"Trial And Error" -- Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the TItan Demo

Hey guys! It's time to do something a little different for this blog and have some more variety to it. Generally up to this point, it's been me going over games that I've been familiar with. In this series of posts known as "Trial And Error" it follows me playing various demos and learning more about the games as well as how they play.

Title: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan

Genre: Role-Playing

Developer/Publisher: ATLUS

System: Nintendo 3DS

Release Date: February 26th, 2013

Today's first posting for "Trial And Error" will be on Etrian Odyssey IV, the first game in the series that's been developed on the Nintendo 3DS.

Etrian Odyssey IV takes place in the land of Tharsis, where a mysterious tree known as the Yggdrasil looms over the area. The Outland Count of Tharsis decides to sponsor an explorer's guild in order to learn more about the tree's secrets, and like in every previous game in the series, you are the latest explorer arriving in the said area in order to seek fame and fortune.

You never know what might come at you, and sometimes, you will.

Etrian Odyssey IV, and all games in the series are dungeon crawler RPGs, where the battles take place in labyrinth like areas filled with monsters, and you don't know what you're going to encounter at most points. To know when you're getting closer to an enemy, on the bottom right hand corner of the 3DS' top screen, when it turns red, you're most likely to encounter something.

If you're familar with games such as the first two Elder Scrolls games -- Arena and Daggerfall, or something more recent like Legend of Grimrock, these are some examples of what dungeon crawlers are like.

Three of the character classes you can have your party members as.

The game features 10 different character classes, seven of which are available from the start -- Landsknecht (Swordsman), Nightseeker, Fortress, Sniper, Medic, Runemaster, and Dancer. Each class has their unique weapons, skills, and preferred positions (the front line or the back). You can have up to five members in your party for battle, and up to 30 members for your guild. 

Of course since you are the leader of your own guild, you'll be expected to take quests and help other people out along the way. The Mark Grand Court is where you get your missions which will progress the story, while the Dancing Peacock is an area to receive side quests.

Other areas of interest while in Tharsis include: the Saehrimnir Inn, which is where you can rest and restore HP and TP, revive fallen allies, and save your game, the Berund Atelier, the weapons, armor, and items shop, the Explorer's Guild where you can create more characters, and the City Gates where you can set off for adventure.

Things may have to be cut short...

Of course, like any demo, you can only have access to the game up to a certain point. However, an interesting thing with Etrian Odyssey IV is that you can save during the demo, allowing you to continue with your adventure once you have the full game.

So anyways, tell me what you think about this, and what I can do more for Trial And Error. Thanks again, guys!

-Anthony-