I acquired Etrian Odyssey 1 and 2, and have very recently completed the main game of Etrian Odyssey 1. This game goes beyond what one of my friends likes to call "Nintendo Hard" I would dub the difficulty as "Atlus Hard" or "Gold Box Hard" the latter with respect to the old PC gold box Dungeons and Dragons games. But the difficulty is the main draw of the game.
You start the game by creating a guild and filling it with adventurers. Your dungeon formation can consist of up to five characters and you can register a total of fifteen. Usually a main party, and a gathering party. My adventuring party consisted of Justin the Landsknecht, Miranda the Protector, Wesley the Dark Hunter, Erica the Medic (and most crucial member) and Samael the Alchemist. I am fairly sure I lasted about 30 to 45 minutes in game until my first total-party-kill. This happened on the 2nd of 25 massive floors (30 if you include post game content, but I do not have enough soul points in real life to attempt that concoction of evil). The reason for this early TPK was due to my hubris in attacking a F.O.E. before i was of sufficient level or power. My beloved party squashed in 2 to 3 rounds, but that is the name of the game in Etria.
The real sense of accomplishment in this series is when you overcome these odds that are stacked so highly against you and taste the true thrill of victory. When I finally killed the Ragelope, I believe I screamed out loud, in my apartment, by myself, in my PJ's. That is the thrill of this series.
The interface seemed a little archaic since I had already completed EO 3 and EO 4, but I could still tell what I was doing, my only complaints with the interface is that it doesn't directly tell you new skill requirements, you have to click on each one to find out, and the map option are very limited. Speaking of map option that is probably my biggest complaint is that you could not strafe and had to turn every time you want to change direction, but this is the first game in the series and so is still easily overlooked.
The varied senses of dread and triumph stayed fresh throughout most of the game. Every time you see a new FOE or even just a new normal enemy you never knew if that would be a game over. This tension in the labyrinth is what keeps bringing me back to the series.
My biggest complaint is that there is a skill that is bugged in your favor called "Immunize", or then again maybe its not bugged. It says it lessens damage from elements but it does from physical attacks as well, this made FOE encounters and boss battles extremely easy. In fact the only boss that killed me was the second to last one (boss of the 4th stratum). But again, if it were not for this skill I do not think there would have been anyway to defeat the last boss, but I could be wrong.
I did focus on some negatives but there really is a lot of positives, even though this game came out in 2007. The music by Yuzo Koshiro is always very good. The graphics of the dungeon come alive, and the fact that you have to earn your gear by collecting parts from defeated enemies makes each new piece of equipment you buy feel like real treasure.
All in all, if you can overlook some of the bugged skills, and older map options, Etrian Odyssey will provide you with hours of terror and accomplishment, in a vibrant dungeon tailored to the way you want to play the game.
The secrets of Yggdrasil are abundant, if you are brave enough to explore it!
