Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan

The Etrian Odyssey series may well have passed you by. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Outside of Japan it’s popularity has always been fairly mixed. Even more so when taking into consideration a lack of European releases. Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, however, changed all of that. Not only did the game release globally, but it also received great reviews and was deemed a commercial success.

Despite the welcoming European launch of Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, it did arrive more than a year after it’s Japanese release. August 2013 – a decade ago. A time at which the Nintendo 3DS console wasn’t exactly short on RPGs. Yet, aside from the decidedly hit-and-miss Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. the vast majority of them play by the established rules. There was room for innovation here. For something that can stand out from the crowd. And it was Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan that had more than just a few ideas on how to do exactly that.

The story of Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan sees a mystical tree coming under fire. Visible throughout the land of Tharsis, the tree’s roots lie in a far off distance, a land where none dare to tread. The ruler of Tharsis however, is determined to discover what lies there without risking his own neck. He decides to sponsor an Explorers Guild to undertake the task for him, and you are an explorer looking to find your fortune. It doesn’t take a genius to work out where this plot is heading.

The game begins with the choice of difficulty settings, offering a brief explanation of the difference between the two. It’s a small issue maybe, but far too many games rely on the traditional ‘Easy, Normal, Hard’ scale without offering any impression of exactly how difficult any one may be. Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan on the other hand, provides an elegant solution with just Normal and Casual settings. The latter of which openly states that it’s designed for enjoyment of the story, not the challenge.

Titans, you say?

And challenging Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan did prove to be. Players can choose from a huge variety of characters from the very start. Each are divided into different classes, and in-turn four variations of each class. The set-up is a remarkably complicated system. Many players will only truly be able to work the most out of it after dozens of hours of experience. This is undoubtedly an issue for anyone coming into the game with minimal prior intervention by way of a tutorial or other education, though the adventuring does still prove to be entertaining.

While the above character selection and team set-up process is conducted through a hub – an elaborate system of menus and statistics screens couple with text-based dialogue for plot progression – the action sequences are instead played from a first-person perspective. Looking remarkable throughout, the action is turn-based akin to DOOM RPG or a number of prominent titles in the bloodline Might & Magic series. It’s an interesting design that allows for great tactics not only during combat, but prior to and immediately following also. Players are able to negotiate how they enter combat, and with whom.

The Etrian Odyssey Continues…

As stated above, Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan launched in Europe a decade ago. And the series has seen numerous new editions since. However, despite this fourth main bloodline title having been one of the most well received, it has garnered little attention since. Even 2023’s Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection delivered remasters of only the first three titles. It’s certainly a shame, but there’s no harm in digging out that Nintendo 3DS and giving the game a try. Even now, we’re sure you’ll understand why it was so well received back in 2013.