[Review] Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl
I played the original Etrian Odyssey when it came out for the Nintendo DS in 2007, some of Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard in 2008 as well as 2013’s Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, so I have some history with the series of quest-based first-person dungeon-crawlers. The previous entries were not my cup of tea, but Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is pretty unique. This entry features a full Story mode, in addition to its standard/”Classic” mode -- a first for the series. It is also a reimagining and a remake of the first game.
Note: This review is based on Story mode only.
Unlike Classic mode wherein you form your party and guild by choosing from several archetypal classes, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (EOU)’s Story mode sets you up with 5 pre-determined characters and is similar to traditional RPGs, with an expansive story, cutscenes and voice acting. You take on the role of a Highlander who is asked by the town of Etria to investigate and explore newly discovered ruins. While on your investigation, you soon meet four other companions who accompany you on your subsequent journey, which is full of adventure, drama and, of course, level grinding.
The Etrian Odyssey (EO) franchise has a heavy emphasis on exploring and completing quests the townies have for you. What sets the series apart is that there is no real map of the dungeons. As you explore, you can create and edit a map with the tools provided on the lower screen.
While exploring, you will encounter monsters, and disposing of them will garner you items and experience. Items can be sold in the shop in Etria. As you grind in dungeons, not only will you get more money from the shop owner, but you’ll help create better equipment by bringing back more and more items. Experience levels up your party, and also gives your party members skill points you can use to customize their abilities.
Battles are your usual first-person turn-based RPG fare. You can bring up a Reference screen which will indicate your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. Hitting an enemy with its weakness will deal extra damage, while attacking with its strength will cause much less damage. In EOU, characters can use Grimoire Stones to enable and use skills of another class. When you change classes, you’ll keep the same appearance and stats, but acquire that class’ skills.
The game’s designer is series mainstay, Himukai Yuji. The characters have a very anime-like feel to them, which fits the game quite well. The music was composed by fellow franchise veteran, Koshiro Yuzo, who has also worked on games such as the Streets of Rage series, Shenmue, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ys and one of my personal favorites, Namco X Capcom. The soundtrack of EOU switches between orchestral and rock music. I have also liked Koshiro’s works, and EOU is no exception.
I’ve always found the previous games extremely hard for me to get into due to the fact that there was no dialogue during missions and no real story -- it was always like, “Here’s a quest, go and do it without dialogue, come back, rinse, lather, repeat.” That’s not what I call fun; quite the opposite, actually. This, in turn, made the previous games feel like chores to me; however, with EOU’s Story mode having fixed all that, it made the game actually enjoyable. Nothing feels like a chore, not even creating maps. Doing it in previous titles made me want to throw the games against the wall. It can still feel a little tedious in EOU at times, but it’s nowhere as bad as in the earlier games. Having a full story and voice acting makes the characters relatable, rather than mere puppets.
Accessibility in EOU is a mixed bag. The shoulder buttons are used in both exploration and battle -- to strafe, and pull up the Reference screen/toggle auto-battle, respectively -- but they aren’t mandatory. That said, exploration and battle primarily use the D-Pad and face buttons, so that part is accessible. The mapping mechanic uses the touch screen to draw walls and place icons, and the Circle Pad to move the map. I’ve yet to see a clear in-game explanation as to what each icon means, so I just use what makes sense to me. The cutscenes are very well done, which is to be expected coming from famed Japanese animation studio Madhouse, however the dialog in the cutscenes lack subtitles. This isn’t really an issue for me, but it might be for my friend David.
The previous Etrian Odyssey games weren’t for me, but Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is the exception. I really enjoy the game, and I am not a fan of first-person dungeon-crawlers or the series’ mapping mechanic. Would I recommend picking it up? Probably, but I suggest trying the demo first, which is on the Nintendo 3DS eShop.
Game Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Accessibility Rating: 4/5 stars
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl was developed by Atlus, and published by Atlus USA. It was released on 2013.10.01 as both a physical retail version on game card, as well as a digital download on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. As of this writing, both retail for $39.99 USD new, and are rated T for Teen. They graciously sent me a copy of Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl for review, and I would like to sincerely thank them for doing so.
