• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Atlus announces Deep Strange Journey for 3DS

gngf123

Member
They are going to add save anywhere and simplify the dungeons aren't they...

Seeing them say they are going to make it easier doesn't feel me with confidence at all.
 
I'm cautiously optimistic. I loved SJ so it'd take a lot to ruin that gane for me. Now I have to decide whether I'm going to replay SJ this summer like I was considering for the 30th anniversary.

That mobile filter observation was spot on though. If that was Doi, he clearly can't do Kaneko art without being more liberal, because Doi's stuff is pretty good in general.

I guess I should expect easier dungeons though. I've already made my peace with no save points. Sad as that may be for me. The original game doesn't go anywhere.
 
Are the maps in the original DS game similar to Shin Megami Tensei IV? I enjoyed SMT IV in many ways, but I quit halfway through because I just couldn't mess with that awful overworld map and nausea-creating dungeon design. Imagining that in first-person, old school dungeon-crawler style is...no thanks. :/
 

Akainu

Member
Kanekek BTFO

o9DmxJR.png

Ugh took any detail they could find and just flattened it.
 

LordKano

Member
They are going to add save anywhere and simplify the dungeons aren't they...

Seeing them say they are going to make it easier doesn't feel me with confidence at all.

From what I've heard, Strange Journey seemed to be just way too hard to be released with the same difficulty nowadays. I'm kinda glad they're making the game easier.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
From what I've heard, Strange Journey seemed to be just way too hard to be released with the same difficulty nowadays. I'm kinda glad they're making the game easier.

It's setting a bad precedent for future games. We can't have difficult RPGs anymore, apparently. All of IV's dungeons are a cinch, with the exception of the final one in Apocalypse, which is just a mindless slog.
 

NeonZ

Member
Are the maps in the original DS game similar to Shin Megami Tensei IV? I enjoyed SMT IV in many ways, but I quit halfway through because I just couldn't mess with that awful overworld map and nausea-creating dungeon design. Imagining that in first-person, old school dungeon-crawler style is...no thanks. :/

There's no world map in Strange Journey, you just go from dungeon to dungeon with some menu and story scenes between them. Dungeon design is much more complex than SMTIV's, which was generally pretty straight forward and wide. Don't see how they were nauseating at all.
 

LordKano

Member
It's setting a bad precedent for future games. We can't have difficult RPGs anymore, apparently. All of IV's dungeons are a cinch, with the exception of the final one in Apocalypse, which is just a mindless slog.

I won't lie, the only SMT I really played was IV and I already thought that it was really hard. Maybe I'm the kind of casual gamer Atlus is trying to attract.
 

gngf123

Member
From what I've heard, Strange Journey seemed to be just way too hard to be released with the same difficulty nowadays. I'm kinda glad they're making the game easier.

But what made Strange Journey amazing was the difficulty linked with the fact that saving was tied to terminals. It resulted in this constant tension of trying to stay alive in this world that really didn't want you there.

Losing that, and setting the tone that those kinds of games are not really welcome any more, is a huge negative in my opinion.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
I won't lie, the only SMT I really played was IV and I already thought that it was really hard. Maybe I'm the kind of casual gamer Atlus is trying to attract.

No offense, but you are. :p I can't really be too mad, if the games don't sell, the company goes under, so I want them to reach a wide audience. I just hope they find a happy medium.
 
There's no world map in Strange Journey, you just go from dungeon to dungeon with some menu and story scenes between them. Dungeon design is much more complex than SMTIV's, which was generally pretty straight forward and wide. Don't see how they were nauseating at all.

I should be clear - I personally get nauseous when it comes to any game where you're moving around into identical corridors and constantly turning corners to find the exit/right room. SMT IV wasn't *so* bad about this, but it was pretty awful (for me) at certain points, especially those little side quest dungeons where you don't have any map and you just have to find your way around. So yeah, nothing wrong with the game design per se, just a personal thing for what I can physically tolerate, so I wanted to know if SJ was similar.
 
It's setting a bad precedent for future games. We can't have difficult RPGs anymore, apparently. All of IV's dungeons are a cinch, with the exception of the final one in Apocalypse, which is just a mindless slog.
Yeah the dungeon design in SJ was incredible and really shit on 4/4A. Lots of fun and elaborate layouts to explore and get lost in. Still, I think a remake will be beneficial to the rest of the gameplay. Apocalypse showed Atlus can handle criticism very well and use it to improve their games. It had a great difficulty curve and they did a fantastic job on reworking elements like the Smirk mechanic to improve them. I'm hoping for a similar case here.

The only thing I'm really bummed out over is the loss of Kaneko's art for the cast. This, Nocturne, and Raidou are games where he just nailed the atmosphere and mood perfectly.
 

Totakeke

Member
Bad: It's a port instead of a new game.
Good: It's one of the most atmospheric and engrossing SMT games ever and it's probably the only one I think I want to replay. Would definitely push people who haven't played this before to play it.

Yeah the dungeon design in SJ was incredible and really shit on 4/4A. Lots of fun and elaborate layouts to explore and get lost in. Still, I think a remake will be beneficial to the rest of the gameplay. Apocalypse showed Atlus can handle criticism very well and use it to improve their games. It had a great difficulty curve and they did a fantastic job on reworking elements like the Smirk mechanic to improve them. I'm hoping for a similar case here.

The only thing I'm really bummed out over is the loss of Kaneko's art for the cast. This, Nocturne, and Raidou are games where he just nailed the atmosphere and mood perfectly.

I really don't think you want SJ's mazes in a free roaming 3D perspective, it would drive you insane. It worked for SJ because you can move only one tile at a time. On the other hand 4A has hands down the best boss encounter design in the series and best gameplay. It was challenging in the right way so I like the series more than ever.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Yeah the dungeon design in SJ was incredible and really shit on 4/4A. Lots of fun and elaborate layouts to explore and get lost in. Still, I think a remake will be beneficial to the rest of the gameplay. Apocalypse showed Atlus can handle criticism very well and use it to improve their games. It had a great difficulty curve and they did a fantastic job on reworking elements like the Smirk mechanic to improve them. I'm hoping for a similar case here.

The only thing I'm really bummed out over is the loss of Kaneko's art for the cast. This, Nocturne, and Raidou are games where he just nailed the atmosphere and mood perfectly.

IV:A did have a great curve, they definitely took that criticism to heart. It also had a better dungeon than anything in IV(the second-to-last). SJ is probably my favorite, though. It's always difficult, and you can't break it.
 

Natiko

Banned
I got part way through SJ before stopping. I just didn't love the exploration stuff. Maybe I'll give it a shot again.
 

marmoka

Banned
I agree with you all about the new designs. They are pretty generic. Kaneko is a really good artist, I love his own style and the essence his characters have.

I don't understand why are they changing all his artwork. It doesn't make any sense.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
So, I've caught a really bad cold last friday and I've been feeling awful the whole weekend, but today when waking up I thought "Wait, there's a chance I'll wake up to cool SMT news from that Atlus stream... Maybe even something SJ-related" and what do you know...

Strange Journey is probably my favorite mainline game overall, so I'm incredibly excited for this Record Breaker-esque (?) port. I'll admit Doi's reworked designs are a bit disappointed (the absence of Kaneko in a project like this means really bad news) but they look far better than I imagined, so it's fine.

SJ's story was great, but it kinda went downhill from the alignment lock onwards, so here's hoping they improve it. Also I can't wait to see the dungeons in the current EO engine... Provided they don't drop the 1st person view. Combat could get one or two adjustments too to be more balanced, but I hope they don't make it as "easy" as press turn.

I agree with you all about the new designs. They are pretty generic. Kaneko is a really good artist, I love his own style and the essence his characters have.

I don't understand why are they changing all his artwork. It doesn't make any sense.

Sadly it kind of does. If Kaneko isn't on board then they can't add any new characters without changing the artist, unless they were to imitate Kaneko's style.
 

GeekyDad

Member
Is the lady a new protagonist or just waifu bait?

Hoping they do with this what they did with the Devil Survivor games by adding new content.

So, what's this about gimped difficulty? Just revisited it about a year ago, and I don't remember it being all that bad. Seemed like a nice, challenging SMT game.
 

Aeana

Member
Scrubbing Kaneko from history is so weird. :(

I also wonder if this will even come out in English. We can't even seem to get Atlus USA to acknowledge that Etrian Odyssey 5 is real.
 

Joqu

Member
cGWDU43.jpg


Yeah, okay, I'm still not okay with this. We're never seeing Kaneko again are we? I would have never expected him to return for a project like this mind you, but there's no reason for them to redraw these designs as far as I can tell. Consistency? Might as well have Doi redraw all of the demons, Atlus!

I would've much rather have Doi ape his style for the few new characters while they kept the old stuff alone, it's not like it doesn't look fine in high res (if the 3DS needed high res art that is...). This isn't art they no longer have.

tAGdQ81.png
 

Opa-Pa

Member
Now that I think about it, there's no way in hell they're reusing assets outside of the obvious demon art in this. OG SJ looks /rough/, so for all intents and purposes this is a remake rather than a remaster, which I guess is nice.

Also, about Kaneko, having read some interviews recently I getting to know him a bit more, this comes off less as Atlus erasing him and more as him simply not wanting to be involved significantly in anything again. Unless he was joking, it sounded like the guy didn't like to work at all lol.
 
cGWDU43.jpg


Yeah, okay, I'm still not okay with this. We're never seeing Kaneko again are we? I would have never expected him to return for a project like this mind you, but there's no reason for them to redraw these designs as far as I can tell. Consistency? Might as well have Doi redraw all of the demons, Atlus!

I would've much rather have Doi ape his style for the few new characters while they kept the old stuff alone, it's not like it doesn't look fine in high res (if the 3DS needed high res art that is...). This isn't art they no longer have.

tAGdQ81.png

He's so done now. If Kaneko isn't coming back for the 25th Anniversary (and 30th Anniversary for MegaTen as a whole), he isn't coming back ever. This was the last chance for it to ever happen, I think. Doi is the new series artist and we have to get used to it (he's good anyway, just not great like Kaneko).
 

Lynx_7

Member
At first I was like "wew, my procrastination in not playing SJ and Radiant Historia is finally paying off!" but then I heard about the whole making the game easier stuff and the Marie-esque addition and now I'm not so sure anymore. I'll probably make it a point to beat the original asap now just to see if their changes are for the better or worse.

Also, disappointed it isn't a I/II remake. You'd think the 25th anniversary would be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce the originals to a new audience, but nope. It's never gonna happen is it :(
 
I like Doi's demon designs alot, though probably because they align pretty closely with Kaneko's aesthetic just with different lips and eyes.

Not a big fan of his characters so far, it almost feels like someone told him to hit the midpoint between Kaneko and Soejima.
 

Joqu

Member
He's so done now. If Kaneko isn't coming back for the 25th Anniversary (and 30th Anniversary for MegaTen as a whole), he isn't coming back ever. This was the last chance for it to ever happen, I think. Doi is the new series artist and we have to get used to it (he's good anyway, just not great like Kaneko).

I guess I've been holding out some hope he'd be back for the HD one, despite the Odin. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense now we know this exists, you're right.

But really, this isn't so much about his return at this point. I just don't want them to mess with his work like this ;_;

And what Atlus is doing with Radiant Historia's art doesn't help
 

NSESN

Member
I am the only one that don't like Kaneko art that much? It isn't bad, but it always have the same look that somewhat puts me off. I honestly prefer Apocalypse designs.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Look, I dunno what the fuck is going on with the 3DS these days, but it's solidifying itself as one of the greatest systems of all time with this like this just casually getting released.

Edit: Also, having the sound quality be a little better than the DS' garbage will be a big improvement.
 
I like Doi's demon designs alot, though probably because they align pretty closely with Kaneko's aesthetic just with different lips and eyes.

Not a big fan of his characters so far, it almost feels like someone told him to hit the midpoint between Kaneko and Soejima.

I actually really like the artwork for the new character (the girl) I just can't stand the redrawn art for Kaneko's designs here. It looks pretty bad to me.
 

Mozendo

Member
Glad that it's coming to the 3DS, but are we sure it's a port and not a remake like the Etrian Odyssey Untold games?

I've yet to play Strange Journey, so this may be where I jump in if it comes to the West. Hopefully it's better than the disappointing SMT IV.
Oh man it is so much better, give this a chance if it comes over.
 

Joqu

Member
I actually really like the artwork for the new character (the girl) I just can't stand the redrawn art for Kaneko's designs here. It looks pretty bad to me.

This is honestly how I feel? Like I can tell it's not Kaneko, but new girl looks fine. I would've been so okay with the old Kaneko art + new girl's
 
Top Bottom