Review for Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. Nintendo 3DS game, the video game was released on 04/08/2016
More than a year after his arrival in Japan, Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth finally lands in Europe. The latest JRPG in Dungeon Crawler key of the homonymous series proves once again to be one of the best titles of its kind, this time thanks also to some additions compared to the previous chapters and to some improvements.
Consequently, fans of the series can only rejoice at the arrival of this little pearl by Atlus, available only on Nintendo 3DS.
The Yggdrasil Labyrinth, a real challenge only for a few
The Etrian Odyssey series has never focused on a particularly deep story line, but on gameplay and the desire to propose a difficult path to those who consider themselves an expert in role-playing games. Also in this fifth chapter we will find ourselves protagonists of the guild that we will found, with which we will explore the pitfalls and labyrinths that will lead to the ancient great tree Yggdrasil, a place that has become the subject of a thousand legends concerning power, magic and treasures. The guild we will take over will settle in a village located right at the foot of Yggdrasil, Iorys.
Iorys was built specifically to house adventurers, officially recognized by the council, who intend to venture into the impossible undertaking.
Tackle an adventure with ingenuity and hand on the stylus
As it will be easy to guess, overcoming numerous labyrinths will require commitment and attention. Fortunately for the player, the series has always taught the player to a mapping system full of signs, icons and the ability to enter personal notes. Using the lower screen and the stylus, you will draw your map for each floor of the labyrinth and you can insert icons indicating the collection points, stop camps and any events. Making the perfect skeleton of each floor of the map is essential for the success of the main quests and side quests, but it also serves to facilitate your forays through hidden shortcuts. In addition, each floor will present different road accidents, in which the player will try his hand at some detours, the choices of which can bring rewards and experience for the party, or bitter surprises.
It will therefore be essential to read between the lines of the narrative provided by the story and think about which are the most correct choices to make. Other times, however, there will be particular enemies, very dangerous, visible in the map and that will move according to our actions: the numerous puzzles related to them will allow the player to get the better of them without the need to fight them. However, the final choice will always be up to the player, the protagonist and creator of everything.
A varied and precise creation and customization system
If there is one thing that this series still remains undefeated today, it is surely everything that revolves around the mechanics of guild creation and dungeon crawling. Many games of the same type allow a generic customization of the party, but only Etrian Odyssey continues to amaze with the infinite possibilities it grants to the player, and in this fifth title he does it even better! One of the additions over its predecessors is the “Race”, which allows for a more varied party not only in terms of class, but also to expand the methods of exploration.
The four races available in the game are: Earthlain, Celestrian, Therian e Brouni; each of them specializes in some classes rather than others. Being able to build a versatile team is one of the keys to being able to survive, thanks also to the support skills that each race possesses.
The Therians, for example, will be essential during some missions and journeys where we will come across different animals, thanks to their knowledge and ability to communicate with them. The Earthlains, on the other hand, specialize in forage, harvesting and fishing skills, allowing them to receive higher quality and sometimes rarity. As our characters level up, it will be possible to acquire many skills from their races, able to support exploration, but also to provide facilities in battle. If we have so far analyzed the creation of the party from a technical point of view, now it's also about aesthetics, because the eye wants its part.
Each class has a total of four portraits, two of each gender. By choosing one of these as a base, you can indulge yourself in the choice of colors regarding hair and eye colors - also allowing you to have two eyes of different color, or hair with multiple shades of color - and finally, the choice of the item that the character will have. It is up to you to choose whether a male Dragoon will have a feminine voice or not.
Classes and specializations: Etrian Odyssey V's flagship
Even more important than the races are the classes, which meticulously dictate what our approach will be during the adventure in these labyrinths. Each race has two classes that you can rely on, with the exception of Earthlains who have three, and one of the first keys to not succumbing in battle is being able to balance a versatile party so that you have the most vital roles covered.
The fact remains that Etrian Odyssey V leaves total freedom to the player, with a total of ten usable classes, able to "evolve" reached a certain part of the story. In fact, another brand new gem for this Etrian Odyssey is the "Class Mastery", which is a procedure that allows a further specialization to the character who has undertaken a certain class. These specializations allow you to increase the amount of techniques that can be acquired, through a second "tree of techniques", and further vary the fighting style, also affecting the basic parameters of the character.
If we wanted to try to simplify this speech - apparently complex on paper - as best we could, we could take the Dragoon as an example, a class particularly suited to being a Tank and accusing as many hits as possible. Although the Dragoon can be a perfect character for the defensive, once granted the "Class Mastery" we will be able to choose whether to perfect the role with the shield, and consequently make it the best Tank in the game, or specialize it in the use of firearms, means with which he can inflict greater damage than the basic Dragoon, and learn different offensive skills, at the expense of defense and any support skills.
Each class in the game has the opportunity to obtain a "Class Mastery", potentially expanding the possibilities of creating the party that the player prefers and at the same time being able to face the mazes of Yggdrasil.
It's been four long years since the last Etrian Odyssey and if we were to answer the question "was it worth the wait so long for the fifth chapter?" the answer would be an immediate “Yes!”. Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth perfects what is already present in the previous titles of the saga, giving greater freedom of customization and gameplay. Adding the icing on the cake are the introduction of races and the Class Mastery, capable of expanding the player's approach to this title endlessly. It certainly won't be a JRPG accessible to everyone, also due to its difficulty not suitable for a novice, but Etrian Odyssey V is indisputably one of the best, if not THE best, titles in this niche genre.
► Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is a JRPG type game developed by ATLUS and published by ATLUS Deep Silver for Nintendo 3DS, the video game was released on 04/08/2016
