Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:19 pm
I didn't mean that they made the map itself bigger but the floors take more space of the map than before. Even then, more of the EO3 maps actually "use" all the space they take up; EO2, for instance, had a lot of space taken that led to the same area as another path but took longer / had less FoEs or separate paths entirely for a space with a chest. EO3 uses the map better in actually having a purpose for each area they use when getting you from start to finish of the floor.
@EO3 playtime ... uh ... not sure what to say? It's maybe an hour per floor, including quests, for me. I dedicated an entire day for the "HIGH SEAS AHOY" that I'm not "counting" in my playtime either. I'd say 25-ish hours was about how long it took me for the first 5 stratums, averaging 5 hours per stratum. Practically non-stop progress (that is, no "Warp Wire to heal do it all again") since I had a Princess and was always full on HP. I didn't do the entirety of the post-game as I wanted something to be "new" for the US release.
It was a long summer where I had periods of good amounts of free time.
And, Stratum commentary response~
[spoiler]@1st Stratum - You're definitely right. I have the wrong song in mind; it sounds like EO2's 6th Stratum theme. It even starts the same. The song sounds different (vastly; Forbidden Forest from EO2 was a harsher sound with "darker" instruments than EO3's track) but it's a very similar track. Just get brighter and cheerier sounding instruments really.
@2nd Stratum - The repetitive bits are extremely grating, yes, but they're not long. It starts off very serene and eerie, changes tempo to something less-so, goes repetitive for a bit, and then picks up pace. I'll admit the annoying bell/chime/whatever throughout is ... well, annoying. It does sound stereotypically "UNDERWATER" though.
@3rd Stratum - LOOK LAVA.
@4th Stratum - It probably makes sense story wise but it's still an odd progression. "Forest to water to subterranean ... cool awesome WHY IS THERE A PALCE?!" The 5th stratum is just as "WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A FOREST?!" though so I suppose I can't hold it against the 4th Stratum. This level was just so ... bland though. Walls and gates is about all I remember of it.
@5th Stratum - The opening picture of it and the first glimpse from the 4th Stratum stairwell is pretty. It repeats a lot after that but the initial entrance still stands out to me.
@6th Stratum - I didn't mean for the "the world is against you" as something bad. I meant it gives that feeling very well. You definitely feel like the 6th Stratum itself is trying to kill you, not just the denizens of it. The first five stratums don't have that feeling at all (hell, the 5th Stratum feels like someone randomly decided to crystallize a forest for shits and giggles) and it's a very welcome feeling in the 6th. It's a stark contrast to the 5th Stratum, really.[/spoiler]
