Speculation regarding the setting of EO V

[internisus]

Is the biggest look we've had at the world of Etrian Odyssey? And yet...

Is this even the world of Etrian Odyssey as we know it? How can there be two moons? I have no idea, but I do suspect that this game will delve deeper into the mythology of the series than we have seen before because the teaser is quite metaphysical.

Take a look at these stills from the .

http://imgur.com/dWwt6gF
http://imgur.com/CA2g3ue
http://imgur.com/42ufAfA
http://imgur.com/53AXdKz

This looks to me like a diagram of the world's relationship to other elements or to the cosmos, something along the lines of classical Greek metaphysical philosophy.

There is a fair bit of text visible here. Some of it is in plain English, some looks an awful lot like the writing on the One Ring as depicted in the Lord of the Rings movies (just generic mystical-looking filler?), and some is that sort of faux runic writing that I've seen in a few places before which can easily be recognized as English. These are the major labels that I can make out:

TERRA
AETHER
Oceania
HISTORIA

Again, these seem like metaphysical or cosmological regions on the diagram. Then the "runes":

THE FIRST (HIRFRHZ?)
THE (SIM?) (HIRFRHZ?)
THE THIRD (HIRFRHZ?)

I'm guessing that these are the first, second, and third historical ages on a timeline.

Then there is a separate diagram, which looks like a genealogy (taxonomic? familial?):

GERMEN
FINIS
ARCADIA

Now, you have to take English words used in Japanese context with a grain of salt; words may be used stylistically and may not be intended to mean what they usually mean to us. However, because words like TERRA and AETHER are strong, commonly used setting words and because they are here being used as labels on what appears to be a map, I think that they are what they seem to be.

What do you guys think about what all of this means? Can anyone contribute to cleaning up what I've got here or make anything of the remaining writing? Obviously we'll know more once a translation of the teaser's Japanese voiceover and text is available.

[Kimiko]

I think the words are more for flavor than concrete meaning. Here's some of the Japanese ones from the stills you posted:
深淵 - abyss
業 - business/karma/work
真実 - truth/reality
礎 - foundation stone
楽園 - paradise
伝承 - folklore

[sebberu]

Uh... is that a huge plane/space shuttle at the left side of the right moon?

[Kimiko]

Looks more like a futuristic city to me.

The lower right part of the map (to the right of that white&red town) reminds me of the first two lands from EO4.

[Dangerus]

Wow. Could it pertain to all Etrian Odysseys? That would be great.

[Myssdii]

I would like it to be the story of the origin of the Yggdrasil tree (well, whichever Tree they like, since all Yggdrasil so far seem to be different). The futuristic city could be a hint to it, and the volcanoes also hint at destruction.

Looking forward to see more of this <3

[Jarelo]

Using some prior knowledge and a quick Google search, I may know what two of the words refer to.

Germen - an archaic version of "germ", meaning "seed"
Finis - Latin for "end" or "finish"

I can't find anything useful regarding "Arcadia", and the only thing I can find about that's somewhat interesting is that it's the name of a city in Greece. Maybe this will be the name of a new planet, the area the game takes place in, or the name of the main hub town itself.

This is all speculation, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[Kimiko]

Oh, I didn't catch 'germen', could've told you 'finis'. 'Arcadia' is what the ancient Romans called the countryside outside Rome I think. Nowadays, in English, it's a generic (if slightly obscure) word for (rustic) countryside.
Like I said, I think these words in English, Latin and Japanese:kanji are more for flavor than that they refer to actual content.

[Rhythm]

I am willing to bet some hard earned cash that we are going to space. I do hope they take a step past EOIV and have more places to explore. Maybe we will have to explore different ruins that are 'not' connected? Either way the tree looks amazing, and I shall build my house on it.

[Kimiko]

Space? But we already had that in .

Raise your hand if you have that EO5 image as your desktop background.. \o

[zamisk]

I want a fully space EO. Like, every stratum a planet and every class all futurey.

[Maxine MagicFox]

EO2 is the farthest I want it to go. I HATE sci-fi.

I dunno. It would have to be done very tastefully.

[zamisk]

Ah, they could handle it. It would be totally my thing, but maybe not for a few more games.

[sebberu]

Perhaps there were plans for humanity to go to space once the Yggdrassil Project would ulitmately fail. And think of the .

That said, a completely sci-fi-like EO would be also awesome.

[Kimiko]

in EO3? I don't remember that. I should replay that game sometime. I only played one route.