![]() Stranger of Sword City does not really have this, you basically just go straight until you hit a block when mosnters are too strong and you would need to grind a little. ![]() Like with everything Etrian does, it’s a risk/reward mechanic that benefits those who use it to its fullest.Its same boring stuff as Demon Gaze, Etrian made you want to hunt the monsters, to grind and level up on them, collecting items was useful and you always could collect the special drops to get even better items. Fighting your way through the monsters of each labyrinth will build your Force Meter and when it’s at 100%, you can activate the Force Boost to temporarily enhance your character or go whole hog with the Force Break, which is either a devastating attack or impenetrable support move that shatters the character’s Force Meter until they return to town. After experimenting with Union Skills in Beyond the Myth, Force Boost and Force Break make a welcome return. It’s still the same two row, front-and-back set-up it’s always been. In combat, Nexus doesn’t do anything to rock the boat. It only lasts for a single turn, but the class’s strength makes it a dependable leader for my main team which consists of a medic, a gunner, a protector, and an arguably over-powered sovereign, who only becomes a more unstoppable killing machine when I unlock the ability to give my team sub-classes. If activated, the Hero will create a mirage of themselves that will repeat the last action the Hero used. The lone new class, Hero, is a well-rounded front-row warrior with an ability called Afterimage. I do that a lot early on as I slowly level-up my team, but around dungeon 10 - this is one long game - I reach a point where monsters should be more afraid of me than I am of them.ġ8 of those classes return from the previous five titles. ![]() While I’m not entirely on board with some of the dungeon gimmicks, particularly the Giant’s Ruins, it’s still an incredible rush to clear these labyrinths, floor by floor, barely surviving by the skin of my teeth. There is an aura of déjà vu permeating throughout Nexus - obviously by design - but because of how long it’s been since the first four games in the series released, it doesn’t ever feel stale to me. I’d argue they’re certainly a step down from the out-of-this-world designs found in the later floors of the Etrain Odyssey V Yggdrasil. There are wholly new labyrinths ready to be mapped either by hand or with the limited auto-map feature however, I don’t particularly believe they represent anything beyond what we’ve seen before. Waterfall Wood, Primitive Jungle, and Lush Woodlands are just some of the returning dungeons, bringing along with them popular enemies, FOEs, and characters from the first four entries in the franchise. As a “celebration” of the series, Nexus includes several dungeons featuring the same design aesthetics of ones found in past titles. However, those who have played Etrian games before will quickly realize they’re not seeing many of the labyrinths with fresh eyes. Unlike with past games, everyone here is new, seeing this world for the very first time. The massive flying city of Maginia - and yes I had to read that name several times before I started pronouncing correctly - lands near the Yggdrasil and acts as the standard hub-world. There is no starting city on the ground, so Princess Persephone, one of the key NPCs of the game, brings one with her. With Nexus, the game takes place in The Lost Islands of Lemuria, a location littered with small labyrinths that hold the key to a mysterious, long-lost society. Everyone was already there, you were simply the adventurers arriving to create your own destiny. Previous Etrian titles had players exploring a labyrinth with a ready-built society around it. Right away I am enamored by the cavalier spirit of the game’s characters. Nexus is no different, and after creating a team of five heroes for my impending journey, I’m ushered into an unexplored world as adventurers from all over take part in a veritable gold-rush of unseen riches. This is classic dungeon crawling focusing on combat, team building, and crafting detailed maps of the various dungeons you conquer. By now, everyone and their dog should know what the Etrian Odyssey franchise is all about.
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