Etrian Mystery Dungeon

 3DS
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: Apr 7, 2015
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 56
  3. Negative: 7 out of 56
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  1. Rtheom
    Apr 21, 2015
    8
    This is Mystery Dungeon to an M, and it actually works pretty well with the Etrian theme. As anyone who has played either previous Mystery Dungeon or previous Etrian games knows, the games are tough as beans, often punishing you very harshly for slightly lapses in judgement. Combining of the two just made sense, and it works well and keeps the feel of both nicely.

    What most don't    This is Mystery Dungeon to an M, and it actually works pretty well with the Etrian theme. As anyone who has played either previous Mystery Dungeon or previous Etrian games knows, the games are tough as beans, often punishing you very harshly for slightly lapses in judgement. Combining of the two just made sense, and it works well and keeps the feel of both nicely.

    What most don't realize going into this game is that it is not a real time beat-em-up, like it appears, but actually a very strategic turn based game. Half of the challenge is managing your party and making sure that they aren't walking head first into trouble. The other half is timing your skills and attacks right.

    Fortunately, this game is a bit more forgiving than most other Etrian or Mystery Dungeon games and there are plenty of ways to heal and rez your team. So if you're paying attention, you'll rarely actually go down completely. The addition of the forts to essentially create mobile load points is also super awesome because one of the biggest pains of past Mystery Dungeon games was getting most of the way through a dungeon and then needing to return to town to sell loot or regen your team. (FYI the dungeons change and reload each time you leave them, so clearing one area doesn't mean it's cleared for good.)

    TLDR: If you like Etrian games or Mystery Dungeon games, give this a shot, you'll probably like it. If you don't, or are new, go in with caution as you'll probably be facing a lot of frustration very fast.    … Expand
  2. GoombaJMR
    Jul 5, 2015
    8
    Etrian Mystery Dungeon does a pretty nice job combining elements from Etrian Odyssey and the Mystery Dungeon series. While the Etrian Odyssey series itself stands as one of my most liked franchises (of all time), I have to say that playing in a rogue like mystery dungeon was a big change. I’ve played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (GtI), and it was a much simpler beast than this game is. With allEtrian Mystery Dungeon does a pretty nice job combining elements from Etrian Odyssey and the Mystery Dungeon series. While the Etrian Odyssey series itself stands as one of my most liked franchises (of all time), I have to say that playing in a rogue like mystery dungeon was a big change. I’ve played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (GtI), and it was a much simpler beast than this game is. With all of the sorts of things you’d expect in a solid JRPG game (including EO skill branches etc.), and unique armor, weapons, and stuff (models) in the game. The transition to third person play was expected, but the gameplay is still smooth at that. While there isn’t too much new music in the game, the ones that are new are pretty good (Town theme, Boss battle etc.) and the remixes of songs from old games are superb. The downfall from this great game would probably be the AI and how stupid it can be, most of the time. The AI does a good job of wasting the MP of all three of your other characters, attempting to remove useless enemies from your sight. While you can make it so that you command all the characters, it does serve as a hassle and downside of the game. Another downside would probably be part of the DOEs, as they get somewhat annoying to deal with (especially weaker ones) once you pass enough dungeons. The game is quite long, spanning (most likely for you) over 30 hours. The quests are nice, and all that stuff is at the quality you’d expect from Atlus. I recommend getting this game if you’re a fan of either of the franchises - and if you’re on the fence about this game, I’d say… take a few more looks gameplay videos and consider whether or not this game is for you!

    Gameplay: 8.5/10
    Story: 7.5/10
    Music: 9/10
    Presentation: 8.5/10
    Length: 8.5/10
    Overall: 8/10    … Expand
  3. Weesum
    May 31, 2015
    8
    This was an amazing game love everything! The challenge the bosses, even the implementation of the DOEs to replace the FOEs in previous games. All in all I loved this game! The only change I can ask for is to let normal enemies move through the walkways between rooms.
  4. JeffreyTey
    Apr 12, 2015
    8
    If you like rogue-like games, Etrian Mystery Dungeon is the perfect game for you. A very good crossover of two different series Etrian Odyssey and Mystery Dungeon, it takes the best of both games and combines them.

    If you've played any games in the Etrian Odyssey series, you would know the daunting and medium to high level of difficulty the game throws at you and it is no different    If you like rogue-like games, Etrian Mystery Dungeon is the perfect game for you. A very good crossover of two different series Etrian Odyssey and Mystery Dungeon, it takes the best of both games and combines them.

    If you've played any games in the Etrian Odyssey series, you would know the daunting and medium to high level of difficulty the game throws at you and it is no different here. That being said, like all EO games, it also encourages you to try different playstyles with a wide variety of job classes to choose from.

    You definitely do not die in the first dungeon. All you need is planning and understanding of what to do as well as understanding party synergy. Overall Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a very solid game that will appeal to players who like to customize their own parties and rogue-like gamers.    … Expand
  5. midipon
    May 15, 2015
    9
    I very highly enjoy this game. It's like a gift that keeps on giving! Have to take some off for somewhat clunky interface and horribly dumb party AI though.
  6. ravenclaw77
    Aug 4, 2015
    9
    By far the best Rogue-like on 3DS. Lots of depth and tons of content, this is a great value for people who love the genre.

    If you're new to rogue-likes, it's a turn based game where every time you take a step or an action, the enemies do the same. It requires you to think and strategize. Rogue-likes are known for being difficult and this is no exception -- the first area is easy enough,    By far the best Rogue-like on 3DS. Lots of depth and tons of content, this is a great value for people who love the genre.

    If you're new to rogue-likes, it's a turn based game where every time you take a step or an action, the enemies do the same. It requires you to think and strategize. Rogue-likes are known for being difficult and this is no exception -- the first area is easy enough, and you can grind away if you find the game too hard, but it either takes a great deal of skill or a great deal of time grinding to defeat.

    The dungeons are pseudo-random and this offers some variety of each dungeon, you'll never see the exact same layout twice, most likely. However, there are parameters as to what can be in each floor, so it's not total chaos.

    Some people have complained about terrible A.I. My opinion is those players didn't give enough care to positioning. You can control any character at any time, and the other characters act themselves. Yes, it's important to not block doorways and make sure your allies have line of sight (LOS) on their targets, and this is part of the game. Once you realize you're controlling a squad and not focusing on a single character, the A.I. is at least on par with other rogue-likes.

    There is no 'permadeath', but if you fall in battle, you will lose a fair amount of progress. If you are impatient and impulsive, this will cause a lot of frustration. Once you learn to take your time and pace yourself, it's very rewarding.

    There are a number of things I haven't seen before in rogue-likes, such as the DOE system and building of forts. These add another dimension to an already complex game type, and I applaud it.

    Fans of rogue-likes should absolutely pick this game up for certain. If you're new to the genre, this is more complex and involved than most, and it could be frustrating, especially if you're unused to the need to really plan and strategize. For younger or new-to-the-genre players, I'd recommend pokemon mystery dungeon which generally doesn't offer quite as much challenge. For adults or anyone with experience, looking for a challenge, this is my favorite by far.    … Expand
  7. ventzx
    Jul 4, 2015
    9
    It's an awesome game if you're a fan of the Mystery dungeon games, if not it will get repetitive and boring pretty fast because that's how this type of games works, nevertheless it doesn't really disappoint anyone.

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best 3DS Game of 2015
22
#22 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2015
29
#29 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 44
  3. Negative: 1 out of 44
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2016
    70
    An old school roguelike enriched with some interesting twists. [13/2015, p.73]
  2. IGN Spain
    Nov 30, 2015
    78
    Mixing RPGS and roguelike elements, this game manages to offer a deep challenge, but fails in being too short for its kind.
    Read full review
  3. Cubed3
    Nov 15, 2015
    70
    The enjoyment of Etrian Mystery Dungeon will be very much dependent on how much a player enjoys the core experience of repeated dungeon excursions.
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