the challenging turn based tactics make this a dungeon crawler worth getting.

Etrian Odyssey V is almost identical to its predecessors, it's completely lacking of a narrative and it's not that pretty to look at. Still, what we have here is a rock solid RPG akin to the ones back in the Dungeons&Dragons days, that will keep you busy for at least fifty to sixty hours.

Thanks to chapters as memorable as Beyond the Myth, the Etrian Odyssey franchise has become in one of the best dungeon crawler JRPGs out there.

Etrian Odyssey V is very much what I expected it would be. That means it won't appeal to anyone who has never been interested in this series, but it continues to showcase impressive dungeons and a rewarding sense of exploration. The series hasn't lost its spark of well-realized inspiration, and that's all many need to hear. It certainly managed to ensnare me for the entirety of the experience.

Beyond an assumed classicism, Etrian Odyssey V refocuses on the Yggdrasil labyrinth, adding space and depth to exploration. Hence this episode gives more relevance to each decision, each combat, which boldly asserts its mythical role playing heritage through such refined formula.

​Etrian Odyssey V is a brilliant RPG but the series is becoming increasingly stagnant with new ideas and features awkwardly implemented in an otherwise successful structure.

It may be that my complaints regarding this game’s steep difficulty curve are applicable to every non-Untold entry in the series. If that’s the case, and you were fine with it then, by all means jump onboard the Etrian Odyssey V train. However if you, like me, only have experience with the Untold story mode, maybe consider buying and trying Etrian Odyssey IV when it’s next on sale to see if the challenge is right for you. This new game also has a demo, and the save data transfers over to the full game. Etrian Odyssey V was a rude awakening for me, but I’m glad I powered through.

Etrian Odyssey V knows what it does well and sticks to it. There are enough small changes from previous entries to give the game its own flavor, but it's not going to reinvent the core framework that makes the series tick. Fans will definitely want to check out this latest entry, and quality-of-life improvements make the game accessible to newcomers as well.

One of the best Nintendo 3DS games you will play this Fall.

The Etrian Odyssey series has the first-person dungeon crawler genre down to a simple art. Players looking for a challenging title that will keep them coming back with every tiny improvement need look no further than Etrian Odyssey V.

The drawbacks to this game are numerous and ugly. If you can’t stand the grind, taking tons of notes and performing costly experiments as you go, this will be torture for you. But! For a certain kind of gamer, this is bliss.

Etrian Odyssey V is a remarkable return to the origins of the saga: a complete, finished, and extremely long-lasting game. Developers have blunted many of the gameplay elements, setting aside each side activity and minimizing narration. The reversal of the medal of this operation is in the mighty sense of having already seen it assaulting old-time fans.

Etrian Odyssey is a fun & very technical role-dungeon-crawler game in which we will need dozens of hours of intense dedication in order to train all our characters and to get to the top of the Yggdrasil.

Etrian Odyssey V feels close to what the series has done before, but the new classes and skills keep things from getting too dull. For those who enjoy retro RPGs, love building characters, and don't mind grinding for victory, that’s certainly all here. Still, the tedium and slow-paced nature of the game leave a lot to be desired, and the feeling of déjà vu left me wanting more.

I'm torn on Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. I sincerely believe it could be the best entry in the series, that it has refined the formula to near perfection. But in perfecting what is already there, it makes no strides to further advance the series. There are new additions but no new ideas, and after the last two games in the series, I leave this entry not wondering what is next, but if the developers have anything left in them.

One of the oddest sequels of all time, which removes one of the series’ most interesting features and adds almost nothing in return.

I'm glad this game made it over, but it's not as special as I'd hoped. [Issue #31 – January/February 2018, p. 29E]

While I still enjoy Etrian Odyssey in general and would recommend the series as a top-shelf dungeon crawler, I find it difficult to recommend Beyond The Myth to anyone who hasn’t already gone through the other games first. Between the watching-paint-dry speed of character growth and the lack of innovation in its overall design, this one feels like it’s going through the motions with no inspiration behind it. I fully admit that the Etrian team has continuously set higher and higher bars for themselves over the years and they’re still in a class of their own, but this feels like they’re just coasting. With so many fantastic games already under their belts, there’s little reason to play this one.