The series takes another step forward with what makes it good, but keeps the details that hooks you in.
Etrian Odyssey 4 tosses you into the game as an adventurer who arrives within the main city of the game, looking to make a name for yourself while seeing all the world has to offer in the area. From there you'll go off to make a party and then head off on your quest of discovery. The story is more hidden than most games, at times feeling like it takes a back seat, but in this game it works. The story doesn't always follow you as it does appear before you, where your exploration actually triggers the game forward. It's a neat blend the creators made with this, making it truly feel like you are exploring and happening across people and events unknown to you.
The game's biggest boast, as in previous installments, is its map creation. It is a simple system that is a bit fun for those who like to be cartographers on the off chance. You'll draw lines for walls and get to place little tabs showing either doors or possible places of note should you need to return. One thing they have done differently this time, however, is the maps are not all huge. Some are 3x3 grids, giving a greater sense of variety and that not every dungeon is this massive maze to traverse, but rather a small area to peek around in for goods and exp. However, the main dungeons are the ones where floors will appear and it is here where a good chunk of plot progression also unfolds in the process, as well as some powerful enemies and bosses. Also, following EO3's idea, is the use of an overworld map styled dungeon. Within the story you'll earn an airship and from this you'll have a chance to map the world while traversing these many dungeons. Within this world map will come your best chance of earning money in the form of 'hunting spots'. As it's name implies, you'll be finding animals of various species and even harvesting grounds, all of which provides you with money when you return to the city (and will vanish until enough time passes forward). This aids in the money grinding caused in previous installments and allows you to speed up your wares a bit more than simply hoping you'll find good loot off of monsters and having to sell their drops for money.
However, despite this detail, the dungeons are just as dangerous and challenging as before. Random battles occur but you'll have the help of a glowing orb that goes from blue to red the closer you are to a fight. Once red, you'll likely enter a fight and soon be face to face with your foes. Unlike before, enemies are now in 3D rendering and move with lifelike habits. This is a nice new addition compared to the still images. It brings the fights more to life and allows you to see how some of their attacks actually execute themselves, some of which do support the sense of power being delivered onto you. Sadly you'll not see your own teammates, but this is not a drawback. Instead, you'll only have 2D rendered images of your characters that you chose from your character creation. Your skills and spells will be animated, but that is the extent of the graphics coming from your party.
Battles are speed based, but also executed in turns. Once every character and enemy has acted, a turn passes and the world around you moves on. This creates a strong sense of strategy in some places, thanks to the ever powerful FOEs the game is well known for. FOEs are strong and powerful enemies, ones that will gladly hunt you down or, in rare cases, ignore you. Should you fight them you'll be in for a hard fight, which will easily push your limits and team to the brink if you're not ready. More often than not, they will kill you, but thankfully you can run from these fights so they are not do-or-die battles unless you choose them to be. One other detail about FOEs is they will join in on your random battles if they can, so be careful of your surroundings. This game doesn't skimp on the difficulty.
Character creation is as involved and entertaining as it was in previous installments, but with a slightly more refurbished style to it. You first choose a basic class along with a portrait to go along with it (2 male and 2 females, each with 2 different color patters). However, not all classes are available until you reach certain points in the game, so this sense of discovery is enjoyable and rewarding. The classes themselves have several traditional based ones (fighter, healer, spell caster) but there's others that are rather unique and well designed, making it fun to experiment and tinker with them. However, you'll want to make sure you have a balanced team or the game will punish you hard for the lack of one. As you fight monsters you'll gain exp and also skill points to boost and strengthen your characters. The skill unlock system is a lot cleaner and more pleasing to the eye as it now shows a skill tree system showing which and what abilities directly unlock others further down the tree. Before it was a full list and you had to look and figure out the confusing mix, so this sorted look is a great welcome.
One new twist is the removal of having to learn harvesting skills in order to harvest from the map. This is a nice change as it allows you to form one team and stick with it and not be punished for choosing to strengthen yourself over being a hunting team, while also being able to earn items and money easier. You can freely walk up to glowing circles and take as many items as you like until the spot runs dry (until a day goes by to which you may return). In doing so, these items, along with monster drops, will unlock new and better items at the local store, allowing you to better ready your team for battle. The constant sense of reward mixed with the sense of adventure is what really keeps you hooked as it feels endless throughout the entire journey. Plus, this time, the game also shows you what items affect which pieces of equipment, that way you'll know what to look out for and, after finding it, will log who and where it was found for future references.
Musically the game isn't superior, but it does its job. From calm and peaceful sounds to tense sounds, the game manages to keep a proper score during its journey. However, I will mention that the main battle theme does hold a wonderful jazzy feel that fits nicely to the game.
Graphically, the game looks a lot smoother and well designed than previous installments, which matches the 3DS's capabilities. Portraits look detailed and smooth, backgrounds look lush and vibrant (some of the dungeon maps are quite the sights even if they hold a near identical look from block to block) and animations move fluidly without unusual glitches.
While the game does launch you into this world, it sadly does lack a sense of personal growth. Your characters hold no personalities and the most you'll ever get is from the characters you'll meet. Your characters are simply silent figures to help fight in your quest for discovery. While this isn't a bad thing, it does remove a certain depth that could even further your character's uniqueness within their creations, while also making the plot feel less personal. Perhaps soon we'll be given a chance for personalities amongst the characters, but for now the formula works.
Etrian Odyssey 4 is an RPG worth taking an adventure in. It provides difficulty with reward in hand, ensuring that you'll come back for more and be eager to see what's around the next corner. The game grows from its roots and has now started to show the fruits of its labours from previous ideas, while adding more and tweaking others to be a fluid, enjoyable and challenging game.