Update 2: Tutorial
BGM:
A Suspicious Shadow
Don't be fooled by the solemn opening narration.
Raidou Kuzunoha is not a given name. It's a title passed from one summoner to another. Think Green Lantern, but with a great hat.
BGM:
Breaking Through the Wall
The second most important skill for a summoner: donning the cape dramatically.
The most important skill for a summoner: making the cape go "whoosh" when you run.
Elderly voice: In this place, those wishing to become Devil Summoners risk their lives to undertake the trial. You are to be commended for volunteering for this trial, Omen Deng, Sr. Your spirit is exemplary, and for that I applaud you. But, not everyone passes. The equally exemplary spirits of those who have failed sleep here. Will you join the dead, Omen Deng, Sr...? Or, will you succeed and receive the honored Kuzunoha name Raidou? Let us learn your fate! Begin!
We're given control over Omen. The only HUD element the game shows now is the random encounter indicator at the lower right corner. It's blue, which means that there are no random encounters in this area. Normally, it will slowly change its color from yellow to red as you walk around, and when it does become red, a random encounter happens. Simple.
After taking a few steps, the fury of recycled Nocturne special effects is unleashed.
Zombies.
> Press the [ ] button to execute sword attacks. Press the /\ button to fire your gun. You can halt the enemy for a brief moment. If an enemy strike is inevitable, you can press the X button to guard and reduce the damage it inflicts. Are you ready?
Yes.
BGM:
Battle -Raidou-
Welcome to the game's combat view. Unlike most SMT games, RK vs. TSA is an action/RPG hybrid, and all fighting is in real time.
Let's cover the HUD first. The HP bar shows Omen's current health. The number next to the letter M signifies the amount of Magnetite he has left. Magnetite is spent every time a demon is summoned, with the exact amount depending on the demon. More can be obtained by killing demons. Finally, the bullet icon tells you what ammo type you currently have loaded. The number next to it shows how many bullets of this type you're carrying.
Let's try the moves we've been told about.
This is the basic gun attack. It doesn't deal much damage, but it can stun enemies for about a second. Enchanted ammo is also available, allowing you to mess with demons in other ways.
Here's the sword attack. The damage it deals is much higher. Up to 3 sword attacks can be comboed together before Omen has to wait for a second to recover.
Last, but not least, is the guard command. It significantly reduces damage that Omen takes, although not all attacks can be blocked.
Defeating the zombies leads to the combat results screen. The victory gave us a little XP, money and Magnetite. We also obtain a healing item and bullets, both normal and elemental.
After the fight, a soul appears nearby. Talking to it will retell the previous lesson again.
More zombies appear down the hallway.
> Press the [ ] button rapidly to execute a combo slash. Press the [ ] button and move the left analog stick simultaneously to thrust with your sword. Hold and release the [ ] button to do a spin slash that strikes all enemies surrounding you. Try these attacks together with gun attacks for various results. Are you ready?
Yes.
Let me show you advanced sword attacks now.
The thrust attack moves Omen forward and does great damage. Regrettably, it has a drawback that cripples its usability. The drawback is its long recovery time. If you mistime the attack and miss, you're going to get hit. Even if you hit, the enemy will recover in about the same amount of time that Omen will, giving you very little advantage.
The spin attack is a different story. Not only it deals good damage, it also knocks enemies back. The best part is that it can be easily integrated into the basic combo: tap square once, start holding the button, wait for the second attack to end, release the button. The result is that the third combo strike is substituted by the spin attack. Safe and damaging.
This victory gives us more bullets and enough XP to reach level 2.
BGM:
Level Up
> Please allocate Raidou's stats.
Every level up Omen gains a stat point. There are four stats: Strength, Magic, Vitality and Luck. Strength affects sword damage, Magic reduces the MAG cost of summoning and boosts demons' stats, Vitality increases HP, and Luck affects item drop rates.
We use the point we've been given to make Omen's awful Vitality slightly less awful.
Elderly voice: But, only those who can control demons can call themselves Devil Summoners. How is your skill at converting demons to your own familiars?
The elderly voice summons an Ukobach.
Demon: Who the hell called me to this dump? You ain't thinkin' of making me your ally, are you?
Yes.
Demon: Hyahaha! You slay me. So, you think you can use me as an ally, do you? Well, first you'll see what I'm like as an enemy! Hyahahaha!
> Here, you'll learn the art of confinement, a technique that turns enemy demons into allies. When an enemy's weakness has been exploited, it will be stunned for a moment. Approach the enemy while it is stunned and press the O button to confine it into your tube. If the demon resists, press the O button rapidly to overcome it. Are you ready?
Yes.
> Elementally-affiliated bullets can exploit the enemy's weakness. Open the Battle Menu with the R1 button, select "Reload," and equip Ice Bullets.
This is the menu. For now, we can only use it for ammo switching and consuming items, but more options will become available.
Let's load the Ice Bullets, as it's been suggested. They deal even less damage than the ordinary ones, but enemies weak to Ice will be stunned by them for longer.
Let's try this confinement thing.
A green bar appears at the upper right corner. If it grows to full length, the demon gets away. The length can be reduced by mashing O, and the demon is confined once it reaches zero. The green bar fills faster if the demon has a lot of HP left, so it's best to get a couple of sword strikes in before you start confining. Just make sure not to kill it.
Ukobach: Fine! I'll join you, just stop pulling so hard!
Ukobach belongs to the Pyro order. All demons Omen can control are split into seven orders: Pyro (fire spells), Frost (ice spells), Wind (force spells), Volt (electricity spells), Fury (physical attacks), Pagan (status effects) and Skill (support). It should be noted that the game has the lowest amount of demons out of all PS2 SMT games (most orders don't have any demons above mid-60s). The reason is very prosaic: previous games didn't have any movement animation for demons, so they had to be created from scratch. Play Nocturne, and you'll notice how only floating demons move around in cutscenes.
No XP or loot is given for confining demons.
Elderly voice: This is where the real test begins. Have you lost heart?
No.
Elderly voice: Well said, brave one... Demonstrate your skill.
> Press the R1 button to open the Battle Menu and use the "Command" menu to control your demon. Experiment with different commands against various enemies. Ready to proceed?
Yes.
Omen starts chanting.
The tube opens by itself.
Omen throws it.
Zombies are distressed by the fire.
Everyone gets ready to fight.
The window showing the Ukobach's status is a bit different. Instead of the ammo counter, an MP bar is shown. It depletes every time the demon casts a spell. There's also the morale icon (the small picture of a demon at the left), but more on it at the next fight.
This is the Command sub-menu, accessible through the R1 menu. You can give both general and specific orders to the summoned demon from here. The demon AI does a decent job, probably because no demon can have more than 2 active spells, so there's not a lot of way they can mess up.
The Ukobach has Agi, the basic fire spell, which works wonders against zombies. Hitting a stunned enemy results in a critical hit and forms the basis of all tactics in this game.
In addition to XP, demons earn Loyalty by fighting. Only demons who reach the maximum Loyalty score of 100 can be fused. These demons also cost less MAG to summon. Finally, as the total Loyalty of all demons who's ever been under Omen's control reaches specific thresholds, the Magnetite carrying capacity will increase, and extra confinement tubes will be given.
The Ukobach reaches level 3, giving him an extra point in Magic. You have no control over how demons spend their stat points. The purple point in Vitality is a bonus point given by Omen's own Magic stat.
Ukobach: They'll never know what hit them with this!
> Flame Shot is now available!
The Ukobach learns Flame Shot, a combination skill. These are special, and you'll see how very soon.
> Combination Skills are vastly more powerful than regular attacks. It would be prudent to raise many demons and explore all of their Combination Skills.
Soul's voice: True Devil Summoners can use demons efficiently. True Devil Summoners train their demons to become strong. Have you leveled up your demon?
Yes.
Soul's voice: ......No words are necessary; I can tell. Well done. Please, proceed further in. True Devil Summoners can use demons efficiently... True Devil Summoners train their demons to become strong...
> Watch the Morale Icon on the bottom left of the screen during battle. It represents the demon's tension. The gauge will rise, and when the Morale Icon is full, you are free to use a Combination Skill. Press the [ ] and X buttons simultaneously to activate it. Are you ready?
Yes.
After the summoned demon gets enough morale, his status window starts glowing green, signifying that you can now use the demon's combination skill.
Flame Shot does heavy gun damage and stuns targets weak to Fire. Combination skills don't cost any MP to use, and Omen is completely invulnerable while executing them.
Time for the final test.
> When enemies are hit with an attack they are weak against, they will be immobilized temporarily. This affords you several advantages. Attacking a stunned enemy will deal a critical hit, which causes more damage than normal.
> You can confine by pressing the O button repeatedly until the Confine Gauge is empty. Remember that you cannot confine enemies of a higher level than you are.
> To use them, press the [ ] and X button simultaneously while the Morale Icon is yellow. Morale accumulates as you fight, but increases much faster if you perform critical hits.
> Confine immobilized enemies! (Press the O button repeatedly) Build up your demon's morale and perform Combination Skills! ([ ] and X buttons simultaneously)
Elderly voice: You've done well to come this far. Put all of your knowledge to use and overcome this final trial... and the title of Raidou Kuzunoha shall be yours!
Demon: I count over and over again, but I'm always missing one! I cannot be free until I slay one-hundred Devil Summoners! ...You will die for me, won't you?
A callback to SMT 1 or a simple coincidence?
BGM:
An Old Foe
As the first boss in the game, Okiku-mushi is easy. She's assisted by infinitely respawning zombies, making it easy to build up morale by having the Ukobach set them on fire and Omen finish them off with critical hits.
After you have enough morale, you can unload a Flame Shot at her, which reduces her health by about a third. Rinse and repeat.
We get 5 Fire Bullets for our trouble, among other things.
Okiku-mushi: Thank you, Devil Summoner. You were the one.
Elderly voice: You have overcome your trial. Return to me at once.
BGM:
Overcoming the Sadness
Elderly voice: You will go to the Capital and defend our land.
Elderly voice: Come forth, Gouto-douji.
A cat comes out and hisses at Raidou.
The main story thread will be put in motion in the next update.
