SMT: Nocturne

[Tigranes]

OK - finished Strange Journey, on Redux primarily because I like Citra. Didn't do the Womb, ignored the 'auto attack' apps, almost always stuck to terminal saves. Particularly good was how this game handled the crew's disintegration and the growing persuasiveness of the demonic perspective for the player.

Only gripe was that I have never ever been a fan of teleport/pit/spin mazes, they were a not-great idea in Wizardry 1 and they aren't now. SJ overrelies on them in the second half, and lacks some of the more interesting level design from Etrian Odyssey. But otherwise it was paced pretty well, and a lot of bosses were fairly interesting. I never really had to grind, and demon fusion always gives you the tools to address the more 'hard puzzle' bosses later on.

Went with Chaos route, and generally thought they did a nice job here in setting a nuanced vibe for both 'sides'.

So far I would say Nocturne, SJ and DS1 have all been excellent games in their own right while being very different from each other, which really is quite incredible for a 'series'. Almost hard to say what I prefer.

Now on to DDS1.

 

[Puukko]

Heh, nuance. I know you're talking about the character development and I agree, it's easy to understand both Zelenin and Jimenez, but the first thing that came to mind was that screenshot of the OG chaos ending with the mounds and mounds of corpses. Peak of nuance right there.

 

[d1r]

Only gripe was that I have never ever been a fan of teleport/pit/spin mazes, they were a not-great idea in Wizardry 1 and they aren't now. SJ overrelies on them in the second half, and lacks some of the more interesting level design from Etrian Odyssey. But otherwise it was paced pretty well, and a lot of bosses were fairly interesting. I never really had to grind, and demon fusion always gives you the tools to address the more 'hard puzzle' bosses later on.

Be glad that you didn't bother with The Womb then.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Only gripe was that I have never ever been a fan of teleport/pit/spin mazes, they were a not-great idea in Wizardry 1 and they aren't now. SJ overrelies on them in the second half, and lacks some of the more interesting level design from Etrian Odyssey. But otherwise it was paced pretty well, and a lot of bosses were fairly interesting. I never really had to grind, and demon fusion always gives you the tools to address the more 'hard puzzle' bosses later on.

Be glad that you didn't bother with The Womb then.

Empyrean Ascent PSTD So many Teleports.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Devil Survivor Overclocked - very good game, played through to the Gin route. Within the confines of the setting it does really well to choose the right kinds of plot points and events to express the slide from confusion to despair in a crumbling world. And again within animu conventions most characters are pretty good to work with. I especially liked the degree of control you had over fusion and the way you could then set up some nice combinations, esp. with racial skills as well.

That's too bad. You missed on the extra 8th day, explains even more of the plot (especialy Amane and Naoya route) , also you missed the chance of getting

Spoiler

Black Frost as leader, he's the best

. If there's one game in the entire megaten that's worth to play at least twice (amane and naoya routes) is Devil Survivor 1.

 

[Tigranes]

Devil Survivor Overclocked - very good game, played through to the Gin route. Within the confines of the setting it does really well to choose the right kinds of plot points and events to express the slide from confusion to despair in a crumbling world. And again within animu conventions most characters are pretty good to work with. I especially liked the degree of control you had over fusion and the way you could then set up some nice combinations, esp. with racial skills as well.

That's too bad. You missed on the extra 8th day, explains even more of the plot (especialy Amane and Naoya route) , also you missed the chance of getting

Spoiler

Black Frost as leader, he's the best

. If there's one game in the entire megaten that's worth to play at least twice (amane and naoya routes) is Devil Survivor 1.

Yes, I read up a little bit about the routes afterwards - I was locked out because I talked to Mari first, even though I did understand the hint about letting yakuza guy take the wheel there. But I'm trying to just plump for whatever option seems good to me from the story itself and not metagaming (yet).

The NG+ modes keep tempting me on every single one, but just not quite enough - e.g. with DS1 it feels like you're supposed to instagib everybody and speedrun the game and then focus on the 10 mins of alternative content you didn't see + the 5 extra boss battles or whatever it was. I really enjoy the tight pacing in NG and then it feels weird for that to fly out in NG+. Sadly that means not seeing the demons past level 60 or 70 in any of these.

 

[Sarathiour]

Devil Survivor Overclocked - very good game, played through to the Gin route. Within the confines of the setting it does really well to choose the right kinds of plot points and events to express the slide from confusion to despair in a crumbling world. And again within animu conventions most characters are pretty good to work with. I especially liked the degree of control you had over fusion and the way you could then set up some nice combinations, esp. with racial skills as well.

That's too bad. You missed on the extra 8th day, explains even more of the plot (especialy Amane and Naoya route) , also you missed the chance of getting

Spoiler

Black Frost as leader, he's the best

. If there's one game in the entire megaten that's worth to play at least twice (amane and naoya routes) is Devil Survivor 1.

8th day are only present in yuzu, amane and naoya's route, and are specific to overclocked, so i did not played them.

The NG+ modes keep tempting me on every single one, but just not quite enough - e.g. with DS1 it feels like you're supposed to instagib everybody and speedrun the game and then focus on the 10 mins of alternative content you didn't see + the 5 extra boss battles or whatever it was. I really enjoy the tight pacing in NG and then it feels weird for that to fly out in NG+. Sadly that means not seeing the demons past level 60 or 70 in any of these.

Basically yes, you're supposed to rush your way to the last day on ng+, because you're going to stomp everything until that point.
It's still pretty much mandatory to do at least two run prior to the hidden boss, because you're gonna need a shitton of money and xp.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

Yes, I read up a little bit about the routes afterwards - I was locked out because I talked to Mari first, even though I did understand the hint about letting yakuza guy take the wheel there. But I'm trying to just plump for whatever option seems good to me from the story itself and not metagaming (yet).

That's right way to play , i just mentioned in case you didn't knew. I got all route in my first playthought without any guides, so i didn't know was that easy messed up and losing a route.

8th day are only present in yuzu, amane and naoya's route, and are specific to overclocked, so i did not played them.

Sadly. I wished they went crazy like Record Breaker and add a extra day for everyone.

 

[Terra]

Sega is doing a survey both for owners & non-owners of SMT:Nocturne.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/onpehu/sega_is_doing_a_survey_for_smt_iii_nocturne_hd/

In the non-owners survey, there is no default answer concerning the price when asked why you haven't bought the game, but you can go into detail on the next page.

 

[Sentinel]

Told them I didn't buy it because the price didn't match the effort put into the port. I complained about no re-recorded OST, no meaningful QoL (demon fusion calculator, for example), poor on a technical level (stuck at 1080p without third party tools, blur and color bleed effects from ps2 release are missing).

 

[Tigranes]

OK, I had some days off, so blasted through DDS1&2 - should be done soon.

They were good, but I didn't like them as much as Nocturne, SJ, or even Devil Survivors. The loss of demon fusion is huge, as I'd consider it one of the most fun parts of playing these games. The story is interesting in that weird sociopathic hyper-janky way, but ultimately that's a poor tradeoff.

I did some optional bosses (4 angels in DDS2, first Beelzebub in DDS1) but not all - I only grinded for an extra mantra if needed for a specific bosses, looks like I'll end both games around lv50/55, and on Hard for DDS2. I wonder if folks have found a way to beat some of the more 'ultimate' optional bosses without, say, grinding/hyperplanning to get the right immunities on eveyr single character.

Is SMT4/Apocalypse worth playing from a gameplay standpoint? Is it the way to do 4 and then Apo, or skip one? Looks like there's more mixed feelings on this installment.

 

[Sentinel]

Both 4 and 4A are worth playing. You'll notice QoL improvements from Nocturne, since it carries a lot of its systems, particularly in the fusion department (there's an integrated fusion calculator now!)

4 has a fucked up difficulty curve - it starts out really tough and the difficulty just sort of falls off -, and navigation is annoying because the map has no name tags and all the gook village names are meaningless to any non-jap player.

4A is a sequel to the neutral ending of 4 and is the game in the franchise with the best gameplay, no argument possible. Has a lot of QoL over 4 and is across the board an improvement (including many improvements to navigation and completely fixing the alignment system, the instant kill spells now also do damage and the instant kill effect is tied to the "smirk" system..).

The catch is that 4A is a tone shift in the series, but if you liked Devil Survivor you probably will not mind it. You have party members that interject in dialogues, interact with villains and other NPCs, and talk to you & develop relationships like any normal jRPG. The game also assumes that Light and Chaos are retard-tier options (which imo they are and always have been) and instead focuses on choices in the neutral path.

Definitely worth playing despite the dogshit art on the protagonist & new demons.

 

[Puukko]

I do recommend both as well. IV is my least favorite of the mainline entries (which still makes it a solid 7.5) and it has those issues with difficulty as well as story/route splits but the music and atmosphere are top notch. IVA is a strong contender for my favorite, despite the tone shift.

 

[Tigranes]

OK, I have now completed SMT4 + Apoc, concluding my "months of nothing but SMT for no reason" marathon until SMT5 is out.

They were good games overall, but for me far short of Nocturne or Strange Journey. I found it the most clunky to emulate, due to the mix of cramped maps, press B to swivel camera instead of using analogue stick, and for Apoc, quite a lot of lag on Citra. The press turn modification where you turn every turn into half instead of using them in sequence also encourages you to just hit weaknesses and get 8 turns every time, sometimes actively foregoing more powerful abilities. And the Samurai stuff in particular I found tonally very silly, though lore-wise it made a lot more sense by the end as the land blessed with the Sun.

Apoc was clearly the better game I think, despite its own silliness. But if I was a SMT fan when this came out I think I would have been disappointed that a lot of the atmosphere of Nocturne/SJ was lost.

And yes, I know what you guys mean by the "new art" now. Jesus.

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

OK, I have now completed SMT4 + Apoc, concluding my "months of nothing but SMT for no reason" marathon until SMT5 is out.

They were good games overall, but for me far short of Nocturne or Strange Journey. I found it the most clunky to emulate, due to the mix of cramped maps, press B to swivel camera instead of using analogue stick, and for Apoc, quite a lot of lag on Citra. The press turn modification where you turn every turn into half instead of using them in sequence also encourages you to just hit weaknesses and get 8 turns every time, sometimes actively foregoing more powerful abilities. And the Samurai stuff in particular I found tonally very silly, though lore-wise it made a lot more sense by the end as the land blessed with the Sun.

Apoc was clearly the better game I think, despite its own silliness. But if I was a SMT fan when this came out I think I would have been disappointed that a lot of the atmosphere of Nocturne/SJ was lost.

And yes, I know what you guys mean by the "new art" now. Jesus.

I blame Persona 3 for the shitty new art and SMTIV just further declined in art. And now we have what we have. I blame it all on the popularity of Persona 3 onward.

How did you like Devil Summoner? The DS and 3DS had some great SMT titles. Lucifer's Call was my 1st SMT game back on PS2. It kicked my ass so bad but I loved it.

And what are the differences between Strange Journey on 3DS? I own it on DS but never bought the 3DS version.

 

[Tigranes]

TheImplodingVoice I played Devil Survivors, but not Devil Summoners yet. I may go to them at some point, though I understand the Raidou one is real-time (???)

SJ Redux seemed fine to me if you avoid the obviously OP apps. The atmosphere was very good despite some art changes. But if you own the original, might as well stick to it?

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

TheImplodingVoice I played Devil Survivors, but not Devil Summoners yet. I may go to them at some point, though I understand the Raidou one is real-time (???)

SJ Redux seemed fine to me if you avoid the obviously OP apps. The atmosphere was very good despite some art changes. But if you own the original, might as well stick to it?

Sorry when I meant Devil Summoners I was referring to Soul Hackers. It came out on the Saturn. But I also have it on 3DS and I really liked it as well. I am cautiously optimistic about SMT5, but from what I've seen so far I am not too impressed. SMT5 could finally be the final decline of SMT. Especially with the shitty art style and it seems like it runs at like 5 FPS on Switch as well. I'm still going to get it but I just hope it's not watered down to appease the casuals and the general Switch audience. I really hope we get a proper Shin Megami Tensei game and not Soy Megami Tensei 5.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

TheImplodingVoice I played Devil Survivors, but not Devil Summoners yet. I may go to them at some point, though I understand the Raidou one is real-time (???)

SJ Redux seemed fine to me if you avoid the obviously OP apps. The atmosphere was very good despite some art changes. But if you own the original, might as well stick to it?

Sorry when I meant Devil Summoners I was referring to Soul Hackers. It came out on the Saturn. But I also have it on 3DS and I really liked it as well. I am cautiously optimistic about SMT5, but from what I've seen so far I am not too impressed. SMT5 could finally be the final decline of SMT. Especially with the shitty art style and it seems like it runs at like 5 FPS on Switch as well. I'm still going to get it but I just hope it's not watered down to appease the casuals and the general Switch audience. I really hope we get a proper Shin Megami Tensei game and not Soy Megami Tensei 5.

I'm more worried for the story and dungeon desgin more than anything else. IMO the gameplay of the series is better and better each entry (combat) and the overrall presention (outside of some questionable art/art design) is pretty good but the story and dungeon are just huge decline.
Dungeon or better, the lack of any dungeon design in 4/4A is just sad and man the story of recent games are just REALLY mediocre at best.

SMTIV was a huge mess in terms of Lore , Worldbuilding and Characters, compared to Strange Journey and Devil Survivor.
And unlike Nocturne, it couldn't be carried by atmosphere and themes alone.

 

[TwoEdge]

It's 33% off in the Sega sale until September 30, if anyone's interested (35% for the full DLC edition).

 

[GhostCow]

Its probably obvious that the only reason I keep checking this thread is to see the Mara video

 

[Sentinel]

It's 33% off in the Sega sale until September 30, if anyone's interested (35% for the full DLC edition).

On sale for 24€ at https://www.gamebillet.com/shin-meg...ffiliate=1c8adfeb-78f3-4d89-9a91-5b697ec73e37

 

[grimace]

TwoEdge TheSentinel


Are there any mods for Notcturne?

 

[Adenocaulon]

I wonder of a mod to play in first person perspective from the beggining

 

[TwoEdge]

AFAIK just some ReShade presets and a mod to render cutscenes in widescreen.

 

[visions]

So I've been playing the Nocturne remaster for the past few weeks. I wonder how far in am I, I'm currently at the construction site at the Yoyogi park. Am I around halfway through the game, a bit more?