Joystiq: 4/5
RPGamer: 4/5
Nintendo World Report: 8.5/10
RPG Fan: 89%
USGamer: 4/5
Gaming Age: A-
Hardcore Gamer: 4.5/5
GamesRadar: 4/5
Exophase (no score)
Destructoid: 8/10
Nintendo Life: 9/10
Polygon: 6/10
Pocket Gamer UK: 8/10
IGN: 8.5/10
GamingUnion: 8/10
Press2Reset: 8.5/10
Digitally Downloaded: 4.5/5
GameCritics (no score)
ZTGD: 9/10
Cubed3: 8/10
JustPushStart: 9.2/10
With Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, Atlus returns to the original Etrian Odyssey, paring down its mechanics and crafting a quest focused on accessibility. Atlus further enhances the experience with a new Story mode and long-overdue gameplay additions that make dungeon-diving easier than ever. The result is both an ideal starting point for beginners and a significant improvement over the original game, though series veterans may balk at the idea of returning to Etria so soon after the release of the latest sequel.
RPGamer: 4/5
For me, this is an ideal remake. It keeps all the hardcore mechanics I love, gets rid of the ones I find tiresome, overhauls what needs to be improved, and leaves the right things alone. Any EO fan who isn't burned out should enjoy this game, and even if you're burned out it might be worth a shot thanks to the reduced rote activities.
Nintendo World Report: 8.5/10
In the end, the game’s best feature is how well it respects the player’s time. With some minor options tweaks, even boss battles can be lightning fast. Growing your characters and working out new strategies with Grimoire Stones is incredibly rewarding. One unfortunate flaw is that players can’t have both a Classic Mode and Story Mode game going at the same time, which may leave some with the difficult decision of which to choose. Story Mode offers a bit more content, but Classic Mode offers ultimate customization. Whichever you choose, the game is a rock-solid dungeon crawler that fits the 3DS very well.
RPG Fan: 89%
Calling the Story Mode "all-new" might have been a bit misleading on my part, as in fact, the new Story Mode is not an entirely new tale; it is more like putting flesh on the bones of a story already laid out in the original Etrian Odyssey. The events of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth play out similarly to those of the Classic Mode, but since the characters in your party have actual personalities this time around, they react and offer their opinions on the matter at hand. Finding strange objects in the Labyrinth, for instance, can lead to amusing skits that an otherwise silent crew would not offer. The only truly new events happen in Gladsheim, a separate dungeon from Yggdrasil that must be explored in tandem with Yggdrasil in order to eke out bits of plot. If I had to describe the plot of Etrian Odyssey Untold, it would be that of someone with a vivid imagination playing the Classic Mode and filling in the gaps by giving motivation to his characters for their actions. It isn't bad — in fact, it can be somewhat charming, but I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed that the plot wasn't more original.
USGamer: 4/5
The first portion of Untold consists of a remix of the original Etrian Odyssey. This aspect of the game is fairly straightforward: The dungeon gets completely new layouts, the visuals now look on par with those of Etrian Odyssey IV, and the familiar character classes have undergone near-total reworkings of their respective skill trees. While anyone who played through the first game will find most of the journey quite familiar, it's different enough that it might merit a playthrough, if only to learn what the experience is like when you can't lean on the original's game-breaking "Immunize" skill. It's better balanced overall, and a lot more accessible without being particularly defanged. As such, it effectively moots the original Etrian Odyssey by being the same thing but much more refined and, dare I say, player-friendly.
While two Etrian Odysseys in the space of six months feels like too much even for an avowed fan like myself, taken on its own Untold is a quality piece of work. Between its multiple modes and numerous difficulty settings, it really is the most accessible and flexible entry in the series: A great entry point to the series and genre, while offering something interesting for the seasoned player as well.
Gaming Age: A-
Again, there’s absolutely nothing here that’ll derail your enjoyment of the series if you’ve enjoyed Etrian Odyssey for quite some time. And you’re not likely to find a more perfect jumping on point if you have yet to experience the series. The additional Story Mode is a worthwhile experiment for the series, and shows that while dungeon crawling and map making are still Etrian Odyssey’s biggest strengths, tossing in a central plot and set party of characters doesn’t devalue the overall experience.
Hardcore Gamer: 4.5/5
In the end, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl feels less like a remake and more like a full-fledged sequel. The game has been redesigned with the player’s enjoyment in mind above all else. Its goal is to provide a gameplay experience for all types of folks, while never sacrificing one element for another that would alienate the hardcore or the newcomer. That’s a feat in and of itself for the first-person, dungeon-crawling JRPG genre. That aside, Untold benefits from combat that is deep and a rewarding story that’s the most compelling of the bunch. This is refinement personified, another excellent addition to the 3DS library and one of the most solid roleplaying games of the year. Missing out on Millennium Girl would be unwise and, for lack of a better term, a downright travesty for series and genre fans. For a great portable roleplaying game, folks really needn’t look any further.
GamesRadar: 4/5
Atlus has certainly been doing its best to address the major criticisms leveled at Etrian Odyssey, a notoriously challenging series of dungeon crawler RPGs. With Etrian Odyssey IV, the company sought to open the series up to a wider audience by adding an adjustable difficulty, making the gameplay much less daunting to newcomers. Now with its follow-up title, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, Atlus looks to improve the series’ storytelling (or lack thereof), weaving a stronger narrative through the adventure while still retaining the sense of freedom and exploration that drew gamers to it in the first place. Fortunately, the game succeeds on both counts.
Exophase (no score)
When you put together the new Story mode, auto-mapping system, and lower difficulty option, it’s clear that Untold is an ideal entry in the Etrian Odyssey franchise for newcomers to cut their teeth. It’s inviting and accessible, and you still get that delightful dungeon crawling experience the series is known for. Add to that the fun characters and battle gameplay, and this particular RPG is much more traditional than its predecessors while still feeling like an Etrian Odyssey game.
If you do have a hankering for the old school style, however, you’ll be glad to know that Untold includes a Classic mode. As expected, this component lets you build your party, just like in the old games, and it goes in a direction more closely rooted in the series’ foundations. Even then, the great new gameplay additions and stages remain intact in Classic mode, ensuring that you get the best of both worlds.
Destructoid: 8/10
A few new additions to the battle system have been added this time around. A boost gauge is filled which each battle, and when full it lets you power up your attacks temporarily. Grimoire Stones gathered from battle can contain enemies' skills or powers. Your party can equip these stones to use this power in battle. There's some fun to be had in combining stones to generate ability sets to benefit your journey.
Now, if you were one that tried one of the previous Etrian Odyssey games and decided you didn't like to draw maps, you'll be glad to hear about the new auto-mapping features. Turn these on and you won't have to do much to get your dungeon maps filled out. Walking automatically colors in paths and draws walls. The most you'll have to do is notate key locations, and that's optional.
Etrian Odyssey Untold also adds in a few more tweaks for accessibility's sake. Floor Jumping lets you revisit stairways you've previously used, saving you from a lot of backtracking after returning to town. Once in the dungeon, simply touch the stairway you'd like to be warped to.
Nintendo Life: 9/10
If you have fond memories of the original, this massive upgrade is the perfect reason to revisit the game — and if you're at all interested in RPGs and managed to pass this one up the first time, don't let it slip by you again; Untold is a polished, absorbing, and wonderfully unique experience.
Shield-wielding Raquna is not only steadfast in battle, for instance — she's also steadfastly, stereotypically Canadian, hailing from the Kingdom of Ontario and receiving care-packages of maple syrup from home.
Polygon: 6/10
Etrian Odyssey Untold's wishy-washy adherence to the past finds its ultimate form in "classic mode," which gives you the ability to create your own party and minimizes the plot, just like the good old days. Except at that point you're playing a just slightly modified version of the original game, which isn't that old and still holds up fine.
The Millennium Girl approaches story as a hole that needs to be filled, as something that the franchise has lacked, but the truth is simpler. Etrian Odyssey has never needed deeper or more developed plot, and the new parts of Millenium Girl are the least interesting ones. If you've played past games, there's little reason to jump into this latest entry — exploration is a lot less enticing when it's terrain you've already mapped before.
Pocket Gamer UK: 8/10
IGN: 8.5/10
GamingUnion: 8/10
Press2Reset: 8.5/10
Digitally Downloaded: 4.5/5
GameCritics (no score)
ZTGD: 9/10
Cubed3: 8/10
JustPushStart: 9.2/10
