Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Shall We Do It? (Etrian Odyssey IV)

I know I exclaimed a couple of days ago that I'd come up with a new name for this particular column, but I've since had a change of heart. "Let's Do It" is a nice enough alternative, but it's too straightforward--and kind of boring, too.

As a result, I'm sticking with the original "Shall We Do It?"--although I am going to tweak how I use it from here on out. Basically, I'm going to simplify the headers I write for these posts. The new ones will be a bit less fun than the old ones, I guess, but they'll also be a lot less wordy and awkward.

Anyway, enough about that. You clicked on this post so you could read all about my on-going shenanigans with Etrian Odyssey IV, right?



I'd originally planned to talk about two other 3DS games--THE "DENPA" MEN 3 demo and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball--in this post, by the way. Unfortunately, the "DENPA" MEN 3 demo that was supposed to hit the North American eShop late last week was postponed until May 8 due to "technical difficulties" and it's been so long (about two weeks, I think) since I last booted up Rusty's Real Deal Baseball that I can't think of anything to say about it.

So, we'll stick to Etrian Odyssey IV and Etrian Odyssey IV only in this installment of "Shall We Do It?" Which is just as well, because I've spent more than 40 hours with this 3DS dungeon-crawler so far and, as such, I have quite a lot to say about it.

For starters, I probably should share that I've just gained access to the title's fourth "land," known as the "Cloudy Stronghold." It's taken me about 12 to 15 hours to conquer each land so far, which most Etrian Odyssey lifers probably would consider a laughably slow pace, but I like to piddle around while playing games like this.



Anyway, here a few thoughts on the journey so far:

The soundtrack is sublime--All hail Yuzo Koshiro, the man responsible for this game's delightfully varied set of tunes. Honestly, I've yet to come across a track I don't like, although the standouts for me at the moment are the jaunty, flute-filled Tharsis theme and the shimmering, guitar-laden song that serves as the backdrop of most, if not all, of the fourth land's dungeons.

It surprises me how much I'm liking the animated enemies--Back when this game was announced, I was unimpressed that it would be the first entry in the Etrian Odyssey series to feature animated enemies. The static ones found in the first game were more than enough for me. Or so I thought. Now that I've seen a good portion of this game's polygonal baddies in motion, I have to admit I find them mightily impressive--and I far prefer them to their immobile predecessors.

The airship-traversed overworld is a remarkably nice addition--This is another element that I originally eyed with a healthy dose of suspicion. How much could an overworld really add to the Etrian Odyssey experience? Turns out, it adds quite a bit. I'm especially fond of the hunting-and-gathering aspect that's tied to the animals, birds, fish, fruit and veggies that can be harvested while flying around each land and then either sold for cash or traded for swag.



One final, positive comment about my experience with Etrian Odyssey IV so far: I love how, pretty much without fail, a new "land" opens up just as I'm about to become burned out on the current one. If only the folks responsible for Bravely Default had been so keen on or aware of the importance of pacing in such games...

(Speaking of Bravely Default, I'd like to add here that I'm very much enjoying the fact that Etrian Odyssey IV has an almost nonexistent story. Sometimes you just want to battle your way through a game like this, you know?)

Have any of you spent any time with Etrian Odyssey IV? If so, please feel free to share your own thoughts on this 3DS dungeon-crawler in the comments section below.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

21 comments:

Bodo said...

After I've finished the first Etrian Odyssey game last year I'm still playing the second one which may take another 5 years.
I really love the Etrian Odyssey series for their old-school dungeon crawling, character design, (chip)-tunes and 2d-sprites/graphic and I'm not 100% sure if I really like the 4th game with it's 3d-models after I've played the demo version for about 1-2 hours so far.

Justin Difazzio said...

I played the demo, which initially made me go "Eh...". But after spending an hour or so with it, I was hooked. The character progression and skill tree stuff is pretty dang neat. Although I still find much of it completely baffling. I'm sure with experience, I'd figure it out.

Chalgyr said...

I really enjoyed it. I picked up the demo, and liked - but didn't love it. Then I had some extra funds and picked it up on a whim and am glad I did. I sunk a ton of time into it.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, are you one of those folks who wants (or needs) to play this series in order, Bodo?


As for preferring the earlier games' two-dimensional, sprite-based enemies: believe me, I understand and support that. I usually feel the same way, and I felt that way before I began EOIV, too. After putting 40-ish hours into it, though, I can honestly say that I now like EOIV's animated, polygonal enemies as much as their static predecessors, if not more. They often look like they've leapt out of a cartoon or animated movie to me, and I think some of their animations are really nice.


That's just my opinion, though. If it ends up just not being your "thing," that's OK!

thegaygamer.com said...

Hey there, Justin :) Oh, I hear you about finding some of this game's content completely baffling. It took my a long time to come to terms with the skill tree, for instance, as well as a few other things.


In the end, I decided to just start trying things. And guess what? It doesn't seem as though I've screwed anything up as a result of all that trial and error, so I'm guessing the system is pretty forgiving.


Anyway, I'd say that if you became hooked with the demo after a few hours, you'd probably really like the full game, too.

thegaygamer.com said...

You know what, Chalgyr? I completely forgot this game even had a demo. Which is just as well, because I really don't think a demo would've done much for me, either. After all, for the first few hours of my playthrough of this game, I couldn't help but think that it wasn't much different from the first EO. Sure, it had an overworld and some animated enemies, but neither wowed me all that much.


I'm glad I stuck with it, though, as I now consider EOIV to be a nice evolution of that first game. Yes, they're similar experiences in many regards, but IV offers up enough additions and changes to make it seem like a fairly fresh game, in my opinion.

Walter Beast said...

Do you have a copy of the McDonalds Monogatari game? Is it any good? I always wanted to play that one...

thegaygamer.com said...

That's a Japan-only GameBoy game, isn't it? I feel like I've come across it while perusing eBay or Yahoo Japan Auctions.


Anyway, no, unfortunately I haven't played it. From what I've gathered, though, it isn't a dungeon-crawling RPG like Madou Monogatari is. Rather, it's more of a McDonald's store simulator, if that makes sense.


BTW, as far as I'm aware, monogatari translates to something akin to "adventure" or "story," which is why you see it used so often in game titles.

Walter Beast said...

Ahhh, gotcha. I was wondering how these two connected. I guess they don't. Haha
Cool. I've always been intrigued by the game. And it seems like you need to add it to your GBA collection! ;)

thegaygamer.com said...

Yeah, I can see why you would've thought they may be connected, but really they just share the same word in their names/titles.

It's like Final Fantasy and Fantasy Zone in the Western world, basically.

BTW, I just came across this rather funny write-up of McDonald's Monogatari and thought you might get a kick out of it, too: http://blogsquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/10/mcdonalds-monogatari-honobono-tenchou.html



Unfortunately, I can't say it's making me want to add the game to my collection!

finchiekins said...

I only finished the 2nd EO last year! I started 4 and played through the first couple of stratums, but i put it aside until i finish EO3... one of these days. I really love the series and end up buying them right when they come out, even if it takes me 5 or so years to get around to beating them. From what i've played of 3 and 4, i kind of like 3 a little more! It's interesting and different enough to try if you like the other games enough. I think the minimal story is really great too. It's nice because it doesn't get bogged down, and the little bit of story that it does give you seems more mysterious and interesting.


I really love some of EO4's music, but i actually find myself being able to listen to the chiptunes for longer periods of time without them wearing me down, and of course these games tend to eat up hours and hours of time. Still that 5th Stratum music is one of my favorite tunes in the series.

thegaygamer.com said...

Hey there, finchiekins! So, what makes you prefer what you've played of EO3 to EO4 at this point? Anything in particular?


Also, how does EO3 compare to EO1?


Anyway, yes, I like how the little bit of story that's included in these games gives them an air of mystery, among other things.

Natasha Amaya said...

Super Maria!

Natasha Amaya said...

Maria,Lucy,Prince peach,prince dan?XD I don't Know
Waria and Walucy?X)

Janet Lopez said...

Nooooooooo! poor mario!

Stupid Navi said...

Hey!TheGayGamer!Look!Hey!Listen!

thegaygamer.com said...

Yes, exactly. Ha ha! I have to say, though, that I quite like the game's graphics. Too bad it sounds kind of boring ... at best :|

finchiekins said...

I think that part of it is that 4 seems like a natural extension from 1/2 while 3 had a bunch of different stuff like the ocean setting, the ship and all the new classes that made it feel really different. 4 is a little easier than 3 as well, and i think 3 hits a really nice point where it's still pretty difficult but it's not quite the wall that the 2nd game is at times.
It's been sooo long since i played EO1, but 3 is definitely much more streamlined than either of the first 2 games, and because of all the stuff i mentioned earlier feels like something completely new while still retaining the core of what makes the EO games so engrossing.

thegaygamer.com said...

Thanks for the explanation. Guess I'll have to pick up EO3 at some point then. I've also heard that each new EO has gotten easier than the one before it, by the way. I wonder, though, if that means the remake of EO1 is the easiest of the bunch, or it is super tough like the original version of the first game?

Zigfried said...

You can never have enough Madou Monogatari art lying around!

thegaygamer.com said...

You got that right, Zigfried! In fact, you should look forward to another MM post shortly :)