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There are so many different games within the role-playing genre that it's difficult to know which ones you'll enjoy the most. While a definite framework exists for role-playing games, each game and series continues to test the waters with something new, with the best gaining fans - and ground on competitors - incredibly quickly. Just on Nintendo 3DS, players can pick from Pokémon, Shin Megami Tensei, Bravely Default, and many more RPGs besides; each and every title provides an exciting new experience. One of the most unique series on Nintendo handhelds is Etrian Odyssey, which enters a new era of its life with Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, employing new tactics to deliver the series to an even wider audience.
As the fifth title in the Etrian Odyssey series - and a retelling of the first - you would be forgiven for thinking that prior knowledge of the series is required at this stage in its life, but this isn't the case. In fact, Etrian Odyssey Untold might provide an even greater role-playing experience than any of the titles that came before it: the game introduces the fully-fledged Story mode to the series, including an expansive storyline, unique characters, voice acting, new area maps, and animated cutscenes. Fans of any game with a good story will appreciate this, as it gives Etrian Odyssey Untold a more immersive feel than previous entries; the ability to learn about the characters, who are permanent fixtures throughout the game, and the addition of cutscenes and voice acting help to make the game feel like a solid RPG experience.
Fans of the Etrian Odyssey series and its gameplay needn’t worry, though, because the Story mode is just one half of the package. The series' traditional gameplay is still well and truly alive in the Classic mode, which puts more of a focus on your guild and the characters within it. Rather than being provided with characters as part of the story, the Classic mode allows you to create up to 30 characters to include in your guild; you're able to set each character’s name, their character class, and their design from a number of options, giving you a great deal of control as to who you have in your guild. You'll be able to select the mode you want to play when starting a new file, although the lack of a second save slot means you aren't able to play both at the same time.
Much of the gameplay within Etrian Odyssey Untold takes place in two major areas. The first of these is the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, a massive multi-floor world with a vast number of different enemies and items inside; this is where most of your time will be spent as the labyrinth is split into several different Strata, each with its own unique ecosystem, meaning it gives you numerous different environments to immerse yourself in. The game's second major area is Gladsheim, a desolate structure which is technologically superior to Etria in every possible way despite being centuries old. There are fewer areas to be found in Gladsheim - the area is mainly visited at key points in the story - yet it remains a large structure with challenging enemies and plenty to find.
The layout of every floor in the labyrinth and every area in Gladsheim is based on a square grid system, which is the foundation of one of the most unique aspects of the Etrian Odyssey series. Etrian Odyssey stands out against other role-playing games because the touch screen is used to draw maps of every area you visit; this is where it becomes apparent how perfect a fit the series is to Nintendo’s touch-screen handhelds. Cartography plays a huge role in Etrian Odyssey Untold since you can easily get lost without a good collection of maps, while you'll occasionally receive quests which will require you to return completed maps to Etria after exploring the labyrinth. You can alter each map by filling in the floor space and defining the walls, as well as adding icons such as stairs, doors, roadblocks, and anything else you think is important. You're given a number of different icons to be used, but with the exception of some of the obvious icons - such as the aforementioned stairs and doors - it's really up to you what you deem notable to include on the map and which icons you use to denote events.
While you're exploring these areas, you're subject to enemy attacks every so often, which you'll be made aware of by an on-screen icon which changes from blue to red when enemies are closing in. Enemy attacks are thrown at you at a fairly steady pace, though regularly going up against weaker enemies might turn into something of a chore after a while - as will picking up the items they drop, since you're only able to carry 60 at once and duplicates aren’t lumped together. Fortunately, Etrian Odyssey Untold features an "auto" button to let you attack automatically, letting you quickly deal with groups of weaker enemies; you can also pack items or use skills which allow you to increase or decrease the number of enemy attacks you're subjected to, which can prove handy for training.
Etrian Odyssey uses a turn-based battle system to pit your party of five against groups of enemies, giving you the opportunity to select which actions should be carried out every turn until all enemies have been defeated. Battles can involve a great deal of strategy due to the fact that enemies all have varying weaknesses and resistances to the six different attack types - three are physical and three are elemental - so it's important to know where your own strengths lie and which skills are best suited to the current situation in order to finish battles with as little trouble as possible. You can also use the "auto" button to quickly defeat less threatening enemies, but it's clearly unwise to make use of this during more complicated battles since your most basic attacks just aren't going to cut it against stronger enemies.
Some of the game's tougher enemies - tougher compared to the same area's standard enemies, at least - are called FOEs, and are visible both on the map and within the area itself, unlike the rest of the enemies you'll encounter. Some of the FOEs you'll encounter will follow a set path while others will go out of their way to attack you, and the map handily points out roughly how strong a FOE is compared to your party by way of a coloured outline on its icon. Despite being tougher, defeating FOEs reaps greater rewards, including rare items and more experience points. Some enemies are even considered to be rarer due to having a shiny glow; these will grow in strength every turn, but will always provide considerable more experience points upon defeat. If you're feeling brave and you’ve got the tools to do so, taking on a shiny FOE is a must.
Between explorations, you'll be able to spend a short amount of time in the city of Etria in order to ready your guild for the next trek. After each exploration, you're likely to have a small stash of items with you from enemy encounters; these can be sold at the goods store in exchange for new weapon and armour stock, which you can then purchase to better equip your guild members. You can also pay a visit to the Golden Deer Pub to pick up quests, which can vary quite considerably due to there being so many unique aspects to the labyrinth - hence why note-taking is important - but completing these will often result in rewards such as helpful items and big experience boosts. You're also able to prepare your guild and party members in Etria, though this is far more vital in Classic mode than it is in Story mode due to your guild members being pre-determined in the latter.
The exploration aspect of Etrian Odyssey Untold is clearly the highlight of the game and can be particularly satisfying, especially if you're willing to put in the time to explore every little detail of each area - something you'll need to do for many of the quests you get at the pub. It's easy to miss little things in the more open-plan areas, which can lead to minor frustration in some cases, but there's very rarely going to be an instance where you find yourself completely stuck. The game will usually give you a good indication at important points what needs to happen next - that is, if it doesn't just tell you outright - and that can be said more for the dialogue-heavy Story mode than it can for the Classic mode, though you'll still get hints in both.
Etrian Odyssey has plenty of fans all around the world, which is certainly something to be proud of when so many games exist within the same genre. Its unique take on cartography - in a world where every other game provides maps like they're going out of style - has always been one of its most interesting assets, and the ability to customise your own guild and focus on gameplay has been high up on its list of selling points as well. By bringing newcomers to the series with the brilliant Story Mode while also providing classic Etrian Odyssey gameplay, Etrian Odyssey Untold has been able to open the series to a wider audience without diluting or otherwise lessening the experience. If anything, the change has strengthened that experience further.
With impressive presentation throughout and a campaign that could last you 50 hours or more depending on how much of a completionist you are, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is well worth a look for fans of role-playing games. It also works nicely as an introduction to the genre with its welcoming Story Mode and its varying difficulty options, providing a suitable challenge regardless of your own experience. Etrian Odyssey Untold can require a great deal of dedication, but if you decide to take the leap and give it your time, you'll be rewarded with a satisfying game that gives you as enjoyable an experience as you could ask for.
