The world we knew was utterly transformed when the mysterious labyrinths suddenly appeared. Many treasure-seekers explored these labyrinths, and it wasn’t long before children began actively pursuing their ambitions to one day become famous explorers and conquerors. The Adventurer Academies were established to assist these children and prepare them for their dangerous trips; Players begin their adventure at the Particus Academy, the newest of the schools, where they will have the opportunity to construct their party from students. These students come from one of the 10 accessible races, 15 different vocations, and 3 possible alignments. The party compatibility mechanism, introduced in the earlier games, is maintained despite each race having a distinct perspective regarding the other races. Students can make changes to their teams, buy and sell equipment, learn alchemy, cure and revive injured members of their party, and take on new tasks in the academy, which functions as a home base.
The labyrinths have a general architecture that is consistent. Still, certain portions and the locations of enemies and items are produced randomly when the player enters each one. The fights are turn-based, and when the tension gauge fills up, the party can unleash Gambits upon their opponents. If the entire group is eliminated from one of the mazes, the only other option is to send in a rescue squad as a last-ditch effort to find them. The longer it takes the rescue crew to discover them, the greater the likelihood that certain goods may be misplaced, and even party members could perish beyond recovery.
