This game has more mechanics but crash so often if you tab out.

I'm only maybe ~20 hours into Refain's story: it's utter garbage...whatever you're doing in the first 3 dungeons is literally a time sink to find something before someone else appears and the story actually starts progressing; every story element until then is you 'reporting' progress to watch a cutscene of Dronya be a C*** towards Luca and everyone around her and seldom actually review Tracties progress. The story is evident immediately in Galleria, and far more fleshed out from the inception.

Doesn't help Refrain much that a good amount of the bad and experimental mechanics there were fleshed out in Galleria. Make or break mechanics: you can turn OFF abilities in Galleria, 3Attacker pacts are a bit more common mid game, even if they're either Blank, gender-limited, or whatever, it still allows you access and use to some so you get a power nudge out of it, and best of all: the mana penalty for using Mud Exits or Witch Bells is SIGNIFICANTLY lower...that's right, they stop stealing your progress because they found out with Refrain that doing so slows your leveling progression. Shocker.

While I haven’t completed either game, I’ve already watched a good amount of the cutscenes for both. I’m more familiar with Refrain because I got very far in before giving up. I only just started Galleria the other day but I watched most of the story on Youtube.

Personally, I think both stories are really great with interesting characters and amazing twists. Light spoiler but they both have alternate identities for characters and alternate universes/timelines. It’s actually hard to pick this game back up if you stop playing for a few months because you’ll be completely lost, story wise.
Like what DXDark said, one issue with Refrain is that what happens in the labyrinth is sometimes barely relevant to what happens outside the labyrinths. I don’t know if that’s the case with Galleria as I’m still in the first labyrinth. It is kind of hard watching Dronya be a total ass to Luca. You eventually come to learn why she’s so cruel, not that it excuses her behavior, but you see where she’s coming from. Galleria doesn’t have as much abuse but it’s just as tragic. If you’re familiar with gothic romances, then the story may be up your alley.

As for the mechanics, they can be very intricate and complicated. Both games are designed for min-maxing the hell out of your characters. Every detail down to their name affects them in some way. At least that’s what I read for Refrain. Both games are extremely grindy as well, so I hope you like that.

Gut feeling is that the older one is better since it was amazing.

This one I am currently struggling a bit at the story boss, and know there should be some final dungeon like stuff afterwards with even more content. But so far the story in this game has not been as impressive as the older one.

After asking many forums, in the end I chose Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold as my first DRPG and I'd say that the story's what I've been looking for. Tbh I'm sold ever since I saw the animated trailer. From what I've heard the difficulty's also easier compared to the labyrinth series and there aren't any grueling mechanics so far. Might try the Labyrinth series after I finish EO2U story mode (:

Originally posted by 727:

After asking many forums, in the end I chose Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold as my first DRPG and I'd say that the story's what I've been looking for. Tbh I'm sold ever since I saw the animated trailer. From what I've heard the difficulty's also easier compared to the labyrinth series and there aren't any grueling mechanics so far. Might try the Labyrinth series after I finish EO2U story mode (:

Other then the Final Boss where the cranked up the difficulty from : 1 to 10 (in the most dumb way possible), Labyrinth of Galleria is hardly more then press v for autobattle until you reach the dungeon where everything counter attacks, so you switch to t1 nuke donums which sadly requires manual orders.

Hell 90% of the Bosses in this Game are just Stat buffed up nomal enemys, the did not even bother to give them new Abilitys. The just have more HP and hit harder <.<

Hell² The did not even spend like 5 minutes to change their colours...... Laziest "Bosses" ever. Your literally only reason to fight them is also because the are in the way. Calling them FOES instead of Bosses would be maybe more fitting, just that it would be a disrespect against FOES.

Ignoring the shipwreck which is the Battle Part of the Game tough, it is still a good Dungeon Crawler (at least in part 1 )

Going past Part 1 the only thing which keeps the game afloat is kinda the Story.

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Funny thing about Eo2 in this regard is, that at least in the Original the player has zero reasons to fight against the final Boss, basically like how it is the case with 90% of galleria bosses. This goes so far, that if you choose a friendly approach the FB just randomly tries to kill your party at some point without any logical reason. That is changed in Untold so don't worry, you gonna have a reason to fight the FB.

Technically the player has a small reason to kill the FB in the Original but i don't know how far into E02 you are and that would involve spoilers + i reject that reason for reasons which i can't explain because spoilers.

Altough that is still better then E1 where the most evil Person in the Game is your 5 Person Party, the fixed this in EO1 Untold as well.

The really did not put much effort into story/logic in the first two Games xD.

Originally posted by 727:

After asking many forums, in the end I chose Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold as my first DRPG and I'd say that the story's what I've been looking for. Tbh I'm sold ever since I saw the animated trailer. From what I've heard the difficulty's also easier compared to the labyrinth series and there aren't any grueling mechanics so far. Might try the Labyrinth series after I finish EO2U story mode (:

Saw there is a 1,2,3 of it, but haven't bought any yet. So feels a bit interesting that you went straight into 2 as your starting point. I guess it is possible that they are story independent, and that 1 has some bad design. But I'm a person who follow release orders strictly.

Originally posted by Malamasala:

Originally posted by 727:

After asking many forums, in the end I chose Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold as my first DRPG and I'd say that the story's what I've been looking for. Tbh I'm sold ever since I saw the animated trailer. From what I've heard the difficulty's also easier compared to the labyrinth series and there aren't any grueling mechanics so far. Might try the Labyrinth series after I finish EO2U story mode (:

Saw there is a 1,2,3 of it, but haven't bought any yet. So feels a bit interesting that you went straight into 2 as your starting point. I guess it is possible that they are story independent, and that 1 has some bad design. But I'm a person who follow release orders strictly.

All 3 Games are 100% independent. Only the third Game even has a real story which goes beyond : lets explore the labyrinth for the lulz. 3rd Story is pretty good actually.

~Fervently wishing for an Untold 3~

Originally posted by rparham685:

~Fervently wishing for an Untold 3~

Apparently EO 3 does in fact have a story, so does 4. IT's not to the levels of Untold but still more then when has been seen from the series so far?