Hey there, everyone.

Today, I felt a bit like talking about video games, since that’s what has been occupying a lot of my attention lately. So when I’m not playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Fire Emblem: Awakening, I’m usually playing Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan.

Etrian Odyssey IV. It’s by Atlus, which means you should probably play it.

Atlus is a really amazing company. They make cool games like Trauma Center and Shin Megami Tensei (which I’ve never played, but is apparently really good), and they tend not to annoy people as much as Square Enix certain other gaming companies do.

Anyway, Etrian Odyssey is a turn based RPG that has you explore a giant labyrinth, exploring and completing quests, etc, etc. The thing that sets EO apart from other RPGs is that you have to draw the whole map yourself. I’m not kidding.

This is actually from EOII. I remember mapping this floor – it was REALLY difficult!

Another thing that sets EO apart from other RPGs is the leveling system. Unlike other RPGs that cap at level 99 or so, EO sets the cap at 70. If you want to go up another level, you have to retire (basically resetting your character to level 30 or so), and then level all the way up to level 71, and then repeat until you get to level 99. Which would be something over leveling a thousand times. Or so. But thankfully, level 70 is more than sufficient to beat the final boss. Sadly, the bonus post-game content increases the difficulty of monsters quite significantly, so that extra leveling may be necessary for you to be successful.

I’ve been playing EO since I started playing EOII, which got me hooked on the whole series. Compared to EOII, EOIV is significantly easier up until the post-game strata, which is FREAKISHLY DIFFICULT, since I’m not playing on casual mode. This is why I decided to restart on New Game+, which lets me keep all of my characters, equips and money, but lets me go back to the beginning of the game and experience the plot again.

(By the way, you have the option to keep all of your maps in New Game+, but I decided to erase mine because I wanted to redraw everything…yup).

And for those of you wondering about my party, here you go:

Sunmia: Landsknecht (sub Dancer)
Lissa: Fortress (sub Bushi)
Cherche: Imperial (sub Fortress)
Tharja: Nightseeker (sub Arcanist)
Emmeryn: Medic (sub Runemaster)

At the moment, I’m currently making my way through the 3rd Stratum, and I’m making decent progress!

I love my party, but I keep hearing about a Arcanist sub Medic character that is apparently really boss, but I don’t want to make too many changes right now. Overall, I’m pretty happy with everything.
Also, my party used to be a mix of Final Fantasy references, but I changed everyone over to Fire Emblem names. Also, my guilds tend to be mostly female, since I don’t like many of the male character portraits.

So yeah! Basically, if you like turn-based RPGs and a good challenge, you’ll love Etrian Odyssey. Playable demos are available in the 3DS shop for both Etrian Odyssey IV and Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl. I highly recommend that you give them a try! ^_^

(c) THAT Shoujo Manga Blog ? – Read entire story here.