Checked out the [spoilers]

[Dangerus]

[Maxine MagicFox]

From the handful of images that I have seen on the website - things look updated. So, slightly changed, but oh-so-familiar. However, it appears that the layouts have changed. There was a screenshot of B2F and that was NOT the map layout - and it's one of the maps that I remember VERY well since it's the map that FOEs are introduced in. I could never forget the layout of that whole floor.

[Snowdome]

2. EO1 is a bloody hell, 4 is a haunted house. Both of them are scary, but they are as different as the hotness from chili pepper and wasabi. Comparing to them, the devouring forest in EO3 is nothing XD
I will be sad if SSQ remove this or let something else to replace it. Depending on how to use it for the story, it can be quite interesting, and I sure hope to challenge this stratum with balanced skill, refined map (the map is quite dull honestly, and the warping without any hints, seriously?) and level cap removed.

3. The following is just my imagination:
After a very long period of research, with the help of technology beyond any present Etrian can imagine, the old civilization in Shinjuku finally understand the true nature of men - we are just some microorganism to a greater being as those live within us, and that greater being can very well be the Yggdrasil itself (if so, Shinjuku may be just a organ to it). Afterwards, something happened (could be people tried expanding the city to lower stratum, some major research failure with the immune system occurred, or Yggdrasil simply went mad), and the immune system treated humans as a threat to the body, resulting in the ruined city of Shinjuku. Hundreds years later, without knowing what it truly means, adventurers seek to do what their ancestors cannot, and the immune system once again treat humans as bad cell/bacteria.

[Maxine MagicFox]

3. That's an interesting take on things. Personally, I just thought: Humanity is dieing - we've destroyed the earth. Used up all the resources. A team of researchers in Shinjuku attempted to fix things but were too late to do so until the final second with the last remaining researcher who ended up creating Primeval who subsequently spawned Yggdrasil, and the researcher merged with the tree so that he could be sure the project was a success. With the tree, life was returned to the earth and the last remaining humans managed to survive from the efforts. But... people forgot the truth. And now the tree was starting to produce insane monsters and starting to get out of control. It was time to end it.

[Wolkenritter]

2. I think the scariest part is the map design. Probably the most sadistic in the series, the only thing that comes close is B24F in EOIII. The warp maze is bad, but it has nothing to this:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/934287-etria ... faqs/49447

5. Depends on what you mean by complete. I would recommend any fan of the series to at least finish the main game, the game certainly has some really memorable parts. Post-game though, forget it. EO1's post-game is by far the worst, the 6th strata's design is bad but so are the post-game bosses. You're pretty much forced to use a Medic, Protector and Troubadour, without exception, to stand any form of a chance against our favorite dragon trio and the boss at B30F. Its especially bad in the case of the Protector since they're IMO revoltingly useless up until that point.

[Shousa]

[Dangerus]

[Dangerus]