Lately I’ve been glued to my new 3DS XL, ranging from pre-installed software to games like Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, and more. As you can guess I’ve been playing a lot of Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, and I’ve been enjoying my self. A game like this will most likely have a lot of features, being a dungeon crawler, and boy have I enjoyed those type of games. At this time I’ve lost count on how many hours I’ve put into the game and I take that as a good sign. Would you want a game that keeps you hooked?

Now you may be wondering, is Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan worth buying? How does it play? What does the game feature, and how does it keep you hooked? These are all good questions that I will be answering in my review. Keep reading!

From the moment I booted up the game on my 3DS I knew I was going to be in for a hard time. Why do I say that? With any dungeon crawler it’s known that the game in general will seem easy at first and then change to pure hell (in a good way) later on. What is Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan about? It seems for years and years the tree known as Yggdrasil has been a main focus with many of the people within Tharsis. Tharsis will be the city you start at and often visit to rest, revive and create new party members, buy and sell items, and accept new quests.  Since it has been many years the Outland Count of the city has opted to sponsor an Explorers Guild to reach the tree. What does it hold? Who knows, but maybe if I’m lucky I’ll find out at one point. Do I have what it takes to reap in the fame and fortune?

The gameplay to this game is quite addicting for something so simple. I’ve played dungeon crawler games in the past, but nothing like this. As I said above from the moment I started playing I’ve been hooked. There is nothing like the satisfaction of beating enemies to get your level higher to progress through the game. I’ll state that the controls to the game are very solid and easy to grasp within the first few minutes. Having a game that brushes you up on the easy to learn controls is always good and will always but a huge plus to me. Now if you’re wanting to unlock new things such as new characters or even items that will take some grinding. I’ll tell you that I’ve been putting more time playing this game than jumping on my Xbox 360 during the week. That is telling you it’ll be some work! What are some of these other features you can unlock within the game? Some range to unlocking new characters by trading QR codes with other Etrian Odyssey IV players to QR codes that grant new items and quests. Having this QR code feature is a bit shocking to me. I’ve seen 3DS games that make you simply work for things but including a feature that grants you a lot more gives this game huge value.

As you can see from the screen above the land is quite vast whether in the air on in a dungeon. When exploring in a dungeon you’ll be able to show off the blocks you walk on as you progress throughout the maze. If that wasn’t all the map showing off the dungeon has an interesting feature. How would you like to map out the dungeon yourself? Well they made sure to have this feature and I’ve spent a lot of time mapping places. You’ll face many battles as you explore, which always good for getting those levels up. However when exploring via our Skyship you can even map out that as well to show off hazards, make notes, and more. Now you may be wondering about the picture below, right? There are enemies known as a FOE. What are these? As you explore you’ll bump into “FOE” running around. These enemies are more powerful than the enemies that spawn as you move around the mazes. Just be sure to level up quite a bit or simply try your best to avoid these enemies until you’re ready. You may even notice that while in the air you’ll face even tougher “FOE” so as you can guess level up your team or prepare to die very quickly.

The musical scores throughout this game really pleased me as I progressed. It’s not often that I find a game that pleases me with the music as I play. With me being someone who’s been in band in my past one can’t help but notice the change of tune, and the overall vibe music can give a game.  Whether you’re in the city, or just doing your own thing, you’ll be sure to notice how the music will change your attitude. There is nothing like fast paced music during a boss battle, right? As for the graphics within Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan I’m glad with what was decided. I’ll admit I’ve grown used to other console graphics and with me being a new 3DS owner I’m seeing what can be done with such a device. Maybe in our future we’ll see an Etrian Odyssey V with graphics that will blow you away, but even so Etrian Odyssey IV’s graphics are top-notch.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun dungeon crawler this is one of the few games to buy right away. You can find this game at your local retailer or via the Nintendo eShop. Whether you’re looking for a game to pass time or to simply have fun Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan is where it’s at. The game provides many things which help hours go by quickly, like grinding levels to defeat the next boss, and more. The developers have made sure to give it their all in this game!

A copy of Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan was provided for review purposes.