The DS dungeon RPG will arrive in Japan on March 4

Dec 10, 2009 17:01 GMT  ·  By

A new installment in the Etrian Odyssey has just been announced by Atlus, and fans of the series are bound to rejoice. While the game has yet to receive a date for a potential US release, Etrian Odyssey 3 will arrive in Japan on March 4 and it will be priced at ¥6,279. The dungeon RPG has retained the core staff from its previous installments, as director Shigeo Komori, character designer Yuji Himukai and music composer Yuzo Koshiro are all on board for the game's development.

Famitsu magazine got a first look at the game, courtesy of Atlus, and it looks like, while still a dungeon-crawler, it is set to take place by the beach. The ancient city of Armolode went through a horrible earthquake in the past, and most of its downtown was buried under dirt and rock, transforming it into a maze. Everything was covered, and, of course, that included a lot of valuables. Technology is another precious thing that was buried, and players will venture into the dark to retrieve its secrets.

The DS RPG will follow in the footsteps of previous Etrian Odyssey games, with one screen showing a 3D view of it, while the other one an overhead display of the map than can be manipulated with the touch pen. Other details for the title are currently elusive, but it looks like the seaside setting isn't just for the sake of the story. Besides the dark corridors of the maze, players will also be able to explore the surrounding waters by ship.

Also, all character portraits will be redrawn by Himukai, so all previous classes will have a brand-new look. Also, new classes like the prince/princess, phalanx, monk, pirate, and shinobi are being developed. Both previous Etrian Odyssey games were eventually released in America, so it's most likely that this one will eventually also come State-side.