Etrian Odyssey IV

Last updated
Etrian Odyssey IV:
Legends of the Titan
Etrian Odyssey IV.jpg
North American boxart
Developer(s) Atlus
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Daisuke Kanada
Producer(s) Hitoshi Sadakata
Programmer(s)
  • Masayuki Higo
  • Yoshihiro Komori
Artist(s)
  • Yuji Himukai
  • Shin Nagasawa
  • Nizo Yamamoto
  • Yukari Yokoro
Writer(s)
  • Kenichi Takamori
  • Yoh Haduki
Composer(s) Yuzo Koshiro
Series Etrian Odyssey
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: July 5, 2012
  • NA: February 26, 2013
  • EU: August 30, 2013 [1]
  • AU: September 12, 2013
Genre(s) Role-playing, Dungeon crawler
Mode(s) Single-player

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan [2] is a dungeon crawler role playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City and the first in the Etrian Odyssey series to be released on the Nintendo 3DS.

Contents

Story

For centuries, the tree Yggdrasil has been a constant presence in the lives of the people of Tharsis. It looms on the horizon, visible from everywhere in the city. But its roots are in a far-off land where no one has ventured until the Outland Count of Tharsis sponsors an Explorers Guild to reach Yggdrasil and discover its secrets. The player is the latest explorer arriving in Tharsis on an adventure to seek their fame and fortune.

After venturing through numerous lands, the player discovers a sealed-off, fallen Empire with more advanced technology whose prince, Baldur, wishes to awaken the Titan, also known as Heavenbringer, the humanoid form of Yggdrasil. The tree itself, along with the other "servitor" races besides humans, were bioengineered by an ancient civilization to purify the land after an unknown calamity, but they perished before they could finish the project, causing it to eventually go berserk.

While Prince Baldur succeeds in awakening Heavenbringer from within the ancient capital beneath Yggdrasil, he is corrupted by it. After the player strikes down Baldur, they must fight the Titan via airship. After defeating the Titan, it turns back into a tree and does not release the world-threatening toxins it absorbed, saving Tharsis from annihilation.

An optional post-game dungeon is the Hall of Darkness, a facility in which ancient researchers attempted to develop a countermeasure to Yggdrasil should they lose control of it, but failed and created an even more powerful abomination that they were forced to seal away.

Gameplay

The gameplay remains similar to the first three games, with some minor differences. There is now a new overworld in the form of the sky, which the player can roam around with using an airship, which gains the ability to fly at higher altitudes as the game progresses. The FOEs in the overworld are generally much stronger than those in the dungeons. Also, dragons periodically roam the overworld, and will instantly knock out the entire party if the player's airship comes within their attack range, usually, but not always, causing a game over. Also, enemies are now represented by moving 3D models rather than the static 2D sprites of the previous entries.

Development

Release

The game was officially announced during the Japanese Nintendo Direct on February 23, 2012. [3] The price and the release date of July 5, 2012 were confirmed during the Direct, while the official blog and Twitter account was also unveiled on the same day. [4] [5] A downloadable demo of the game was released on the Japanese Nintendo eShop in June 22. [6]

In Japan, the preorder bonus for the game included a soundtrack that comprises seven songs that are not used in the game. The soundtrack is known as Etrian Odyssey IV: Soundtrack Rough Sketch ver + Outtakes. [7]

In November of the same year, Atlus USA confirmed that the game will be released in the United States on February 26, 2013. [8] The launch edition of the game came with an art book and music CD. [9] A downloadable demo of the game was released on the US Nintendo eShop on February 7.

In April 2013, NIS America acquired the publishing duties of the game for Europe and Australia. [10] Similar to the other regions, a downloadable demo was provided before the launch of the game and the game was then released in both retail and digital format.

Reception

Critical reception of the game in Japan has been very positive, with Famitsu giving it a score of 35 out of 40 (9,9,9,8). [14] Elsewhere, the game also received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [11]

Etrian Odyssey IV sold 100,000 copies in its first week of release in Japan according to Media Create, giving it the highest opening sales in the Etrian Odyssey franchise series to date. [24] By October 2012, it had sold 150,000 units [25] and as of July 2013, is the best selling game in the series. [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers</i> 1997 role-playing video game

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. The game is the second installment in the Devil Summoner series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Originally published by Atlus for the Sega Saturn, it was later ported to the PlayStation in 1999 and Nintendo 3DS in 2012.

Mystery Dungeon, known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon, is a series of roguelike role-playing video games. Most were developed by Chunsoft, now Spike Chunsoft since the merging in 2012, and select games were developed by other companies with Chunsoft's permission. The series began when co–creator of Dragon Quest, Koichi Nakamura, was inspired by Seiichiro Nagahata's experience with Rogue, who is also a fellow developer from the company, and a desire to create an original series. It began on the Super Famicom, progressing to almost all of Nintendo's and Sony's home and handheld consoles, WonderSwan, Dreamcast, Windows, and mobile devices.

<i>Etrian Odyssey</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Etrian Odyssey is a 2007 3D dungeon crawler role-playing video game by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It centers around first-person exploration of a mysterious dungeon known as the Yggdrasil Labyrinth using a player-created party of characters. The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who criticized its punishing difficulty as limiting its appeal, but also making its gameplay more rewarding.

Haruka Shimotsuki is a Japanese singer and dōjin music composer known for her vocal themes in the Atelier Iris and Ar tonelico series. She also wrote the lyrics and sang the ending themes to the first two seasons of Rozen Maiden as well as the OVA under the name Kukui, with Myu. Shimotsuki's original music mainly consists of ethnic and fantasy music, and most of her songs are soft in tone.

<i>Etrian Odyssey II</i> 2008 video game

Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is a 2008 dungeon crawler role-playing video game by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. Heroes of Lagaard is the sequel to Etrian Odyssey.

<i>7th Dragon</i> 2009 video game

7th Dragon is a role-playing video game for Nintendo DS developed by imageepoch and published by Sega in Japan on March 5, 2009. The game has not been published in other territories. However, an English fan translation was completed in 2014.

indieszero Corporation, Ltd. is a small video game development company headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on April 21, 1997, and has developed video games for other video game companies, including Nintendo, SEGA, and Square Enix.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey</i> 2009 role-playing game

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus and Lancarse for the Nintendo DS. The game is the sixth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which forms the core of the Megami Tensei franchise. It was released in Japan in 2009, and in North America in 2010. An enhanced port for the Nintendo 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, was released in Japan in 2017, and was released internationally in 2018 by Atlus in North America and Deep Silver in Europe.

<i>Etrian Odyssey III</i> 2010 video game

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is a 2010 3D dungeon crawler role-playing video game by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It is a sequel to Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard. Players assume the role of a guild leader, adventuring into the labyrinth to fulfill quests.

<i>Radiant Historia</i> 2010 video game

Radiant Historia is a role-playing video game co-developed by Atlus and Headlock for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan in 2010 by Atlus, and in North America in 2011 by their subsidiary Atlus USA. An expanded remake for the Nintendo 3DS, titled Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, was released in 2017 in Japan and released in North America and Europe the following year, with the European version being published by Deep Silver.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> 2013 role-playing video game by Atlus

Shin Megami Tensei IV is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the Megami Tensei franchise, though no direct story connection exists to previous entries. It was released in May and July 2013 for Japan and North America respectively. It was released digitally in PAL territories on October 2014. The gameplay is reminiscent of previous Shin Megami Tensei games, carrying over the turn-based Press Turn battle system, where players and enemies fight and exploit weaknesses, allowing either side to gain additional turns or lose them.

<i>Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl</i> 2013 video game

Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is a 2013 role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS by Atlus. It is part of the Etrian Odyssey series, and is both a "reimagining" and a remake of the first entry. It was released by Atlus in 2013 for Japan on June 27 and in North America on October 1 and released by NIS America in Europe on May 2, 2014. It was available via both Nintendo eShop and retail at release.

<i>Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth</i> 2014 video game for Nintendo 3DS

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was published across all territories in 2014: released in June in Japan, November in North America and Europe, and December in Australia. Atlus published the game in Japan and North America, while NIS America published it in the PAL region.

<i>The Legend of Legacy</i> 2015 video game

The Legend of Legacy is a turn-based role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Cattle Call. The game was first published for Japan by FuRyu in January 2015, then localized by Atlus USA to be published by Atlus USA for North America in October and by NIS America for Europe and Australia in February 2016. A remaster was released in 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows. The story takes place on the legendary lost continent of Avalon, where eight adventurers explore and fight to uncover its mysteries.

<i>Etrian Mystery Dungeon</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was developed by Spike Chunsoft and Atlus, and published by Atlus in Japan on March 5, 2015 and Atlus USA in North America on April 7. It was published by NIS America in Europe on September 11. The game is a crossover between Atlus' Etrian Odyssey series and Spike Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series. A sequel, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2, was released in Japan on August 31, 2017.

<i>Etrian Odyssey V</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan in August 2016, in North America in October 2017, and in the PAL region the following month.

<i>Etrian Odyssey</i> Video game series

Etrian Odyssey is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game series. It is primarily developed and published by Atlus and currently owned by Sega. By 2016, the series had sold a combined total of 1.5 million copies worldwide.

<i>Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Etrian Odyssey series, and is a remake of Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard. It was released in Japan in November 2014, in North America in August 2015, and in the PAL region in February 2016.

<i>Etrian Odyssey Nexus</i> Video game from the Etrian Odyssey series

Etrian Odyssey Nexus is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game published and developed by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS and it is the sixth and final main installment to be released on the handheld console. It was released in Japan in August 2018, and worldwide in February 2019.

References

  1. Gera, Emily (July 16, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan coming to Europe Aug. 30". Polygon . Vox Media.
  2. Originally released as Sekaiju no Meikyū IV: Denshō no Kyojin (世界樹の迷宮IV 伝承の巨神, lit. Labyrinth of the World Tree IV: God of Tradition)
  3. Inc., Aetas. "3DS「世界樹の迷宮IV 伝承の巨神」,2012年7月5日に発売決定" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-29.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. Inc., Aetas. "「世界樹の迷宮IV 伝承の巨神」の公式サイト/開発ブログ/公式Twitterが一斉公開。ストーリーや世界観,ゲームシステムなどの情報をチェックしよう" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-29.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. "Atlus Announces Etrian Odyssey 4 on the 3DS". Exophase. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  6. "『世界樹の迷宮IV 伝承の巨神』体験版が配信開始! ファミ通.com限定の"QRギフト"でアイテムをゲットせよ! - ファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  7. Inc., Aetas. "「世界樹の迷宮IV 伝承の巨神」,先着購入特典はサントラCD「世界樹の迷宮IV サウンドトラック ラフスケッチver+アウトテイク」に決定" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-09-29.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends Of The Titan US Release Date Announced | My Nintendo News". My Nintendo News. 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  9. "Etrian Odyssey IV Coming In February Art Book And Music CD". Siliconera. 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  10. "Etrian Odyssey IV Delayed To Summer In Europe - Siliconera". Siliconera. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  11. 1 2 "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  12. North, Dale (March 1, 2013). "Review: Etrian Odyssey IV". Destructoid . Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  13. Fitch, Andrew (March 4, 2013). "EGM Review: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan". EGMNow . Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Romano, Sal (June 26, 2012). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1230". Gematsu.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  15. Wallace, Kimberley (March 7, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan". Game Informer . Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  16. Kemps, Heidi (March 18, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV Review". GameSpot . Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. Parish, Jeremy (March 4, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends Of The Titan Review". IGN . Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  18. Bailey, Kat (March 12, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan review: The warm embrace of exploration". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  19. Sleeper, Morgan (February 28, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (3DS) Review". Nintendo Life . Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  20. Barnett, Patrick (March 30, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legend of the Titan". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  21. Farokhmanesh, Megan (March 15, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan review: our retired explorer". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  22. Riley, Dave (February 26, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan". Anime News Network . Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  23. Marshall, James (October 15, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan". The Digital Fix. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  24. Ishaan (July 16, 2012). "Etrian Odyssey IV Sells 75% Of Shipment, Little Battlers Does Well, Too". Siliconera . Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  25. Spencer (October 22, 2012). "Etrian Odyssey IV Towers Over Persona 2, Plus Atlus USA Sales Data". Siliconera. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  26. Kubba, Sinan (July 16, 2013). "Etrian Odyssey Untold presents a fresh face this fall". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved November 12, 2015.