For more on Etrian Mystery Dungeon, check out our full Etrian Mystery Dungeon review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo 3DS games for a 10 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
What is Etrian Mystery Dungeon?
Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a dungeon crawling role playing game set in the fictional town of Aslarga. You choose a character to play as and explore through dungeons filled with monsters. You soon develop a guild of other playable characters who you can train up, as you go about fighting monsters and completing quests for townspeople. As you play through the story, it's revealed that the monsters are stronger and angrier than usual, so your guild is given the task of investigating what's going on. As you play, you unlock more dungeons which become more difficult to get through as the monsters increase in strength. You are required to obtain armour and weapons for the characters you play with and stock up on items to help you in the dungeons, such as potions to restore your health.
How tricky is it Etrian Mystery Dungeon?
In order to understand what is happening in this game you'll need a decent level of reading ability. The quests you're set require you to read the details on what to do and where to go. The items you use have specific uses, so you need to be able to read their descriptions. This game also requires you to think carefully about how you play, and the strategies you use, otherwise it's very difficult to progress. Etrian Mystery Dungeon is particularly punishing in that it's part of a genre known as a rogue-like, where defeat in a dungeon doesn't just mean going back to the last save point - it means losing all of your weapons and armour, leaving you fighting (equally tough) enemies without any of your best equipment. One undoubtedly best suited to seasoned role players.
There isn't a lot of mature content in this game, mainly it's the odd reference to alcohol, fantasy violence and mild bad language. The words "damn" and "pissed off" came up during gameplay, which aren't the worst swear words out there, but it's worth being aware that those who play this game will be exposed to such language. The main aim of the game is to fight and defeat monsters, but this is done in such a way that there is minimal violence involved. There is no blood shown when you attack or if you are attacked, and when you defeat a monster it just disappears. Some female characters are shown wearing revealing outfits, but there is no nudity.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
