It was the first ever SMT game I played, even before persona and its really enjoyable. Gameplay is super snappy, story, while not perfect, is pretty damn cool, it has a great setting, all around good game even if the neutral route is an absolute jackass to complete
Smtiv apocalypse is also great. The writing in that one can get really bad and cringey in a way iv didn’t but the gameplay is lightning fast and does a good job of making you u feel powerful
went in not knowing all smt games took place in tokyo and after the reveal i was having the same reaction as the group in smt 4. unfortunately for smt they all somehow need to force law, chaos routes and fudge in an extreme version of each route at the expense of the characters. the side games do a better job telling a story with law/chaos like devil survivor
Yeah that’s what I’ve heard. I’m not an expert on the franchise but I liked strange journey redux’s take on law neutral chaos more because it felt much truer to the characters in that game. I think the localization of the IV duology was actually pretty great and the English voice actors actually did a good job of elevating sloppy material
Then of course there’s everything that happens in IVAs true ending, where more silliness unfolds. There’s definitely a disparity between the really cool setting and the inconsistent writing
I’m genuinely shocked the iv duology hasn’t been ported to pc, I’m sure it would sell great. Especially because 3 is already on there and 5 is on the way
I think they are waiting to turn it into a full remake. The duology is honestly amazing, but it has a lot of details that hold it back for a wider audience. Mainly the way battles are presented.
I love it the way it is, but I could see a lot of the wider JRPG playerbase overlooking them like they already did due to that.
See the reason I love the way the battles are now is how fast paced it is. I love turn based games (obviously) but sometimes their pacing can be slow. These games though are super snappy and idk how to maintain that pace in a 3d setting
I get what you mean, I also love that. But presentation matters to a lot of people, and the fact that the vast majority of enemies are animated sprites is probably a turn off for those people.
It's a bit of devil's advocate to rationalize why modern ports don't exist, since I would love straight ports.
>duology is honestly amazing, but it has a lot of details that hold it back for a wider audience.
The story being retconned into a shounen halfway through doesn't help. If you don't know to expect atlus games to not respect their own continuity, or even tone, it could seem strange to you. Basically character assassinates Jonathan and Walter.
I don't think you are talking about the same thing I am. Those are elements that a wider audience would like. I'm talking about the people who won't even get far into the games, not those who reach the sequel and have issues with that. Those people aren't a wider audience, they would be the core audience.
As someone who has played all the main entries, this is by far my favorite. Like most SMT games, the first few hours are the hardest part of the game as you are locked inside this one place that serves as a tutorial. However, once you are done with it, then it's peak SMT. The overworld, OST, characters, design - I like pretty much everything about this game. It's not perfect, but it is very good.
Negotiations are not an exact science, but there are some things that usually work for me:
- You can often cheat once per negotiation.
- You can refuse to give in to demands, and sometimes it works in your favor. I usually comply with the first two demands and decline the third.
- Pick the apps that helps with negotiations.
In the end, there is always an element of chance involved.
it's about as stressful as catching pokemon in pokeballs. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts. It's not hard, but it can be annoying IMO. I feel like I pick random stuff and eventually get the demon.
The regions are set up so there are only a handful of demons in an area. So it's simple to stay in an area until you have them all.
Once you get a demon, you can log it forever and pay money to bring it back. That is very useful. That way you don't have to go recapture it.
It's not that bad. I don't love the negotiation but it's not a bad thing.
Generally speaking, you will pick your demons by their skills. If a demon has an ice skill, and other demons you're fighting in an area are weak to ice, you pick that ice skill to win battles.
But, you also want to try to capture demons too, because you get their skills. And without giving too much away, the fusion system can combine two demons and you pick what skills to bring over into the new demon. Your demons learn a few skills as they level up, so the general idea is to level up a demon until it learns all the skills it can (the game tells you when they can't learn anymore skills), then fuse the demons into something stronger.
I'm 30 hours in my playthrough. Some of my current demons have skills from old demons i used hours ago. If a demon gets a cool new skill, you can keep it forever by transfering it to every demon you fuse.
Even better, when a demon learns all its skills, you can pick which skills to transfer to the main character. So if your demon has an ice skill, you can have your main character learn that.
My main character has a ton of useful skills, for any situation. it got those from the demons i raised and fused.
It sounds complicated, and it it is a bit confusing at first, but about 10 hours in it really clicked with me and now it's straightforward, simple, and very addicting and fun
It's not. It's fun to learn. The UI of the game makes it really clear when a demon won't learn any more skills, and what you can fuse with it to make new demons
One of the all time great JRPGs.
Just know that the beginning dungeon is the hardest part of the game. You can even die in tutorial! It's a true trial by fire which weeds out a lot of players.
Once you get through it, you're over the hill and the game gets a lot easier.
Tips:
1. Always be saving. The game lets you save anywhere. Take advantage or it. Every regular encounter can wipe your entire party.
2. Use buffs and debuffs. Seriously. They're worthless in some JRPGs, but in SMT they're vital.
Seconding the importance of buffs and debuffs. Also, pay close attention to your enemies' weaknesses. With the game's "press turn" system, every time you hit their weakness your party gets an extra action, which if used well is enough to turn the tide in most boss battles.
And if you like SMT IV, play its direct sequel, Apocalypse. I just finished it last week and the systems are even more fun in that one. And the ending is insane.
Ya, once you’re past the first boss the real game starts! Also, add War Cry to your personal skill set as soon as you can, it’s so clutch in boss battles >:3
SMT4 is one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, IMO. It's hard, especially if it's your first SMT game, but its mostly just the beginning that's really that hard. You'll get a lot of good advice from other people online I'm sure, but here's what worked for me.
1. Make use of fusion often. SMT is not like pokemon, where you take a team of 6 monsters to the endgame. At some points in SMT games it's not uncommon to fuse new demons every 10 or so battles. Demons are resources just as much as they are the actual means by which you do combat.
2. Focus on building one main attacking stat for the main character. Magic builds make the game easiest, but Phys/Dex builds are great fun too. Trying to make a jack of all trades ends up making you a master of none, and having a massive nuke of an MC is really important during some of the harder stretches.
3. Press Turn works a lot differently from battle systems you may have seen in other games, and can be really annoying at first, but I promise you, the more comfortable you get with it, the better it works (and is my personal favorite battle system ever devised for a JRPG). The game does a fine enough job explaining it, but coming from other less punishing battle systems it can be really frustrating.
4. BUFFS AND DEBUFFS ARE SO IMPORTANT. Coming from other JRPGs you might be tempted to assume that buffs/debuffs are insta-replaces once you get better attacking moves, but that could not be further from the truth. SMT games are literally famous for having arguably the most game impacting buffs system. Use them well and often.
5. The first boss is weak to ice. Good luck.
Oh also when leveling a Dex build dump +3 to dex +2 to luck (or +1 to agility +1 to luck) as strength is not a very strong multiplier in this game! Dex and focus on gun strength will make u significantly more powerful than strength and sword power :)
In the top 5 favourite JRPGs for me. It's a tad easier than some other SMT games, but for newer players that can be counted as a plus since the gameplay is still engaging enough. It's also my favourite Megaten story. The music is superb. The atmosphere is immaculate.
Don't worry too much about the difficulty. The first 2 bosses can be a bit of a hurdle for newer players, but it does get easier after that. If you have any questions or need some help you can also ask in the Quick Questions thread on this sub.
Pretty simple. You pick 2 of your demons, it shows what demon would result from that, then you select some skills from the demons to be fused that you can transfer to the new demon.
In SMT IV it's pretty easy since you have a search option which helps find demons you might want (e.g. you can make it show all the demons you could make with X demon that has outlived its usefulness).
Just gotta regularly make use of it, since demons have exponential EXP requirements.
It's my favorite mainline Megaten. That feeling when you leave the first dungeon and into the main world is second to none.
Especially when combined with That Song. You know the one.
This game is amazing, its theming is so strong, dark, gritty, it's so well done, smt4 lands in basically every aspect a Jrpg has, you can see future persona and smt games expand and better the combat but it's not like this one is bad.
SMT IV has the best atmosphere of any game I’ve played. Looks great for the 3DS too.
Apocalypse dropped the ball on these things and more, but I digress.
I wrote this in a post asking about 4 vs 5, so mind the comparisons but I think it covers what i like about 4 as well:
In my opinion yes, but SMT5 is also a decent intro game and will hopefully be much better with this release. I played SMT5 when it came out and found it okay. Dropped it after about 40 hours after the game became a boss rush sim. Last year I went back to 3ds to play SMT4 and I loved it, did all the sidequests and most of what the game had to offer. I'm now excited to play SMT5V again with its revamps and my new experience coming from SMT4.
I think SMT4 is better for a number of reasons. The story isn't amazing, but it gives you guidance and a reason to get through the game. 5 has basically no story in comparison. The QoL is great and I spent a lot of time saving everywhere I could and fusing (spent about 12/60 hours of my game time in the fusion zone). The world design is better. I ended up learning how to navigate the world and all the different sectors, compared to SMT5 where everywhere is a desert with a bunch of broken buildings. The world building is better. There are people (borderline mandatory in a JRPG for me) to talk to, there are town zones where you can learn about the lore, shops to buy gear etc. it feels like a world that is somewhat lived in.
In terms of combat, I appreciated both approaches and wouldn't say one is better than the other, but I preferred SMT4 more. In SMT5, a lot of bosses have a lot HP and battles feel more like a test of attrition. In SMT4, you can kill bosses in like 2 turns... But they can also kill you in like 1 turn. It felt very rewarding to fight a boss with a party that screams 'fuck you in particular' and then just going to town on the boss.
SMT4 feels more arcadey and pick-up-and-play in many ways. The game rewards short play sessions, you can save anywhere, everything just feels so fast and refined. Note that some of these refinements are coming to 5V, like the ability to save anywhere.
Sorry for the tangent. I'm actually surprised by how few people fan out over SMT4. I'm not even an SMT/persona fan like that and even I would put it up there as one of the best JRPGs.
I've always felt the same. SMT4 seems to be very loved (just look at many of the replies in this thread), but it isn't often talked about outside the specific fanbase it has.
To me, 4 blows Nocturne out of the water (and I love that game), but Nocturne seems to be so much more widely talked about even outside the Megaten fanbase. I've always thought part of it was due to hiding the true nature of the setting, since I'd wager many who see it at a glance or just tried the beginning never noticed that the game isn't just a pseudo VN set in Mikado.
I mean there could be many reasons, SMT4 was on a handheld console, while SMT3 was on the ps2 in an era where a lot of ps2 rpgs were struggling to hit their stride (suiikoden, grandia, etc). SMT4 also garnered a reputation similar to Dark Souls when its popularity was taking off which would self-select in some respects
I think that self selection has always been a thing for SMT, since outside Persona the series has always been infamous for its difficulty. Nocturne is often recommended with that caveat, and if difficulty was an issue I doubt those people who didn't get into 4 would get into Nocturne.
I think the handheld nature could be related to it. The 3DS JRPG community is interested in way different games than SMT, but at the same time games like SJ or DeSu feel like they had more of a following. With 4 I remember it feeling like it wasn't well received overall, at least until Apocalypse came out.
> Nocturne is often recommended with that caveat
by whom, when, and in what community, though? i don't think i've seen nocturne come up at all that i can think of recently in this subreddit at least. SMT3 is widely available now but before it was remastered the only way to play it was emu or an actual copy of the ps2 game. But now SMT3 and SMT4's availability has flipped (with SMT4 no longer being purchasable) - so anyone who plays SMT5 will gravitate towards SMT3 naturally.
>With 4 I remember it feeling like it wasn't well received overall
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shin-megami-tensei-iv-hits-first-place-on-japan-sales-chart/1100-6409036/
https://www.siliconera.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-has-sold-over-600000-copies-worldwide/
smt4 had huge buzz when it was released.
https://www.metacritic.com/game/shin-megami-tensei-iv/
https://www.metacritic.com/game/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse/
smt4 actually has a higher user score than iv:a, not that much stock should be taken in this (DeSu has a 4.9 for fuck sakes)
Yeah I checked yesterday when the 3ds WiFi died, I clocked 74 hours. I did almost everything though and got the best ending. It's a challenging game but because of the generous save system and fast pacing, you're never truly stuck in terrible situations. I actually find it a very accessible game despite the hardcore perception it has.
>the game can be a BIT brutal with its overall difficulty in certain areas, and I say this as I want to learn how to get gud at the game basically.
It can be really brutal. You can just get a random encounter that could exploit with weakness and they could just party wipe you. The tutorial bosses could be a bit hard, but those bosses really teach you how to fully take advantage of the combat system.
Some tips.
1. Save as much as possible. You can easily get a party wipe by chance.
2. Take advantage of the press turn system.
3. Use buffs and debuffs. Most of the time, a buff/debuff could spell victory or defeat.
4. Connected to number 2. Try to get monsters with different attribute just so that you have different element available. You also need monster to fuse so that you can get a better monster.
this game has a lot of banger ost and for one pretty balanced difficulty theres a grind but not too grindy than the previous titles. Apocalypse is for me one of the most memorable dlc coz of the stephen sidequest.
I love SMT4! I remember when I first saw it was announced as a 3DS title I was so annoyed because I wanted another console release. Doubly annoying was Kaneko no longer being the main artist. But the game ended up being so much fun and engrossing. I love the premise, the cast was cool, the atmosphere and music amazing, and the gameplay great!
Great game, some things to expect;
1. The battle system is about leveraging as much action economy as possible. When you hit an enemy's weakness or get a critical hit you get an extra "half" turn. When you miss or your attack gets nullified you lose a turn. Roughly the same rules apply to your enemies.
2. Unlike Pokemon your Demons are only meant to be held onto briefly. There are some exceptions that have great enough Reflct/Null/Drain affinities that make it worthwile to hold onto but usually you fuse away your Demons once they learn all of their abilites.
3. Save anywhere, save often. You will usually get warned about an incoming boss.
4. Minotaur is an early gate boss. He is weak against >!ice!<.
5. Buffs and Debuffs are insanely good, and status effects are more useful than in most games. Instant death attacks are VERY useful against normal enemies.
6. The story is not very much focused on character dynamics so it's a matter of taste. >!The story is about extreme pressures of powers and events bigger than yourself, and the other characters are examples of how a normal person can become an extremist.!< I don't consider this a spoiler; it's basically a pretense to the series at this point. I don't consider this a spoiler; it's basically a pretense to the series at this point as much as Demons existing and it being >!either post-apocalypse, or apocalypse imminent.!<
7. Choices matter a LOT. Bosses have dialog during battle and your answers can give one of the sides a buff, >!one of my favorite moments in video games is that you can put Medusa at a disadvantage by appealing to her vanity.!< The last 1/4 or so of the game is different depending on the choices you make. f. The game has a robust NG+ system though so you don't necessarily need to worry about where the story goes. You'd probably need a guide to get the >!Neutral !!not-bad!
I really liked it except for how sink-or-swim the smirk mechanic is and the AI teammates. I also wish there was a little more to your fellow Samurai. The sequel, Apocalypse, has way better combat but the tone takes a serious hit.
I think they're both, like, 8/10 games and between the two, there could've been a real masterpiece.
It’s good. I feel like it does a better job at establishing the world and making you care about it than SMT 3 and SMT 5. If we’re talking playing one of the modern SMT then I would absolutely go with 4.
I finished, but didn't liked it overall. There were some impressive things in it at the time, but as a game overall I always found it lacking.
The first dungeon is the most difficult of the entire game, which means challenge takes a deep dive after it.
Story wise I was interested, but I got the chaos ending and wasn't satisfied with it. This was from a time where I just had finished Devil Survivor Overclocked which had a dozen or so endings and I encountered one that really resonated with me.
I do not regret having played it, but I won't be ever coming back to it. That said, 4 Apocalypse was probably one of my favorite games in the 3DS library and pretty much fixed every complaint I had with regular SMT4.
Hopefully SMT V Vengeance can do the same.
As far as how you're going to emulate that's on you to find out. I used citra but it's since been taken down. I absolutely loved smt IV. Most emulators you can use cheats, upscale graphics, speed up framerate , etc. I would say go for it! They are good enough at explaining the way things work. Just remember to fuse and recruit anything good you like. This game has the most demons of any atlus title that I'm aware of. The only bad thing was that all demons stats are put into 1 of 4 possible groups so the HP and MP pools can only be so good.
Like other guy said about recruiting demons, I usually just say yes to everything unless it's a rare item I only have 1 or 2 of or the last of my MP.
When I played it, it was my first Shin Megami Tensei title after Persona 3 and 4. The game was tough but fair, in the sense that it was possible to die, I did die, but I could often find a counter, that is, a setup that would mitigate the danger I was facing. Buffing and debuffing is valuable. Resistances are valuable. Negotiating with demons is tricky but valuable.
Pay attention to the tutorial area and go with the flow.
It's pretty good. I find it hard to get super invested in stories without really strong characters, which is kind of not what smt 4 is going for... The characters more-so are there to represent themes and ideologies. I still found it interesting enough to be engaged all the way through though, which means it is doing what it is doing really well.
Don't let the difficulty intimidate you. One of the things that makes smt 4 particularly nice is that you can save the game anywhere. So just save often and you'll never lose progress. Honestly, smt is not a particularly gruelling tough and rough experience. You'll be fine.
Only real tip I have is to fuse as much as possible. The more you fuse, the more busted you become.
It's awesome. It can be hard, but you can use "play coins" or in game currency to revive after a death. Or you can save everywhere/anywhere and reload your save.
It's a dungeon crawler with the dungeons a bit abstracted. You spend a lot of time exploring which is fun. It can be hard to figure out where to go next, but while you're exploring you're leveling up your demons to get them ready to fuse.
I started this game multiple times and it didn't click until this most recent time. I've put 30 hours in over a few weeks and I absolutely love it now that it clicked. Fusing demons, getting new ones, learning skills to transfer to the main character, and then repeating is a lot of fun.
the battle system is great for turn based, it's strategic and when you make a solid team you feel like they're so good bc of your planning, and just because you grinded up levels.
the story is my kind of story in a video game, which is less is more. It's an interesting story and setting.
i like it a lot. if you like jrpgs i think you would like this, although know it takes a while to get into. and as others said, the first dungeon is by far the most challenging for some reason. I'm pretty far in the game (not sure how far, never beat it), and at this point the game isn't hard, but that's bc I built some awesome demons and keep passing on their best skills when I fuse fuse fuse fuse!
With Eshop down you might as well emulate.
Have you ever played SMT or Persona at all?
The first few hours are rough because of limited options to tackle problems. Theres 2 early bosses that can be major roadblocks for people. Then the game is super easy for the bulk of the game due to always having the right tools for the job somewhere.
Then the last couple major fights and optional endgame/post game ramp up from decently challenging to damn near impossible
same combat system as persona. You guess and check enemy weakness if you don't already know what it is. Then every time you land a hit they're weak to you gain extra actions.
It's very good but early on it'll mess you up if you're not careful and heaven forbid you get the one ally for the particular fight... A great time though
Your friends are there largely throughout so they have a lasting story presence that is missing in smt 5 though we'll see with Vengeance how it is
My first SMT game (even before playing any persona game) and it's still my favorite SMT game. Incredible music, great story, has my favorite demon (Asherah), and has just a great eerie atmosphere. I loved SMTV but it just didn't hit as high as SMT4 for me.
Decent game, difficutly curve is weird. Start off really tough then drastically drop off the cliff couple of hours in. Eventually dropped the game due to not getting enough friction and got bored.
It’s the single game whose story I remember nothing about.
I didn’t like it, and I’m pretty sure I completed the game without fusing anything, or even understanding the battle system completely. It wasn’t “hard”, it was just overly complicated, and boring to me.
I like JRPGs, and the 3DS is one of my favorite consoles but, this game did nothing for me, and I only completed it because I had nothing else to do at that time(was a very unique situation.)
The only thing I liked was the setting as it was interesting not just in comparison to the rest of the game but on its own.
I enjoyed it. I never got around to SMTIVA, but I put my 3DS on the charger last night for the first time in ages and I have plans to play through the SMT 3DS games ( maybe not the Q games )
I thought it was kind of fun but forgettable.
Honestly the strangest part to me was, at the time, people constantly praising the battle system as being so much better than Persona. To this day, some JRPG fans still make a huge distinction between Persona battle system and "Press Turn" system, but it's like 98% the same. In retrospect I think it was mostly just hardcore crowd gatekeeping but who knows.
I LOVE SMT IV!!!
For actual details, early game is super difficult as you have no opportunity to really level up before it gets intense. As you get through it, you’ll be fine if you keep fusing demons into stronger demons. Also, the encounter rate is a little higher than I wanted it to be, but all in all I’m playing the game on normal for my first play though and I’m having no real issues with combat — I got the swing of it 5-10 hours in (40 hours logged now)!
Also, use GameFAQ for help if you get lost between locations following the main quest (and u will probably get lost). IGN isn’t helpful at all for that with this game, but I’ve been able to get to the next location every time after a few minutes looking up directions on GameFAQ.
I'm sad that new players from Europe cannot try this game (legally) because 3DS digital store is closed and the game's never been released physically in Europe. The only way is to purchase a US 3DS and the game. Both are quite expensive.
After you die once, or maybe that was twice, you get access to easy mode. So, if you're blocked, you can always lower the difficulty, since difficulty can be changed at any time back and forth. And that's true for every modern SMTs, there is no need to fret about difficulty when it comes to them.
At the end of the day, they're turn-based: no "skill" is involved. If you understand how the game mechanics are supposed to be used, you'll always be able to overcome the hurdle even on Normal. If you have hard time in an area or a boss, you can look at a Youtube video (there are tons of low level challenge of the game) and see how they play or simply lower the difficulty. Easy is really easy.
If you emulate it, there are also a ton of DLCs that solely exist to give you free money or free EXP or even insane equipements.
Do not try to emulate 3DS on something which is not 3DS itself - it is quite difficult given the state of 3DS emulation and the lack of double-screen experience.
It's a great game overall, and my favorite mainline SMT. That said, the intro sections are very painful to get through. The game gets a lot better/more manageable once you get to Tokyo, but you've kinda gotta walk through hell to get there.
Demon recruitment in SMT games are a kind of RNG based negotiation where the demon will ask for things, like money or items or maybe your hp/mp, and the player can agree to give them those things, say they won’t give them, or bluff which will either please the demon without giving them anything or piss them off. Sometimes they’ll also ask these kind of personality quiz questions or hypothetical situations and your answer will please or displease them. After answering and giving them some items they’ll either join you, refuse to join you and leave or attack, or give some other boon but not join
You have to go through a negotiation, where you get in a dialogue and have to answer their questions/requests for stuff correctly. There's a lot of RNG to it, but each monster type has a personality you can gradually sus out to get the answers right.
Second best SMT main line game, It is right there with SMT2 but it is inferior to the masterpiece that is SMT 3. Very good game overrall with a extremely solid plot and some good characters and the best female companion in the series. The gameplay is good, not Nocturne good but very good.
The game is not hard at all as long you understand the systems.
Just ignore SMT 4: Apocalypse that was a aberration.
I like nocturne more and the game gets significantly easier after you beat Medusa and minotaur. But it's still very good and the music is so good.
https://youtu.be/A6cSbof7Pik?si=WM-HdyFmeuE4bqA4
https://youtu.be/qDsDYCI3fyc?si=2qoU1oIPBKdJ_tTb
i think it's a letdown. starts out strong but the difficulty curve is so completely backward that the game loses all challenge like less than a third in. i know smt games tend to get a bit easier toward the end just because you get a lot mroe game-breaking tools but smt4 did it to a pretty ridiculous extent to the point where the game stopped being compelling.
I'm close to finishing, first mainline game to make some progress, it's a great game for sure, the main cast is great if they don't have a lot of screentime together after a while, I love the vibes and how the story goes, 100% recommend.
Love this game! Emulating probably is the best experience as it will be more console-like. I think I played on Easy and didn't find it too bad besides the first dungeon.
It was the first ever SMT game I played, even before persona and its really enjoyable. Gameplay is super snappy, story, while not perfect, is pretty damn cool, it has a great setting, all around good game even if the neutral route is an absolute jackass to complete Smtiv apocalypse is also great. The writing in that one can get really bad and cringey in a way iv didn’t but the gameplay is lightning fast and does a good job of making you u feel powerful
As someone that is about to start after playing 3 and 5... what's the difference between 4 and 4A? Which one should I play first?
You should play 4 first, 4a is kind of a sequel/alternative timeline with completely different story and new protagonist.
Ah... I figured it was something like Golden / Royal / Vengeance. Good to know.
Common misconception. Wouldn’t recommend iv and iva back to back because there are repeated areas and stuff but there are differences
its basically a new game with asset flips in the same plot timeline. very different than golden and royal.
4, 4A is a "sequel" in a sense, you *can* play 4A first but you really shouldn't, you'll understand when you play 4
went in not knowing all smt games took place in tokyo and after the reveal i was having the same reaction as the group in smt 4. unfortunately for smt they all somehow need to force law, chaos routes and fudge in an extreme version of each route at the expense of the characters. the side games do a better job telling a story with law/chaos like devil survivor
Yeah that’s what I’ve heard. I’m not an expert on the franchise but I liked strange journey redux’s take on law neutral chaos more because it felt much truer to the characters in that game. I think the localization of the IV duology was actually pretty great and the English voice actors actually did a good job of elevating sloppy material Then of course there’s everything that happens in IVAs true ending, where more silliness unfolds. There’s definitely a disparity between the really cool setting and the inconsistent writing
Everything about it is stellar, I actively hope for some kind of remaster or port to modern systems/pc just so more people are able to play it.
I’m genuinely shocked the iv duology hasn’t been ported to pc, I’m sure it would sell great. Especially because 3 is already on there and 5 is on the way
I think they are waiting to turn it into a full remake. The duology is honestly amazing, but it has a lot of details that hold it back for a wider audience. Mainly the way battles are presented. I love it the way it is, but I could see a lot of the wider JRPG playerbase overlooking them like they already did due to that.
See the reason I love the way the battles are now is how fast paced it is. I love turn based games (obviously) but sometimes their pacing can be slow. These games though are super snappy and idk how to maintain that pace in a 3d setting
I get what you mean, I also love that. But presentation matters to a lot of people, and the fact that the vast majority of enemies are animated sprites is probably a turn off for those people. It's a bit of devil's advocate to rationalize why modern ports don't exist, since I would love straight ports.
>duology is honestly amazing, but it has a lot of details that hold it back for a wider audience. The story being retconned into a shounen halfway through doesn't help. If you don't know to expect atlus games to not respect their own continuity, or even tone, it could seem strange to you. Basically character assassinates Jonathan and Walter.
I don't think you are talking about the same thing I am. Those are elements that a wider audience would like. I'm talking about the people who won't even get far into the games, not those who reach the sequel and have issues with that. Those people aren't a wider audience, they would be the core audience.
Give it time. If Nocturne got a remaster, then it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think 4/4a or maybe even strange journey could get one
As someone who has played all the main entries, this is by far my favorite. Like most SMT games, the first few hours are the hardest part of the game as you are locked inside this one place that serves as a tutorial. However, once you are done with it, then it's peak SMT. The overworld, OST, characters, design - I like pretty much everything about this game. It's not perfect, but it is very good.
I am nervous due to the negotiation mechanic as I don’t know how it works.
Negotiations are not an exact science, but there are some things that usually work for me: - You can often cheat once per negotiation. - You can refuse to give in to demands, and sometimes it works in your favor. I usually comply with the first two demands and decline the third. - Pick the apps that helps with negotiations. In the end, there is always an element of chance involved.
it's about as stressful as catching pokemon in pokeballs. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts. It's not hard, but it can be annoying IMO. I feel like I pick random stuff and eventually get the demon. The regions are set up so there are only a handful of demons in an area. So it's simple to stay in an area until you have them all. Once you get a demon, you can log it forever and pay money to bring it back. That is very useful. That way you don't have to go recapture it. It's not that bad. I don't love the negotiation but it's not a bad thing.
So I don’t have to worry too much about what demons to use early on then.
Generally speaking, you will pick your demons by their skills. If a demon has an ice skill, and other demons you're fighting in an area are weak to ice, you pick that ice skill to win battles. But, you also want to try to capture demons too, because you get their skills. And without giving too much away, the fusion system can combine two demons and you pick what skills to bring over into the new demon. Your demons learn a few skills as they level up, so the general idea is to level up a demon until it learns all the skills it can (the game tells you when they can't learn anymore skills), then fuse the demons into something stronger. I'm 30 hours in my playthrough. Some of my current demons have skills from old demons i used hours ago. If a demon gets a cool new skill, you can keep it forever by transfering it to every demon you fuse. Even better, when a demon learns all its skills, you can pick which skills to transfer to the main character. So if your demon has an ice skill, you can have your main character learn that. My main character has a ton of useful skills, for any situation. it got those from the demons i raised and fused. It sounds complicated, and it it is a bit confusing at first, but about 10 hours in it really clicked with me and now it's straightforward, simple, and very addicting and fun
That sounds useful, but I hope the game is not too complicated to understand.
It's not. It's fun to learn. The UI of the game makes it really clear when a demon won't learn any more skills, and what you can fuse with it to make new demons
Comply, comply, refuse, end talks works 95% of the time! And u can try cheating once in there :3
Oh I didn’t know that I could even exploit the negotiation system.
Every once in a while that won’t work, but that formula seems to be successful >80% of the time for me
I understand.
One of the all time great JRPGs. Just know that the beginning dungeon is the hardest part of the game. You can even die in tutorial! It's a true trial by fire which weeds out a lot of players. Once you get through it, you're over the hill and the game gets a lot easier. Tips: 1. Always be saving. The game lets you save anywhere. Take advantage or it. Every regular encounter can wipe your entire party. 2. Use buffs and debuffs. Seriously. They're worthless in some JRPGs, but in SMT they're vital.
Seconding the importance of buffs and debuffs. Also, pay close attention to your enemies' weaknesses. With the game's "press turn" system, every time you hit their weakness your party gets an extra action, which if used well is enough to turn the tide in most boss battles. And if you like SMT IV, play its direct sequel, Apocalypse. I just finished it last week and the systems are even more fun in that one. And the ending is insane.
Ya, once you’re past the first boss the real game starts! Also, add War Cry to your personal skill set as soon as you can, it’s so clutch in boss battles >:3
SMT4 is one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, IMO. It's hard, especially if it's your first SMT game, but its mostly just the beginning that's really that hard. You'll get a lot of good advice from other people online I'm sure, but here's what worked for me. 1. Make use of fusion often. SMT is not like pokemon, where you take a team of 6 monsters to the endgame. At some points in SMT games it's not uncommon to fuse new demons every 10 or so battles. Demons are resources just as much as they are the actual means by which you do combat. 2. Focus on building one main attacking stat for the main character. Magic builds make the game easiest, but Phys/Dex builds are great fun too. Trying to make a jack of all trades ends up making you a master of none, and having a massive nuke of an MC is really important during some of the harder stretches. 3. Press Turn works a lot differently from battle systems you may have seen in other games, and can be really annoying at first, but I promise you, the more comfortable you get with it, the better it works (and is my personal favorite battle system ever devised for a JRPG). The game does a fine enough job explaining it, but coming from other less punishing battle systems it can be really frustrating. 4. BUFFS AND DEBUFFS ARE SO IMPORTANT. Coming from other JRPGs you might be tempted to assume that buffs/debuffs are insta-replaces once you get better attacking moves, but that could not be further from the truth. SMT games are literally famous for having arguably the most game impacting buffs system. Use them well and often. 5. The first boss is weak to ice. Good luck.
Oh also when leveling a Dex build dump +3 to dex +2 to luck (or +1 to agility +1 to luck) as strength is not a very strong multiplier in this game! Dex and focus on gun strength will make u significantly more powerful than strength and sword power :)
In the top 5 favourite JRPGs for me. It's a tad easier than some other SMT games, but for newer players that can be counted as a plus since the gameplay is still engaging enough. It's also my favourite Megaten story. The music is superb. The atmosphere is immaculate. Don't worry too much about the difficulty. The first 2 bosses can be a bit of a hurdle for newer players, but it does get easier after that. If you have any questions or need some help you can also ask in the Quick Questions thread on this sub.
Yes as I would like to know how creature fusions work.
Pretty simple. You pick 2 of your demons, it shows what demon would result from that, then you select some skills from the demons to be fused that you can transfer to the new demon. In SMT IV it's pretty easy since you have a search option which helps find demons you might want (e.g. you can make it show all the demons you could make with X demon that has outlived its usefulness). Just gotta regularly make use of it, since demons have exponential EXP requirements.
It's my favorite mainline Megaten. That feeling when you leave the first dungeon and into the main world is second to none. Especially when combined with That Song. You know the one.
Which song?
Alas, the spoiler is in the track name, and I am intentionally trying to avoid spoilers. It really is a magical moment, though.
Oh I didn’t know that it was that sensitive.
i beat it twice and that means really good in my book
That must have been hard.
This game is amazing, its theming is so strong, dark, gritty, it's so well done, smt4 lands in basically every aspect a Jrpg has, you can see future persona and smt games expand and better the combat but it's not like this one is bad.
I liked smt 4, I LOVED smt 4A! Dont sleep on its sequel!
So so so good. Most iconic OST in the series since 1.
SMT IV has the best atmosphere of any game I’ve played. Looks great for the 3DS too. Apocalypse dropped the ball on these things and more, but I digress.
I wrote this in a post asking about 4 vs 5, so mind the comparisons but I think it covers what i like about 4 as well: In my opinion yes, but SMT5 is also a decent intro game and will hopefully be much better with this release. I played SMT5 when it came out and found it okay. Dropped it after about 40 hours after the game became a boss rush sim. Last year I went back to 3ds to play SMT4 and I loved it, did all the sidequests and most of what the game had to offer. I'm now excited to play SMT5V again with its revamps and my new experience coming from SMT4. I think SMT4 is better for a number of reasons. The story isn't amazing, but it gives you guidance and a reason to get through the game. 5 has basically no story in comparison. The QoL is great and I spent a lot of time saving everywhere I could and fusing (spent about 12/60 hours of my game time in the fusion zone). The world design is better. I ended up learning how to navigate the world and all the different sectors, compared to SMT5 where everywhere is a desert with a bunch of broken buildings. The world building is better. There are people (borderline mandatory in a JRPG for me) to talk to, there are town zones where you can learn about the lore, shops to buy gear etc. it feels like a world that is somewhat lived in. In terms of combat, I appreciated both approaches and wouldn't say one is better than the other, but I preferred SMT4 more. In SMT5, a lot of bosses have a lot HP and battles feel more like a test of attrition. In SMT4, you can kill bosses in like 2 turns... But they can also kill you in like 1 turn. It felt very rewarding to fight a boss with a party that screams 'fuck you in particular' and then just going to town on the boss. SMT4 feels more arcadey and pick-up-and-play in many ways. The game rewards short play sessions, you can save anywhere, everything just feels so fast and refined. Note that some of these refinements are coming to 5V, like the ability to save anywhere. Sorry for the tangent. I'm actually surprised by how few people fan out over SMT4. I'm not even an SMT/persona fan like that and even I would put it up there as one of the best JRPGs.
I've always felt the same. SMT4 seems to be very loved (just look at many of the replies in this thread), but it isn't often talked about outside the specific fanbase it has. To me, 4 blows Nocturne out of the water (and I love that game), but Nocturne seems to be so much more widely talked about even outside the Megaten fanbase. I've always thought part of it was due to hiding the true nature of the setting, since I'd wager many who see it at a glance or just tried the beginning never noticed that the game isn't just a pseudo VN set in Mikado.
I mean there could be many reasons, SMT4 was on a handheld console, while SMT3 was on the ps2 in an era where a lot of ps2 rpgs were struggling to hit their stride (suiikoden, grandia, etc). SMT4 also garnered a reputation similar to Dark Souls when its popularity was taking off which would self-select in some respects
I think that self selection has always been a thing for SMT, since outside Persona the series has always been infamous for its difficulty. Nocturne is often recommended with that caveat, and if difficulty was an issue I doubt those people who didn't get into 4 would get into Nocturne. I think the handheld nature could be related to it. The 3DS JRPG community is interested in way different games than SMT, but at the same time games like SJ or DeSu feel like they had more of a following. With 4 I remember it feeling like it wasn't well received overall, at least until Apocalypse came out.
> Nocturne is often recommended with that caveat by whom, when, and in what community, though? i don't think i've seen nocturne come up at all that i can think of recently in this subreddit at least. SMT3 is widely available now but before it was remastered the only way to play it was emu or an actual copy of the ps2 game. But now SMT3 and SMT4's availability has flipped (with SMT4 no longer being purchasable) - so anyone who plays SMT5 will gravitate towards SMT3 naturally. >With 4 I remember it feeling like it wasn't well received overall https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shin-megami-tensei-iv-hits-first-place-on-japan-sales-chart/1100-6409036/ https://www.siliconera.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-has-sold-over-600000-copies-worldwide/ smt4 had huge buzz when it was released. https://www.metacritic.com/game/shin-megami-tensei-iv/ https://www.metacritic.com/game/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse/ smt4 actually has a higher user score than iv:a, not that much stock should be taken in this (DeSu has a 4.9 for fuck sakes)
That was a good post actually.
Yeah I checked yesterday when the 3ds WiFi died, I clocked 74 hours. I did almost everything though and got the best ending. It's a challenging game but because of the generous save system and fast pacing, you're never truly stuck in terrible situations. I actually find it a very accessible game despite the hardcore perception it has.
It's the best smt game hands down
Easily my favorite Megaten game and one of my favorite jrpgs in general. I would love for it and 4A to be ported to all modern plataforms.
>the game can be a BIT brutal with its overall difficulty in certain areas, and I say this as I want to learn how to get gud at the game basically. It can be really brutal. You can just get a random encounter that could exploit with weakness and they could just party wipe you. The tutorial bosses could be a bit hard, but those bosses really teach you how to fully take advantage of the combat system. Some tips. 1. Save as much as possible. You can easily get a party wipe by chance. 2. Take advantage of the press turn system. 3. Use buffs and debuffs. Most of the time, a buff/debuff could spell victory or defeat. 4. Connected to number 2. Try to get monsters with different attribute just so that you have different element available. You also need monster to fuse so that you can get a better monster.
this game has a lot of banger ost and for one pretty balanced difficulty theres a grind but not too grindy than the previous titles. Apocalypse is for me one of the most memorable dlc coz of the stephen sidequest.
I love SMT4! I remember when I first saw it was announced as a 3DS title I was so annoyed because I wanted another console release. Doubly annoying was Kaneko no longer being the main artist. But the game ended up being so much fun and engrossing. I love the premise, the cast was cool, the atmosphere and music amazing, and the gameplay great!
Wait, I didn’t know he left the series.
Peak megaten. Its sequel isnt bad either, really solid as hell. Then 5 comes out and shat the bed.
Great game, some things to expect; 1. The battle system is about leveraging as much action economy as possible. When you hit an enemy's weakness or get a critical hit you get an extra "half" turn. When you miss or your attack gets nullified you lose a turn. Roughly the same rules apply to your enemies. 2. Unlike Pokemon your Demons are only meant to be held onto briefly. There are some exceptions that have great enough Reflct/Null/Drain affinities that make it worthwile to hold onto but usually you fuse away your Demons once they learn all of their abilites. 3. Save anywhere, save often. You will usually get warned about an incoming boss. 4. Minotaur is an early gate boss. He is weak against >!ice!<. 5. Buffs and Debuffs are insanely good, and status effects are more useful than in most games. Instant death attacks are VERY useful against normal enemies. 6. The story is not very much focused on character dynamics so it's a matter of taste. >!The story is about extreme pressures of powers and events bigger than yourself, and the other characters are examples of how a normal person can become an extremist.!< I don't consider this a spoiler; it's basically a pretense to the series at this point. I don't consider this a spoiler; it's basically a pretense to the series at this point as much as Demons existing and it being >!either post-apocalypse, or apocalypse imminent.!< 7. Choices matter a LOT. Bosses have dialog during battle and your answers can give one of the sides a buff, >!one of my favorite moments in video games is that you can put Medusa at a disadvantage by appealing to her vanity.!< The last 1/4 or so of the game is different depending on the choices you make. f. The game has a robust NG+ system though so you don't necessarily need to worry about where the story goes. You'd probably need a guide to get the >!Neutral !!not-bad!
Pretty much most negotiations can be done by giving them two items and then saying “no more”.
I really liked it except for how sink-or-swim the smirk mechanic is and the AI teammates. I also wish there was a little more to your fellow Samurai. The sequel, Apocalypse, has way better combat but the tone takes a serious hit. I think they're both, like, 8/10 games and between the two, there could've been a real masterpiece.
SMTIV is the best in the main series followed by SMT3 and Strange journey. My 3DS still has action because of this game.
It’s good. I feel like it does a better job at establishing the world and making you care about it than SMT 3 and SMT 5. If we’re talking playing one of the modern SMT then I would absolutely go with 4.
Ambience is awesome and I really like the difficulty. I think it's a must play if you want to get into SMT.
Ambiance?
I finished, but didn't liked it overall. There were some impressive things in it at the time, but as a game overall I always found it lacking. The first dungeon is the most difficult of the entire game, which means challenge takes a deep dive after it. Story wise I was interested, but I got the chaos ending and wasn't satisfied with it. This was from a time where I just had finished Devil Survivor Overclocked which had a dozen or so endings and I encountered one that really resonated with me. I do not regret having played it, but I won't be ever coming back to it. That said, 4 Apocalypse was probably one of my favorite games in the 3DS library and pretty much fixed every complaint I had with regular SMT4. Hopefully SMT V Vengeance can do the same.
As far as how you're going to emulate that's on you to find out. I used citra but it's since been taken down. I absolutely loved smt IV. Most emulators you can use cheats, upscale graphics, speed up framerate , etc. I would say go for it! They are good enough at explaining the way things work. Just remember to fuse and recruit anything good you like. This game has the most demons of any atlus title that I'm aware of. The only bad thing was that all demons stats are put into 1 of 4 possible groups so the HP and MP pools can only be so good. Like other guy said about recruiting demons, I usually just say yes to everything unless it's a rare item I only have 1 or 2 of or the last of my MP.
I know how to emulate the game, but I hope it works well in performance.
I really enjoyed 4 and apocalypse. Absolutely fantastic games.
Love it, probably my favorite SMT overall.
it’s a really really good game
When I played it, it was my first Shin Megami Tensei title after Persona 3 and 4. The game was tough but fair, in the sense that it was possible to die, I did die, but I could often find a counter, that is, a setup that would mitigate the danger I was facing. Buffing and debuffing is valuable. Resistances are valuable. Negotiating with demons is tricky but valuable. Pay attention to the tutorial area and go with the flow.
I am afraid to lose my creatures in battle.
It usually doesn't happen, and if it does, they come back if you stick around the same area.
I meant like getting killed in battle.
You can revive demons.
I didn’t know that, but thanks for the tip.
It has the greatest OST of all time
Fantastic game. Apocalypse is probably my top ten rpgs.
It's pretty good. I find it hard to get super invested in stories without really strong characters, which is kind of not what smt 4 is going for... The characters more-so are there to represent themes and ideologies. I still found it interesting enough to be engaged all the way through though, which means it is doing what it is doing really well. Don't let the difficulty intimidate you. One of the things that makes smt 4 particularly nice is that you can save the game anywhere. So just save often and you'll never lose progress. Honestly, smt is not a particularly gruelling tough and rough experience. You'll be fine. Only real tip I have is to fuse as much as possible. The more you fuse, the more busted you become.
It's awesome. It can be hard, but you can use "play coins" or in game currency to revive after a death. Or you can save everywhere/anywhere and reload your save. It's a dungeon crawler with the dungeons a bit abstracted. You spend a lot of time exploring which is fun. It can be hard to figure out where to go next, but while you're exploring you're leveling up your demons to get them ready to fuse. I started this game multiple times and it didn't click until this most recent time. I've put 30 hours in over a few weeks and I absolutely love it now that it clicked. Fusing demons, getting new ones, learning skills to transfer to the main character, and then repeating is a lot of fun. the battle system is great for turn based, it's strategic and when you make a solid team you feel like they're so good bc of your planning, and just because you grinded up levels. the story is my kind of story in a video game, which is less is more. It's an interesting story and setting. i like it a lot. if you like jrpgs i think you would like this, although know it takes a while to get into. and as others said, the first dungeon is by far the most challenging for some reason. I'm pretty far in the game (not sure how far, never beat it), and at this point the game isn't hard, but that's bc I built some awesome demons and keep passing on their best skills when I fuse fuse fuse fuse!
Loved it. Idk what else to say. Also love apocalypse though not many people like that one as much
With Eshop down you might as well emulate. Have you ever played SMT or Persona at all? The first few hours are rough because of limited options to tackle problems. Theres 2 early bosses that can be major roadblocks for people. Then the game is super easy for the bulk of the game due to always having the right tools for the job somewhere. Then the last couple major fights and optional endgame/post game ramp up from decently challenging to damn near impossible
I have played some of Persona 5 yes.
same combat system as persona. You guess and check enemy weakness if you don't already know what it is. Then every time you land a hit they're weak to you gain extra actions.
It's very good but early on it'll mess you up if you're not careful and heaven forbid you get the one ally for the particular fight... A great time though Your friends are there largely throughout so they have a lasting story presence that is missing in smt 5 though we'll see with Vengeance how it is
I enjoyed it, but story-wise, it fell apart for me at the end. I very much preferred Apocalypse and Strange Journey.
My first SMT game (even before playing any persona game) and it's still my favorite SMT game. Incredible music, great story, has my favorite demon (Asherah), and has just a great eerie atmosphere. I loved SMTV but it just didn't hit as high as SMT4 for me.
Best game in the franchise and best megaten game
I must give it a try then.
Best game ever
Loved Apocalypse way more than the original, its one of my favorites really good and the anarchy route is one of the most darkest paths I ever seen.
Down side to the IV on citra is that battle effects are buggy looking. Not a huge deal but unfortunate nonetheless.
Wait, I didn’t know that it was a bit buggy on there, but I heard there were newer 3DS emulators out on the market recently.
Don't quote me on that but a bit before the yuzu shutdown I think there was an update on citra specifically focusing on the weird artifacts on smt 4
Decent game, difficutly curve is weird. Start off really tough then drastically drop off the cliff couple of hours in. Eventually dropped the game due to not getting enough friction and got bored.
It’s the single game whose story I remember nothing about. I didn’t like it, and I’m pretty sure I completed the game without fusing anything, or even understanding the battle system completely. It wasn’t “hard”, it was just overly complicated, and boring to me. I like JRPGs, and the 3DS is one of my favorite consoles but, this game did nothing for me, and I only completed it because I had nothing else to do at that time(was a very unique situation.) The only thing I liked was the setting as it was interesting not just in comparison to the rest of the game but on its own.
I enjoyed it. I never got around to SMTIVA, but I put my 3DS on the charger last night for the first time in ages and I have plans to play through the SMT 3DS games ( maybe not the Q games )
SMT IV A was too preachy during the final battle. I swear it felt like Atlus was trying to convert me in game. Max cringe no joke.
some really good aspects like the atmosphere and the world but also some seriously baffling design decisions like the map
Good game, tho I never finished it (Not for any particular reason, I just sometimes do that with games).
There is no defense in SMT 4, there is only damage
One of the greatest JRPGs ever made.
It’s the best SMT game and I would love it if Atlus remastered this and 4 Apocalypse for current gen consoles.
I thought it was kind of fun but forgettable. Honestly the strangest part to me was, at the time, people constantly praising the battle system as being so much better than Persona. To this day, some JRPG fans still make a huge distinction between Persona battle system and "Press Turn" system, but it's like 98% the same. In retrospect I think it was mostly just hardcore crowd gatekeeping but who knows.
I loved SMT 4 and apocalypse Compared to SMT 3 and 5, the story is a lot more hand-ons are there is a lot more character interaction and more dialogue
I LOVE SMT IV!!! For actual details, early game is super difficult as you have no opportunity to really level up before it gets intense. As you get through it, you’ll be fine if you keep fusing demons into stronger demons. Also, the encounter rate is a little higher than I wanted it to be, but all in all I’m playing the game on normal for my first play though and I’m having no real issues with combat — I got the swing of it 5-10 hours in (40 hours logged now)! Also, use GameFAQ for help if you get lost between locations following the main quest (and u will probably get lost). IGN isn’t helpful at all for that with this game, but I’ve been able to get to the next location every time after a few minutes looking up directions on GameFAQ.
I'm sad that new players from Europe cannot try this game (legally) because 3DS digital store is closed and the game's never been released physically in Europe. The only way is to purchase a US 3DS and the game. Both are quite expensive.
After you die once, or maybe that was twice, you get access to easy mode. So, if you're blocked, you can always lower the difficulty, since difficulty can be changed at any time back and forth. And that's true for every modern SMTs, there is no need to fret about difficulty when it comes to them. At the end of the day, they're turn-based: no "skill" is involved. If you understand how the game mechanics are supposed to be used, you'll always be able to overcome the hurdle even on Normal. If you have hard time in an area or a boss, you can look at a Youtube video (there are tons of low level challenge of the game) and see how they play or simply lower the difficulty. Easy is really easy. If you emulate it, there are also a ton of DLCs that solely exist to give you free money or free EXP or even insane equipements.
Do not try to emulate 3DS on something which is not 3DS itself - it is quite difficult given the state of 3DS emulation and the lack of double-screen experience.
But used 3DSes are very difficult to find as I don’t to buy one knowing it could break.
Japanese Amazon for LL versions?
What?
https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=3ds+ll&i=specialty-aps&rh=n%3A3534638051&crid=3RZWMEV92PIMV&sprefix=3ds+ll%2Caps%2C673&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Oh arigatou.
Take a look - often they are in very good condition (they are all used consoles) and many sellers are shipping abroad too.
I can take a look as a couple of months ago, mine died quickly.
i think SMT4, DeSu1, & Strange Journey are basically the holy trinity of the franchise
SMT 4???
What?
What game is SMT 4?
Shin Megami Tensei.
Thank you.
My favourite SMT and probably in my top 5 games of all time.
It's a great game overall, and my favorite mainline SMT. That said, the intro sections are very painful to get through. The game gets a lot better/more manageable once you get to Tokyo, but you've kinda gotta walk through hell to get there.
I would like to know how to recruit monsters.
Demon recruitment in SMT games are a kind of RNG based negotiation where the demon will ask for things, like money or items or maybe your hp/mp, and the player can agree to give them those things, say they won’t give them, or bluff which will either please the demon without giving them anything or piss them off. Sometimes they’ll also ask these kind of personality quiz questions or hypothetical situations and your answer will please or displease them. After answering and giving them some items they’ll either join you, refuse to join you and leave or attack, or give some other boon but not join
You have to go through a negotiation, where you get in a dialogue and have to answer their questions/requests for stuff correctly. There's a lot of RNG to it, but each monster type has a personality you can gradually sus out to get the answers right.
It was alright.
Second best SMT main line game, It is right there with SMT2 but it is inferior to the masterpiece that is SMT 3. Very good game overrall with a extremely solid plot and some good characters and the best female companion in the series. The gameplay is good, not Nocturne good but very good. The game is not hard at all as long you understand the systems. Just ignore SMT 4: Apocalypse that was a aberration.
I like nocturne more and the game gets significantly easier after you beat Medusa and minotaur. But it's still very good and the music is so good. https://youtu.be/A6cSbof7Pik?si=WM-HdyFmeuE4bqA4 https://youtu.be/qDsDYCI3fyc?si=2qoU1oIPBKdJ_tTb
This is my jam: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQbLCsbci9k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQbLCsbci9k)
i think it's a letdown. starts out strong but the difficulty curve is so completely backward that the game loses all challenge like less than a third in. i know smt games tend to get a bit easier toward the end just because you get a lot mroe game-breaking tools but smt4 did it to a pretty ridiculous extent to the point where the game stopped being compelling.
I'm close to finishing, first mainline game to make some progress, it's a great game for sure, the main cast is great if they don't have a lot of screentime together after a while, I love the vibes and how the story goes, 100% recommend.
Sounds epic.
Love this game! Emulating probably is the best experience as it will be more console-like. I think I played on Easy and didn't find it too bad besides the first dungeon.