Etrian Odyssey IV Legends of the Titan on 3DS with a dirigible overworld. Map deep dungeons and fight massive FOEs. Atlus' rich class system at its best. A demanding JRPG dungeon game.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
A group of explorers maps multi-floor labyrinthine forests and the skies by airship to reach the legendary Yggdrasil. Published by NIS America, released in Europe in March 2014. Manual mapping on the touch screen, turn-based combat with varied classes, airship aerial exploration between labyrinths. European version in English.
Etrian Odyssey IV - Legends of the Titan review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
This entry opens up the sky. Between two descents you fly an airship over a sea of clouds resting on islands of foliage, and the labyrinths now appear only as green patches seen from above, to be spotted before entering. That change of scale finally gives an outdoors to a series that had only ever shown corridors, and makes the plunge underground markedly more stifling.
For this fourth expedition, Yuzo Koshiro enriches his palette with lush orchestral arrangements, without losing any of his synthetic fire. Labyrinthine forests and airship flights are accompanied by broad, spellbinding themes. This sonic richness, more melodic than ever, masterfully widens the series' universe.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Crisscrossing labyrinths while drawing your own map, dodging or facing the F.O.E.s and building a tailor-made team weaves an adventure where every level cleared rekindles the urge to descend. The addition of the airship opens up exploration. The curve stays demanding, but the satisfaction of mapping and optimizing your guild grips the patient relentlessly.
Difficulty
"Punishing"
Reputedly friendlier than its elders, it stays formidable the moment you stray from the beaten path: interconnected labyrinths, cunning FOEs and side dungeons test both nerves and strategy. It all comes down to class synergy and cautious exploration. Firm without being unfair, it rewards method and patience floor after floor.
Lifespan
"Massive"
Exploring labyrinthine forests and soaring the skies by airship to reach Yggdrasil sets up a long-form mapping adventure. Party creation, meticulous map-drawing and menacing FOEs hold you for long hours. That richness of exploration and strategy, the series' own, offers a lifespan dear to dungeon-RPG fans.
The NTSC release of Etrian Odyssey IV has become one of the most valued Atlus 3DS titles in the US: a small initial print, launch bonus inside the case, and the status of the first major entry to land in the West in full form. The presence of the bonus booklet and pre-order sticker defines the price gap between a standard copy and a genuine collector piece.
An underrated gem
An ideal entry point to the series, this fourth installment opens exploration to the skies aboard an airship while keeping its addictive stylus mapmaking. Too niche to break through with the mainstream, it stayed a fans' secret. Accessible yet rich, it'll enchant anyone who dreams of methodically charting labyrinthine forests.
Is Etrian Odyssey IV - Legends of the Titan still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2012 in Japan then 2013 in the West on 3DS, Atlus' project marks the dungeon crawler's entry into three dimensions, adding an airship that flies over a world map to explore between the labyrinths. The map you draw yourself on the touch screen, the series' trademark, stays at the heart of the pleasure. The deep class system, the skills to allocate and the demanding turn based combat offer great strategic latitude. A gentler difficulty opens the series to a wider audience. An excellent entry point to the genre, recommended for fans of exploration and strategy.
