Played on Classic/Expert.
The core Etrian Odyssey gameplay is here and solid but the Grimoire system is so bafflingly stupid that it's almost impossible to engage with unless you exploit some glitches that make it less intolerably grindy, and it's pretty unsatisfying to get good results with it because of that. In addition, two of the classes are locked out of Classic mode until you complete Story mode, which is a completely stupid decision that, if you have the resources, you should just cheat and get a save file with them already unlocked if you're going to play Classic mode.
That previously-mentioned core EO gameplay is still solid, the map design is generally enjoyable barring a few bad apples, and the music is a Yuzo Koshiro/10. That said, despite being a remake of the first game, I don't think I would recommend this as someone's first Etrian experience unless they were really insistent on going in numbered order.
Overall it's definitely not a bad game, but it's got too many design quirks in both the Grimoire system and the general viability of several classes and builds to make this a game I'll want to revisit anytime soon. I likely won't do the postgame either because of that, but if I do I'll come back and update from "Completed" to "Mastered".
EDIT: I have since come back and done the postgame. I don't have much to add except that the postgame final boss is some absolute nonsense garbage. The final stratum is also nonsense garbage but I kind of liked that in a weird masochistic way.
The core Etrian Odyssey gameplay is here and solid but the Grimoire system is so bafflingly stupid that it's almost impossible to engage with unless you exploit some glitches that make it less intolerably grindy, and it's pretty unsatisfying to get good results with it because of that. In addition, two of the classes are locked out of Classic mode until you complete Story mode, which is a completely stupid decision that, if you have the resources, you should just cheat and get a save file with them already unlocked if you're going to play Classic mode.
That previously-mentioned core EO gameplay is still solid, the map design is generally enjoyable barring a few bad apples, and the music is a Yuzo Koshiro/10. That said, despite being a remake of the first game, I don't think I would recommend this as someone's first Etrian experience unless they were really insistent on going in numbered order.
Overall it's definitely not a bad game, but it's got too many design quirks in both the Grimoire system and the general viability of several classes and builds to make this a game I'll want to revisit anytime soon. I likely won't do the postgame either because of that, but if I do I'll come back and update from "Completed" to "Mastered".
EDIT: I have since come back and done the postgame. I don't have much to add except that the postgame final boss is some absolute nonsense garbage. The final stratum is also nonsense garbage but I kind of liked that in a weird masochistic way.