To be honest, the reason it took me so long to beat this game was because the third stratum in Etrian 3 kind of ruined the thought of playing video games for a while (It's such dogshit that I'm talking shit about it in a review for another game!).

At first, I was little turned off by the fact that demons can't level up in this game (something I'm used to in the MegaTen games I've played), but I've got over it and actually enjoyed this game a lot.

Gameplay-wise, it obviously shares a lot of core MegaTen mechanics with other games (summoning demons, fusing them to create stronger ones, etc.), but it has some mechanics that are exclusive to the Devil Summoner series, such as Demon Loyalty, and Zoma Fusion.

Zoma Fusion was ok, it allowed you to create your own demon with it's own skillset, but it was only helpful during the mid-game, at least for me. Demon Loyalty (which is where demons have personality types and having them respond accordingly to those types increase their loyalty to you) on the other hand, is a great mechanic that might seem limiting and complex at first, but once you figure it out, it gives demons a little bit of individuality that they don't get in the mainline games.

This game has a great story, where the protagonist obtains a gun-looking computer that unleashes a demon that possesses his friend. Together, they fight against a secret society that conspires to steal everyone's souls to summon a demon that will destroy the world. I don't want to spoil the story, but it gets pretty crazy.

The soundtrack is good and so was the voice acting, especially Cassandra Lee Morris' performance as Hitomi/Nemissa. I also liked the Vision Quests and how they used the perspectives of other minor characters to progress the story, as well as the first Vision Quest being used to help the player get a feel of how the game plays. The dungeons were good as well, and unlike some dungeons whose name I will not repeat, they feel don't like a slog to get through.

It's a MegaTen game so some of the random encounters can feel unforgiving sometimes, but overall, I'd say you should check this game out if you like JRPGs. If you're a MegaTen fan, than this game is a must play

With Etrian 2 leaving a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth, I decided to move on to Etrian 3, hoping that it would be better than the last, and it was.

Etrian 3 added a lot of new stuff, such as seafaring, subclasses for even more customization, and new classes that replace the old ones.

Gameplay is still the usual, with some new tweaks, such as campsites on each floor as a healing spot (provided you bring a tent), Limit attacks that your team can use when their limit bars are full (Boost, Force, and now Limit, they really don't know what they want to do with that thing) and Stratums being four floors instead of 5.

I honestly had a blast with this game, subclasses were fun to use and the soundtrack is as good as ever. Material gathering still sucks, but it's not as obnoxious as it was in 2.

This one is my new favorite entry of the Etrian series, so I would give it five stars, right?

However...

The third Stratum in this game is by far the WORST dungeon I have ever experienced. It was so bad, I almost shelved this game, in fact, when I finally beat it, I didn't touch the game for a month because it was so awful. It's infested with damage tiles, the puzzles make the floors feel longer then they already are, and it has enemies that can kill you even if you're prepared.

Even though the third Stratum is complete dogshit, that's really the only bad thing this game has. Honestly, I'd say this game is a better entry point for the EO series than 1 is. I'd recommend this game and would ask you to just please push through the third Stratum.