Etrian Odyssey -Posterity Collection-
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Welcome to the Etrian Odyssey -Posterity Collection-! If the Etrian Odyssey -Origins Collection- was about going back to where the whole cartography craze began, the roots of Yggdrasil, then this is the crown, a look at what came after… The new entries, the heartfelt remakes and the grand farewell. It's the same cartographic and battling elements in a different era, so grab your stylus and get ready for the wilder and more polished evolution of a dungeon crawler that refused to stay still. Let's get exploring! 
Etrian Odyssey -Posterity Collection-
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan is the first 3DS entry in this hardcore series and it's an amazing addition. Challenging and in true Etrian fashion, minimal "hand holding". You start in Tharsis, assemble a rag-tag guild tailored to your playstyle, picking from classes like the link happy Landsknecht or the status crazy Nightseeker. Then it all begins… Wall and door on the bottom screen, which sounds a little tedious but, weirdly makes you feel like a real cartographer. Random encounters are snappy and brutal, FOEs are now 3D beasts that'll hunt you down. That extra magic ingredient, Yuzo Koshiro's (from Ys, Kid Icarus, 7TH DRAGON and the Streets of Rage series) fully orchestrated soundtrack absolutely slaps. Misty ravine alone lives rent free in my head, whilst echoing library makes me want to pick up a bow and adventure myself. 
The subclass system unlocks halfway through and opens up wild build combos, while burst skills give your whole party a shared super move... There's a casual mode if you just want to vibe, but normal will still wreck you if you slack on party synergy. Battles are a tad slow and the story's pretty basic but mapping your own progress and finally dropping a tough FOE is peak satisfaction. 
The subclass system unlocks halfway through and opens up wild build combos, while burst skills give your whole party a shared super move... There's a casual mode if you just want to vibe, but normal will still wreck you if you slack on party synergy. Battles are a tad slow and the story's pretty basic but mapping your own progress and finally dropping a tough FOE is peak satisfaction. 
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth ditches the airship overworld of its predecessor for a straight up climb up Yggdrasil. You build a party from four races, Earthlain humans, Celestrian elves, Therian beast folk (don't leave yet, these are better than the ones in real life 
) and Brouni dwarves, each with unique stats and class access. The ten classes are more inventive than usual with Pugilists, Dragoons and Necromancers, and instead of subclassing, you later choose a legendary title, splitting your job into one of two "powerful" specializations and changing the way you play. Mapping every wall and treasure on the touchscreen remains the same, satisfaction included. 
Plus the dungeons are packed with clever FOE puzzles and random events where your race skills actually matter. Combat will still kick your ass if you ignore buffs and binds, but the difficulty feels fairer than the DS entries. Soundtrack absolutely shreds once more with jazzy town themes, creepy necropolis jams, all of it. 
Character creator lets you tweak hair, eye colors and even voice clips, like in MONSTER HUNTER, though hearing the same grunt every time you spend skill points gets old very fast. Now, the biggest letdown is the story… ITS BARELY THERE, even by Etrian Odyssey standards. You climb just because and the lore dump right before the final boss is rushed. 
) and Brouni dwarves, each with unique stats and class access. The ten classes are more inventive than usual with Pugilists, Dragoons and Necromancers, and instead of subclassing, you later choose a legendary title, splitting your job into one of two "powerful" specializations and changing the way you play. Mapping every wall and treasure on the touchscreen remains the same, satisfaction included. Plus the dungeons are packed with clever FOE puzzles and random events where your race skills actually matter. Combat will still kick your ass if you ignore buffs and binds, but the difficulty feels fairer than the DS entries. Soundtrack absolutely shreds once more with jazzy town themes, creepy necropolis jams, all of it. Character creator lets you tweak hair, eye colors and even voice clips, like in MONSTER HUNTER, though hearing the same grunt every time you spend skill points gets old very fast. Now, the biggest letdown is the story… ITS BARELY THERE, even by Etrian Odyssey standards. You climb just because and the lore dump right before the final boss is rushed. 
Etrian Odyssey Nexus
Etrian Odyssey Nexus is the franchise's big goodbye, kinda like a "best of" compilation that sweetens the pot with nineteen classes… Including the new Hero with its busted afterimage clones, plus subclassing and the force boost and break system from Untold 2. 
You explore a node based overworld similar to IV, hopping between remixed dungeons pulled straight from earlier games, which is either a cozy nostalgia hit or a lazy rehash depending on your mood. The map making and turn based combat are still top notch, with FOE puzzles that'll make you sweat and a difficulty slider, ranging from picnic to heroic. Soundtrack slaps as always, especially the Etrian Odyssey III remasters and the character creator lets you mix any portrait with any class which rules but here's the catch: this thing is looooong, it's about 70 hours, so it's a tad longer than the Persona 3 and 4 for reference. The shrine dungeons reuse the same bland assets over and over… And over… The story is barely there until a dumb final twist and the class balance is wonky: The Hero, Sovereigns and Gunners make everyone else look silly. It's a "real Etrian Odyssey" game but it's built for diehard fans who want one last exhausting victory lap. 
Newcomers should definitely start with IV or the remakes instead.
You explore a node based overworld similar to IV, hopping between remixed dungeons pulled straight from earlier games, which is either a cozy nostalgia hit or a lazy rehash depending on your mood. The map making and turn based combat are still top notch, with FOE puzzles that'll make you sweat and a difficulty slider, ranging from picnic to heroic. Soundtrack slaps as always, especially the Etrian Odyssey III remasters and the character creator lets you mix any portrait with any class which rules but here's the catch: this thing is looooong, it's about 70 hours, so it's a tad longer than the Persona 3 and 4 for reference. The shrine dungeons reuse the same bland assets over and over… And over… The story is barely there until a dumb final twist and the class balance is wonky: The Hero, Sovereigns and Gunners make everyone else look silly. It's a "real Etrian Odyssey" game but it's built for diehard fans who want one last exhausting victory lap. Newcomers should definitely start with IV or the remakes instead.
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is a remake of the very first game after a major glow up, featuring two separate ways to play. Story mode drops you into a fixed party with the silent Highlander, the amnesiac girl Frederica and three bickering researchers. Plus voice acting, anime cutscenes and an extra dungeon called Gladsheim to match. It's a lot more narrative than usual and honestly, the characters grow on you, even if the plot gets a little messy with that relatable "uh oh, we accidentally justified a genocide" moment. 
Classic mode just gives you the original vibe with custom parties, more freedom and no hand holding. Combat runs on the same tight turn based system but the big new gimmick is Grimoire Stones, random skill buffs you can fuse with anyone. Cool in theory but the RNG and unfriendly UI make it a grindy headache. 
Kinda making up for it, mapping dungeons still rules, you pick between the shiny orchestral soundtrack or the original FM synth bangers. Difficulty options range from Picnic (brain off) to Expert (you have issues), though two classes are locked behind finishing Story Mode, which is lame. May not be as polished as IV or Nexus but as a love letter to Etria with actual characters, a decent narrative and a semi-decent balancing, its a solid entry point. 
Classic mode just gives you the original vibe with custom parties, more freedom and no hand holding. Combat runs on the same tight turn based system but the big new gimmick is Grimoire Stones, random skill buffs you can fuse with anyone. Cool in theory but the RNG and unfriendly UI make it a grindy headache. Kinda making up for it, mapping dungeons still rules, you pick between the shiny orchestral soundtrack or the original FM synth bangers. Difficulty options range from Picnic (brain off) to Expert (you have issues), though two classes are locked behind finishing Story Mode, which is lame. May not be as polished as IV or Nexus but as a love letter to Etria with actual characters, a decent narrative and a semi-decent balancing, its a solid entry point. 
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight is the second and last remake in the series and it blows the first Untold out of the water 
(though I may be a little biased). We have the same split between Classic mode (build your own party) and Story mode… But this time the fixed squad actually have great chemistry and a surprisingly engaging plot to follow. The force boost and break system replaces the old one, giving every class a temporary "super mode" and a once per expedition nuke, which really makes boss fights feel more tactical and significant. Grimoire stones are also fixed, now each stone carries a single skill, you can equip up to six, and stacking them lets you push abilities past level ten, so no more inventory clog! The restaurant side activity where you hunt for ingredients and run ads to sell dishes, is very cute. 
The dungeon design is clever, the orchestral soundtrack is amazing (as always) and you can switch to original FM synth too. QoL improvements like floor jumping and more save files make exploring feel smooth, enjoyable and soooo much less grindy, but there is still some caveats, most being familiar faces for the Etrian series. 
Some bosses have ridiculous HP pools that drag on forever making fights a real slog, balancing gets weird (as usual), the postgame stratum is meh and the cafe has some very "unnecessary" features. Still as a starting point for newcomers who want a decent story with their cartography and… Gameplay that's a little more friendly? This is definitely the one. 
(though I may be a little biased). We have the same split between Classic mode (build your own party) and Story mode… But this time the fixed squad actually have great chemistry and a surprisingly engaging plot to follow. The force boost and break system replaces the old one, giving every class a temporary "super mode" and a once per expedition nuke, which really makes boss fights feel more tactical and significant. Grimoire stones are also fixed, now each stone carries a single skill, you can equip up to six, and stacking them lets you push abilities past level ten, so no more inventory clog! The restaurant side activity where you hunt for ingredients and run ads to sell dishes, is very cute. The dungeon design is clever, the orchestral soundtrack is amazing (as always) and you can switch to original FM synth too. QoL improvements like floor jumping and more save files make exploring feel smooth, enjoyable and soooo much less grindy, but there is still some caveats, most being familiar faces for the Etrian series. Some bosses have ridiculous HP pools that drag on forever making fights a real slog, balancing gets weird (as usual), the postgame stratum is meh and the cafe has some very "unnecessary" features. Still as a starting point for newcomers who want a decent story with their cartography and… Gameplay that's a little more friendly? This is definitely the one. 
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