Megami Tensei Fans and Their Things

I don't have a girlfriend.
Really, they're narrowing their target audience by releasing it on Feb 14th.

Finally played through SMT IV!



I invited a friend to discuss the game with me as there is so much to cover. It's a long discussion so I recommend listening to the game's OST alongside the video.

This game and I have a history together.
First time I tried it, I died in half an hour and wasted half my play coins on a revival. Didn't pick it up again for months.
Second time, I invested 60 hours into the game loving it then reached a road block and stopped.
Third and most recent time, I played through a new file of the game in 40 hours but got forced into the ending my character decisions generally didn't align with.

Regardless of my initial disappointment at the alternative alignment, I had a lot of fun on my most recent playthrough.

Music was top notch reflecting the feudal-industrial hybrid and chaos that ensues.
Narrative was deep and reflective of character traits that plague modern civilization (i.e. the "corrupting" power of knowledge vs. status and deciding which side of the schism you fall on).
Fusion and customization settings for skills, armor and main character weapons were highly flexible.
Beautiful art style featuring panoramic animated environments and sequences as well as rich 3D environments.
Dialogue, interactions, demon history and voice overs were top notch, localization effort or not.
Rich catalog of demons and moves to pick from.

One of my big faults with the game is that it gets too easy after you get to know demon weaknesses and boss responses to mid-combat dialogue but that's offset by the added difficulty setting upon completion. Pre-emptive attacks also are a frequent cause of nuisance when poorly timed which saving sporadically should counter.

Another oddity is that attachment to particular demons is difficult because the game implicitly requires players to constantly cycle through demons to create more powerful ones. Not to say it's not possible especially as some of the demon designs are "totemo kawaii ne" but enhancing party members remains a significant factor.

I'm on my subsequent playthrough trying actively not to get pushed to the side I'm not leaning towards as I already feel like I am left hanging from my last playthrough.

Very fluid experience with a lot of staples that I've come to appreciate from RPGs and adventure games, I hope I get to experience the other side of the spectrum for a more well rounded perspective of SMT IV!

Definitely a fortunate coincidence! Yes, I invited him as he's more of an expert on the series and as you could probably tell, I did bank on Google Translate for a few instances
I like how the title shifted to include the "true" has some context; I hope to play those older releases (with English patches) soon.

This was something of an easy game once I got accustomed to it but the type matchups are mostly different from Persona 4; I did notice similarities with Raidou Kuzunoha though i.e. Preta is still weak to fire. Still very much worth the playthrough for the story arcs, quality of voiceovers and quotables! (Is this real?)

It's thanks to my friend that I'm aware of the Deception series in the first place as he did an entire feature on I - IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkB82DPceq4) and II is the one that resonated with me the most but I'm sure they're all great in their own unique, torture-inducing sort of way.

Cheers!

I'm sure a bunch of them will still be based on his older works.
Btw, isn't that visual announcement super goofy? It has that feel that you're in demon-con and everyone walks up to the human to grab autographs.

I agree, but at the same time I hope it makes a difference. I mean, does using Unreal 4 make development easier or something? Because I don't really see the necessity for it.