If I Loved EOII...

[Mank]

Will I like this? I'm torn as to how to deal with things purchase wise, as if I DO try to work this in, it'll be a bit of a tight fit, so this isn't a decision I want to take lightly. I did, as I said, absolutely love EOII. However I have NEVER played any of the "wizardry" and whatnot this game is apparently referencing and is a throwback too, so I can't use that as a basis. The whole set of Tolkein-esque races is a slight turnoff to me to start with, however I DO like the nice visual style. I've seen "swordsmen" and "wizards" used, but does that mean there's an actual class system of some degree, and for that matter, does this game have a skill system anywhere near EOII's, as that made level grinding feel more rewarding than just grinding for some extra stat points. If there's any other points of comparison I can think of that I'd like to know, I'll add them, but this information would be nice to have.

[Zephyr]

Hard telling, since none of us have played the game... If it helps any, though, I'm planning on getting this game because I'm a huge fan of Etrian Odyssey (and the classic Wizardry games it was partially built upon). It seems that this type of RPG-- light on plot and extraneous extras but heavy on exploration and character-building is making a great comeback on the DS. It's the dungeon exploring that drew me to Etrian Odyssey though. The Dark Spire will certainly have something along those same veins... but it seems to me that you're more interested in the fundamentals of character growth.

Honestly Etrian Odyssey didn't seem to have anything of interest in it in skill-learning ad stat gaining that is different from any other classicly-styled RPG, so I'm not sure exactly where you're going with this. Not sure what you mean by an "actual" class system, but there's a class system, sure. The site says that you can gain levels in multiple classes, making for a more customizable character, or you can specialize and concentrate on a single class. Along those same lines is the introduction of races, which you shouldn't worry about too much. All a race does is allow for more specialization (Elves are better magicians, for example). Etrian Odyssey had these to an extent; they just weren't playable. If you don't like the alternate races just go with all humans. Kinda boring, but they'd be able to do anything decently.

[dungeon_man]

"Wizardry" is probably the original first-person dungeon crawl, and it came out in the late 70s. However, if you liked another first-person dungeon crawl such as "The Bard's Tale", "Mazes of Fate", or "Etrian Odyssey", there is a good chance that you will enjoy "The Dark Spire" because these games all try to do the same thing: give the player the experience of exploring a very dangerous labyrinth.