Atlus' Hardcore Dungeon Crawler Etrian Odyssey Debuting On 3DS, Becoming Easier

The Etrian Odyssey series has gained a reputation through three Nintendo DS releases of being an unapologetically old-school, extremely difficult first-person dungeon crawler. Many gamers can't stand it, but for fans of the series -- like myself -- that's the draw. We haven't seen a new entry since 2010's Etrian Odyssey III (pictured), but that changes this summer.

SiliconEra reports that Japanese magazine Famitsu has revealed Etrian Odyssey IV: Legend of the Giant God, the first title in the series to appear on 3DS. Presumably the game will put the handheld's 3D capabilities to use, but it will also attempt to make the endless labyrinths more approachable with the inclusion of a casual difficulty setting.

Etrian Odyssey IV will release in Japan on July 5. Atlus has yet to announce whether it will make it to the U.S., but they're usually pretty dependable about bringing over first-party releases, so don't be surprised if it shows up eventually.