Fanservice in Etrian Odyssey

[Hong]

I do not mind if characters are naked because they are meant to be naked (Wildlings, for example), but I am sure I would not be the only one upset if the Protector showed up in a bikini. It is not a matter of feminism since I would be just as upset if the male Protector showed up in his gitch; EO is just not the proper place for fanservice. You already got the attention of customers who enjoy the simple and cute character designs. If you try to go for sex appeal, you certainly run the risk of losing the "cute appeal" and you are trying to narrow it towards a more set audience needlessly. This is not what we are trying to sell.

Look at a game like TERA. It is very mature, both genders (barring human female/male; Korea has a different idea of what is considered "conservative") are sexualized, and it is marketed towards the appropriate audience. If everyone was super-deformed and it switched to bright, cel-shaded graphics, it would most certainly not have done as well as it had (making it to #2 MMO in Korea for a time, which is impressive). TERA tries to stimulate the customer in as many ways as possible. Fast, violent, twitchy gameplay with sexy characters for mostly everyone's tastes. You got beefy, shirtless guys, you got big and busty bimbos, you got lolis in maid outfits. You got sex, you got violence, you got detailed player models. The dungeon design is lacklustre and the experience is rather monotone... and this is fine, because you get new skimpy outfits every few levels and more blood to spill.

Etrian Odyssey has a very different intent in how it captivates the player. Above all it relies on immersion supported by imagination. It is a relaxing, open-ended experience. It appeals to classic gamers with its gameplay, simplicity and difficulty, while inviting a wide range of consumers by presenting itself with cute and interesting characters. Do not understate the importance in the art choice. If the fandom is of any indication, it has done marvels for the life of the product. Honesty, the current cover art of EOIV would catch my attention much better than hyper-realistic, gritty looking beefcakes and misconstrued bimbos.

I am not going to lie here: breasts on the packaging and on your advertising will garner attention, but I can't promise you it will make a good sale when it does not fit the product. Let's not forget [NSFW] (which were practically the wildflower of the Internet), which had absolutely zero relevance to the intent of their product. Even more direct products like the few DoA beach volleyball games only did alright. Alright is not very convincing for a product that is about as direct as you can get with fanservice.

Let's not even think about how fast Super Mario, Kirby or Sonic the Hedgehog would head into the gutter of public favour if it tried to mix in some fan service. Whether you like fanservice or not, clearly there is a time and place... and appropriate market.

[Snowdome]

Wait. Why are Mario and Kirby involved here too? LOL

I chose in moderation because as long as it provides a solid reason (don't ask me what it will be, that not my role), some appropriate fan service is acceptable for me; if the reason doesn't convince me though, and just like I said before, fan servicing for fan-services' sake, then the rank of the series will sure drop among my favorites.
More importantly, in many cases it is a matter of degree. As long as it does not cross a certain line, it is just like easter eggs in other games.

Actually how did we end up in a topic that no source has yet shown that the series is going to this direction? (and made Maxine scary again +_+)

[PLA]

I kind of hate bikinis that are supposed to block damage. If it's some kind of dodging, taunting tank, like that naked Xenoblade-guy, it's better.

[Shousa]

As previously stated, the Etrian Odyssey series is already full of fanservice (while the American fanbase seems to be full of denial) and that's part of what got me interested in the first place. More delicious fanservice is always appreciated. And knowing Etrian Odyssey it will happen.

@Protector in bikini: Didn't that already happen in the official artbook from EOIII?

[PLA]

Fanservice doesn't have an inherent problem. It's an oversaturation. Bikiniplate wouldn't necessarily even be on my radar if I weren't used to it.

[Dangerus]

[Dangerus]

[Dangerus]

[Shousa]

[Snowdome]

[Dangerus]

[Dangerus]

[PLA]

[Snowdome]

Ren and Tchlactga did mention they share Visil's belief somewhere in the late-game that conquering Yggdrasil will be the doom of Etria, and they tried to persuade you before confronting you. On the other hand, I didn't actually remember anything about Kujura's story except that he somehow know the truth of the royal family story, and he simply tells us to do or don't do something without reason if I recall correctly (I really think I should start NG+ for my EO3 now...).

Forgot to mention, I think even if Ren and Tchlactga were muscle guys won't change my impression for EO1 since that are just static pictures and didn't do anything gender specific.
Plus I strongly believe that artists in Japan do not draw muscle guys like those in American comic in most case, with the guy in Fullmetal Alchemist being the few exceptions.

[PLA]

^ It's definitely more common in the Liefeldosphere, but visible muscle isn't that rare in japanese depictions, either. Maybe it seems rare in proportion to the market.