During my time with Atlus at E3 2013, I was given the opportunity to check out their latest offering in the dungeon-crawling Etrian Odyssey series.

The fifth game so far, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, which is actually a remake of the original game, contains two main story options. Classic mode acts kind of like a retelling of that first game in the series, whereas the expanded story mode features more emphasis on dialogue, with plenty of interaction between your party members and NPC cast members. The expanded story revolves around searching for the origin of the Yggdrasil Tree and the discovery of a mysterious girl found unconscious in an underground tomb, having apparently been there for a 1,000 years.

Both story modes feature updated 3D graphics, StreetPass functionality and gameplay conveniences, such as the ability to fast travel to particular points in dungeons.
The artwork matches the same style as previous games, and that's a wonderful thing. The game will feature animated cutscenes by MADHOUSE Inc, dialogue voice overs and the option to play the game using orchestrated background music.

A new addition to the series is the ability to harvest Grimoire Stones, which can be synthesised and equipped onto weapons to change their properties and learn enemy skills, essentially blurring the borders between the different character classes. There will also be new difficulty levels, Picnic and Standard, to assist new players who are unfamiliar with the series. Veterans can choose Expert difficulty to face new challenges.

If you liked the previous game in the series, this game is certainly one for your shopping lists, whether you played the original version on the DS or not.

The game is coming out this summer on the 3DS eShop and retail at the same time.