Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

Editor's Notes

Digital copy reviewed.  The DLC for the title are only extra quests and a class from an earlier Etrian Odyssey game, and have no bearing on the review score.

Introduction

It's honestly quite amazing how many games some companies can release in a year. Atlus has really been at it, with consistent releases that should keep any JRPG fan occupied year round. It's not always sequels and spinoffs either. 'Lost Dimension,' a SRPG series revolving around finding traitors amongst a group is one very recent example. But now, fans are getting an entry to one of Atlus' more popular series, 'Etrian Odyssey' with a remake of the second game, titled 'Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight'.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

There are two modes to 'The Fafnir Knight', the Story Mode and Classic Mode. The Story Mode is new to 'Etrian Odyssey Untold 2', and the main draw of the remake. In it, the story follows the titular Fafnir Knight and the Princess Arianna, as they explore Yggdrasil in an attempt for the princess to invoke an ancient ritual.

The Story Mode, as it may be guessed, features five set party members, as opposed to the typical "create your own" party members. The five members make a relatively balanced team, and have personalities and thoughts of their own. It certainly makes the dungeon crawling a little less lonely... but on the flip side, it feels as though the party members talk too much, with them stopping at every little point of interest and chatting endlessly about it. Also, given that these characters' personalities are rather typical tropes, their dialog becomes rather predictable, making me wish I could skip through it far faster.

I personally enjoyed 'The Fafnir Knight's' Classic Mode far more, although playing that mode does locks out using the Fafnir Knight class until a New Game Plus. Classic Mode is just like the typical Etrian Odyssey title: Players create a party based off the classes available and set off into the dungeon, exploring the dungeon depths. Although the two follow the same general plotline, Classic Mode simply has less text and characters talking around it, which means getting to the action that much quicker. While plenty of people will undoubtedly enjoy the Story Mode (as well as the various difficulty levels that are changeable any time the party's in town), as a series veteran, I prefer the normal 'Etrian Odyssey' experience.

Outside of the story (or lack thereof), though, everything about 'The Fafnir Knight' is mostly the same across modes. Battles are random (though players are given a warning of impending battles via a radar on the top screen), and unless you're playing on the Picnic difficulty, require strategy for every battle. 'Etrian Odyssey' games can be quite tough, and going in expecting to steamroll random encounters will leave players with a wiped party. Buffs and debuffs play a big part of this RPG, and mastering when and which to use are of utmost importance to survive.

There are also other typical dungeon crawling staples, such as optional quests to go on, items to buy, and other utilities in town to partake in that help give passive boosts. And of course, the infamous 'Etrian Odyssey' staples, the FOEs are here, filling players with fear and sometimes requiring puzzle like solutions to get past unscathed.

To someone that's played an 'Etrian Odyssey' title before, very little of this is new. However, that's not particularly a bad thing; although there have been three main Etrian games (four if counting 'Persona Q'), the general gameflow and mechanics continue to be very solid. It's more of the same, yes, but when the same is more newbie-friendly than ever before while still being good, the familiar is welcome.