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I'm not sure how much I miss dungeons. I miss the vibe of the dungeons and some of the traversing, but there are also aspects of SMT / Wizardry-heir dungeons that are just like... do I really want teleporting pads or the like in a game that isn't built around a fast and deadly gauntlet loop like the original Wizardry?
I guess the answer is better dungeons, of course, rather than no dungeons.
Don't know what to make of the story. MC being all alone fending for himself in the long forgotten ruins of humanity's demise was a cool backdrop (a la Nocturne), only for LOREDUMP to happen.
I don't think Nocturne's gameplay aged poorly at all. It's still the good old stuff. However, V is certainly less frustrating. I died way more often in Nocturne than I do in V. IV and IV:A's save-anywhere feature make them probably the least frustrating mainline games.
I definitely agree that Nocturne has better atmosphere and is a bit more stylish (V is still pretty stylish, however).
I played Nocturne for the first time a few months ago and it was incredibly good. Can't recommend it enough.
You can't go wrong with either but certainly Nocturne has better atmosphere, more battles, more dangerous (since SMT5 provides more liberal save/teleport options & other tools), and it's up to you whether those are good/bad/terrible.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
That is indeed the crux of it. Does one like more modern JRPGs? Or does one like Wizardry-style dungeon crawlers? The random encounters + puzzley dungeons is Wizardry, and Nocturne is very similar to Wizclones.
I've reached the final area just as the in game timer clocked in at 100 hours. (Please note, I am a snail and being quite thorough to do all meaningful content, so that's not going to be how long most people take to get there). I can fuse demons without level restrictions now, so I immediately turned on the macca DLC and fused a few 90+ ones. However, I ended up deciding against using them for bosses at least, as I want to be as 'legit' as possible and maintain some semblance of challenge. The game has continued its rather steady downward slope in terms of difficulty and most of the fourth area's bosses were cakewalks. It wasn't until a rematch boss in the final area that I really had to put in the effort again. I only used non busted demons meaning most of them were 8-12 levels below the boss. This is how bosses should be.
I have a few thoughts about the alignments.
I don't think I've ever been this taken by surprise or spent this long wondering which alignment to choose. Yakumo really grew on me but I spent the whole game making law choices. Then it turns out to be probably the darkest law option yet. The clumsy loser turns into a proper fanatic. Expectations successfully subverted. Yakumo is stated to be neutral-neutral, yet his route is presented as chaotic, what with refusal of creation and the destruction of the throne, yet it is for the sake of humans which would again, make him neutral. Thus Tsukuyomi would actually be the chaos route, but it doesn't embrace demons, instead a myriad of gods. If I had to categorize these options, I'd say they're Dark-law with a capital D, dark-neutral and light-chaos for Dazai, Yakumo and Tsukuyomi respectively.
Obviously, I only just entered the last area, so things may still change, once again.
I have zero clue as to how the fourth route is like, and I intend to keep it that way.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
If that's the spell that reduces encounters chances, it's still not enough for me. I think a better solution (that's not purging the concept altogether) would be having more areas free from encounters, including the puzzle ones.
Or better: popping up "you found an enemy: will you fight it or avoid it?" like in old Fallouts. But at this point it effectively becomes the same as having enemies visible, like in SMT5, and baiting the player through risk-reward.
If that's the spell that reduces encounters chances, it's still not enough for me. I think a better solution (that's not purging the concept altogether) would be having more areas free from encounters, including the puzzle ones.
Or better: popping up "you found an enemy: will you fight it or avoid it?" like in old Fallouts. But at this point it effectively becomes the same as having enemies visible, like in SMT5, and baiting the player through risk-reward.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
Whether you face forewarned random encounters or on-stage enemies, the result is the same. Fighting different enemies at random intervals. Mostly all games have some way of making it so you cannot run away, this game is the rare exception.
I've reached the final area just as the in game timer clocked in at 100 hours. (Please note, I am a snail and being quite thorough to do all meaningful content, so that's not going to be how long most people take to get there). I can fuse demons without level restrictions now, so I immediately turned on the macca DLC and fused a few 90+ ones. However, I ended up deciding against using them for bosses at least, as I want to be as 'legit' as possible and maintain some semblance of challenge. The game has continued its rather steady downward slope in terms of difficulty and most of the fourth area's bosses were cakewalks. It wasn't until a rematch boss in the final area that I really had to put in the effort again. I only used non busted demons meaning most of them were 8-12 levels below the boss. This is how bosses should be.
I have a few thoughts about the alignments.
I don't think I've ever been this taken by surprise or spent this long wondering which alignment to choose. Yakumo really grew on me but I spent the whole game making law choices. Then it turns out to be probably the darkest law option yet. The clumsy loser turns into a proper fanatic. Expectations successfully subverted. Yakumo is stated to be neutral-neutral, yet his route is presented as chaotic, what with refusal of creation and the destruction of the throne, yet it is for the sake of humans which would again, make him neutral. Thus Tsukuyomi would actually be the chaos route, but it doesn't embrace demons, instead a myriad of gods. If I had to categorize these options, I'd say they're Dark-law with a capital D, dark-neutral and light-chaos for Dazai, Yakumo and Tsukuyomi respectively.
Obviously, I only just entered the last area, so things may still change, once again.
I have zero clue as to how the fourth route is like, and I intend to keep it that way.
Yes, at least the alignments in this game are quite surprising but honestly i thought the total 180° of Dazai' was quite jaring.. Dude literaly removes his date and his entire being changed.. But even still , i like his route the best just by the fact that's probably the most compelling with Yakumo being a close second. I like the concept of Tsukuyomi's route but i think lacks development like the other two
Btw Dazai removing his ''weights'' is so hilarious.
The chaos route reps weren't actually insane in this one. It's such a shame that the concept of allying with the non-asshole version of Divine Powers is cool on paper, but they got zero characterization.
Deity Khonsu: The god who presides over the moon in Egyptian myth. He is represented as a mummified young man with a curl of hair hanging from the side of his head. The avatar of the moon that possesses a lunar ship, it is said he is nestled in the shadow of the pharaoh.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
Whether you face forewarned random encounters or on-stage enemies, the result is the same. Fighting different enemies at random intervals. Mostly all games have some way of making it so you cannot run away, this game is the rare exception.
I don't think it's the same. Giving the player the option to take encounters at his own discretion makes for a different experience than throwing shit randomly at him. Specially so when he's not inclined to fight at a given moment.
The problem with giving too much freedom with picking your fights is that it takes away the risk of exploration. Being able to see demons on the field is nice for sniping recruits, but in SMT5 you never feel like you're in any real danger whereas in previous SMTs there's always a risk that one bad ambush can end you along with the fact that each fight whittles away at your resources.
The problem with giving too much freedom with picking your fights is that it takes away the risk of exploration. Being able to see demons on the field is nice for sniping recruits, but in SMT5 you never feel like you're in any real danger whereas in previous SMTs there's always a risk that one bad ambush can end you along with the fact that each fight whittles away at your resources.
Just like Wizardry and Dragon Quest 1. That’s the best gameplay. You have to decide if it’s worth continuing forward or if you should head back. It’s very tense (ok it’s not that tense in DQ1, but it’s still a ton of fun!).
Yes, instant teleportation to a save point completely removed that threat and aspect of resource management which I do miss. I am not a challenge run type of guy, but once I eventually do a second playthrough, I'll likely impose some restrictions on myself. Low level in combination of no warping, perhaps.
Not done with the game yet, but I am taking a short break before I get to the grind for the superbosses.
Yes, instant teleportation to a save point completely removed that threat and aspect of resource management which I do miss. I am not a challenge run type of guy, but once I eventually do a second playthrough, I'll likely impose some restrictions on myself. Low level in combination of no warping, perhaps.
Not done with the game yet, but I am taking a short break before I get to the grind for the superbosses.
It’s still there to a degree. If you make it to a boss area and your resources are depleted you teleport back, but the moon cycle is quick enough that you might be facing against the same encounters on your trip back to the boss. The ability to dodge the encounters definitely removes a lot of the resource attrition, however.
The crux of the matter is what one thinks of random encounters. Specially coupled with puzzles inside dungeons that force you to walk around (sometimes backtracking) to solve them while being bombarded by encounters you are not in the mood to engage.
I find it an utterly bad concept and I'm glad to see it go. If one likes it though, then Nocturne will be more favorably received.
Whether you face forewarned random encounters or on-stage enemies, the result is the same. Fighting different enemies at random intervals. Mostly all games have some way of making it so you cannot run away, this game is the rare exception.
I don't think it's the same. Giving the player the option to take encounters at his own discretion makes for a different experience than throwing shit randomly at him. Specially so when he's not inclined to fight at a given moment.
They did a bad job implementing it in this game and it is a perfect example of why developers of non-random-encounter RPGs make running away infeasible or use some other method to make you fight the encounters. You pretty much have a save anywhere, a heal anywhere, a shop anywhere and a fuse anywhere. It ruins resource management and the impact is only lessened in this game by how difficult each encounter can be. You can also reach each boss with nothing in your way, making the entire game be about improving your team enough to win against bosses (and other elements like exploration). The part of making it alive through a tough area to get to the end is missing.
Persona 5 is a good example of visible enemies that do attrition / resource management well, at least early game (by the third dungeon you're swimming in SP recoverables and it goes downhill).
Perhaps what SMT5 needed was more "corridors" that forced you to fight.
