I really don't like Asashi. I think I would've much prefered they given all her optimism to Nanashi and turned him into a real character, so I could watch Dagda run him into the ground.
I'm not that far in SMT4A (my playtime is currently 6 hours)
I just opened the arc and let Krishna out, Asashi's existence then meant Flynn got caught and then lead to the plot happening... woo.. Flynn should've let her die for the greater good of Tokyo because then I wouldn't have to deal with her
, so Asashi may redeem herself rather than being annoying. But so far I'm really baffled why Navarre and Asashi are even here except to be annoying. Childhood friend, kooky mascot character.
I'd like to say some nice things about this game, because I have been way too neggo in this thread. Had a chance to play it during some long, Thanksgiving break plane flights and clocked in about 20+ hours, 3/8 of the moon full.
- Gaston's great. I'm a little eh on his dialogue, but his play style makes me wish Atlus had more jerk characters in this roster. It took a bit of time for me to realize what he was doing
to my press turns and holy crap that's awesome.
Navarre's cool too, his overworld gimmick was fun once I realized what the
star demon people
were for.
- Asahi... I did not like this character at all, but she is warming up to me after
having a totally reasonable, emotional reaction to my protag being essentially the Demi-fiend but possessed by a total jerk face.
She is a bit too dumb early on, but the VA does a good job of making her seem real, and not, whiny, which she could have very easily been with a worse localization. Props for that.
- The more I play of this, particularly revisiting areas like
Midtown
and getting as far as
Reverse Hills.. well, no, actually the entire cave to Reverse Hills is there, but it's blocked off just short of the entrance. But here's a chest for your troubles!
.
I feel like I am playing a really good romhack of IV, because the recycled content.. particularly with the big areas being lifted in some instances almost entirely but with the furniture rearranged
almost literally in the case of Midtown
from IV, it's a bit much.
The game does kind of get going at 3/8 moon fullage. The challenge quests still feel like they're too few in number and there's a few too many empty rooms, but I appreciate that they switch up how the safe zones aren't really.
If I only knew what the development of this game was like. It feels even more low budget than the average Atlus title. I wonder if the idea to turn this into its own game instead of IV Special Edition was an 11th hour decision made by the team.
Still, I'm glad it was made. The romhack connection in my head makes me wonder how this game might work on Steam... and then I wish that IV and Apocalypse would get Steam ports with mod support. oh but I can only dream.
Putting it down again for now. This game takes too long to get to fun bits.
Holy fuck, now they are even delving into ,,it's not like I like you or anything". Terrible.
How long is this game after beating that fat hencheman at level 50 or so, after closing these pots? Right now it feels like a mobile game which is mostly addicting because all these stats keep going up fast (and I guess some of the SMT basics are still somewhat present).
But the godawful, non-stop exposition and complete lack of atmosphere make this just exhausting to play.
I've already got all the highest tier spells, so I'd hope the game would be ending soon, but if the moon represents the remaining chapters, god help me...
I've already got all the highest tier spells, so I'd hope the game would be ending soon, but if the moon represents the remaining chapters, god help me...
The anime in this game is godawful for sure, I was just lucky that I loved everything else enough to still have a great time, but I definitely feel you.
Holy fuck, now they are even delving into ,,it's not like I like you or anything". Terrible.
How long is this game after beating that fat hencheman at level 50 or so, after closing these pots? Right now it feels like a mobile game which is mostly addicting because all these stats keep going up fast (and I guess some of the SMT basics are still somewhat present).
But the godawful, non-stop exposition and complete lack of atmosphere make this just exhausting to play.
I've already got all the highest tier spells, so I'd hope the game would be ending soon, but if the moon represents the remaining chapters, god help me...
Holy fuck, now they are even delving into ,,it's not like I like you or anything". Terrible.
How long is this game after beating that fat hencheman at level 50 or so, after closing these pots? Right now it feels like a mobile game which is mostly addicting because all these stats keep going up fast (and I guess some of the SMT basics are still somewhat present).
But the godawful, non-stop exposition and complete lack of atmosphere make this just exhausting to play.
I've already got all the highest tier spells, so I'd hope the game would be ending soon, but if the moon represents the remaining chapters, god help me...
Just started. Is there any DLC I should buy before getting to deep into the game?
Not interested in exp DLC, thinking more in the lines of interesting quests etc.
The world map is such a big improvement over IV's.
OST seems to be step down though.
I'm playing on war, I have thousands of hours of SMT under my belt so it feels weird to go for anything lower than max difficulty but I'm wondering if I should brace myself for any crazy difficulty spikes.
Just entered the first domain, went in at lv 12 and was leveling up with nearly every battle since mobs were lv 20 but still very doable.
Got my ass kicked by
king frost
before checking out the domain and now that my demons have leveled up I see there's a skill to remove smirk, that should definitely be useful lol.
I'm focusing on magic, is it still OP like in IV or is it more balanced?
I can still switch since I just started.
Some severe tier skils are exclusive for a demon, like Die for me!, but is just for Alice only. Still, can it be inherited if a fusion accident happens.
One thing I did like was that they pushed a lot of the null/drain/repel skills to more late/end-game demons. So it's not like OG SMT4 where you could fuse a null all demon near mid game and just kinda steamroll the rest of the game.
In general, the game balance is a lot stronger here. I LOVED SMT4 too, so I'm really impressed they managed to balance it somewhat.
The game definitely gets far darker than IV in places and has better writing overall, IMO, but the laid back tone of the story and friendly banter are things you have to get used to, for better or worse.
-Ashura-Kai goons threatening to throw Isabeau into a brothel
-people being kept alive for years at a time while having their brain matter harvested by the Ashura-Kai to make Red Pills, with them raising children to serve that purpose as well (and being treated to the sound of two of them being devoured by demons outside in the hallway if you chose to free them on the Law path)
-anyone in the Infernal Tokyo timeline who chose not to become a demon being made into slaves who essentially served as walking juice boxes for the ones who did become demons, with not all of the people set aside to feed the demons actually surviving the surgery that implanted the plugs in their heads
-Isabeau killing herself on the Law and Chaos paths rather than having Flynn finish her instead once she was mortally wounded
Among other things? I haven't gotten around to Apocalypse for myself yet.
-Ashura-Kai goons threatening to throw Isabeau into a brothel
-people being kept alive for years at a time while having their brain matter harvested by the Ashura-Kai to make Red Pills, with them raising children to serve that purpose as well (and being treated to the sound of two of them being devoured by demons outside in the hallway if you chose to free them on the Law path)
-anyone in the Infernal Tokyo timeline who chose not to become a demon being made into slaves who essentially served as walking juice boxes for the ones who did become demons, with not all of the people set aside to feed the demons actually surviving the surgery that implanted the plugs in their heads
-Isabeau killing herself on the Law and Chaos paths rather than having Flynn finish her instead once she was mortally wounded
Among other things? I haven't gotten around to Apocalypse for myself yet.
IV proper has more fridge horror, I think. IV:A has more directly shocking events. Like in IV, the worst has already happened. In IV:A, you're in the thick of it.
IV proper has more fridge horror, I think. IV:A has more directly shocking events. Like in IV, the worst has already happened. In IV:A, you're in the thick of it.
IV proper has more fridge horror, I think. IV:A has more directly shocking events. Like in IV, the worst has already happened. In IV:A, you're in the thick of it.
Weird, I never really found Asahi to be annoying, aside from her waking you up in the morning and feeling empathy for Nanashi. "Jesus, just let me sleep in this once."
Weird, I never really found Asahi to be annoying, aside from her waking you up in the morning and feeling empathy for Nanashi. "Jesus, just let me sleep in this once."
IV proper has more fridge horror, I think. IV:A has more directly shocking events. Like in IV, the worst has already happened. In IV:A, you're in the thick of it.
Yeah that's a good way to describe it. A lot of story implications in IV are creepy and may make you uncomfortable, but some events in Apocalypse felt legitimately scary and threatening to me, I seriously didn't expect any of it due to the lighter tone it has in general.
Hell, there's even a (very light spoiler but still)
sort of jump scare in one of the creepiest scenes.
If I enjoyed but never finished SMT 4 should I pick this up? I didn't make it too many hours post-Tokyo. Put it down to play other things and just never found a way back in.
If I enjoyed but never finished SMT 4 should I pick this up? I didn't make it too many hours post-Tokyo. Put it down to play other things and just never found a way back in.
Like I mentioned above, I cleared that domain to gain some levels for that boss and didn't have any issues, was also level 12 (every fight was giving me a level at first) and the fights seemed pretty doable to me.
Like I mentioned above, I cleared that domain to gain some levels for that boss and didn't have any issues, was also level 12 (every fight was giving me a level at first) and the fights seemed pretty doable to me.
It's been pretty smooth after I did that domain. Also had magoon or whatever the smirk remover skill is by the time I fought it again so the frosty fight was pretty easy (almost ran out of MP though)
OST is a step down from IV so far. Only new track I've liked is the Fairy Forest. Also black market guy doesn't say, "Bring more macca next time!" Why would someone change that? ;_;
I'm really enjoying the various little gameplay improvements from 4, but Asahi is annoying me and this game already feels more anime than previous games.
I'm really enjoying the various little gameplay improvements from 4, but Asahi is annoying me and this game already feels more anime than previous games.
It's been pretty smooth after I did that domain. Also had magoon or whatever the smirk remover skill is by the time I fought it again so the frosty fight was pretty easy (almost ran out of MP though)
OST is a step down from IV so far. Only new track I've liked is the Fairy Forest. Also black market guy doesn't say, "Bring more macca next time!" Why would someone change that? ;_;
Asahi is by far and way SMTIV-A's strongest character and she does a lot to make up for the fact that the character who is at the center of the plot (Nanashi) is a blank of wood.
finished it last week and liked it apart from the boring final dungeon and the teenager cast with some silly scenes that certainly don't belong in a series like smt
got the
neutral anarchy
ending, and it was like a dream come true for long time smt fans, after all these years of megaten game, most of them are like a repeating cycle of temporary victory and suffering, here you have the chance to end it forever
I'm excited to see what the team does next, i imagine that after this, they want to come up with something really different, and perhaps a new direction and structure.
SMT4 and SMT4A reminded me a lot like modern counterparts of SMT1 and SMT2, and in both of them i prefered the sequel. I really want a remake of the first two for the 25th anniversary, the can use the same engine or even and updated Strange Journey engine, i dont care
22 hours in at the beginning of the 3/8 moon. I'm enjoying the game so far and the plot has started to pick up in the last few hours, so here's hoping it doesn't take very long now until it reaches the point where the original game ended.
Also, while I feel the original cast had better chemistry and liked them more overall, it's a nice change to have a party ensemble of people with very different personalities and backgrounds. It's rather refreshing and interesting for the core series.
Wow the compendium is stupidly expensive on War mode. All my recently acquired demons cost the most money I've ever had to re-summon. I was thinking about dropping the difficulty for fusions but I'd feel dirty. No way I'll be able to do any special summons.
Asashi seems a bit too upbeat for someone living in a world where people get torn apart on a daily basis. Upon returning to the Sky Tower about 20 hours in
to find a sensor, I was a bit annoyed that, when recruiting Hallelujah, despite his boss directly saying he was a spy, I get ignored when saying we don't need him. Asashi pleads to let us keep him because he's ineffective, completely ignoring the fact that being able to beat a spy in hand-to-hand combat doesn't negate the fact that they are a spy! For the first time, I agreed with Dagda out of sheer practicality and common sense, but we have to keep him because friendship is magic, he's also a teenager and he's a bit pathetic or something.
Seemed a bit of a poor justification when both mine and Dagda's concerns had far more weight behind them in terms of the potential negatives.
Aside from that, I quite like her- she gets a full of range of emotions at the various points where horrific realisations are a bit too grim to ignore.
Fairy queen lady- I'm glad she returned for this game so it's not all teenagers, she's great, her affection for her little fairy friends is quite sweet considering how lethal they can be. Loved her line upon leaving the fairy forest the second time. "Somebody's got to look after the fairies (pumps shotgun)". Made me smile, anyway, along with the initial quest option to 'walk away from this hot mess'. It's a JRPG where it's nice to see fairies from European folklore being treated like the capricious, sometimes sweet, sometimes dangerous folk that they are. Good to see Danu and Dagda's relationship being explored, all that stuff is a myth cycle close to my heart.
Anyway, positive stuff- I like Navarre's Dagger and it's simple overworld puzzles, it breaks things up and you know the prize is within walking distance. World map is much improved, sidequest acquisition and handing-in mostly automated, that's good.
The main thing is balance- few of the reviews touch on this but it seems to me that there are far fewer 'null' resistances, which leads to far more interesting combat and far more careful team composition when preparing to go back to a rough boss. I like this, it stops cancelling the bosses turn completely when they use hit-everyone skills and you've got someone that can null each element.
I gotta say, this game's Cathedral of Shadows theme is by far one of my favorites. The florid counterpoint is really well-done (though it's mostly free counterpoint tonally, cause we are tonally modern after all), even more so than previous entries. You can tell they stuck more towards traditional species counterpoint for the part-writing, which makes it a whole lot more engaging to listen to.
I gotta say, this game's Cathedral of Shadows theme is by far one of my favorites. The florid counterpoint is really well-done (though it's mostly free counterpoint tonally, cause we are tonally modern after all), even more so than previous entries. You can tell they stuck more towards traditional species counterpoint for the part-writing, which makes it a whole lot more engaging to listen to.
To simplify it a bunch, basically the ways the rhythms (the beats) of the notes play off of each other is done using traditional, very old methods of music composition (a method that has a strict ruleset for how things have to be done). I am surprised by just how much this rendition uses those methods, and I like the way it's done.
Counterpoint basically is just note versus note. In this, there are two to four parts (it adds/subtracts throughout the music) that are individual parts that play against each other. When apart they don't sound like much, but when you put them all together at the same time, they make something that sounds cool. If you think of it like sports, each team in a game is like an individual part in the music. You can't have a sports game with just one team, but when two teams come together and have to react to each other to win, they make something that's fun to watch.
To simplify it a bunch, basically the ways the rhythms (the beats) of the notes play off of each other is done using traditional, very old methods of music composition (a method that has a strict ruleset for how things have to be done). I am surprised by just how much this rendition uses those methods, and I like the way it's done.
Counterpoint basically is just note versus note. In this, there are two to four parts (it adds/subtracts throughout the music) that are individual parts that play against each other. When apart they don't sound like much, but when you put them all together at the same time, they make something that sounds cool. If you think of it like sports, each team in a game is like an individual part in the music. You can't have a sports game with just one team, but when two teams come together and have to react to each other to win, they make something that's fun to watch.
Oh, sorry, I think the lower part of the Tokyo map is called that. I remember I would warp to that empty shelter where you fight
Mara
in some quest (I think), collect the relics there, go out, and cross the bridge to the right. There you can collect lots of relics in your way to where
Twisted Tokyo
appears, and you can collect some more in the poisonous district over there (I forgot the name).
As for leveling up, I reached level 99+ by just completing all challenge quests. I don't think I ever had to grind in this game, and you WILL want to be at least 95 for the final boss.
Anyone know of a good set up for Black Frost? He doesn't seem as stupidly OP as in other games. Only 1 null and no drains. Still kinda wanna use him though
Oh, sorry, I think the lower part of the Tokyo map is called that. I remember I would warp to that empty shelter where you fight
Mara
in some quest (I think), collect the relics there, go out, and cross the bridge to the right. There you can collect lots of relics in your way to where
Twisted Tokyo
appears, and you can collect some more in the poisonous district over there (I forgot the name).
As for leveling up, I reached level 99+ by just completing all challenge quests. I don't think I ever had to grind in this game, and you WILL want to be at least 95 for the final boss.
