Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond The Myth Preview
Who said the 3DS was dead? Atlus is still busy bringing out some high profile RPGs to the the system. One of the most anticipated is Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth, which is scheduled to arrive in North America this fall.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Etrian games put you in the role of a cartographer who must explore lands and dungeons and fill in as much of the map as possible. Of course, this is never an easy task with multitudes of monsters and traps around every turn.
In this new installment you play as a new adventurer (male or female) in a quest to reach the top of the towering Yggdrasil Tree. Legend tells that whoever successfully navigates the dreaded Yggdrasil Labyrinth and reaches the summit will have their greatest wish fulfilled (if you make it there maybe you can wish for a Switch port).
As is tradition with these games, you’ll begin your adventure by creating a party to join you. There will be plenty of dungeon crawling and multiple floors to navigate in order to make it out alive. You’ll come across gruesome beasts and you’ll have to make the right decisions during various scenarios to be granted success. Like previous entries you’ll use the bottom touchscreen to mark locations of treasures, doors, enemies, traps and more on your map.
Battles are turn-based and you’ll go up against a wide variety of monsters. As usual FOEs make a return. These are roaming mini-bosses that usually have the potential of wiping you off the face of the planet – so be careful! You’ll need the right team of adventurers to succeed. You’ll be able to pick from four different races, ten distinct classes, and more customization options that any previous game in the series. With a streamlined sill tree and class advancement system, you can shape your party to whatever best fits your play style.
Of course this wouldn’t be an Etrian Odyssey game without some amazing tunes. Yuzo Koshiro (of Actraiser and Streets of Rage fame) is returning to compose the soundtrack. In addition, longtime series illustrator Yuji Himukai returns to give the game its trademark striking visuals.
Etrian Odyssey V hits 3DS this fall! Just one more reason to hang onto that 3DS.
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
