Some brand new details on Atlus' upcoming Persona spin-off, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth are coming our way from Famitsu (via Siliconera). The dungeon crawling chibi cuteness RPG by the developers of the Etrian Odyssey series has been revealed to contain more features from the studios previous titles.
While the magazine has not yet discussed the features in full, their teaser states that Persona Q will adopt a similar map-making system from Etrian Odyssey. Map-making in Etrian Odyssey allows for players to craft upcoming dungeon maps with specific designs in mind and points of interest, via a tile based layout scheme.
The other Etrian crossover feature to Persona Q will be the inclusion of "F.O.E." (Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens) monsters. F.O.E. Monsters act as mini-boss monsters that roam dungeons on a set path, either passively awaiting contact with a player or aggressively pursuing in-sight players. These monster types are not meant to be combated when first met, as they are high level creatures (as their name suggests) and are better off left to be dealt with when a player has made progress past the dungeon where the F.O.E. can be found. The Famitsu teaser also states that special rewards might be unlocked when defeating a F.O.E.
Persona 4 for example puts mini-bosses in the player's way while the climb dungeons in the story mode or return to a dungeon after completion. The swap to in-dungeon mini-bosses as Etrian-style F.O.E.s seems like an easy way to match the gameplay style of both series.
The full magazine feature on Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be released soon. The game will be available in North America on the Nintendo 3DS in the fall.
