Retro done right
Etrian Odyssey II essentially takes everything you loved about old-school RPGs and pretty much keeps everything it was years and years ago. So as you might expect, there's not a lot of story here. Instead, you're told of a gate to a world in the sky and a treacherous labyrinth that is the secret to the portal. You, as an avid adventurer, are given the task of exploring the dungeon and discovering the mystery of the lost city. It's very standard and storytelling doesn't play much of a role throughout the game. So you're off to the Explorer's Guild, where you'll create your own characters, down to class, name, and cute little portrait.
Actually, there is one significant aspect of old-school RPGs that Etrian Odyssey II does away with: the mediocre graphics. Rather, this game looks quite good, from the character portraits to background images for the royal city to the intricate labyrinth to the hordes of different enemies that you'll face off against. The game has a very distinct, anime-inspired visual style and it's one that works quite well for the game. Etrian Odyssey II is by no means one of the best-looking games on the DS, but considering the way the game is set up, everything looks quite nice.
Don't let the cute visuals fool you, though: Etrian Odyssey II is through and through a hardcore game. You'll guide your party of five adventurers around various locations throughout the city, but the place you'll be spending most of your time in is the elaborate labyrinth around which the story is told. You're given a first person perspective of the dungeon -- you can only move forward or backwards, but not to the sides. Having to physically turn 90 degrees every time you want to round a corner can be a little disconcerting at first, but the controls are sharp and so while they're not intuitive at first you'll soon get used to them.
Combat in Etrian Odyssey II is extremely basic. You won't be waiting for meters to fill up or dealing with any fancy stylus work. It's all menu-based, and you'll execute actions by selecting them from a list, choosing a target (if necessary), and then waiting for the action to be done. In addition to standard attacking, you can also perform magic attacks, use other various skills, use items, and defend yourself. It's nothing all that new, but playing such an old-school, basic implementation is surprisingly refreshing in an era where everything is all about innovation.
Of course, Etrian Odyssey II contains all the basic role-playing mechanics: experience points, skills, levels-up, tons of items, equipment, weapons, and side quests. While Etrian Odyssey II doesn't really add much to the genre, it's a fun, solid gameplay system. One interesting thing that Etrian Odyssey II uses is its unique skill system. By defeating enemies, your characters will obtain points that can then be used to unlock new skills or customize skills that you already have. It allows for quite a bit of character customization, as each character possesses quite a wide range of potential skills to use. Additionally, there's the engaging class system; when you enlist a unit, you choose one of several classes, each with certain weapon restrictions and a unique skillset. While you can have only five units in your party at a time, you can have up to 30 "reserve" units that can be swapped in and out of your party when you're in the city.
One of the most awesome aspects of Etrian Odyssey II, and one that is carried over from the original, is the mapmaking mechanic. Your quest is not only to explore the entire labyrinth, but also to map it. This is supposedly a throwback to the olden days of dungeon crawling RPGs when fans would make their own maps on graph paper or whatnot. But this is considerably simpler and easier; as you wander throughout the labyrinth, the top screen will display your surroundings while the bottom screen will display the map. However, you're only shown the grid spaces on the map that you've actually traveled over, so there's a big motivation to completely explore each floor of the dungeon, just to ensure that your map is complete. Drawing the map is as simple as zooming in with a tap of the stylus, then drawing out boundaries, painting in floors, and filling in items such as doors, staircases, treasure chests, and more. Mapping the labyrinth is surprisingly fun and really addictive, and it definitely adds a lot to the game.
As big a draw as all these items may be, the biggest reason for the appeal of Etrian Odyssey II is its insane difficulty level. It's a very old-school difficulty, largely because battles rely less on skill and more on having done some level grinding (and some basic strategy never hurts either). At the beginning of the game, fighting just a few enemies can be hazardous to your party. Having party members die is nothing out of the ordinary, and they can easily be revived once you're out of the dungeon. But if all your characters die, it's game over and you'll have to start over outside the labyrinth. Enemies are tough and plentiful, and even small encounters can take a chunk out of your health. Boss fights are naturally even tougher, and overcoming even the first boss is going to take a lot of dedicated leveling.
Etrian Odyssey II offers quite a lengthy adventure, largely because of the training you'll have to do to overcome some of the game's most difficulty foes. Even disregarding that, the labyrinth is absolutely huge (though there are helpfully place warp points so that you won't have to trek through the entire dungeon every time you enter it) and will take quite a long time to explore and map completely. Throw into the mix some solid character building and you've got yourself a lengthy, engaging game.
All told, Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is definitely one of the best, while by no means the most original, RPG on the DS. It's a lengthy, challenging adventure that is any old-school gamer's dream-come-true. If you're looking for a tough game, Etrian Odyssey II has you covered. It doesn't do much that's creative, but it takes tried and true methods from traditional RPGs and translated them very well into a retro role-playing title on the DS.