Etrian Odyssey "Untold" Should've Stayed That Way
Now that I've wrapped up Etrian Odyssey V, the latest installment in Atlus's venerable old-school dungeon crawler RPG series, I feel it's a good time to rant about the two worst games in that series.
I'm referring, of course, to the remakes of the first two games: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl and Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: Subtitler Harder. If you're a veteran of the series, you probably feel my pain. And if you were introduced to the series via the two Untold games, then I'm sorry for you.
I guess some context is needed, though it's probably not necessary for the ten or so of you who've actually played these games and have clicked past this article's jump break.
The original Etrian Odyssey came out for the Nintendo DS back in 2007. It was a classic turn-based RPG that challenged players to customize their team of dungeon delvers while practicing cartography using the DS's then-new touchscreen gimmick. Calling it "niche" would be generous, and Atlus probably (rightfully) didn't think they'd be making more games in the series.
Yet, it hit that same sweet spot of challenging but fair that attracted players to Dark Souls and its ilk. Before long, Atlus released Etrian Odysseys II through IV, all following the same basic routine of make a party, descend into the dungeon, draw your map, get killed, rethink your party, finally find a combination of classes and skills that work, cruise along until the next challenge that makes you rethink your party and agonize over skill point allocation, rinse, repeat, etc.
It was a winning formula, so why change it?
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Why Etrian Odyssey Worked
Etrian Odyssey set out to capture the feel of a retro RPG with (at the time) a modern veneer. You had one town, the titular Etria, you had one dungeon, the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, and you had your guild, which consisted of every character you created to try to tackle said dungeon. Combat was turn-based, enemies grant EXP and drop phat lewt, and dying makes you throw your controller (in this case, the entire console) at the wall.
Unlike its contemporaries, Etrian Odyssey tasked its players to create their own characters' stories. The game gave you a setting, a scenario, and the tools to play around in the world it has built, but you decide whether your Medic is madly in love with your Alchemist who suffers from daddy issues and wants to prove she's not a little girl anymore by joining your guild and conquering the legendary labyrinth. Or, you know, she's only there because you needed a DPSer with elemental damage. Whatever floats your ship.
That is not to say the game has no story. Rather, it's not directly tied to your characters. The mystery of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth unfolds as you traverse it, both by narrative text that describes your environment (the NDS could only do so much in the graphics department, after all) and noticeable changes in the background and enemy types you encounter. There are even some notes on the floor and writing on the wall later on. It's like you're playing through a D&D campaign, which is as old-school RPG as it gets.
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Where Untold Went Wrong
On paper, the Untold games seemed like a good idea. With more Etrian titles planned, what better way to draw new fans into the series than to remake the oldest titles? After all, the first three Etrian Odyssey games were on the Nintendo DS, and players had long since moved on to the 3DS. Atlus added some quality-of-life features from other titles and even changed the skill trees and maps to ensure veteran players would also have a reason to pick up Untold.
Their only mistake, which led to a cascade of related mistakes, was when they introduced Story Mode, in which you played as <Your Name Here>, the Protagonist, Frederica Irving, the titular "Millennium Girl," Raquna Sheldon, the Canadian, and two other people I can't spare the effort to care about. While there is a Classic Mode that lets you create your own characters like in the original Etrian, you actually could not complete the game's Monstrous Codex or Item Compendium (thereby truly conquering the dungeon and completing the game) without playing Story Mode.
Despite its name, Untold does a lot more telling rather than showing. Right away, the title drops a massive spoiler about Yggdrasil's grand mystery: Etrian Odyssey takes place 1,000 years after the present day. In the original, you're led to believe this is a typical sword-and-sorcery setting until you reach the 21st floor of the Labyrinth and find the ruins of Tokyo buried down there.
The story of Etrian Odyssey is not very complicated. Yet, Untold seems very afraid that players will not figure it out. It relies deeply on expository dialogue and heavily foreshadowed plot twists to drive home that, yes, it's the future, mankind was nearly wiped out a millennium ago, the big tree is evil, and Canada still exists.
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I like using Untold as an example of how explaining too much can diminish a storytelling experience. At best, you're taking away the audience's joy of finding out they were right all along. At worst, you're insulting their intelligence.
Etrian Odyssey's moments of revelation were rewarding and meaningful because clues were strategically woven into the environment and the narrative for the player to discover. Those same moments in Untold fell flat because the lore and backstory were beaten into you at every opportunity. The game abuses you enough with its core gameplay, thank you very much.
I'm referring, of course, to the remakes of the first two games: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl and Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: Subtitler Harder. If you're a veteran of the series, you probably feel my pain. And if you were introduced to the series via the two Untold games, then I'm sorry for you.
I guess some context is needed, though it's probably not necessary for the ten or so of you who've actually played these games and have clicked past this article's jump break.
 |
| Hard to tell if it's a tree or broccoli. |
Yet, it hit that same sweet spot of challenging but fair that attracted players to Dark Souls and its ilk. Before long, Atlus released Etrian Odysseys II through IV, all following the same basic routine of make a party, descend into the dungeon, draw your map, get killed, rethink your party, finally find a combination of classes and skills that work, cruise along until the next challenge that makes you rethink your party and agonize over skill point allocation, rinse, repeat, etc.
It was a winning formula, so why change it?
------
Why Etrian Odyssey Worked
Etrian Odyssey set out to capture the feel of a retro RPG with (at the time) a modern veneer. You had one town, the titular Etria, you had one dungeon, the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, and you had your guild, which consisted of every character you created to try to tackle said dungeon. Combat was turn-based, enemies grant EXP and drop phat lewt, and dying makes you throw your controller (in this case, the entire console) at the wall.
Unlike its contemporaries, Etrian Odyssey tasked its players to create their own characters' stories. The game gave you a setting, a scenario, and the tools to play around in the world it has built, but you decide whether your Medic is madly in love with your Alchemist who suffers from daddy issues and wants to prove she's not a little girl anymore by joining your guild and conquering the legendary labyrinth. Or, you know, she's only there because you needed a DPSer with elemental damage. Whatever floats your ship.
 |
| The formula went on to spawn more games, for better or worse. |
That is not to say the game has no story. Rather, it's not directly tied to your characters. The mystery of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth unfolds as you traverse it, both by narrative text that describes your environment (the NDS could only do so much in the graphics department, after all) and noticeable changes in the background and enemy types you encounter. There are even some notes on the floor and writing on the wall later on. It's like you're playing through a D&D campaign, which is as old-school RPG as it gets.
------
Where Untold Went Wrong
On paper, the Untold games seemed like a good idea. With more Etrian titles planned, what better way to draw new fans into the series than to remake the oldest titles? After all, the first three Etrian Odyssey games were on the Nintendo DS, and players had long since moved on to the 3DS. Atlus added some quality-of-life features from other titles and even changed the skill trees and maps to ensure veteran players would also have a reason to pick up Untold.
 |
| Don't you want to know why she has a gun when nobody else does? |
Despite its name, Untold does a lot more telling rather than showing. Right away, the title drops a massive spoiler about Yggdrasil's grand mystery: Etrian Odyssey takes place 1,000 years after the present day. In the original, you're led to believe this is a typical sword-and-sorcery setting until you reach the 21st floor of the Labyrinth and find the ruins of Tokyo buried down there.
 |
| Don't even get me started about the second Untold game. |
------
I like using Untold as an example of how explaining too much can diminish a storytelling experience. At best, you're taking away the audience's joy of finding out they were right all along. At worst, you're insulting their intelligence.
Etrian Odyssey's moments of revelation were rewarding and meaningful because clues were strategically woven into the environment and the narrative for the player to discover. Those same moments in Untold fell flat because the lore and backstory were beaten into you at every opportunity. The game abuses you enough with its core gameplay, thank you very much.
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