Etrian Odyssey II HD

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 54 reviews
  • grinding
  • story
  • music
Etrian Odyssey II HD Game Cover
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"Etrian Odyssey II HD" is a role-playing game that takes place in a floating castle above the five remaining islands after civilization sank beneath the seven seas. Players must build their own party from twelve different classes and climb through the Yggdrasil tree to uncover the truth of High Lagaard. The game features touch screen mapping functionality, newly remastered graphics and soundtrack, and difficulty selection for a personalized experience.

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Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews
music6 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Etrian Odyssey 2 introduces several new classes and improves class balance, making combat more engaging and strategic.
  • The game features enhanced quality of life improvements, such as better mapping options and more memorable dungeon events, which enhance the exploration experience.
  • The music and aesthetics of the game are praised, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that fans of the series appreciate.
  • The game suffers from balancing issues, with some classes being overpowered while others are rendered nearly useless, leading to frustration in party composition.
  • FOEs no longer grant experience points, which diminishes their role in gameplay and reduces incentives for players to engage with them.
  • Many quests and events require specific classes, leading to excessive grinding and backtracking, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • grinding11 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and often frustrating, particularly in post-game content where progress feels artificially limited and tedious. While grinding bosses can provide some relief, the overall experience is marred by excessive backtracking and the need to level multiple classes for side quests, which diminishes the incentive to experiment with different builds. Despite these issues, some still enjoy the game, acknowledging that grinding is a common element in dungeon crawlers.

    • “Doing all these quests will also involve making and leveling each class to some extent to fulfill prerequisites, so be prepared for some extra grinding.”
    • “The biggest reason for this was that the progress doesn't feel balanced at all; the game artificially limits your progress quite often by brute force (e.g., can't go to the next floor until some tedious objective is completed) and when combined with weird balance, some of the stuff can be blazed through while some of the foes are harder than the final boss at the regular level cap (70).”
    • “The normal content is fine, but the post-game content for the 6th stratum is just tedious and annoying.”
  • story11 mentions

    The story in the game features extensive quest chains and character-driven side quests that enhance the exploration experience, making it feel more fleshed out compared to its predecessor. While the narrative lacks a traditional strong plot and colorful main characters, the varied cast and engaging side quests contribute to a rich world-building experience. However, players should be prepared for additional grinding and some logistical challenges with quest management.

    • “The story in this game feels much more fleshed out than the first installment, while still maintaining a level of ambiguity that allows you to imagine how your party feels about the situation.”
    • “While the first game had you interact with more generic characters, the second game's characters are incredibly fun and varied, and the various side quests offered provide a fantastic scope of High Lagaard.”
    • “Even though there isn't a colorful cast of main characters or a strong plot like in a traditional JRPG, these adventure episodes help make the exploration much more memorable.”
    • “Even little stuff like the way the story is executed, how shortcuts are placed (including the new geo pole mechanic), and how end content is accessed doesn't work as smoothly.”
    • “Doing all these quests will also involve making and leveling each class to some extent to fulfill prerequisites, so be prepared for some extra grinding.”
    • “For example, if you take a class-related 'come to the bar' quest and don't turn it in, your game will lag immensely.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised, with many noting it as a standout feature, particularly highlighting improvements over previous installments. Composed by Yuzo Koshiro, the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, complementing the strategic gameplay and challenging bosses, despite the absence of significant cutscenes or plot. Overall, the combination of great music and high production quality contributes to a captivating atmosphere.

    • “The music is great as always; I feel the stratum music is definitely better compared to the first game, but that's just my opinion.”
    • “The dungeons and background music are great.”
    • “This isn't even mentioning the fantastic music done by composer Yuzo Koshiro, whose work on the Etrian Odyssey series is always stellar.”
  • graphics3 mentions

    The graphics in the game are praised for their improved visuals and aesthetics, contributing to a great overall experience. However, some players noted that the recycling of elements from the first installment, such as enemy designs and floor layouts, detracts from immersion.

    • “Amazing game, great aesthetics.”
    • “A great trilogy, brought to modern systems with tons of quality of life features and improved visuals.”
    • “Another major reason is how much content is recycled directly from the first part; enemies are one thing (all of them have new graphics too), but having floors with identical layout sections really breaks the immersion.”
  • gameplay3 mentions

    The gameplay is generally robust, but players feel that certain design choices, such as story execution and shortcut placements, hinder the overall experience. While the game aims for depth and ambition, some mechanics, particularly the grindiness of dungeon crawling, may feel excessive and detract from enjoyment.

    • “Even little stuff like the way the story is executed, how shortcuts are placed (including the new geo pole mechanic), and how end content is accessed doesn't work as smoothly.”
    • “I know dungeon crawlers are meant to be grindy, but this mechanic is well over the top.”
    • “The base gameplay is robust; it is just that a lot of good intentions and great ambitions ended up making the game worse in other ways.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The optimization in the latest game shows significant improvement, with previously underperforming classes now excelling in damage and ailments. This installment serves as a trial for future enhancements, indicating that developers are likely to incorporate player feedback to further optimize and customize upcoming titles.

    • “Origins is very much a 'testing the waters' sort of deal, to figure out how they're going to make these games work going forward. I'm 100% sure they'll take the feedback and experience from these ports to make the next game, or a future collection, even more optimized and customizable.”
    • “Where ronins and hexers were unlockables with subpar performance in EO1, here they are gods of DPS and ailments respectively.”
    • “Origins is very much a 'testing the waters' sort of deal, to figure out how they're going to make these games work going forward, so I'm 100% sure they'll take the feedback and experience from these ports to make the next game, or a future collection, even more optimized and customizable.”
  • humor1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the humor in the game is largely absent, with players feeling that the fun has been significantly diminished. This sentiment is underscored by the ironic claim from the game master about personal growth and improvement, which contrasts sharply with the players' experiences.

  • stability1 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by several persistent glitches from the base version that remain unaddressed, indicating a lack of thorough post-launch support.

    • “There are a few glitches that were present in the base game that have not been fixed.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Negative mentions (%)Negative

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