Play Etrian Odyssey III - The Drowned City Online

Etrian Odyssey III came out on the Nintendo DS in 2010, developed by Atlus. It was part of that late DS era where developers really leaned into the hardware's dual screens and touch capabilities, offering a very specific kind of experience you didn't see much elsewhere.

You control a custom guild of adventurers, delving into the sunken city of Armoroad to uncover its secrets. The core loop involves navigating labyrinthine dungeons one grid square at a time, drawing your own map on the lower screen to avoid getting lost. You assemble a party from a diverse set of classes, like Hoplites for defense and Zodiacs for magic, carefully managing their skills and equipment for turn-based battles that demand strategy. The pacing is deliberate, and the difficulty is significant, often punishing carelessness. It feels like a methodical, personal puzzle where every step forward is a hard-won achievement.