Thanks, that explains why I got all my items taken away then lol. I guess I'll do Dagda's route on easy or something and then the other route. Still, I was hoping there would be some kind of neutral path (even though both are technically "neutral" routes, but whatever). Kind of weird they decided to only go with 2 endings this time.
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Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse |OT| Tokyo's Bad Day Is Too Sweet
- Thread starter cj_iwakura
- Start date
You're halfway there, I think. But you can just use the moon phase as reference.
A Dead Diehard
Member
toastyToast
Member
So (6/8) I gotta fight
and
back to back if you wanna go neutral. Holy shit. I beat
just fine the first time then got first turn wiped on
. Now I can't even beat
Game has been a snooze fest difficulty wise for a while so this is nice. Guess I'm gonna have to do some fusing.
Merkabah
Lucifer
Merkabah
Lucifer
Merkabah
Game has been a snooze fest difficulty wise for a while so this is nice. Guess I'm gonna have to do some fusing.
aww man that final dungeon, I can see why ppl hate it.
like enemy wise it aint hard, especially since you can just avoind most battles,
but walking thru is so confusing... I seriously DDS's like 4 times in here trying to make it to the end.
Like this final dungeon alone is longer than most AAA games you can buy at the store!
and the worst part is knowing I gotta do it all over again when I pursue another ending!!!
That said, I'm at the final boss, and fuck the final boss...
I've already fought it 4 times, died each time... there's always this one point where it'll get too lucky, kill half my dudes and then get max stats + smirk. If I try to debuff him, my halfway dead party gets fullway dead next turn. If I try to revive my party, his high stats KO in one turn...
so yah, fukk it, jus gonna drop the difficulty now and be done with it. It's been a long 80+ hours and I still got another 10+ to get the next ending. No harm here.
like enemy wise it aint hard, especially since you can just avoind most battles,
but walking thru is so confusing... I seriously DDS's like 4 times in here trying to make it to the end.
Like this final dungeon alone is longer than most AAA games you can buy at the store!
and the worst part is knowing I gotta do it all over again when I pursue another ending!!!
That said, I'm at the final boss, and fuck the final boss...
I've already fought it 4 times, died each time... there's always this one point where it'll get too lucky, kill half my dudes and then get max stats + smirk. If I try to debuff him, my halfway dead party gets fullway dead next turn. If I try to revive my party, his high stats KO in one turn...
so yah, fukk it, jus gonna drop the difficulty now and be done with it. It's been a long 80+ hours and I still got another 10+ to get the next ending. No harm here.
At the risk of jinxing myself, I've been doing well enough with this for now. Of course, on most occasions for demons that I recruit instead of fusing, I just rely on the Threatening Aura app instead (still surprised that this is an app now after being something that was just there without a name in the original).
yuuup, finished it, and aw man, easy difficulty compared to Normal is night and day >_<
good game tho! definitely gotta give it the propers on the GOTY voting thread.
and I should hopefully get the alternate ending now by next week, depending if I wanna keep playing or take a palate cleanser with another game.
good game tho! definitely gotta give it the propers on the GOTY voting thread.
and I should hopefully get the alternate ending now by next week, depending if I wanna keep playing or take a palate cleanser with another game.
Movalpolos
Banned
I took a long break and forgot how to get back to the final dungeon.
Can anyone help?
Can anyone help?
Go to Masakado stone
Movalpolos
Banned
Thanks!
Muffin Awesome
Member
This final dungeon is purposely frustrating I feel, completely over wrought and the art design is even worse.
Holy shit I am about to YouTube the end. I can't open his stupid blue door...
Holy shit I am about to YouTube the end. I can't open his stupid blue door...
Sumio Mondo
Member
Fucking hell
was a difficult fight. All of those status ailments! Yikes. Doesn't help that the dungeon before it is such a maze. Although I definitely enjoyed that there is more dungeon crawling this time around. Plus the music for
is so good. Game is becoming a bit Persona esque now (guessing I am locked into the 'Bonds' route now?).
Krishna
Tsukiji Konganji
Soldier on! The dungeon sucks and it's boring all the way through, but it isn't all that complicated, just ignore items and take the first door you see everytime and you should make it, I believe you don't need to open all of them either. The final battles are seriously worth it IMO.
You can't really get locked into any route and previous decisions don't really affect your friends' lines, the game just gets annoyingly anime at times starting from there, sadly.
Sumio Mondo
Member
Hmmm, I actually felt that SMT IV was pretty damn "modern anime" too with how it portrayed its storyline as well, the problem here is hopefully rectified by the other route you can take? Apocalypse storyline itself is better for me than IV's so far, it's really just the supporting characters that stand out as being more like Persona. At least on my replay I will be interested to see how the story changes. It's not bothering me that much since I enjoy Atlus other games a lot as well but I do feel that mainline SMT is generally considered their darkest work and hope it stays that way in the future. It's okay to me as well since I like the supporting cast a lot by this point as well like Gaston, Navarre, Nozomi and Hallelujah. It's really just Asahi (who's fine to me for the most part) and Toki who are at fault. I mean, Navarre is the token comedy character which is sort of a new things in the series but I don't mind it, he's kind of like Puck was initially in that way in Berserk.
Oh, I agree completely. A lot of people criticize Apocalypse for being a step down in terms of story from IV but I find its overall story and characters extremely superior. IV had its dark moments for sure, but generally it was pretty light-hearted too and its main cast was painfully basic and predictable, unlike Apocalypse's (IMO?)
In a sense, IV feels like a funny game trying to be serious whereas Apocalypse feels more "honest" in its nature (reminds me of Persona 3 and 4 respectively). It's weird to have mainline SMTs like this and I prefer approaches like Nocturne and SJ, but Apocalypse at least feels natural in how "happy" it is, I feel the context helps it make sense... Asahi and especially Toki feel ridiculous and out of place tho, very forced and terrible.
Now there are still some fucked up moments ahead, so don't lower your guard haha.
In a sense, IV feels like a funny game trying to be serious whereas Apocalypse feels more "honest" in its nature (reminds me of Persona 3 and 4 respectively). It's weird to have mainline SMTs like this and I prefer approaches like Nocturne and SJ, but Apocalypse at least feels natural in how "happy" it is, I feel the context helps it make sense... Asahi and especially Toki feel ridiculous and out of place tho, very forced and terrible.
Now there are still some fucked up moments ahead, so don't lower your guard haha.
Sumio Mondo
Member
I enjoyed the Akira parts of SMT IV's story (those alternative future Tokyo's) as well as uncovering how messed up both the Ashura Gai and Ring of Gaea were (those labs) a lot rather than the main Chaos vs Law story which felt very much barebones and flat whereas with all of these organisations and beliefs battling it out in Apocalypse makes for a more interesting main scenario this time. Plus since they keep
I am rather excited to see more of what that is all about later on. SMT IV's problem for me on the narrative side was the boring beginning with the weirdly pronounced "samurai" and rather cliched generic interactions going on to the lack of plot progression after reaching Tokyo itself, SMT IV's mid game was the high point for sure, then the end game just feels kind of...forgettable. I mean out of Nocturne, Strange Journey and Apocalypse they all feel far more compelling to me than IV's story, at least for the most part.
That and IV's Neutral route was such a fucking grind and annoying that 1 annoying dungeon at end game in Apocalypse will probably be less frustrating to me rather than the "go here" go there" nonsense that plagued Neutral route in IV. I mean, hopefully anyway...we'll see, haha.
referring to Akira
That and IV's Neutral route was such a fucking grind and annoying that 1 annoying dungeon at end game in Apocalypse will probably be less frustrating to me rather than the "go here" go there" nonsense that plagued Neutral route in IV. I mean, hopefully anyway...we'll see, haha.
Asahi is fine, she is my second favourite main character after Gaston, i think hallelujah is more annoying, but even him is fine to me in the game.
The only one I have problems is Nanashi, I think with no alignment choices the MC became really distant from the plot, so, like Dagda says, he is just a puppet.
The only one I have problems is Nanashi, I think with no alignment choices the MC became really distant from the plot, so, like Dagda says, he is just a puppet.
A Dead Diehard
Member
Well, there are alignment choices, they just don't determine what route you're on.
Worst thing that happens is that you get punished for picking an out of character route.
Actually I liked Asahi. Her arc is endearing and she feels very natural... It's just the "childhood friend in love with you <3" trope that feels tacked on, and the fact that she's for all intents and purposes your sister only makes it creepier and more annoying whenever it comes up.
Sucks for Toki too because she's cool when she's not thirsting for Nanashi. The
Sucks for Toki too because she's cool when she's not thirsting for Nanashi. The
I'd like a return to the more 'darker' or 'desperate' scenarios of Nocturne and Strange Journey in SMT5, but I do think that the story and cast in Apocalypse is surprisingly engaging and endearing. I really liked some of the discussions among the cast and there's some genuine character progresssion here and there.
Honestly, I think the worst aspect is just the anime character portraits. Have Kaneko draw them and it'll already give a more serious impression without needing to touch the script so much.
The friendship theme isn't that bad either because there's good pay-off later.
Honestly, I think the worst aspect is just the anime character portraits. Have Kaneko draw them and it'll already give a more serious impression without needing to touch the script so much.
The friendship theme isn't that bad either because there's good pay-off later.
I'm a sucker for those all-out final battles where all the characters work together to beat the last boss. Apocalypse does this really well, thanks also to linking your allies with tangible gameplay strategies.
Finished the game a few days ago. I actually backtracked and decided to do the Bonds ending first, since both routes have basically the same boss battles and it was the one I was going for during the entire game anyway. Final boss was amazing, probably the best one in the series. Final dungeon not so much, I feel like I could have done without
, especially since it really dragged on by the end.
Overall, I'm quite satisfied with Apocalypse. It improved on most of the things it could about the original gameplay-wise and gave the storyline a more satisfying conclusion than the original neutral route. Things like the newly introduced affinity system and the tweaked partner system were great and I hope they see a future implementation. Another great aspect is that I feel the game had a greater number of fun, challenging bosses on par with previous ones like
with respect to the original. One thing I did not like as much as the original, though, is the NPC dialogue. In the original it was very significant in a Dragon Quest-like way and helped immensively in world-building. Here most of the time it's just about NPC mini-stories. It's not like it's bad, mind you, but it just feels like a step down.
Anyway, after finishing Apocalypse, I think I can safely say that it and 4 are definitely my favourite Megaten games. From the atmosphere, the setting, and the storyline to the tweaks to SMT3's battle system, it's the most fun I've had of the games I have played both in the core series and the franchise as a whole, and I cannot wait to see what they can do with an SMT5.
Also, one final thing about the story [spoilers for both 4 and Apocalypse]:
recycled bosses
Overall, I'm quite satisfied with Apocalypse. It improved on most of the things it could about the original gameplay-wise and gave the storyline a more satisfying conclusion than the original neutral route. Things like the newly introduced affinity system and the tweaked partner system were great and I hope they see a future implementation. Another great aspect is that I feel the game had a greater number of fun, challenging bosses on par with previous ones like
Yamato Takeru or Kenji
Anyway, after finishing Apocalypse, I think I can safely say that it and 4 are definitely my favourite Megaten games. From the atmosphere, the setting, and the storyline to the tweaks to SMT3's battle system, it's the most fun I've had of the games I have played both in the core series and the franchise as a whole, and I cannot wait to see what they can do with an SMT5.
Also, one final thing about the story [spoilers for both 4 and Apocalypse]:
After watching the Clipped Wings DLC, I thought for sure Mastema was going to play a big role in Apocalypse. He is set up as this important figure in Akira's backstory by being the one responsible of sealing the Archangels, but he is instead relegated to just a normal encounter for the final dungeon :lol. I know you can fight him in 4's law route but it still feels rather anticlimactic and disappointing, honestly.
awwwww yeay~!!! finished it!
I cant believe I went thru that terrible last dungeon twice >_<
worst part about that dungeon is they couldnt even give you some good music to accompany you!!
also, easy mode difficulty is such a joke lol. Final boss goes down without any effort vs. normal difficulty where he can genuinely eff you up!
I dont even know how the DLC easy mode could be any easier (probably you can beat the game without leveling lol)
I cant believe I went thru that terrible last dungeon twice >_<
worst part about that dungeon is they couldnt even give you some good music to accompany you!!
also, easy mode difficulty is such a joke lol. Final boss goes down without any effort vs. normal difficulty where he can genuinely eff you up!
I dont even know how the DLC easy mode could be any easier (probably you can beat the game without leveling lol)
cj_iwakura
Member
Someone posted one earlier. Use it, don't explore. Nothing of value after the first couple areas.
I thought folks were exaggerating back then but the last dungeon is legit boring as hell. There's nothing interesting going on design wise and the latter floors make you fight
which just drags on foreeever. Maniax team please, you can do better than that.
Doesn't help that the soundtrack sucks. Well at least the final boss is pretty hype.
Metatron hordes
Doesn't help that the soundtrack sucks. Well at least the final boss is pretty hype.
cj_iwakura
Member
We'll always have The Egg. That was a final dungeon, beat everything in IV.
mrmickfran
Member
I just survived the 3 boss gauntlet.
Yo even for Atlus, that's dirty
Yo even for Atlus, that's dirty
By the way, I'd recommend everyone to save before the decision so you can try the chaos route boss battle even if you don't plan of following it. If you got to like anyone in your party even a little, the battle will hit you hard.
So good, though.
So good, though.
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Please tell me that
isn't the final dungeon of the game.
Camp Ichigaya right for Armageddon
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Thanks ! The presentation of it felt final as I powered through the game I thought I arrived there quickly
I quite enjoy the multiple boss battles, even if I'm a little overpowered (I just do all the sidequests) they make for an interesting challenge.
A Dead Diehard
Member
The game is trying to teach you to have more than just 3 competent demons. It really gets a lot of fun once you build an army of them, boss battles are crazy.
Yeah I think I was already 99+ at that point for the same reason haha. That's good, though, you're going to need it for a couple of tricky bosses you have left.
Yeah I think I was already 99+ at that point for the same reason haha. That's good, though, you're going to need it for a couple of tricky bosses you have left.
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Yeah that's exactly it, I felt I was completely OP and just running over most bosses with my dozen of demons, but when I had the first multiple battle I understood that it was meant to be that way : composing an all-around team in order to be effective in battle.
I also downloaded the lvl>99 DLC so I wont waste any EXP.
Sumio Mondo
Member
Jesus. The final dungeon is a gauntlet all right. Oh my god. I've beaten pretty much every Atlus RPG from the PS2 era onwards and none of those games dungeons could prepare me for this. That music just drones on and on, the battles are relentless
The maze like structure that just repeats over and over forever seemingly, the enemies that spring out of nowhere and surprise attack you, the transporters that all look the same, the dead ends, the lack of healing rooms the list goes on and on.
This might just be the worst dungeon Atlus have ever made. I enjoy the boss encounters
But the actual dungeon crawling here is legit frighteningly long. Spent pretty much all day on this one dungeon. Insane. I hope the final boss is worth this slog.
(Level 99 Metatron as a random battle, what in the fuck).
This might just be the worst dungeon Atlus have ever made. I enjoy the boss encounters
since there's some in there we didn't get to fight properly or just went to phase 2 immediately like Beelzebub.
TurnipFritters
Member
It's not. Everything about that part of the game is just really poorly considered.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I love this game, but holy shit,
. I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE.
Seriously, the most repetitive, obnoxious shit ever. Though, I suppose it's my fault, since it's optional, and I finished it and the DLC bit, too. But I kinda wish I hadn't bothered.
Twisted Tokyo
Seriously, the most repetitive, obnoxious shit ever. Though, I suppose it's my fault, since it's optional, and I finished it and the DLC bit, too. But I kinda wish I hadn't bothered.
I remember one of the ones in SMT Strange Journey being a bit long. Atlus does love a teleporter maze but when combined with pitfalls it slows progress to a (dungeon) crawl. At least you had recruitable demons though.
What I found tedious in the final SMT:A dungeon is the lack of difficulty and lack of recruitable demons. Without the excitement of changing up the team, it was just a long run through a huge dungeon with little threat aside from the bosses. The dungeon floor areas could have been half the size but have the same amount of doors, it was just hours of sprinting.
It didn't help that I had already reached max level and the dlc to unlock any further advancement wasn't out for another two weeks. I went in with a strong team of demons and, not being able to increase in level, no other options for demons presented themselves.
It all just felt a bit of a pointless, huge waste of time before the final boss. I really dislike it when JRPGs make their final level floating platforms in space with a few doors.
Trails of Cold Steel 2
Tribes of Trusty
Member
How long are the Chaos/Law routes ? I've been thinking about doing them before the neutral ones. Thanks
These routes are basically just siding with
Lucifer/Merkabah at the reactor, and the game ends right after you fight the other
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Just went into the "Law" route.
I feel this shop I made with my pro skills summarize my feelings about it (spoilers I guess ?)
Edit : Chaos now. Disappointing :/
I feel this shop I made with my pro skills summarize my feelings about it (spoilers I guess ?)
Edit : Chaos now. Disappointing :/
Tribes of Trusty
Member
The
isn't really interesting...bland environments, not a lot to explore...
On the plus side, bosses are getting back into their traditionnal SMT style bullshit pattern attacks
Cosmic Egg dungeon
On the plus side, bosses are getting back into their traditionnal SMT style bullshit pattern attacks
marakabreak & tetrabreak lol
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Yes but it is getting quite rare.