I've been researching these. I remember playing the first Etrian Odyssey and enjoying it. Now looking for another fix and found Strange Journey which seems very similar. Typically I'm not a fan of dungeon crawlers, but I love it if they make it fun like Etrian and Wizardry did. What's the diff between the two other than the auto map and setting?
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Etrian Odyssey vs. SMT: Strange Journey
- Thread starter ronito
- Start date
They're pretty different. EO is a pure Wizardry-alike, whereas SJ is more storydriven. Plus it has its own extra elements like demon negotiation and fusion. Essentially, I would say that EO is a more modern game sticking to Wizardry's formula, whereas SJ is a new entry in a series that descended from Wizardry but has evolved away from it significantly over the years.
Aeana said:
Yeah, that's my assesment as well.
EO = Wizardry with many modern gameplay concessions and design choices. Class system with skill points you invest.
SJ = Modern SMT with many throwback gameplay elements and perspective. Regular SMT Main Character + team of 3 recruitable and creatable demons, and more you can swap out on the fly (out of 300 total). There's also more of a plot than EO, but it is pretty bad by (the mostly high) SMT standards.
EDIT: I vastly preferred SJ. I simply liked the pacing, balance, and gameplay mechanics far more.
semiconscious
Member
biggest difference, simply put, is the demons - as with all smt games, how well you do in obtaining/fusing your demons (who act as your party companions in sj) is as well as you'll do in the game. it's a great mechanic, & a lot of fun, once you get the hang of it. i'll only add that, even as a long-time megaten fan, i enjoyed eo (the first one, anyway) more than sj...
edit: somewhat beaten
...
edit: somewhat beaten
...BlazingDarkness
Member
I never got round to playing SJ, is it stupidly expensive/hard to find?
Also how is the story? Does it engage like Devil Survivor?
Also how is the story? Does it engage like Devil Survivor?
Both are great games.
It helps to know your preferences.
Do you prefer an epic storyline to keep you interested into a game or a game that focuses more on customisation and exploration?
Do you like more lighthearted fantasy worlds or something like Aliens mixed with occultism?
Are you more interested into mapping dungeons or do you want to collect demons and fuse them for interesting results?
It helps to know your preferences.
Do you prefer an epic storyline to keep you interested into a game or a game that focuses more on customisation and exploration?
Do you like more lighthearted fantasy worlds or something like Aliens mixed with occultism?
Are you more interested into mapping dungeons or do you want to collect demons and fuse them for interesting results?
As a big fan of SJ and the EO games, I'd give the edge to SJ. I liked the spooky dream-like atmosphere, streamlined demon fusion system, and storyline. I also enjoyed how it felt like a Metroid game sometimes: upgrading your suit with apps and going back to previously locked-off areas to gather the goodies hidden inside. And, I found the difficulty to be just right. Challenging but fair. I actually made it to the end! Unlike the Etrian Odyssey games, where I get to the 4th Stratum and then get totally burnt out.
SJ is very similar to EO in cosmetic areas, since they share a similar game engine, and the interface is also pretty similar. Beyond that, they're very different games. The main difference is the nature of progression.
EO is a pure dungeon crawler, where everything other than going as far down in the dungeon as possible is an optional task. It's about managing your resources, trying to make long runs before returning to town, hitting checkpoint teleporters, etc.
SJ on the other hand, is more task driven. each dungeon cannot be progressed by simply ignoring everything else and just trying to find the exit to go deeper. Instead you often have a story objective that takes place in each area, which leads to story events which open up more of the dungeon, eventually leading to a boss of each major area. For example, if the story at a certain point requires you to find a certain person, or go to a location and plant a device, if you don't do that task, there is no further progression possible. Certain areas and doors will remain locked or unavailable until story events trigger them, and certain areas require certain abilities to progress which you will not have initially. There is a bit of Metroid-style exploration where after gaining certain abilities later in the game, you return to previous areas to access parts of the map you couldn't previously. Most are optional, but some parts of the story also require you to revisit older areas.
EO is a pure dungeon crawler, where everything other than going as far down in the dungeon as possible is an optional task. It's about managing your resources, trying to make long runs before returning to town, hitting checkpoint teleporters, etc.
SJ on the other hand, is more task driven. each dungeon cannot be progressed by simply ignoring everything else and just trying to find the exit to go deeper. Instead you often have a story objective that takes place in each area, which leads to story events which open up more of the dungeon, eventually leading to a boss of each major area. For example, if the story at a certain point requires you to find a certain person, or go to a location and plant a device, if you don't do that task, there is no further progression possible. Certain areas and doors will remain locked or unavailable until story events trigger them, and certain areas require certain abilities to progress which you will not have initially. There is a bit of Metroid-style exploration where after gaining certain abilities later in the game, you return to previous areas to access parts of the map you couldn't previously. Most are optional, but some parts of the story also require you to revisit older areas.
Celine said:It's nice to see you back
Sure is! I wish she'd been here to answer the question from my tiny tiny Megaten history featurette thread.
As for the OP's question, my assessment of Strange Journey is that you can have a lot of fun fusing and recruiting demons and exploring tricky huge dungeons, so it sounds like it would be a good bet for you. Cool atmosphere and awesome art is a great bonus too.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Dude, everyone (and certainly every self respecting RPG fan) needs a DSAlucrid said:
cj_iwakura
Member
Funny thing, in my opinion, Etrian Odyssey(all three of them) is worlds harder than SJ.
Etrian Odyssey is the deeper game overall, SJ is the more unique experience.
Etrian Odyssey is the deeper game overall, SJ is the more unique experience.
I also found that the demon fusing side of things made SMT less grindy.
Lose to a boss? Fuse some demons (or pull them from the compendium) that are strong to him. It sometimes meant a little grinding, but until I got to the very end game there was very little.
In EO getting beaten by a boss tended to mean that you need that you need to get some levels, get a new class, or get different skills. All of which seemed to require grinding. After the first 2 stratums I found that EO 1&2 required at least an hour or two of grinding to beat every boss.
Lose to a boss? Fuse some demons (or pull them from the compendium) that are strong to him. It sometimes meant a little grinding, but until I got to the very end game there was very little.
In EO getting beaten by a boss tended to mean that you need that you need to get some levels, get a new class, or get different skills. All of which seemed to require grinding. After the first 2 stratums I found that EO 1&2 required at least an hour or two of grinding to beat every boss.
Shit man, you have missed out on some true gems.Alucrid said:
Etrian Odyssey is fucking great, especially if you like just pure brutal difficulty and exploration.
SJ is more story-driven and has you backtracking more than EO does.
Both are fantastic and worth your time, though. Especially EOIII - holy shit it's so good.
Not your opinion. The Demon elements help make SJ a way more easy-going experience than EO, where you're bound to get your face smashed in repeatedly and the only way around it is completely rethinking your strategy in many cases.cj_iwakura said: