Augemitbutter
Member
i think DDS is pretty well balanced, you can jump into any game after that. the map in SMT4 is garbage, i wouldn't start with that one.
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How should I go about getting into the SMT series?
- Thread starter Exodust
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Link1110
Member
I say start with Soul Hackers, then Nocturne and Persona 4 in either order. If you like tactics RPGs, continue onto Devil Survivor 1&2. Soul Hackers is simpler and more linear than Nocturne, and its 3ds update gives you everything a modern game would. The only better starting point would be SMT: If, but that's not in English anywhere.
For which to start with, i'd recommend Digital Devil Saga. it actually has a traditional story based structure unlike many SMT games and its actually quite good considering how little Atlus had done pure story based games before this. It shares the same engine and assets as Nocturne and same basic gameplay style but where Nocturne's story is pretty spread out over its duration and could be argued to be semi threadbare, DDS is very story based.
I also find it easier than Nocturne which is more of a hardcore turn based gamers game, Nocturne's draw is much more for the challenge and gameplay systems where as DDS is more of a balanced experience between gameplay, story, characters and such.
I also find it easier than Nocturne which is more of a hardcore turn based gamers game, Nocturne's draw is much more for the challenge and gameplay systems where as DDS is more of a balanced experience between gameplay, story, characters and such.
If you REALLY get into the series, I'd recommend playing the translated Kyūyaku Megami Tensei. It's a Super Famicom update of the two original Famicom Megami Tensei games. I finally got around to playing through both last year and, considering their age, was particularly pleased with how good they were.
While I agree that they're great (MT2 on Famicom was my first exposure to Megaten and had a major impression on a much younger me), they are quite different from anything that followed.
I'm playing through SMT 1 right now and I'm honestly enjoying it much more than I thought I would. It's definitely a product of its time but it has a really cool retro vibe to it and the music and visuals create a really great, almost dream-like atmosphere. If you can stomach random encounters up the wazoo and some archaic design choices it's definitely worth a shot later down the line.
EVA UNIT 01
Member
Get a ps3
NOCTURNE
DDS 1
DDS 2
Raidou 1
Raidou 2
And on 3DS
SMTIV
SMTIV Apocalypse
Devil Survivor
Devil Survivor 2
Strange Journey
NOCTURNE
DDS 1
DDS 2
Raidou 1
Raidou 2
And on 3DS
SMTIV
SMTIV Apocalypse
Devil Survivor
Devil Survivor 2
Strange Journey
Thanks for the post, but the bolded is the complete adjacent to what I was looking for lol. I know SMT stands out in comparison to other JRPG franchises, and that's a big reason why I wanna get into them.
Oh and Dante definitely factored in to my choice to play Nocturne first.
snow in jamaica
Member
Nocturne is still the only game where you get the satisfaction of having demons lined up for battle on-screen.
I mean DDS does have everything the other games have, it just focuses on its story a lot as well.
It may be just me who loves a good story to keep me invested in going through games, but when the draw is just atmosphere and gameplay for very long stretches at a time, i can't really recommend it to newcomers who dont explicitly know what SMT is comprised of.
If that's what your specifically looking for though, there's no hurt in going for it
demosthenes
Member
SMT is life.
Nocturne may not have much in the way of cutscenes but it has enough to stimulate your imagination and set the tone of the story, and I found the player narrative with your character gradually becoming more of a big player in the central conflict pretty badass. I think people don't give Nocturne's narrative enough credit because of its more subdued approach, but there's plenty of compelling stuff/"lore" there, specially if you seek the True Demon Ending. How much its approach resonates with you depends on how invested you are in the world's atmosphere and your willingness to roleplay and fill in the blanks, I suppose.
snow in jamaica
Member
Nocturne has a lot of subtext too, but I'll have to replay it.
DDS does this a lot too. While rewatching some parts recently, I caught on to a lot of things I initially didn't notice and I wasn't even paying much attention to dialogue. I understand the duology much better now.
DDS does this a lot too. While rewatching some parts recently, I caught on to a lot of things I initially didn't notice and I wasn't even paying much attention to dialogue. I understand the duology much better now.
CrichtonKicks
Member
DDS may use more conventional story telling conventions but it's still an SMT-ass SMT game. Check out some videos. It really doesn't feel like a traditional RPG.
SMTIV worked for me. It's tough at first, but once you kinda "get" the battle system (which you're forced to do early on with the first boss you face) it's quite accessible and fun. Also quite forgiving and not even really very grindy. I felt like it respected my time more than a lot of other JRPGs.
I actually find the fusion to be more accessible and useful than P4, because you're managing a party of demons instead of a roster of Personas. 3 at a time instead of 1 at a time. It helps you see what your party is missing, and you can fuse to get what you need. Or just get a better demon, as you might do in Persona.
I actually find the fusion to be more accessible and useful than P4, because you're managing a party of demons instead of a roster of Personas. 3 at a time instead of 1 at a time. It helps you see what your party is missing, and you can fuse to get what you need. Or just get a better demon, as you might do in Persona.
First post nailed it. If you have access to a PS3, you can't go wrong with these. Recommend them ahead of anything else(unless you crave more Persona).
blankslatenator
Banned
Do Digital Devil Saga 1 to get the feel, then Nocturne, then Digital Devil Saga 2. That's from a 90s perspective though, so maybe outdated -_-.
Persona 3 was great on a hacked PSP.
Also look into PlayStation TV, far sturdier than PS3 and has Vita games to boot.
Persona 3 was great on a hacked PSP.
Also look into PlayStation TV, far sturdier than PS3 and has Vita games to boot.
Magicpaint
Member
My current favourites are SMTIV, DS1, Nocturne, Strange Journey and Soul Hackers in that order.
Devil Survivor surprised me because I don't usually love strategy RPGs, but aside from some really annoying characters, the feeling of survival is really quite potent here and I loved the skirmishes a lot. Demon auction was also a neat idea.
Nocturne would be my absolute favourite if it had some of the extra conveniences and polish of IV, but also really I just prefer IV's version of Tokyo, and unlike most, I thought the maze-like map added to the story experience. I also prefer the music in IV.
Soul Hackers is great but suffers from feeling a bit dated, however the cyber punk atmosphere is truly unique and the dungeons can be deliciously maze like.
Strange Journey has the best atmosphere and dungeons, but I missed having a world to explore.
Devil Survivor surprised me because I don't usually love strategy RPGs, but aside from some really annoying characters, the feeling of survival is really quite potent here and I loved the skirmishes a lot. Demon auction was also a neat idea.
Nocturne would be my absolute favourite if it had some of the extra conveniences and polish of IV, but also really I just prefer IV's version of Tokyo, and unlike most, I thought the maze-like map added to the story experience. I also prefer the music in IV.
Soul Hackers is great but suffers from feeling a bit dated, however the cyber punk atmosphere is truly unique and the dungeons can be deliciously maze like.
Strange Journey has the best atmosphere and dungeons, but I missed having a world to explore.
Have you taken a look at SMT IF? Maybe it's best to save that one for later. Take a look at the SMT 4 games.
This too.
This too.
Like many others have said, that SMT Switch trailer gave of a Nocturne vibe, which can be a difficult first game, but you could definitely play it first. It is my favorite in the series. Given you have played Persona, you are probably aware of the importance of kaja/kunda spells. Those go done in mainline games, especially Nocturne
SMTIV also isn't a bad place to start either, don't play Apocalypse before you finish it though.
Strange Journey is a very difficult game. It isn't a bad place to start, but the difficulty can feel like a wall if you don't know what you are doing. Strange Journey is getting a 3DS port/remake soon called Deep Strange Journey. It will have save anywhere, and supposedly might be easier, but we don't know too much about it yet. We do know it has additional content.
Devil Survivor games are good, but not the norm for the series. They take SMT mechanics and use them in a strategy RPG. They are both great games. DS1 feels more like a traditional SMT story. DS2 feels more out there from SMT, but many people will agree it is overall a better game. DS2 is NOT a direct sequel of the first one, so it is okay to play DS2 first if you want.
Soul Hackers falls somewhere between mainline and Persona, and honestly closer to mainline. It has a futuristic setting, and does not have alignment based endings. The gameplay is much like some older SMT games. Keep in mind though that it is a fairly easy game with some decently challenging bosses, it doesn't make all it's mechanics clear immediately. For instance, you have two currencies, yen and Magnetite. Magnetite is used for summoning demons and keeping them out. As you walk with demons out, it consumes Magnetite, and if you run out, it eats at your demons HP.
SMTIV also isn't a bad place to start either, don't play Apocalypse before you finish it though.
Strange Journey is a very difficult game. It isn't a bad place to start, but the difficulty can feel like a wall if you don't know what you are doing. Strange Journey is getting a 3DS port/remake soon called Deep Strange Journey. It will have save anywhere, and supposedly might be easier, but we don't know too much about it yet. We do know it has additional content.
Devil Survivor games are good, but not the norm for the series. They take SMT mechanics and use them in a strategy RPG. They are both great games. DS1 feels more like a traditional SMT story. DS2 feels more out there from SMT, but many people will agree it is overall a better game. DS2 is NOT a direct sequel of the first one, so it is okay to play DS2 first if you want.
Soul Hackers falls somewhere between mainline and Persona, and honestly closer to mainline. It has a futuristic setting, and does not have alignment based endings. The gameplay is much like some older SMT games. Keep in mind though that it is a fairly easy game with some decently challenging bosses, it doesn't make all it's mechanics clear immediately. For instance, you have two currencies, yen and Magnetite. Magnetite is used for summoning demons and keeping them out. As you walk with demons out, it consumes Magnetite, and if you run out, it eats at your demons HP.
Not saying you should play it instead of Nocturne, but definitely don't sleep on DDS. It's more character driven and has a big story focus, but the game has a very similar atmosphere to stuff like Nocturne and the tone of the story is very mature and generally depressing, it's nothing like modern Persona in terms of tone.
So yeah it's definitely very SMT-like, and the game has a fantastic variation of the press turn system (the one Nocturne introduced and Persona and others adopted/modified), which I think you'll appreciate after Nocturne as a nice change of pace.
YoRHa No.2 Type B
Banned
How likely is that the PS2 Classics, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 will be available for PS4 aswell?
boybrushdRED
Member
There's a good writeup about this by a member of r/jrpg. Its a good read.
Link here: http://www.messofcords.com/getting-started-with-shin-megami-tensei/
Here's the TLDR:
I want to try the core series!: Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)
I want something a bit more upbeat!: Persona 4 Golden (Vita)
I want a more traditional RPG experience!: Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2, PS3)
I want something a bit more strategic!: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
I like action in my games!: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (PS2, PS3)
Link here: http://www.messofcords.com/getting-started-with-shin-megami-tensei/
Here's the TLDR:
I want to try the core series!: Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)
I want something a bit more upbeat!: Persona 4 Golden (Vita)
I want a more traditional RPG experience!: Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2, PS3)
I want something a bit more strategic!: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
I like action in my games!: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (PS2, PS3)
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