I like the beach. But, who doesn’t on some level? Despite the old traditional reasons for going for the cool breezes and sun, it is a soothing place. Oceans and lakes have been around for millenniums while we live out our lives. I find it to be soothing to watch them and remember that some of my problems are only temporary. With this in mind, I present to you Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City for the DS.
Etrian Odyssey III follows a guild of adventurers exploring a labyrinth. This city is buried under thousands of knots. Each of the support characters have their own reasons to encourage adventurers to explore. Yeah, it’s as bland as it sounds in terms of presentation. There’s little to move the plot along other than little tidbits about what’s occurring in the city and labyrinth (respectively). The main reason gamers play these types of games is simple: exploration.
This is something Etrian Odyssey III has in folds. The map is entirely created and annotated by the player. Whether or not you take advantage of it is your call. The maps are large, sprawling sections of land that slowly become larger as the game continues. There are pitfalls, muck to slow progress, campgrounds to recover health, challenging FOEs (I’m still sticking with First Order Enemy as its meaning) to dodge, a section of the ocean to explore and fish, quests to complete, and raising your personal guild however you like.
Etrian Odyssey III plays out like its predecessors. This time around, the classes have been remixed and completely redone. The princess/prince class is mixture of the troubadour and medic. They can debuff monsters and allies alike. They can heal party members when they are full health. Monks can double as healer and a frontline fighter. Farmers are experts on using eggs to weaken enemies, lull them to sleep and harvest items at hot spots like a cotton gin. Zodiacs are the revamped version of alchemists and are much more potent. They can even absorb an elemental attack and respond with one of their own. Buccaneers are experts in both swords and guns and can follow up an attack of a party member. Arbalists are bow experts. Wildlings summon animals to inflict bindings and status attacks while ninjas can split themselves in half by using a mirror image. Gladiators are frontline experts with low defense while hopalites are masters of defense.
Just because the game is balanced doesn’t mean things are easy. If you don’t bring the proper skills into combat, life gets difficult quickly. How you develop all of those characters is your choice. Heck, all of the classes can be utilized at least two or three different ways. It is figuring out how those character classes fit with each that makes the game less of a “blast through” strategy and more of a clockwork puzzle. The downside is that creating your parties is a little more difficult as how each class plays off each other is not as clear. Of course, many would argue that’s part of the fun.
It is also important to note the classes do not have their own unique special skills to use in combat once powered up. Instead, you have to find special scrolls to access special attacks/skills. The skills range from powering up everyone’s attack power for three turns by using two people to power it to a three-man tag team that will create three strikes to the enemy’s party. There is also a technique that will allow the user to revive him/herself during battle once. As such, these skills are employed more often than the skills they are based on. Did I mention when it is activated it does not take any turns?
Graphically, Etrian Odyssey III appears to on par with its predecessors. Monsters just flash when they attack the party, attacks are seen as a simple pierce or slash, and spells are somewhat simple. The map is as clear as ever, and special arrows to properly direct your guild members to the next floor can be activated with a push of button once they are properly laid down. (Oh, how I wish it would work in reverse!) What’s neat is there are little subtle flickers occurring on the top screen. Stars fly across the screen during the night when entering the labyrinth. Leaves gently fall from the sky. Water flows like an actual river/creek. As such, there are neat little waterfalls scattered all over the place.
Sound wise, almost everything is in its proper place. The slashes are strong, the fires are hot and your party’s footsteps are heard as you explore the labyrinth. The music quickly ranges from its chipper and coastal feel town song to the intense battle music. The one thing that is missing is the confirmation sound when selecting a skill to improve. It’s odd not hearing it when I’ve heard it multiple times in the second game.
Is Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City worth your time and money? I would say “yes.” It’s one of the most refined and balanced dungeon crawlers available on a portable system. Yet again, these types of games tend to attract a certain type of gamers. Make no bones about it, this game is work. And just like work, the same repeated actions are completed again and again just to make progress. In a way, Etrian Odyssey III could be considered an allegory for life: We keep working at things to improve our own lives. We keep working on friendships to have people to call on in times of joy and trouble, we work at our jobs to earn more than a decent pay and we continue to work on children so they can be fully prepared for the future. So if you’re looking for something that is pure escapism, you might want to look elsewhere. However, if you’re up for something that provides a decent backdrop for meditating about the flow of life then go pick up Etrian Odyssey III .
