Etrian Odyssey

It's very well designed and the execution is highly polished; indeed, this is one of the best games I have played all year and it has been the default game in my DS since May when it was shipped - whenever I don't have another game that I need to play, Etrian Odyssey goes back in for more fun.

Whatever the sentiment, it is clear that Etrian Odyssey is a niche game that is sure to find the hearts of some and draw the ire of others.

Etrian Odyssey definitely isn't for everyone, but that's due to its genre rather than lack of quality. If you have a taste for brutal difficulty and don't mind a touch of level grinding now and then, you'll want to savor this game like a fine wine.

Those who can look beyond the basic presentation and steep difficulty curve will find Etrian Odyssey to be one of the lengthiest and most immersive role playing experiences on the DS to date.

This is not an action packed role playing game, with limit breaks, kamehamehas, and sixteen button combos during combat. This is a game of exploring a Labrynth and learning to survive it by strength and wit. Calling it well written is hard to do, as it has only the basic framework of a story, letting the player make it up on their own. But I do find it fun to play, completing quests, earning experience, and delving the depths of the Labrynth with my Landsknecht and team.

Etrian Odyssey will definitely appeal more to the OCD'd than the ADD'd, and its punishing difficulty and very deliberate pacing may turn off younger gamers who grew up on flashier roleplayers. But it offers a real sense of wonder and a sense of accomplishment -- feelings missing from far too many modern games.

All in all, it's hardly the perfect role-playing game, but wow is it fun while it lasts.

Makes you feel like a daring aventurer making progress, but at the expense of in-your-face thrills. [Aug 2007, p.63]

Be forewarned. Etrian Odyssey is tough.

The truth of the matter is that Etrian Odyssey’s punishing difficulty is actually the key to its addictive allure. [Aug 2007, p.118]

Get past the user unfriendly beginnings and you'll be chums for ages. [Aug 2008, p.81]

Etrian Odyssey is very much a love or hate affair. If you enjoyed the classic role-playing games of yore you'll probably going to love EO and its simple-yet-addictive battle system, extensive character customisation, and charming map-making features.

If you are looking for a game with a challenge then look no further. Etrian Odyssey will kill you and keep you coming back for more.

Etrian Odyssey is a turn-based role-playing game like any other, but it sports one heck of a mean streak to elevate it above the crowd.

It doesn't have ultra-realistic CG cut scenes, it doesn't have memorable characters that will jerk a tear from your eye when they fall in battle, but Etrian Odyssey is the quintessential old school RPG experience.

Etrian Odyssey is – with every ounce of its being – a RPG fanatic’s wet dream. The game makes no excuses for the player, demanding that you strategize every step of the way.

Players who never experienced the RPGs of the 80s are bound to scratch their head and wonder where all the graphics went.

Etrian Odyssey is best suited for gamers seeking an abundance of ultra-challenging Pokemon-style battles without a single Pocket Monster to speak of.

Etrian Odyssey is old school. There is no other way to describe it. It's slow, difficult, sparse with the hints and unforgiving to those who try to speed through it. If this doesn't sound like fun to you, then it's best to move along, because you won't enjoy Etrian Odyssey. However, if you're one of those gamers who has fond memories of Wizardry and Ultima, then this might just be what you're looking for.

Freedom reigns in Etrian Odyssey. [July 2007, p.96]

Players who have grown up with the likes of "Final Fantasy," however, will be unimpressed with Etrian Odyssey.

Etrian Odyssey succeeds in making some aged and usually uncomfortable RPG conventions feel fresh, thoughtful and engaging and is thoroughly recommended to DS owners with even a passing interest in the genre.

Etrian Odyssey is not for the faint of heart, there are consequences of falling in love with this game – lack of free time, as it will capture you. Yet the lack of appeal for the general audience is a big turn off for most.

A nostalgic treat for those who owned a C64 but too punishing and dated for young ones. [July 2008, p.82]

Etrian Odyssey is a traditional turn based dungeon crawler. Throughout the game you make your way through a myriad of paths in the Yggdrasil-labyrinth. This is clearly a game for fans of old turn based role playing games as it’s time consuming and requires a lot of active involvement from the player. If you’re not a hardcore fan of classic role playing games you might want to try this before purchasing it.

Kids weaned on "Final Fantasy VII" likely won't have the patience for it, but questers of the appropriate age(and/or nerdy enough to dig the Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack)should dive in. [June 2007, p.92]

The real appeal of Etrian Odyssey is the renaissance of the classic RPG. Instead of a world that conforms to your level and rewards you with HP every time you level up, you have to strategize about which characters will enter the Labyrinth, how best to allot skill points among your characters, who charges the front line and who stays in back, and how much money you have to spend on reviving dead characters.

I have nothing against games that hearken back to old-school sensibilities, but Etrian Odyssey just feels like an outdated game that snuck onto a modern console. [June 2007, p.118]