Etrian Odyssey Nexus

About Etrian Odyssey Nexus

Etrian Odyssey Nexus is the final entry in the Nintendo 3DS era for Atlus's long-running dungeon crawler series. Released on August 2, 2018, this title gathers explorers in the floating city of Maginia to investigate the Lemuria archipelago and its legendary Yggdrasil Tree. The game serves as a massive compilation that brings back characters from the entire franchise while introducing a fresh "Hero" class. It stands apart by requiring players to draw their own maps without relying on automated pathfinding, a mechanic that defines the core loop of exploration and survival in these dense, handcrafted labyrinths.

Gameplay

You spend your time managing a party of up to five characters drawn from nineteen distinct classes before venturing into the unknown. Combat happens turn by turn using standard RPG commands like attack or cast spells, but you must navigate complex dungeons manually on the touchscreen. The game includes an optional auto-mapping feature for accessibility, though purists prefer sketching routes themselves to avoid getting lost. You complete over a hundred quests that range from simple fetch tasks to challenging boss fights. Each session involves planning your team composition around sub-classes and specific monster weaknesses while keeping track of limited supplies.

What Players Think

Players rate this title highly with an 81 Metacritic score, signaling strong approval from critics who appreciate the series refinement. The PlayPile community notes that completion rates remain robust among hardcore fans despite the steep learning curve. Average playtime hovers around sixty hours for a single run, though many users log over one hundred hours chasing all achievements and difficulty tiers. Community moods reflect satisfaction with the nostalgia factor, citing the return of composer Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack as a major highlight. Review snippets frequently mention the 19-class roster as a selling point that offers deep customization without feeling bloated.

PlayPile's Take

Etrian Odyssey Nexus is a dense RPG worth your time if you enjoy manual mapping and tactical team building. It costs standard retail price on the secondhand market since it was a 3DS exclusive. The game features fifty-two achievements that track everything from class levels to map completion percentages. This is not for players seeking casual exploration or auto-pilot navigation. Buy this only if you want the definitive collection of the series' mechanics before the franchise moved to other systems. The manual mapping requirement remains the biggest barrier to entry.

Storyline

"A royal decree from Princess Persephone has prompted the gathering of the realm’s greatest explorers to the floating city of Maginia. Their goal—uncovering the mysteries of the archipelago of Lemuria, home to a great Yggdrasil Tree."