Atlus USA is certainly no stranger to obscure, niche releases, fantastic (Disgaea: Hour of Darkness), terrible (Magna Carta: Tears of Blood), and misunderstood (Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land). The company has become synonymous with localization just left of normal, and while perhaps not ideal for mainstream acceptance, there is little question that Atlus' localization efforts have found appreciation among hardcore video game enthusiasts. Perhaps that is why the fan community marshals such zealous support with each newly announced project, the latest of which is Etrian Odyssey, a new RPG for the Nintendo DS known as Sekaiju no Meikyuu in Japan. Recently we had the opportunity to speak with Atlus USA's Nich Maragos, a former video game journalist whose resume includes both 1UP and Gamasutra.

Etrian Odyssey represents Maragos' first game where he's served as a project lead, through he has been an editor on Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, Yggdra Union, Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner, and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. In addition to editing Etrian Odyssey's text, he is overseeing other aspects of the game's localization as well.

"Even though I wasn't a "developer" on the game, so far watching over the American localization process has been a real labor of love for me, so I hope the game finds the audience it deserves," he commented.

Originally Etrian Odyssey was known by the near-unpronounceable title Yggdrasil Labyrinth, a change that Maragos' explained as a means to "avoid confusion" with this latest game and 2006 releases Yggdra Union and Deep Labyrinth.

"To avoid confusion with those two, we thought it was best to rename the game," added Maragos. "The new title has to do with Etria, the name of the town in the game; since your journey is based there, it's an Etrian Odyssey."

Directed by Kazuya Niinou (Trauma Center: Under the Knife), Maragos' commented that "Niinou brings a very critical eye to the DS platform that's unique amongst DS developers. He's actually gone on record as saying he dislikes using the stylus, so I think coming from that position helps him to make sure the stylus is well-integrated and vital to the gameplay, whereas someone who was more enthusiastic about using the touch screen might be willing to let things slide a little more, because they might think touch control is interesting enough in itself."

He continued, noting that "it's worked so far, because Trauma Center has some of the best stylus use on the DS, and it's equally smooth and well-done in Etrian Odyssey."

Similarly, the game features a story by Shigeo Komori, a name most recognized by fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series. When asked about the specific localization philosophy being used for Etrian Odyssey and Komori's narrative, Maragos responded, "I love working on his stories, even though they can present a challenge, because he includes shadings and inferences you don't see in a lot of RPG scenarios."

"Just like in the last story of his we did (SMT: Devil Summoner), there were things we weren't sure how to approach until we had a sudden flash of insight into what he was trying to get across, and then it was easy," he continued. "Also, his scenarios show some more maturity and rely less on clich‚ than a lot of RPGs."

It seems as if with any localization effort, some sacrifices are made, much to the chagrin of purists and forum goers the world over. However, in speaking with Etrian Odyssey's project lead, it came across as evident that while some changes were unavoidable, most of these were technical in nature rather than changes to Komori's story. "As for culturally relevant story elements, I did the best I possibly could to preserve them, even though the references are so obscure I'll be greatly impressed if anyone recognizes them," he stated.

Further explaining, he added, "The most painful sacrifice was when we discovered we had the same character limit as the Japanese game for items, skill names, monster names, and that sort of thing. Japanese, as I'm sure you're aware, is a very pithy written language, and they can fit a lot more in their 8 letters than we could in ours. It couldn't be avoided, for technical reasons, and I think we did a good job within the limitations... but if I could have magically changed one thing, that would be it."

One of the most fondly remembered contributors to the 16-bit era of gaming was Yuzo Koshiro, whose Streets of Rage soundtrack remains as one of the high aural points of the Sega Genesis. Koshiro is also composing the music for this title as well, further elevating the name dropping associated with Etrian Odyssey and offering a "tremendous amount" to the RPG's overall appeal.

"This isn't a game where you get a lot of character themes and dramatic cues, so the dungeon and battle music-the most-heard themes in the game-have to hold up well over extended play sessions, and that's exactly what Koshiro's music does," explained Maragos. "There are multiple battle themes so people don't get too tired of a single one, and a new dungeon theme for every Stratum as well. I don't think I've enjoyed dungeon music this much since the first Phantasy Star Online game."

One of the most interesting aspects of the game is in how its said that players can create their own maps using the touch screen, a feature that Maragos illustrated by stating that "all of the dungeon floors are pre-designed for maximum deviousness (bordering on malicious intent as you get further on!) so what you do with the touch screen is create your own maps, not your own floors. Your party is a sub-guild of the Explorers Guild, and a lot of the game's storyline has to do with mapping uncharted territory. So the map features tie into the storyline that way, and they're vital to the gameplay as well. If you didn't map the dungeon, you'd get hopelessly lost before too long."

He added: "What Niinou and his team are trying to do is restore control to the player, rather than have automatically generated maps that make themselves as you go. To proceed down the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, you have to take responsibility for your own map. Some people might be irritated at first, thinking "Well, why not just give us an auto-map?" It turns out though, that just as it's more fun to play a story scene than to watch it, it really is more fun to make your own map than to have it made for you. Greater player involvement is always good, and this way you can actually make your map more detailed if you want, by noting down the location of enemies, event scenes, or anything else you want to remember for later."

So with this description, Etrian Odyssey sounds very old school, a almost like Bard's Tale, a perception we offered Maragos during our interview, to which he noted was "a pretty accurate assessment" adding that "people have often shied away from those games because of their setting and focus. It's kind of a moribund genre now, because the wider gaming population isn't that interested in tramping through dark, stone hallways filled with skeletons and slimes."

"What we hope to do with Etrian Odyssey," he continued, "is put a little of the spark back into the genre. It's a very beautiful game, set in vibrant forest mazes that are a little more interesting to look at than your average medieval sewer. It's got colorful, bold designs for the monsters and characters that make it more appealing to people who have grown up with Japanese RPGs, rather than their American PC brethren."

"And it's just a well-made game in general; Atlus R&D knows RPGs, and Etrian is almost perfectly balanced in terms of difficulty. It's old-school, but I don't think it's for hardcores only, the way Wizardry might be. It doesn't take long to get used to, and once you do, it's tons of fun," remarked Maragos.

The game's project lead was hard pressed to come up with his favorite character class in the game, noting that "it's tough to pick, because I have different favorites for in-game use and "personality," for want of a better term."

"Though they don't outwardly display them, I have personalities and backstories for most of my characters worked out in my mind, and judging solely by that I think the Survivalist is my favorite... but I'm not going to tell you why, because I think every player should have their own idea of what the classes and characters are like," he added.

Continuing on this topic, Maragos noted that "judging purely by who I'd rather put in my party... the Protector, possibly. They do good damage, have high defense, and they can heal other party members, which is important in the beginning floors. I wouldn't build a party entirely out of them, but they're pretty useful."

Finally, wrapping up, Maragos offered, "If you love RPGs and you have a DS, I think this is one of the system's best, so you should check it out when it's released in May."