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Some people look at a game like this and wonder how fun cartography can be. Yes, drawing your
own maps has long been a hallmark of the Etrian Odyssey series, but that’s not what makes
the game work. Y’see, anyone can Buster Bluth up a map. That’s not the hard part.
The hard part is escaping horrifying circumstances, running from giant beasts that can break your
tank like a Spike Jonze film festival, and just SURVIVING long enough to put your findings
on paper. Suddenly, you relish every chance you get to scribble in a new wall or mark
the location of a mining spot, because it means you’re not getting the bejeezus beaten
out of you by the local wildlife. Etrian Odyssey IV is an RPG for folks who love RPGs. And
who don’t mind getting the bejeezus beaten out of them.
In a standard fantasy city, complete with airship dock and a pub named for a dancing
animal, adventurers gather to... well, adventure. The ultimate goal is the World Tree Yggdrasil
(fitting the Norse-centric mythology of the game), lying far to the north beyond a series
of themed lands. As the leader of an Adventurer’s Guild (which, being me, I had to name Zero
One), you’re outfitted with a team of five members, an airship (which, being me, I had
to name the Liberation Maiden), and a laundry list of tasks and quests from the local municipal
official and/or whatever patrons in the pub happen to need something done. It’s a big
world out there, and you’ve gotta hunt out the dungeons, abscond with various wildlife,
utilize said wildlife as food and/or bait, and avoid foes that will more than likely
wreck your airship, your party, your hopes and dreams. There’s a reason one of the
first Burst powers you obtain is the ability to flee at the drop of a hat. No shame in
that. Not in this game.
Once inside the actual dungeons, though, the game becomes so old-school that it’s sepia-toned
without using any crap Instagram filter. You trek through the uncharted frontier, struggle
mightily against vicious foes, and level up your party in any way you can. Each character
class has an intricate tech tree that allows for deep customization, whatever your playstyle.
You gain one skill point per level, which can be used to unlock new powers or improve
the ones you already have. That’s an aspect I always prefer in my games: open-ended character
design that allows for widely divergent strategies. And you’ll need every strategy you can get
your hands on, because - if you don’t go the chicken route and set the game to “casual”
- you’re going to get mangled until you figure out how to not get mangled. And then
a new monster you’ve never seen before will show up, and wreck your plans anyway. Maybe
that’s why success in this game feels so unbelievably rewarding.