that time kazuma kaneko + shoji meguro summoned a whorling liminal space that tricked jrpg fans into enjoying meat + potatoes (teleporters + pitfalls) dungeon crawling. same shit your grampa plinked away at on his apple II a century ago, same shit your grandkids will plink away at on their apple II a century from now in their neofeudal bunkers
and much like your relatives, I love that shit; I love a big ass maze with a million dead ends, and if it ain't broke don't fix it, lest we end up with whatever the fuck those P3 + P4 dungeons were
at its best and most confident it understands the simple things — things like teleporters originally being designed to thwart manual graphing; that automap needs to be accounted for with appropriately disorienting, discordant layouts and structures; and that imbuing a sense of doomed futility is non-negotiable. there's a desire here to smother, obstruct and impede; a love of mazes that reveals its hand in slow motion, peaking with twinned monstrosities — the labyrinth of amala, and the tower of kagutsuchi — that crank the pressure inch by excruciating inch
complimenting it is the arrival of press turn serving as an antidote to blobber slugfests and the sedentary JRPG-isms that descended from them — the dynamic action economy shifting combat from sludgy attrition to a revolving door of lightning round encounters closer to puzzles than math problems. it's no surprise that many of the bosses took up hallowed positions in the genre pantheon, nor that the sinewy party building was so lauded — few games in the genre that succeeded it would be so mechanically accomplished, to say nothing about those that came prior
all of this is further defined by an aesthetic sensibility befitting a "vortex world"; a collage of textures, words, images, sounds, and ideas — from solipsism to darwinism to occult esoterica — delivered in broad, painterly strokes, flickering past rapidly in service of potency and immediacy above all else
the sensation is one of extraordinary emptiness, intentional and otherwise; nihilism born from its themes as much as the capricious relationship it has with them. a fugue state drive through half-conjured nouns and adjectives that recede at the slightest touch; worlds, people, and ideologies just fuel for ephemeral spectacle
nocturne feels like it's trapped in amber: a static image of a bygone era for megaten, atlus, and the medium as a whole, still shadowed by fables and folklore about its difficulty, opaqueness, and bizarre allure. newcomers still looking over their shoulder for matador and finding themselves lost under waves and waves of dead ends and instant kills, further prolonging its mythic qualities
far from perfect in any sense of the word, it persists nonetheless as an object with no clear analogue. atlus will assuredly try and fail to replicate its appeal until heat death of the universe, but it's telling that even they can't quite pin down what happened here, why, or how — and who could really blame them?
brief thoughts on the remaster:
can't say I'm happy about the JRPG Paypig Tax or the crusty ultra compressed 128kbps OST, but it seems few people are mentioning the one inclusion that makes the remaster worthwhile: the option to play the original pre-maniax version of nocturne — previously unreleased outside of japan
while most won't be interested in seeing the game in what's widely understood to be an unfinished state — no fiends, no labyrinth, nodante raidou, or True Demon Ending — it's exciting to have the option to return to the game at its most rudimentary and see how the differences affect an experience long since overwritten by a slew of rereleases and additional material that recontextualize many of its design decisions
unfortunately, it's only present on the PC version, but credit where credit's due: atlus didn't fuck something up for once, and that's a miracle. I'd still rather eat gravel than pay full price for this thing, but it's a big, quiet win nonetheless from the least likely of places
"worst guy you know" etc.
and much like your relatives, I love that shit; I love a big ass maze with a million dead ends, and if it ain't broke don't fix it, lest we end up with whatever the fuck those P3 + P4 dungeons were
at its best and most confident it understands the simple things — things like teleporters originally being designed to thwart manual graphing; that automap needs to be accounted for with appropriately disorienting, discordant layouts and structures; and that imbuing a sense of doomed futility is non-negotiable. there's a desire here to smother, obstruct and impede; a love of mazes that reveals its hand in slow motion, peaking with twinned monstrosities — the labyrinth of amala, and the tower of kagutsuchi — that crank the pressure inch by excruciating inch
complimenting it is the arrival of press turn serving as an antidote to blobber slugfests and the sedentary JRPG-isms that descended from them — the dynamic action economy shifting combat from sludgy attrition to a revolving door of lightning round encounters closer to puzzles than math problems. it's no surprise that many of the bosses took up hallowed positions in the genre pantheon, nor that the sinewy party building was so lauded — few games in the genre that succeeded it would be so mechanically accomplished, to say nothing about those that came prior
all of this is further defined by an aesthetic sensibility befitting a "vortex world"; a collage of textures, words, images, sounds, and ideas — from solipsism to darwinism to occult esoterica — delivered in broad, painterly strokes, flickering past rapidly in service of potency and immediacy above all else
the sensation is one of extraordinary emptiness, intentional and otherwise; nihilism born from its themes as much as the capricious relationship it has with them. a fugue state drive through half-conjured nouns and adjectives that recede at the slightest touch; worlds, people, and ideologies just fuel for ephemeral spectacle
nocturne feels like it's trapped in amber: a static image of a bygone era for megaten, atlus, and the medium as a whole, still shadowed by fables and folklore about its difficulty, opaqueness, and bizarre allure. newcomers still looking over their shoulder for matador and finding themselves lost under waves and waves of dead ends and instant kills, further prolonging its mythic qualities
far from perfect in any sense of the word, it persists nonetheless as an object with no clear analogue. atlus will assuredly try and fail to replicate its appeal until heat death of the universe, but it's telling that even they can't quite pin down what happened here, why, or how — and who could really blame them?
brief thoughts on the remaster:
can't say I'm happy about the JRPG Paypig Tax or the crusty ultra compressed 128kbps OST, but it seems few people are mentioning the one inclusion that makes the remaster worthwhile: the option to play the original pre-maniax version of nocturne — previously unreleased outside of japan
while most won't be interested in seeing the game in what's widely understood to be an unfinished state — no fiends, no labyrinth, no
unfortunately, it's only present on the PC version, but credit where credit's due: atlus didn't fuck something up for once, and that's a miracle. I'd still rather eat gravel than pay full price for this thing, but it's a big, quiet win nonetheless from the least likely of places
"worst guy you know" etc.
Today, November 5 2023, marks the official day @Gare decides that anything with Megami Tensei in the title is very much Not For Me.
I tried this one after the first two, which I thought were okay YouTube watches despite not caring for the gameplay much, because this seems to be the one everyone likes the best. No dice. It’s pretty much for the same reasons I said here. It’s all just very goofy to me. Unserious even, as the kids are saying these days. I guess if I had to describe it under oath in a court of law, I’d say it all comes off as Kingdom Hearts writing but with demons, swears, and tiddy. While I 100% knew the bad guy was going to melodramatically quote T.S. Eliot before attempting to bring about the hero’s utter demise, I have to admit that I was shocked to find that quote was not “this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper,” but rather “April is the cruelest month.” Don’t worry though, it’s still lame when it does happen.
Ah well, the heart doesn’t want what the heart doesn’t want. I also don’t really like David Bowie’s music. What can you do?
I tried this one after the first two, which I thought were okay YouTube watches despite not caring for the gameplay much, because this seems to be the one everyone likes the best. No dice. It’s pretty much for the same reasons I said here. It’s all just very goofy to me. Unserious even, as the kids are saying these days. I guess if I had to describe it under oath in a court of law, I’d say it all comes off as Kingdom Hearts writing but with demons, swears, and tiddy. While I 100% knew the bad guy was going to melodramatically quote T.S. Eliot before attempting to bring about the hero’s utter demise, I have to admit that I was shocked to find that quote was not “this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper,” but rather “April is the cruelest month.” Don’t worry though, it’s still lame when it does happen.
Ah well, the heart doesn’t want what the heart doesn’t want. I also don’t really like David Bowie’s music. What can you do?
Nocturne was a game that I originally hated. It has design artifacts that come across as dated and out of place in its era. But that’s exactly why I like it now and remember it fondly.
Nocturne embraces the dungeon design of its predecessors. I think it’s important for something like Nocturne to exist in the time period it was released in, since you had games like Final Fantasy 10 leaning more towards the simpler side with its linear hallways and simpler dungeon design. Yeah, it’s probably stockholm syndrome from older RPGs, but it’s fun getting lost in big mazes and getting items at dead ends, and it's cool to see Nocturne maintain this design in a 3D space.
The combat is really fun. There’s a big emphasis on buffing and debuffing in this game, and there’s a ton of different demons to fuse and teams to use which keep the whole game feeling fresh. There’s also this “Press Turn System” in the game in which you will get another turn for attacking an enemy’s weakness or getting a crit. You also lose another turn for missing your attack. This also applies to enemies, and it makes evasion buffs and debuffs the most broken thing in the game by far. I do think there should have been some balancing done to that. You can also skip a turn and give it to another party member, which is very handy if one of your demons is useless in the fight you’re in. There’s a ton of scenarios where this is fun and promotes a lot of different strategies.
I originally complained about how some of the fiend locations are random as hell and they give you no hints as to where to find them and it still holds true. It’s necessary to fight them all for the secret true ending or whatever, which is why it was annoying, but I find it more annoying that a true ending exists in the first place. I kind of wish it just had you pick which ending you want, without any of that “canon” stuff getting in the way. Looking at it from that aspect, the odd fiend locations don’t really bother me anymore.
The story does suck though. Conceptually, it’s pretty cool, but it suffers from pretty unrealistic character motivations which are important for a plot like this. I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil in my reviews, but if you’ve played it you might understand what I mean. I know there’s that “nobody plays SMT for the story” argument or whatever, and yeah, I enjoy the other aspects a lot more.
Oh yeah, this game is a remaster too. Does it do well on that front? Well, no, not really. I’m more so glad that this is officially playable on modern hardware now, and so I didn’t have to mess with a PS2 emulator. The lighting messes up a lot of the environments and the soundtrack is still left compressed like it was on the PS2 version! Luckily, there is a mod to uncompress it which my friend insisted I used and I eventually caved and used it even though I don’t like using mods on games. It was definitely nice to hear the music in higher quality, and I honestly recommend everyone use it too, it sounds pretty bad without it.
I was always looking at Nocturne as some elitist, hardest RPG ever made type of deal, and I think my unenjoyment stemmed from the game not offering the challenge I was expecting. The truth is, no, Nocturne is not one of the hardest RPGs ever, or whatever, but it’s a real fun game that has a lot going for it.
Nocturne embraces the dungeon design of its predecessors. I think it’s important for something like Nocturne to exist in the time period it was released in, since you had games like Final Fantasy 10 leaning more towards the simpler side with its linear hallways and simpler dungeon design. Yeah, it’s probably stockholm syndrome from older RPGs, but it’s fun getting lost in big mazes and getting items at dead ends, and it's cool to see Nocturne maintain this design in a 3D space.
The combat is really fun. There’s a big emphasis on buffing and debuffing in this game, and there’s a ton of different demons to fuse and teams to use which keep the whole game feeling fresh. There’s also this “Press Turn System” in the game in which you will get another turn for attacking an enemy’s weakness or getting a crit. You also lose another turn for missing your attack. This also applies to enemies, and it makes evasion buffs and debuffs the most broken thing in the game by far. I do think there should have been some balancing done to that. You can also skip a turn and give it to another party member, which is very handy if one of your demons is useless in the fight you’re in. There’s a ton of scenarios where this is fun and promotes a lot of different strategies.
I originally complained about how some of the fiend locations are random as hell and they give you no hints as to where to find them and it still holds true. It’s necessary to fight them all for the secret true ending or whatever, which is why it was annoying, but I find it more annoying that a true ending exists in the first place. I kind of wish it just had you pick which ending you want, without any of that “canon” stuff getting in the way. Looking at it from that aspect, the odd fiend locations don’t really bother me anymore.
The story does suck though. Conceptually, it’s pretty cool, but it suffers from pretty unrealistic character motivations which are important for a plot like this. I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil in my reviews, but if you’ve played it you might understand what I mean. I know there’s that “nobody plays SMT for the story” argument or whatever, and yeah, I enjoy the other aspects a lot more.
Oh yeah, this game is a remaster too. Does it do well on that front? Well, no, not really. I’m more so glad that this is officially playable on modern hardware now, and so I didn’t have to mess with a PS2 emulator. The lighting messes up a lot of the environments and the soundtrack is still left compressed like it was on the PS2 version! Luckily, there is a mod to uncompress it which my friend insisted I used and I eventually caved and used it even though I don’t like using mods on games. It was definitely nice to hear the music in higher quality, and I honestly recommend everyone use it too, it sounds pretty bad without it.
I was always looking at Nocturne as some elitist, hardest RPG ever made type of deal, and I think my unenjoyment stemmed from the game not offering the challenge I was expecting. The truth is, no, Nocturne is not one of the hardest RPGs ever, or whatever, but it’s a real fun game that has a lot going for it.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne es un juego especial dentro de la franquicia por lo nuevo que trajo jugablemente, aunque también resulta llamativo en narrativa. En este juego tomaremos el rol de un estudiante de secundaria que, junto con otras personas, es testigo del fin del mundo y el nacimiento de uno nuevo conocido como Vortex World, un mundo transicional que espera la llegada de un ser poderoso que le dé una forma definitiva según sus ideales. A lo largo de nuestra aventura viajaremos por este mundo postapocalíptico en busca de respuestas sobre lo ocurrido, viendo también cómo los sobrevivientes del mundo anterior forman sus propios ideales respecto a cómo debería ser el nuevo, siendo la mayoría bastante extremistas, por lo que recae en nosotros apoyar alguna de estas facciones o tomar un camino distinto dependiendo de lo que se alineen mejor con nuestra manera de pensar.
En cuanto al apartado jugable, Nocturne introduce el Press Turn Battle System, un sistema de combate que premia el uso de las debilidades de los enemigos y los ataques críticos, dándonos un turno extra si acertamos uno de dichos ataques, el cual podemos usar para curar, potenciar alguna característica de nuestro equipo, debilitar a los enemigos o seguir atacando. Así, con una buena estrategia y un equipo equilibrado, seremos capaces de vencer a los enemigos sin que llegue su turno. Eso sí, los enemigos también pueden aprovechar este sistema, y nosotros podemos perder turnos si fallamos o usamos ataques que no les afectan (aunque ellos pueden perderlos también por los mismos motivos), así que te pueden dejar muy mal parado si no sabes cómo contrarrestar esta desventaja. Si bien todo lo que mencioné del sistema de combate es fantástico, tiene un gran problema: los enemigos no son muy inteligentes y suelen cometer los mismos errores, como sería repetir los mismos ataques una y otra vez, esto hace que el juego se vuelva demasiado fácil si sabemos cómo explotar sus fallos.
Con todo y sus defectos, Nocturne es un juego que ofrece una experiencia enriquecedora en muchos aspectos, no solo por lo que ya he mencionado, sino también por su atmósfera, siendo una perfecta para un mundo lleno de demonios y peligros, explorando tanto lugares cotidianos que han sido destruidos o abandonados por la influencia demoníaca, tales como hospitales o parques, así como también locaciones sobrenaturales llenas de elementos extraños, como figuras geométricas con tintes diabólicos, teniendo como únicos habitantes algunas almas del antiguo mundo o demonios. Si te gustan los juegos que abordan temas filosóficos sobre el destino del mundo, que tienen un sistema de combate por turnos dinámico y que te sumergen en una atmósfera muy bien lograda, Nocturne es el juego ideal para ti. Por cierto, agradezco mil veces que en el HD Remaster pueda escoger a gusto las habilidades que quiero heredar a mis demonios, no quiero repetir la experiencia de estar entrando y saliendo del menú de fusiones hasta tener el resultado que quiero.
En cuanto al apartado jugable, Nocturne introduce el Press Turn Battle System, un sistema de combate que premia el uso de las debilidades de los enemigos y los ataques críticos, dándonos un turno extra si acertamos uno de dichos ataques, el cual podemos usar para curar, potenciar alguna característica de nuestro equipo, debilitar a los enemigos o seguir atacando. Así, con una buena estrategia y un equipo equilibrado, seremos capaces de vencer a los enemigos sin que llegue su turno. Eso sí, los enemigos también pueden aprovechar este sistema, y nosotros podemos perder turnos si fallamos o usamos ataques que no les afectan (aunque ellos pueden perderlos también por los mismos motivos), así que te pueden dejar muy mal parado si no sabes cómo contrarrestar esta desventaja. Si bien todo lo que mencioné del sistema de combate es fantástico, tiene un gran problema: los enemigos no son muy inteligentes y suelen cometer los mismos errores, como sería repetir los mismos ataques una y otra vez, esto hace que el juego se vuelva demasiado fácil si sabemos cómo explotar sus fallos.
Con todo y sus defectos, Nocturne es un juego que ofrece una experiencia enriquecedora en muchos aspectos, no solo por lo que ya he mencionado, sino también por su atmósfera, siendo una perfecta para un mundo lleno de demonios y peligros, explorando tanto lugares cotidianos que han sido destruidos o abandonados por la influencia demoníaca, tales como hospitales o parques, así como también locaciones sobrenaturales llenas de elementos extraños, como figuras geométricas con tintes diabólicos, teniendo como únicos habitantes algunas almas del antiguo mundo o demonios. Si te gustan los juegos que abordan temas filosóficos sobre el destino del mundo, que tienen un sistema de combate por turnos dinámico y que te sumergen en una atmósfera muy bien lograda, Nocturne es el juego ideal para ti. Por cierto, agradezco mil veces que en el HD Remaster pueda escoger a gusto las habilidades que quiero heredar a mis demonios, no quiero repetir la experiencia de estar entrando y saliendo del menú de fusiones hasta tener el resultado que quiero.
stylistically, this game is pretty dang cool, but the random encounters and dungeon designs make me wanna blast my nuts off with a shotgun, the battle music sounds like it's coming out of a wii remote, and it costs an extra $20 to have dante join your party
Una día normal en La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz
Fucking mindblowing
It's the first SMT I've properly sat down to play and while I wasn't sure what to expect, I adore it from start to finish
The atmosphere is immaculate, the gameplay is fun and feels good to master and the story is just great, I found myself caring for everything a lot more than I thought I would
Loved it to death, just insanely cool
It's the first SMT I've properly sat down to play and while I wasn't sure what to expect, I adore it from start to finish
The atmosphere is immaculate, the gameplay is fun and feels good to master and the story is just great, I found myself caring for everything a lot more than I thought I would
Loved it to death, just insanely cool
I have just finished Nocturne and now I'm looking at the TV, thinking... why the fuck did I love this game?
It's like the game was developed to make you suffer and feel miserable... yet... I just loved it!
But still, the question lingers. Why did I love SMT3? There are so many bad things in its design! It's just filled with little to major flaws that prevents me from loving it even more.
For starters, the environments may seem pretty at first, but the repetition will get to you and it will feel dull. It's as if they made it on purpose. Claustrophobia is a thing in the Vortex World. Negotiating with demons is a pain the ass and the game doesn't even explain it to you. In fact, Nocturne wastes no time in explaining anything. The only reason I got through the game's mechanics without looking for a guide is because this is not my first SMT game.
And what about the dungeon maps? They're terrible! Again, was it bad design or is the humdrum on purpose? Why not include a mini-map? Why is the encounter rate so goddamn high? Did the Labyrinth of Amala need to be THAT gigantic and confusing? Was it a necessity to make the final dungeon in the game so frustating and clueless? The puzzles are good, but did EVERY dungeon need one?
And don't even get me started on the difficulty! Look, I get it, it's part of the experience and it's in the series' DNA. But SMT3's difficulty is just absurd. Even normal enemies are ruthless! Was it part of its design to make it extremely unbalanced and inaccessible? I see no necessity for it. And yes, there's that newly added Merciful difficult, but that just turns it into a joke. It makes Pokémon Let's Go Evee look difficult!
But even after pointing out a few of SMT3's many flaws, why do I still love it so much? Why did I have so much fun with it?
Maybe it was the character's design. Every single character, from demon to manikin, they're just VERY well done. Or maybe it's the press turn battle system that just refuses to be boring. Was it Nocturne's thought-provoking intricate writing and social/religious themes that kept me hooked? The minimalistic nature of the game's story and gameplay just hides away a mountain of depth, right?
It was probably the addictive mechanic of collecting and fusing demons. Maybe the oppressive and lonely atmosphere just talked to me, you know? I mean, the story is immersive and every single ending seems solid enough. Or was it the boss fights that kept me pumped? And I didn't even mention how PERFECT the soundtrack is. I could spend days listening to SMT3's ost and I wouldn't get tired of it.
In the end, I do not know why this game is so lovely. It is unnecessarily painful, but I just keep coming back to it.
I wouldn't recommend it, though. Unless you really wanna do it...
It's like the game was developed to make you suffer and feel miserable... yet... I just loved it!
But still, the question lingers. Why did I love SMT3? There are so many bad things in its design! It's just filled with little to major flaws that prevents me from loving it even more.
For starters, the environments may seem pretty at first, but the repetition will get to you and it will feel dull. It's as if they made it on purpose. Claustrophobia is a thing in the Vortex World. Negotiating with demons is a pain the ass and the game doesn't even explain it to you. In fact, Nocturne wastes no time in explaining anything. The only reason I got through the game's mechanics without looking for a guide is because this is not my first SMT game.
And what about the dungeon maps? They're terrible! Again, was it bad design or is the humdrum on purpose? Why not include a mini-map? Why is the encounter rate so goddamn high? Did the Labyrinth of Amala need to be THAT gigantic and confusing? Was it a necessity to make the final dungeon in the game so frustating and clueless? The puzzles are good, but did EVERY dungeon need one?
And don't even get me started on the difficulty! Look, I get it, it's part of the experience and it's in the series' DNA. But SMT3's difficulty is just absurd. Even normal enemies are ruthless! Was it part of its design to make it extremely unbalanced and inaccessible? I see no necessity for it. And yes, there's that newly added Merciful difficult, but that just turns it into a joke. It makes Pokémon Let's Go Evee look difficult!
But even after pointing out a few of SMT3's many flaws, why do I still love it so much? Why did I have so much fun with it?
Maybe it was the character's design. Every single character, from demon to manikin, they're just VERY well done. Or maybe it's the press turn battle system that just refuses to be boring. Was it Nocturne's thought-provoking intricate writing and social/religious themes that kept me hooked? The minimalistic nature of the game's story and gameplay just hides away a mountain of depth, right?
It was probably the addictive mechanic of collecting and fusing demons. Maybe the oppressive and lonely atmosphere just talked to me, you know? I mean, the story is immersive and every single ending seems solid enough. Or was it the boss fights that kept me pumped? And I didn't even mention how PERFECT the soundtrack is. I could spend days listening to SMT3's ost and I wouldn't get tired of it.
In the end, I do not know why this game is so lovely. It is unnecessarily painful, but I just keep coming back to it.
I wouldn't recommend it, though. Unless you really wanna do it...
tedious as shit. not worth it at all. love this game
I destroyed the world and joined Lucifer in the war against God
It was worth it
It was worth it
they say demons get locked in ramadan, i beat the shit out them in this game with my unga bunga fists
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH
bruh fr wnna fuck a pixie
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH
bruh fr wnna fuck a pixie
I feel like the biggest flaw of Nocturne is the True Demon route is far and away the best way to go like why even bother with the other ones. But like, it's so good dude so idc
The remaster is aight enough, the lighting is different - not necessarily better or worse, just different - and the new voice acting is pretty good but you do lose some of the atmosphere from the unvoiced original. It's a great way to play the game overall
The remaster is aight enough, the lighting is different - not necessarily better or worse, just different - and the new voice acting is pretty good but you do lose some of the atmosphere from the unvoiced original. It's a great way to play the game overall
Good RPG, though I haven't played enough of it to say I like it more than P3F.
I cannot say anything that's not already been said. Great game. Instant classic.
What I will say, though, is that I think the true demon ending and the true demon final boss are both huge disappointments. Yes, you can get other endings, and I wanted another ending. Maybe it’s partially my fault for getting caught up in wanting to see the “true” and “full” experience, but I do think it's still fully fair to be disappointed in a final boss that is not fun to fight.
What I will say, though, is that I think the true demon ending and the true demon final boss are both huge disappointments. Yes, you can get other endings, and I wanted another ending. Maybe it’s partially my fault for getting caught up in wanting to see the “true” and “full” experience, but I do think it's still fully fair to be disappointed in a final boss that is not fun to fight.
i love how all the characters have a dark upper lipHOLY FUCK THAT TEACHER IS SO HOT
Heh... This game isnt for the faint of heart ladies and gentlemen... Some call this game the dark souls of JRPGs due to its insane difficulty.... I call it dog shit because it really fucking sucks... 😈😈😈.
Every time I think about this game I love it more. The music and atmosphere are the absolute standouts for me. The dungeons are all excellent with something fun and special making them feel unique. Press Turn combat is the best take on turn based combat. Characters and writing has grown on me over time and multiple playthroughs. This game is hard to play with breaks between because you will forget enemy affinities and menu navigation can be tedious but these are minor complaints.
9.5/10
Soturnidade e Atmosfera.
Junto a uma imersão e uma excelente trilha sonora, nós temos uma das experiência mais memoráveis dos rpg e dos videojogos em geral.
Ainda assim, muitos podem não enxergar o brilho desse jogo e esta tudo bem, sempre existe uma segunda vez.
Muitos conceitos bem executados neste jogo fizeram a resolução que escolhi refletir bastante sobre os temas e a semântica de todo o jogo num geral. (TDE)
Vindo de smt 2, o salto que teve em tudo foi um acerto critico e se fez estonteante.
Infelizmente não hei de dizer muito, afinal eu passaria a noite toda escrevendo sobre tanto e no fim não seria o suficiente, mas como sempre decidi fazer um comentário breve sobre tal jogo.
Não é um jogo que todos vão conseguir captar a mensagem e a parábola, mas fica a recomendação a todo que queira uma experiência imersiva e conceitual.
Soturnidade e Atmosfera.
Junto a uma imersão e uma excelente trilha sonora, nós temos uma das experiência mais memoráveis dos rpg e dos videojogos em geral.
Ainda assim, muitos podem não enxergar o brilho desse jogo e esta tudo bem, sempre existe uma segunda vez.
Muitos conceitos bem executados neste jogo fizeram a resolução que escolhi refletir bastante sobre os temas e a semântica de todo o jogo num geral. (TDE)
Vindo de smt 2, o salto que teve em tudo foi um acerto critico e se fez estonteante.
Infelizmente não hei de dizer muito, afinal eu passaria a noite toda escrevendo sobre tanto e no fim não seria o suficiente, mas como sempre decidi fazer um comentário breve sobre tal jogo.
Não é um jogo que todos vão conseguir captar a mensagem e a parábola, mas fica a recomendação a todo que queira uma experiência imersiva e conceitual.
shin megami tensei nocturne is great! a bit dated and tedious when it comes to some of the dungeons and the encounter rate is super high, but that can all be mended with mods. it is a bit annoying replaying the final three dungeons or so to get all the endings but it's worth it, considering the story is really solid and def more appealing than smt v's (since that's the last smt game i played).
i enjoyed the ost and atmosphere so much and the philosophical aspect of the story was really appealing. freedom ending for the win honestly.
also felt good seeing raidou again, since he's one of my fav smt protagonists, wish they would remaster and port the raidou games to pc. :/
i enjoyed the ost and atmosphere so much and the philosophical aspect of the story was really appealing. freedom ending for the win honestly.
also felt good seeing raidou again, since he's one of my fav smt protagonists, wish they would remaster and port the raidou games to pc. :/
i just started so i might review this properly another day, but this is the most gender thing i have ever seen. hell yeah
This review contains spoilers
Honestly, I'm just speechless right now.
I haven't looked anything up after completing the game (it's been like 2 hours since I beat the game).
I chose the teachers route because every other route just sounded terrible. The plot was just a plot nothing really that interesting I must say, but I love the combat system.
I love the press turn battle system. Buffs and debuffs reign supreme, like always. Had no problems battle wise, except for one of the last bosses, where they resisted everything except Electric. This might be a skill issue because I hated the demon negotiations in this game and refused to do them after like 10 hours, but at that point in the game, I essentially only had Zandyne, so it was just really annoying. To top it off, I used a physical build, which was fun, except where a majority of the late game bosses started to just reflect or resist physical entirely. But the other bosses were fine, just had to buff and debuff.
Now dungeons.. I will admit, there are some really good dungeons that I enjoyed like Yoyogi Park and Kabukicho. But seriously, the Kaiwan Maze puzzle was complete dogwater. That was probably some of the worst dungeon design I have ever seen, on top of getting encounters like every 15 steps. That's one single dungeon made me stop playing the game for like an entire week and probably knocks a star and a half off of the rating.
However, overall I really enjoyed the game, especially coming from someone who's played persona and likes the persona combat, this series just offers a more challenging time.
ALSO I HATE BAAL AVATAR STUPID BOSS (skill issue probably).
I haven't looked anything up after completing the game (it's been like 2 hours since I beat the game).
I chose the teachers route because every other route just sounded terrible. The plot was just a plot nothing really that interesting I must say, but I love the combat system.
I love the press turn battle system. Buffs and debuffs reign supreme, like always. Had no problems battle wise, except for one of the last bosses, where they resisted everything except Electric. This might be a skill issue because I hated the demon negotiations in this game and refused to do them after like 10 hours, but at that point in the game, I essentially only had Zandyne, so it was just really annoying. To top it off, I used a physical build, which was fun, except where a majority of the late game bosses started to just reflect or resist physical entirely. But the other bosses were fine, just had to buff and debuff.
Now dungeons.. I will admit, there are some really good dungeons that I enjoyed like Yoyogi Park and Kabukicho. But seriously, the Kaiwan Maze puzzle was complete dogwater. That was probably some of the worst dungeon design I have ever seen, on top of getting encounters like every 15 steps. That's one single dungeon made me stop playing the game for like an entire week and probably knocks a star and a half off of the rating.
However, overall I really enjoyed the game, especially coming from someone who's played persona and likes the persona combat, this series just offers a more challenging time.
ALSO I HATE BAAL AVATAR STUPID BOSS (skill issue probably).
I'll start by stating that I've never played the original, but I can't imagine playing this one without the voice acting. While not always great, it was often quite enjoyable. Took the True Demon Ending, and while there were certainly some difficulty spikes the overall challenge felt good with the right amount of tension. The characters were pretty thin, which was a shame considering the overall story had more depth. The art style is incredible, and probably the biggest selling point of this game outside of the combat, and it suits the atmosphere of the game well. Punching everything to death was super fun, and the combat as a whole was enjoyable. Easily recommended.
how a single game made me realize that all pokemon games were bad actually
This is one of those games where you must have the proper mindset to enjoy, as pretty much everything about it is arguably an acquired taste. In my case, I did alright through most areas, but I was NOT prepared for some difficulty spikes that came at me without any warning. The story takes a much more indirect method of telling the player what they must know, with relatively minimal dialogue compared to most JRPGs. The additional detail for the plotline is there, you just have to look for it and interact with NPCs in the very few towns there are. Gameplay was unexpectedly fun if you like dungeon crawlers, with sprawling and sometimes labyrinthian environments to systematically explore, complete with puzzles! Combat was manageable and nuanced with taking advantage of elemental weaknesses, and given that this is SMT, there's the necessary demon fusion. Art and OST are rough with this particular remaster. The OST is good but sounds like it is being played from a speaker on the other side of the room, muffled by a blanket. The demons look great with the art style, but you could totally tell this is an old game by looking at the character models. Lastly, THERE ARE ENOURMOUS DIFFICULTY SPIKES IN CERTAIN SPOTS, USE A GUIDE IF THEY PROVE TO BE TOO MUCH!!! I cannot stress this enough, going through a few bosses began to feel like Dark Souls, or RNG was not on my side 90% of the time. Still like this game though.
i found this game for like 14 bucks at my work and since it had been recommended to me by a friend a while ago, i decided to pick it up and finally give it a shot. i was then sucked into a rabbit hole that culminated in me getting into the SMT series as a whole and playing this game for 115 hours on my first playthrough. oops
SMT:N is probably one of the best rpgs ive ever played. of course, the story is phenomenal and is a heart wrenching tale of friends turning against each other in the wake of a colossal disaster, and the struggles of those at the bottom of the food chain vs the people who are at the top because they were just born that way. but also, nocturne has probably the most interesting system mechanics out of any rpg ive ever played. in a genre where it feels like a lot of the gameplay is just window dressing for a story, nocturne really hits it out of the park with its magatamas and press turn system, letting you customize your character to be literally anything you want, and letting you play off of your game knowledge to sweep the enemy team if you know what you're doing. the game also looks phenomenal for a 2003 PS2 game. (i did play a portion of the ps2 version to confirm this, but my main playthrough was done on the switch version, which suffered from some pretty bad frame drops at times)
of course, the thing SMT is known for (besides its younger brother, persona) is the demon summoning and negotiation, and nocturne does... an alright job with this. it gets the job done, but it feels somewhat frustrating even if you know what you're doing, and monsters can just deny you because they feel like it. there's also not THAT much interesting dialog to make up for this, and by about halfway through the game i just gave up on negotiations all together and resorted to the compendium and fusion to get all the demons i wanted. SMT3 also suffers from "i'm a 20 year old JRPG" syndrome and doesn't make it super clear where to go sometimes. i found myself wandering around feeling very lost sometimes, especially near the beginning of the game. the game is also famously REALLY fucking brutal. i recall at one point near the beginning, i spent an entire day of playing just grinding to be able to beat Matador, and that shit sucked. i ended up shelling out a couple bucks to get the shitty grinding DLC, which is really dumb, but i was struggling so much and i just wanted to start having fun again. that being said, i do eventually want to do a playthrough of hard mode (without using the DLC areas, of course) and i can respect the game's difficulty. the press turn system does somewhat make up for that as well, since if you know what you're doing you can totally sweep an enemy just by using the right combo of moves. still doesn't make up for puzzle boy though, i spent like 3 hours on that shit and then i gave up and use a guide. i admit it, im weak
one last point before we move to the conclusion, this game's soundtrack fucking owns. if you haven't listened to it, please, i beg you, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing. that shit rocks, my favorite tracks are mystery, ikebukuro, pretty much all the battle themes, the kalpa music, and puzzle boy. such a good blend of aggressive rock with synthesized voices and ominous, droning synths that really just resonates with me
alright, now for the conclusion. nocturne is a phenomenal game that i cannot recommend enough. but is the MSRP of 50 fucking dollars worth seeing the game in widescreen and a larger resolution with full voice acting and a couple other things? iiiii dunno man. i got my copy preowned for a steal, so i would say 15 dollars was no doubt worth it for me, but the full price is kind of a ripoff, especially considering the ps2 version was like 10 bucks on the ps3 as a ps2 classic. phenomenal game with a couple of minor issues, if you plan on getting the HD remaster, wait for it to go on sale or try to find it pre owned at a gamestop or something.
SMT:N is probably one of the best rpgs ive ever played. of course, the story is phenomenal and is a heart wrenching tale of friends turning against each other in the wake of a colossal disaster, and the struggles of those at the bottom of the food chain vs the people who are at the top because they were just born that way. but also, nocturne has probably the most interesting system mechanics out of any rpg ive ever played. in a genre where it feels like a lot of the gameplay is just window dressing for a story, nocturne really hits it out of the park with its magatamas and press turn system, letting you customize your character to be literally anything you want, and letting you play off of your game knowledge to sweep the enemy team if you know what you're doing. the game also looks phenomenal for a 2003 PS2 game. (i did play a portion of the ps2 version to confirm this, but my main playthrough was done on the switch version, which suffered from some pretty bad frame drops at times)
of course, the thing SMT is known for (besides its younger brother, persona) is the demon summoning and negotiation, and nocturne does... an alright job with this. it gets the job done, but it feels somewhat frustrating even if you know what you're doing, and monsters can just deny you because they feel like it. there's also not THAT much interesting dialog to make up for this, and by about halfway through the game i just gave up on negotiations all together and resorted to the compendium and fusion to get all the demons i wanted. SMT3 also suffers from "i'm a 20 year old JRPG" syndrome and doesn't make it super clear where to go sometimes. i found myself wandering around feeling very lost sometimes, especially near the beginning of the game. the game is also famously REALLY fucking brutal. i recall at one point near the beginning, i spent an entire day of playing just grinding to be able to beat Matador, and that shit sucked. i ended up shelling out a couple bucks to get the shitty grinding DLC, which is really dumb, but i was struggling so much and i just wanted to start having fun again. that being said, i do eventually want to do a playthrough of hard mode (without using the DLC areas, of course) and i can respect the game's difficulty. the press turn system does somewhat make up for that as well, since if you know what you're doing you can totally sweep an enemy just by using the right combo of moves. still doesn't make up for puzzle boy though, i spent like 3 hours on that shit and then i gave up and use a guide. i admit it, im weak
one last point before we move to the conclusion, this game's soundtrack fucking owns. if you haven't listened to it, please, i beg you, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing. that shit rocks, my favorite tracks are mystery, ikebukuro, pretty much all the battle themes, the kalpa music, and puzzle boy. such a good blend of aggressive rock with synthesized voices and ominous, droning synths that really just resonates with me
alright, now for the conclusion. nocturne is a phenomenal game that i cannot recommend enough. but is the MSRP of 50 fucking dollars worth seeing the game in widescreen and a larger resolution with full voice acting and a couple other things? iiiii dunno man. i got my copy preowned for a steal, so i would say 15 dollars was no doubt worth it for me, but the full price is kind of a ripoff, especially considering the ps2 version was like 10 bucks on the ps3 as a ps2 classic. phenomenal game with a couple of minor issues, if you plan on getting the HD remaster, wait for it to go on sale or try to find it pre owned at a gamestop or something.
Fell asleep. The way I just teleport to my bed when I pop this into my Nintendo Switch.
The one good thing I'll say about this game if I need to fall asleep early I just have to put this and I IMMEDIATELY teleport to my bed.
The one good thing I'll say about this game if I need to fall asleep early I just have to put this and I IMMEDIATELY teleport to my bed.
You know what? I slipped in the bathtub last week and suddenly thousands of moral decisions came upon me all at once.
"Where did I put my recorder from elementary school? Do I still love my mom? What would be the benefits of curling my neck out of this S shape? Is every one of my problems a matter of my own construction? Are pirates real?"
I stood up in the shower I left continuously unwashed and realized that the ecosystem around me had become a transformation of such thought, the mental labyrinth had physically manifested and contained an astounding amount of lore, depth, and somewhat eastern religious subjects I didn't really quite understand myself without the help of Max Derat. I wandered for hours aimlessly but it turned out sentient creatures that looked like Seamonkeys (Or Seamonkies?) had formed groups and fought according to differing ideals, which I was confused about but was forced to make a decision about and fight for, for I, the aimless traveler, was the only one to wield the Clorox Ultra Foamer to end it all if I wanted to.
Alright and now just imagine that scenario as this game.
"Where did I put my recorder from elementary school? Do I still love my mom? What would be the benefits of curling my neck out of this S shape? Is every one of my problems a matter of my own construction? Are pirates real?"
I stood up in the shower I left continuously unwashed and realized that the ecosystem around me had become a transformation of such thought, the mental labyrinth had physically manifested and contained an astounding amount of lore, depth, and somewhat eastern religious subjects I didn't really quite understand myself without the help of Max Derat. I wandered for hours aimlessly but it turned out sentient creatures that looked like Seamonkeys (Or Seamonkies?) had formed groups and fought according to differing ideals, which I was confused about but was forced to make a decision about and fight for, for I, the aimless traveler, was the only one to wield the Clorox Ultra Foamer to end it all if I wanted to.
Alright and now just imagine that scenario as this game.
Like 4 and 5 the press turn system is excellent. While I dont think it's as strong as those two games due to the game being on the easier side (like I literally used auto battle most of the game), the boss fights were pretty fun and strategic. I never really did struggle, there was only one boss I'd consider to be hard, but as I said it was still engaging. Dungeon design is decent but it uses a lot of trial and error design I'm not a fan of and obviously random encounters can be annoying at times, but that was mitigated by the escape command working 90% of the time.
Music is fantastic and the vibes of this game are immaculate. The art style is amazing. Like 5 the story didnt do it for me too much but I think it was a bit better because the characters were more memorable. But the alignment locks genuinely ruined the ending for me, I got the worst ending by mistake because I picked wrong choices throughout my playthrough, I didnt care that I got the bad ending, my problem was that it doesn't even have a boss fight. Even if I got a bad ending I still think I "deserved" a good final fight to round it off. Was pretty disappointed when that happened, so when you play this game use a guide for all of the dialogue choices if you want an actually satisfying ending.
Music is fantastic and the vibes of this game are immaculate. The art style is amazing. Like 5 the story didnt do it for me too much but I think it was a bit better because the characters were more memorable. But the alignment locks genuinely ruined the ending for me, I got the worst ending by mistake because I picked wrong choices throughout my playthrough, I didnt care that I got the bad ending, my problem was that it doesn't even have a boss fight. Even if I got a bad ending I still think I "deserved" a good final fight to round it off. Was pretty disappointed when that happened, so when you play this game use a guide for all of the dialogue choices if you want an actually satisfying ending.
This review contains spoilers
I straight up loved the entire vibe of this game. Surreal, pseudo Tokyo turned literally inside out and upside down. Kaneko's uncanny valley human characters, the demon dialogue and interactions cracking me up. Battle music that keeps you grooving throughout, 'Fierce Battle', the boss themes, especially the jazzy map themes.
While streaming this game, I followed a guide to stay on the True Demon ending path. I knew a replay wouldn't be likely, so I wanted to see everything I could. I don't regret it, although I had general pointers on where to go/what to do next, I gave myself the freedom to tackle enemies in my own way. The pure satisfaction of killing Lucifer at the end of it all...an unforgettable experience.
Nocturne's combat kept me engaged all the way through. The strategizing, evaluating whose turns are next, how it will affect the outcome, I had so much fun with it. The fabled brutal difficulty was not overstated, for sure, but I found it manageable. Was that mitigated a bit by following a guide? Sure, but not enough to remove the overall sense of accomplishment.
I'm excited to play 4 when I have the time.
While streaming this game, I followed a guide to stay on the True Demon ending path. I knew a replay wouldn't be likely, so I wanted to see everything I could. I don't regret it, although I had general pointers on where to go/what to do next, I gave myself the freedom to tackle enemies in my own way. The pure satisfaction of killing Lucifer at the end of it all...an unforgettable experience.
Nocturne's combat kept me engaged all the way through. The strategizing, evaluating whose turns are next, how it will affect the outcome, I had so much fun with it. The fabled brutal difficulty was not overstated, for sure, but I found it manageable. Was that mitigated a bit by following a guide? Sure, but not enough to remove the overall sense of accomplishment.
I'm excited to play 4 when I have the time.