Etrian Odyssey III HD
Etrian Odyssey III HD
Game
Game2023
Etrian Odyssey II HD
Developer ATLUS
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is a 2008 dungeon crawler role-playing video game by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. Heroes of Lagaard is the sequel to Etrian Odyssey. A remake, titled Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, was released for Nintendo 3DS in 2014. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
151 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
82 positive · 38 negative
95% range 60–76%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 82 | 38 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 0 | 24 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
98 of 137 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
69% recommend · 85 yes, 38 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 123 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (316 of 403 positive).
Players praise the port's performance and quality-of-life improvements. [1][2][3] Many consider it the weakest entry in the original trilogy due to balance issues. [4][5][6] Some reviewers advise newcomers to start with other games in the series. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Tl;dr: Only buy this game if you have played other Etrian Odyssey games and loved them, as this game is IMO the most frustrating in the series. If you are not particularly fond of this franchise, skip EO2 HD and get EO3 HD instead (or other mainline EO entries if you can get them). I repeat, if you are a series newcomer, please don't play this as your first EO. Etrian Odyssey is a hardcore and traditional DRPG …
- [6]
Probably the worst of the three NDS titles. Maybe come back to it after EOIII and EOI but honestly you can skip it. As someone with 100% achievements in EOI and EOIII, I find it hard to have motivation to play this one. If you have a 3DS, I recommend you play this game's remake instead (EOII Untold), though be aware it's a more complex game. + Classes that weren't as good in the first game get their time to shine. + …
- [4]
After getting 100% completion on Expert and obtaining the Hero Mark, I can confidently say... there's a reason EO2 has fewer reviews than the 1st and 3rd. It's sadly another tale of "Second Game Syndrome", wherein the original DS dev team sought to correct the failings of the previous game and experiment with new ideas. They did make several improvements over EO1, but it also came with some overcorrections which …
- [5]
Etrian Odyssey 2 on the Nintendo DS was always the black sheep of the series, mostly thanks to the balancing of the game. There was a lot good about the game, but the few things it did screw up on held it back immensely. So when I look here at the Remaster, I asked myself, "Is this the definitive way to play Etrian Idyssey 2?"... And it, kind of is? While I enjoyed my time with it and had a blast, I don't think I …
- [1]
Very nice port ^^ Run great! Now give me Growlanser series,Radiant Historia,SMT Devil Survivor and Strange Journey,Devil Survivor II...and more Etrian Odyssey! And...Tokyo Mirage Sessions,It's possible too? Thank You :)
Summarised from 34 of the 155 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Etrian Odyssey II HD sits at 68% positive across 120 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Etrian Odyssey II received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. As before, the gameplay was described as being primarily intended for the most hardcore fans of the genre, causing IGN to declare, "Etrian Odyssey is a tough as nails series, and only the hardest of hardcore RPG fans will get enjoyment out of it". Nonetheless, most reviewers felt that there was a worthwhile experience beneath the difficult and sometimes painful adventure; the GameSpot review explained: "It's rare to find a game that can sometimes feel like work yet still be enjoyable". 1UP.com concluded: "Sure, we're all dying to know what 'La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo' means -- myself included. But it…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 151 · most liked firstI am a simple man. I see Etrian on PC, and I purchase. Is it overpriced? Yeah. Do I care? Not really. Should you care? Probably. Try to snag it on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This version of the game lacks the improvements that were made with the Untold release of the game, but is also missing NPC Voice lines and the shortcut indicators that existed even in the original game. Without these indicators, even if you're manually mapping the dungeon, you will find yourself missing many of the shortcuts and secret rooms unless you walk with your face pressed against every wall sideways looking for an interact prompt in the corner of the screen. While the shortcut…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very nice port ^^ Run great! Now give me Growlanser series,Radiant Historia,SMT Devil Survivor and Strange Journey,Devil Survivor II...and more Etrian Odyssey! And...Tokyo Mirage Sessions,It's possible too? Thank You :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tl;dr: Only buy this game if you have played other Etrian Odyssey games and loved them, as this game is IMO the most frustrating in the series. If you are not particularly fond of this franchise, skip EO2 HD and get EO3 HD instead (or other mainline EO entries if you can get them). I repeat, if you are a series newcomer, please don't play this as your first EO. Etrian Odyssey is a hardcore and traditional DRPG series which excels at two things: 1) Immersing the player in a fantasy world…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →sprite request of One Gunner 5 from Etrian Odyssey II HD ! tysm!!! #pixelart
neutral · AI labelView post →Probably the worst of the three NDS titles. Maybe come back to it after EOIII and EOI but honestly you can skip it. As someone with 100% achievements in EOI and EOIII, I find it hard to have motivation to play this one. If you have a 3DS, I recommend you play this game's remake instead (EOII Untold), though be aware it's a more complex game. + Classes that weren't as good in the first game get their time to shine. + Consumable quality is extremely good, which offsets how bleh Medic is. +…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- Dungeon Antiqua (January) - Final Fantasy Dimensions (January) - Marvel Ultimate Alliance (January Co-op, Sue Storm/Dr. Strange/Storm/Wolverine) - Etrian Odyssey II HD (January)
neutral · AI labelView post →January Humble Bundle. - Sonic Frontiers - Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered - Hunt: Showdown 1896 - Etrian Odyssey II HD - Nice Day for Fishing - Metal Slug Tactics - Settlement Survival - Wizard of Legend 2
neutral · AI labelView post →This is what we expect to see more Atlus games on different platforms. Amazing production, Beautiful sprites, brilliant music. recommend checking out the dlc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After getting 100% completion on Expert and obtaining the Hero Mark, I can confidently say... there's a reason EO2 has fewer reviews than the 1st and 3rd. It's sadly another tale of "Second Game Syndrome", wherein the original DS dev team sought to correct the failings of the previous game and experiment with new ideas. They did make several improvements over EO1, but it also came with some overcorrections which introduced new problems. Where did EO2 succeed? -Some classes got a major glow-up…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gunner is in this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The squirrel, which steals my Ariadne's Thread from time to time, managed to make itself up to the sixth stratum as my party crawls like a dog. I think this guy is a magnitude stronger than mine. Here are some hints: 1. Equipping an armor is not mandatory, you can equip 3 accessories. 2. Every accessory with 3 uparrows increases your resistance by 50%, which means you will be immune to certain kind of ailment / bind by equipping two accessories with 3 uparrows. This is also applicable to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just play EO3. EO2 is reactionary to EO1. The devs looked at everything good in EO1 and nerfed it all into the ground. While EO1 was all about protector / medic / survivalist, EO2 makes those classes absolute trash. Now the meta is all about hexers, war mages, and dark hunters! Instead of setting up defenses, you need to exploit status effects. All the same flaws from EO1 carried forward, and this entry suffers from neither being a novelty (EO1) nor given an actual balance patch and new…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful art and atmosphere, with a wonderful ost to accompany. However, the combat is EXTREMELY tedious and random encounters are unbelievably frequent, it just made the game a drag to play by the time I got to the third stratum. I sighed and/or rolled my eyes every time I got a random encounter when I was just trying to get back to the floor I left off on, as the game made me teleport back to town even when I wanted to keep going. That really wouldn't have been an issue if it didn't make me…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly good PC port for what it is. A good amount of options with up to 150 FPS. Only problem I have so far is the unwieldy map controls on controller but I also think that was kind of an unavoidable issue given the original's controls.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DRM is borked for me on Linux, oh well I got this as part of a bundle so it stings less..
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →5/10 ok game, just not worth 40$ made for nintendo DS and it shows - Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: Denuvo was wondering why this game was lagging when i ran it at 5 times the speed
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etrian Odyssey 2 is the only EO title I played outside of PC. A wave of nostalgia hit me in the first and second stratums. The dungeons and background music are great. It hit me today. What is the overall feel of EO2? EO1 and EO2 heavily remind me of a TTRPG experience I had. In the first campaign, the GM was a bit too generous. It removed a lot of the campaign's challenge, but we collectively had fun. Come the second campaign, the GM over adjusted in the other direction. Weaknesses…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etrian Odyssey 2 on the Nintendo DS was always the black sheep of the series, mostly thanks to the balancing of the game. There was a lot good about the game, but the few things it did screw up on held it back immensely. So when I look here at the Remaster, I asked myself, "Is this the definitive way to play Etrian Idyssey 2?"... And it, kind of is? While I enjoyed my time with it and had a blast, I don't think I can really say Atlus did an amazing job here bringing the game back. That's not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2985711913Nyanco's Review : + Uncover the Secrets of the Skies: A Captivating Journey in Etrian Odyssey II HD!ヽ(´• ω •`)、 Intro Embark on a captivating journey to the skies and uncover the secrets of the enigmatic castle in Etrian Odyssey II HD. This remastered version brings back the timeless adventure of the floating castle, offering an immersive experience filled with mystery and intrigue. With its newly remastered graphics, enhanced…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend getting this game exclusively when it's on sale and only if you've already played all the other Etrian Odyssey games so as to not get a wrong impression of the series as a whole. This was one of the most obnoxious gaming experiences I've had in a while, and I'm frankly baffled by the fact that they even made another entry after whatever this was. I know the series gets much better after this, so I would say EO2HD is nothing more or less than a fascinating piece of gaming history…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →January 2026 Humble Choice: Sonic Frontiers, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and more. https://www.humblebundle.com/membership/home | Game Name | Steam Link | |------------------------------|------------| | Sonic Frontiers | https://store.steampowered.com/app/1237320/Sonic_Frontiers/ | | Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | https://store.steampowered.com/app/2525380/Tomb_Raider_IVVI_Remastered/ | | Hunt: Showdown 1896 |…
neutral · AI labelView post →After an okay first entry that serves as a decent base to design your sequels on, the game balacing team did not spare the effort trying to change things. That unfortunately lead to kneejerk and over-the-top balancing that makes the overall classes and combat rather gimmicky. Certain strats and builds are much stronger than the rest, others are so bad you might aswell bench that character forever. In a game that heavily punishes resetting your skill points (you lose 5 whole levels), and gives…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 was infamous for its numerous game breaking bugs and ♥♥♥♥♥♥ balance between classes, and while this is their 3rd release of the same game (original, best version and now this) not all of those bugs have been fixed. They changed some skills and rebalanced some classes sure, but if you look at the jp wiki it will show a long list of bugs that crash the game, which some are still present in this release. On top of these, classes are still not balanced and now comes with an overpriced price tag.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etrian Odyssey 2 is kind of a weird sequel, one of those games that improves on its predecessor in a lot of ways but also makes significant controversial changes such as no exp for FOEs, nerfed gathering, and class balancing was turned upside down with (almost) every class that was great in the first game losing its best skill or having the cost of its other skills increased immensely, and the less optimal classes from 1 and most of 2's new classes being the new meta. There are some positive…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In EO1 the fights take a very long time, stack buffs, get that MP regen going and learn the enemy attack patterns. In EO2 the fights are much shorter, target the enemies weakness and kill them before they kill you. EO3 is somewhere in the middle between EO1 and 2. Unlike most people I'd say: If you are choosing from the OG trilogy, choose 2 or 3. -EO1: There are very few events in the dungeon so exploring becomes kinda boring, if you build your Protector and Medic the right way it is basically…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's difficult <miss> to say <miss> what it is about <miss> Etrian <miss> Odyssey <miss> 2 <miss> that makes me despise <miss> it so much. If you enjoyed reading that opening sentence, know that it's a microcosm of the opening game that only mildly subsides later. Look, I didn't play the original handheld versions, and I've not played later entries where most of the love for this series comes from. I found Etrian Odyssey 1 HD in my general dungeon crawler games search, and while it was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →return from Yggdrasil Labyrinth. lose all your skills search a cure for the lord in the dungeon make map die go back go to the piss castle kill god
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GIVE (clap emoji) US (clap emoji) ETRIAN (clap emoji) ODYSSEY (clap emoji) SIX (clap emoji) YOU (clap emoji) COWARDS (clap emoji). (clap emoji).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want the new gunner portrait to stare at me like that all day, judging every single muscle in my body like I'm an abomination that even Jesus won't forgive for being such a disgusting, writhing thing. Her glare is one capable impregnating women in menopause and even men on some fringe cases hidden away in drawers to be then shoved in landfills. Her expression shows so much hate that it is endearing, reminiscent of a mother scolding her step-child with scorn hot enough to etch the memory…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After finishing the first Etrian Odyssey, jumping into Etrian Odyssey II felt immediately familiar. You're once again creating your own guild, building a party from a wide variety of classes, and venturing into another ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ labyrinth beneath the Yggdrasil Tree. But this time, its more refined and tuned... somewhat. Again, no lengthy cutscenes to explain what is going on, just a bunch of exploration and exposition. Combat feels more refined thanks to a larger selection of classes (some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EO I, II, and III are all cheaper (basically just over a dollar each) on key sites, btw. All thanks to Humble Bundle!!! Not a sponsored review
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, EO2HD is a more pleasant experience than the first. The additional jobs were a saving grace and did a lot to break some of the monotony in EO1. Some skills were changed and balanced in ways that made sense. Ultimately, I think all the good QoL changes made the game friendlier and easier but I mostly attribute that to retiring adventurers being a lot more sensible. Solid 7/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: - Most of the game mechanics are the same as Etrian Odyssey 1 (EO1) but they did improve on some of them. - Crawling through the dungeon as you are mapping it out was fun as usual. - Story was OK, I did like it better than EO1's story. - It is now much easier to navigate the labyrinth as they put geomagnetic poles (one-way teleporters) at every 3 levels or so in addition to the usual geomagnetic fields (two-way teleporters) every 5 levels. - Some guards in the labyrinth actually provide…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you played EO1 you kinda know what you are in for - solid solid dungeon crawling with a huge emphasis on party composition. EO2 adds some new classes to play with on top of the EO1 roster. Go explore a massive labyrinth with whatever team you see fit. Like EO1 presentation is done through great music and illustration but be warned there are no big cutscenes here or any kind of gripping plot, the big focus here is strategy, stats and tough bosses.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cleared Etrian Odyssey II HD. Holy fuck I love dungeon crawling so goddamn much. A little sad that I only have two games left in the series to clear (3 and 5) though I guess if I really itch for it I can play the Untold versions with their story focus.
positive · AI labelView post →being able to import the guild-save from the first game is absolute cinema
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was heavily rebalanced and fiuxed for the 3DS remake, which is highly recommended. But since this is a port of the original DS version I cannot recommend it. The difficulty in this one is off the charts unless you play on "gamejourno-mode". The postgame has less crap in it than in the first one (which is a plus) but classes are borked because they are either OP, bugged out or starving for Mana so much that they are unusable. A squirrel went into your store page and stole the rest…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An improvement on the first, but by the same token it proves to me I should have probably just bought the third entry. Each entry isn't really unique, they improve upon the formula. It's a solid formula, but the bundle probably isn't worth the extra cash unless you need a ton of extra content.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard is largely an iterative sequel to the original, but that in itself is hardly a bad thing. The core gameplay loop is no less fun the second time around, and this sequel has generally better dungeon design than the first and a few new classes to experiment with. Some of the changes made to the roaming FOE enemies are for the worse, however, and the first two strata hew a bit too closely to the first game in terms of individual floor conceits. Still, this is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(Copying my review from EO1HD since there isn't a page for the trilogy itself) tl;dr - A great trilogy, brought to modern systems with tons of QoL features and improved visuals. Adapted the mapping feature pretty well, though there's plenty of room for improvement for future ports/sequels. The price is likely to deter newcomers though, and I wouldn't blame them for it. A damn good step in the right direction, building a solid foundation for future games. My favorite RPG series, brought back…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The worst of the Etrian Odyssey games, but a pretty solid entry nevertheless. The story is the weakest part and it has many classes that were significantly nerfed from the first game. If you're willing to play with the newer classes, deal with some annoying bugs, and you want to see the continuation of the EO story I definitely recommend giving it a shot. Just keep in mind the third game is a huge step up from this entry.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sales price shouldn't be mandatory for not getting ripped off. Like etrian 1 this game has some serious growing pains. The skill economy is arguably even worse this time around for better or worse. The quests can be somehow even worse in some cases than the first game. Overall it's still an etrian game though so it's worth it on a sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the storyline and move on the next sequel EO3. Overall it is a good game but a mix review based on the gameplay. There are many quests that require specific skill of different classes. This waste a lot of time for player to train some classes that will never play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My least favorite of original three, but still it is fine
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New game, new gameplay elements. EO2 (Etrian Odyssey 2) improved on a few aspects that made the first game a bit obnoxious. In Expert difficulty the monsters and bosses are a bit more fair and easier to work around compared to the first game, especially in the last stratum. This is not to say the game is much simpler and you would run through the floors, the game still provide a significant challenge. Now, it isn't perfect and have some dumb design choices, I'll enumerate both below. Good: -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I apologize to everyone I'm harassing with "Zero the Fool is playing Etrian Odyssey II HD" on Steam right now, I'm going through it trying to get this portrait mod to work.
neutral · AI labelView post →This is an ancient, 18 year old Nintendo DS game remake, ported to PC from the Nintendo Switch, and obviously because it's a handheld game is not a great PC gaming experience. It's a dumbed down JRPG, a lightweight ripoff of far better dungeon crawling party RPGs like Might & Magic and Eye of the Beholder but without any of the charm, gritty sword & sorcery vibes, and much weaker plot, smaller, repetitive dungeons... it's a yawnfest. That's what you get when you dilute and weaken a game genre…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etrian Odyssey II HD is a mediocre dungeon crawler that feels a bit stuck between being charmingly old school and just plain outdated. The core gameplay loop of mapping dungeons, managing a party, and surviving tough encounters is still satisfying in small bursts, especially if you enjoy methodical progression and a bit of trial and error but it offers nothing special in the long run. The game doesn’t do much to stand out from other similar games and modern RPGs. Some players might appreciate…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is made by Atlus. As far as I know, I’ve been playing their titles for decades, ever since Thousand Arms up through Persona. Their games are usually at least above average. This one should have been above average too, but unfortunately, it’s not. The concept is solid: dungeon crawling, treasure hunting for wealth and equipment, strengthening your party. That’s exactly the kind of game I’d happily play. It even combines the playstyle of Monster Rancher (except instead of monsters,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game, I think the most janky of the three but it still has its charm. Putting monsters to sleep with Hexer is mad fun and makes exploration a breeze. Also max out Poison Curse to cheese the 1st stratum boss for easy cash.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →how am i supposed to enjoy this, they nerfed medic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played an ungodly amount of almost every game in this series. This game sucks ass. I love it so much it's such a rough mess, it's peak
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EO2 is still very unbalanced and a bit clunky, but it was still a lot of fun. Nightmarish postgame grind to get a viable team for the superboss, but hell, that's the early Etrian experience. I like drawing maps.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Compared to Etrian Odyssey 1: Pros: - You are no longer forced to run certain classes in order to finish the game. - There are significantly more events in the dungeon. Cons: - Some of these events immediately send you to the game over screen. - Basically every class that was good in the first game is terrible in this one. - PARTY BLINDSIDED --- GAME OVER
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You know when you think about it, it is harder to do all this monster fighting and forest exploration when you're doing it uphill
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall the same experience as the first Etrian Odyssey with a few nice QOL features. Added shortcuts in the middle of stratums is the one that stands out the most, no longer did I have to backtrack many floors after having gone back to town to prepare for bosses. More classes are added with only one of them being locked this time around (one that you get somewhat early compared to Ronin and Hexer from the first game). Quest rewards felt slightly better. You unfortunately still lose levels…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like many others say, this is probably the weakest of the mainline titles, and you probably shouldn't play it unless you've played EO1 first. This is not because of plot or anything however, instead it's because the balance and design of the game is very reactive to the first. There are many changes in this game that were, in retrospect, overcorrections to decisions made in the first title. Without getting into specifics, this generally means that the game is very suited for hyper-offense…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big single player games: Triangle Strategy and Etrian Odyssey II HD With my daughter: Idle Clans and Stardew Valley With my various gangs: Golf with your Friends, Borderlands 2, and World of Warcraft
neutral · AI labelView post →Semi-rhetorical question, but is anyone willing to either draw a new piece or let me use a piece of theirs for a mod for Etrian Odyssey II HD that puts Ralsei over one of the Medic portraits?
neutral · AI labelView post →
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