This is the first one and the only one up to date that i've completed at 100%, which is in itself good and bad.
This games are known for being really hard, that's part of the experience, but Etrian Odyssey IV is regarded as the easiest in the series and for good reasons as the classes end up being extremely broken by the mid and end game.
Even with this, it still does not compare to other games like Final Fantasy, Persona or Dragon Quest when even in my first playthrough i find myself choosing the Hard difficulty because i need to feel what i feel in an EO game, this game is still really challenging, the Bosses can one or two shot your characters if you don't do what you're supposed to, if you don't plan acordingly, don't use your items or your abilities to your fullest extent, yet to someone that has played every game from the series up to this point it feels risible, and having a Landsknecht with Link-skills absolutely breaks the game.
Besides that, i really can't get myself to dislike the game, the labyrinths are as fun as always, the music is probably the best in the series, the classes are all so much fun to play and of course the Subclassing system that since being added in EOIII has been the best mid-game system added to the series (that even the grimoires or Masteries added later can't compare) are the things that make this game so great in my eyes, to the point that i've already beaten it several times already despite me not thinking it to be the best.
Overall this game was made with the intention to atract newer players to the series, this series is loved and is great, but it has never been Atlus' greatest money maker, but i love that they kept trying and thankfully EOIV, EOV and EOU2 made the series more well known and there are a lot more fans than back in the day, which i'm thankful for.
To end this review, let me make it clear, i love Etrian Odyssey with all my heart, it is probably the series that hook me, and it probably made me who i am as a gamer now, so this review is obviously biased but i will still love this game so i need to air my feelings somewhere lol.
PS: also, the reason why i'm doing a review about this game and not any of the other ones i think are better (EOIII - EOV) is because as i said this is a fantastic entry for someone that wants to try these games for the first time, so take as a recomendation more than an actual review
This games are known for being really hard, that's part of the experience, but Etrian Odyssey IV is regarded as the easiest in the series and for good reasons as the classes end up being extremely broken by the mid and end game.
Even with this, it still does not compare to other games like Final Fantasy, Persona or Dragon Quest when even in my first playthrough i find myself choosing the Hard difficulty because i need to feel what i feel in an EO game, this game is still really challenging, the Bosses can one or two shot your characters if you don't do what you're supposed to, if you don't plan acordingly, don't use your items or your abilities to your fullest extent, yet to someone that has played every game from the series up to this point it feels risible, and having a Landsknecht with Link-skills absolutely breaks the game.
Besides that, i really can't get myself to dislike the game, the labyrinths are as fun as always, the music is probably the best in the series, the classes are all so much fun to play and of course the Subclassing system that since being added in EOIII has been the best mid-game system added to the series (that even the grimoires or Masteries added later can't compare) are the things that make this game so great in my eyes, to the point that i've already beaten it several times already despite me not thinking it to be the best.
Overall this game was made with the intention to atract newer players to the series, this series is loved and is great, but it has never been Atlus' greatest money maker, but i love that they kept trying and thankfully EOIV, EOV and EOU2 made the series more well known and there are a lot more fans than back in the day, which i'm thankful for.
To end this review, let me make it clear, i love Etrian Odyssey with all my heart, it is probably the series that hook me, and it probably made me who i am as a gamer now, so this review is obviously biased but i will still love this game so i need to air my feelings somewhere lol.
PS: also, the reason why i'm doing a review about this game and not any of the other ones i think are better (EOIII - EOV) is because as i said this is a fantastic entry for someone that wants to try these games for the first time, so take as a recomendation more than an actual review