Things aren’t always what they seem in the land of Atlus’ turn-based RPG series, Etrian Odyssey. In fact, the entire game deceives you from the moment you see its cover art. After all, who could have guessed that a game with such a cute visual style could be so brutally difficult?
And things are undoubtedly going to get more ‘interesting’ in Etrian Odyssey V: End of the Long Myth. This week’s issue of Famitsu details key new aspects of the latest installment’s gameplay and party system.
Etrian V’s teaser trailer can be viewed below:
First off, Etrian V will be taking place on a new continent called Arcadia. Inhabiting Arcadia are five races: Arslan (Human-like), Lunaria (Elves), Celian (obligatory animal-eared people), and the Branii (dwarves or halflings). Players will be able to choose these races for their party characters.
Ten classes have been announced so far. Unlike previous Etrian games, these classes are locked behind specific races:
– Fencer (Arslan)
– Dragoon (Arslan)
– Cestus (Arslan)
– Reaper (Arslan)
– Necromancer (Lunaria)
– Warlock (Lunaria)
– Herbalist (Branii)
– Shaman (Branii)
– Masurao (Celian)
– Hound (Celian). This class is stated to be a houndmaster, not an actual dog.
Yuji Himukai will be reprising his role as character designer.
Every gamer knows that character customization is the true endgame, and Etrian V doesn’t skimp in this department. Color detailing will be more nuanced this time around, with the player being able to change their characters’ hair, skin, and eye color (there’s even a heterochromia option for eyes). The following seiyuu have been revealed to play the various voices that players can choose for their characters:
Shouta Aoi, Satomi Arai, Akira Ishida, Toru Okawa, Ayaka Ohashi, Yoshihisa Kawahara, Misaki Kuno, Mitsuki Saiga, Takuya Satou, Asami Seto, Atsuko Tanaka, Kosuke Toriumi, Joji Nakata, Kaori Nazuka, Natsuki Hanae, Saori Hayami, Megumi Han, Yoko Hikasa, Rina Hidaka, Yui Horie, Ayumu Murase, Tsubasa Yonaga
If you would like to play the game without voices, Etrian V also offers that option.
Finally, director Shigeo Komori briefly discussed his team’s overall design direction for Etrian V’s gameplay. Along with overall improvements to the UI and to the RPG tabletop overworld, Etrian V strives to deliver an even greater degree of freedom than previous entries when it comes to dungeon exploration. The series’ trademark punishing battles will still be present, of course. Class roles are more strict than before, however, making balanced party compositions more difficult overall. This detail in particular has rankled longtime fans of the series, but more details on how exactly this direction will manifest in Etrian V remains to be seen.
Etrian Odyssey V: End of the Long Myth is set to release in Japan on August 4, 2016 for Nintendo 3DS. No release date has yet been announced for overseas regions.
Credits go to Siliconera for translating the original Famitsu article.