Etrian Odyssey Untold : The Millenium Girl – Review
Ever wanted to play a roleplaying game with a twitch? Then Etrian Odyssey Untold is the game for you! Take on the life of a cartographer and solve the mysteries that lie ahead.
Story
The story in Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl starts with a young Highlander. Our hero received a weird and unusual request and travels to the town Etria to find out more. The request he got said nothing more than to investigate an abnormality in Etria, which is kind of vague.
When he arrives in Etria and he presents himself at the Radha’s headquarters, his first mission is to prove himself worthy as a new warrior for the Radha. He’s accompanied by Ren and Tlachtga, two respected fighters. Together you enter the labyrinth and you try your best to prove yourself.
As the story continues, you’ll get to know your guild members as well. The Midgard Library has send three adventurers to seek out why the abnormalities, earthquakes and sounds are occurring. They introduce themselves as Simon, Raquna and Arthur. Simon can be described as the scholar, Raquna is more of a fun fighter and Arthur is the young and bold joker. As you encounter some strange events together, you get in touch with your last ‘guildie’, namely Frederica. This young and pretty girl was stuck in a weird device and it seems she’s got amnesia.
You’ll venture a huge labyrinth and after a while, it will become clear that the answer to the abnormalities lies in the lost memories of Frederica.
Graphics
The game is in first-person and the 3D-function is nicely integrated. It feels like you’re in a real labyrinth, although the finishing touch of the graphics could’ve been better. The enemies, for that matter, are the opposite. Every enemy has its own specific characteristics and stand out against the environment.
You don’t see the characters a lot, but they all have a pretty 2D-representation in the menu and during conversations. Each character have their own distinct elements, boosting their own personality.
The cut scenes are small little gems, as they’re completely computer-animated and are really well-done.
Sound
There aren’t that much sounds implemented in the game, but it soothes you and gives you a very relaxed feeling. Every place in town has its own particular soundtrack and every track fits that particular place. There are several cutscenes in which the characters have voiceovers. This is a nice feature of course.
Gameplay
Etrian Odyssey Untold is an alternative roleplaying game where you have to make charts of the levels of a never-explored labyrinth. You can play the story mode and the classic mode. The story mode takes you through the adventure and will take you to the truth behind the abnormalities, while the classic mode is more for venturing the main labyrinth and has a twist in the storyline.
The game is in first person, which gives it a particular style. During your venture in the maze, you’ll only see the ‘tiles’ in front of you, as the map you run around in is one big grid. To see around you, you can use the joystick to take a peek. If you want to turn around, you’ll need to press the D-Pad. If you ever feel like not walking for yourself, you can place an auto walk route, so you don’t have to do a thing. Another nice feature is that you can skip a level in the maze when you’ve reached the end of a level and if you’ve found enough of the map.
There are mining spots in every level of a labyrinths, giving you the opportunity to get some items. These items are important to advance the shop in town and supply you with weapons and other necessities. Enemies drop items as well and can be used to complete several quests. These are a nice addition, as it gives you a nice experience boost or some rare items.
Fighting is also in first-person, giving you a straight view of the enemies in front of you. There is a front and back row, giving you some strategic options. The back row can only hit the front row of the enemies, but will get less blows than the ones in the front row. The fighting system works with turns, so when everyone did one attack, it is time for the next turn. Each battle will give you experience for gaining levels. When you’re not into fighting, you can always let the auto-attack do the work. You’re characters will attack automatically, but they won’t use any skills, neither will they heal themselves.
There are special enemies as well, that are a bit stronger than the normal version. These ones will be harder to kill, but will give you nice bonus experience and some extra loot. Next to these, there are the big enemies that are defending the labyrinth, namely the FOE’s. These ones are really hard to kill and are made to determinate you. FOE’s will be killable when you level up though. You can track the enemies on your map and with a little meter. The bigger enemies move one tile with every move you make, and it will advance one step for every turn that you take during a battle. Keep this in mind when you have an encounter.
Your characters can equip Grimoire Stones. These special stones have the ability to add a skill your character can’t use normally, broadening the possibilities of the skills your party has.
Etria has several shops and other important places so you can have a safe journey. One of the most important places is your own base. You can get a nice perk here, depending on which housekeeper you have. Another important place is the inn, where you can rest up and revive fallen members.
Conclusion
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium girl is a nice alternative roleplaying game. You get the task to end the abnormalities in Etria, while making charts of the labyrinth. The graphics are nicely done for a 3DS but could’ve been a bit better. Otherwise, the music is very nice and gives it a lovely feeling. The gameplay is something different and that is a good thing. A game to play if you want something else!
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