LiefKatano
2000
It's a fun, simple RPG that still has great customization with the badge system. Not especially challenging, sure, but the simple puzzle-ish battles are still fun. Being able to team up with Mario enemies is also great.
FUCK this game holy shit. the interactions ARE incredibly fun (it's why I haven't marked it as lower than 1.5), but it's bogged down by terrible combat and clunky customization.
The combat is bogged down by trying to force Persona 5's combat into a traditional turn-based system, which does not work at all. The "goal" of every random encounter is to knock down all of your enemies and perform an All-Out Attack, which... doesn't work when you have to issue commands at the start of the round and have to work with a randomized turn order. Combat also tends to slow down when you're facing FOEs (minibosses that wander the labyrinth that you're supposed to avoid at first) because they're immune to knockdown.
Oh also YOU, of course, can be knocked down. When ENEMIES are knocked down (and if you fail to perform an All-Out Attack) it pushes their turn to the end of the round and they MIGHT not be able to act, and it feels like they typically WILL anyways (though this might just be confirmation bias). If YOU are knocked down the ways you will NEVER be able act.
Customization is a pain in the ass because there's three games worth of characters. Also you have to deal with customizing sub-Personas AND main Personas this time, instead of having main Personas more or less just progress on their own. Some of the resulting perks are nice (main Personas actually get their unique skill early on, for example) but it's overwhelming and still really, really terrible to deal with. It honestly feels like it's a regression from the first game, which feels like it struck a better balance between Etrian Odyssey's systems and Persona's (if still lacking in the balance department, sure).
Oh yeah speaking of mechanically the game feels like a direct sequel to Persona Q, completely ignoring any of the applicable improvements Etrian Odyssey made in between the two games. That doesn't help at all.
Again, I will say that the interactions between the casts of each game are well done! They're funny, cute, and the P3 cast can be a bit heart wrenching! It's just... you have to struggle with the rest of the game to get to it. It's not worth it.
The combat is bogged down by trying to force Persona 5's combat into a traditional turn-based system, which does not work at all. The "goal" of every random encounter is to knock down all of your enemies and perform an All-Out Attack, which... doesn't work when you have to issue commands at the start of the round and have to work with a randomized turn order. Combat also tends to slow down when you're facing FOEs (minibosses that wander the labyrinth that you're supposed to avoid at first) because they're immune to knockdown.
Oh also YOU, of course, can be knocked down. When ENEMIES are knocked down (and if you fail to perform an All-Out Attack) it pushes their turn to the end of the round and they MIGHT not be able to act, and it feels like they typically WILL anyways (though this might just be confirmation bias). If YOU are knocked down the ways you will NEVER be able act.
Customization is a pain in the ass because there's three games worth of characters. Also you have to deal with customizing sub-Personas AND main Personas this time, instead of having main Personas more or less just progress on their own. Some of the resulting perks are nice (main Personas actually get their unique skill early on, for example) but it's overwhelming and still really, really terrible to deal with. It honestly feels like it's a regression from the first game, which feels like it struck a better balance between Etrian Odyssey's systems and Persona's (if still lacking in the balance department, sure).
Oh yeah speaking of mechanically the game feels like a direct sequel to Persona Q, completely ignoring any of the applicable improvements Etrian Odyssey made in between the two games. That doesn't help at all.
Again, I will say that the interactions between the casts of each game are well done! They're funny, cute, and the P3 cast can be a bit heart wrenching! It's just... you have to struggle with the rest of the game to get to it. It's not worth it.
2002
This game lets you fight while you're riding on horses. It's the best game ever just by that token.
Okay, more seriously - it's definitely one of my favorite games ever, even if there are a ton of flaws. The puzzles can be... questionable. The hit detection when crossing gaps on horses can be weird. It has a questionable "search" system. But there's still a lot in there that I love.
Gameplay-wise, the best thing is the customization - and, more importantly, the on-the-fly customization. You can completely shift your "medium" set up (more or less Guardian Forces from Final Fantasy VIII except, uh, done better) and what passive skills you have equipped in the middle of battle, allowing you to react to what your enemy is doing immediately instead of having to soft reset and finagle with your gear in the menu. There's some limitations, namely with "gear" (basically, what "teaches" new passive abilities to your medium - you can remove them but it'll break the gear. this is a problem especially since some gear is one-of-a-kind), and I wouldn't quite say it's PERFECT - there's no "memory" feature, though that kinda plays into making sure you have a good generalist build that you can fine-tune as necessary.
With all of this customization, you might think - all of the characters are really interchangeable, then, aren't they? Well... yes and no. They kind of can be but they're still unique in very noticeable ways. It helps that they can use the main distinguisher, "force abilities" (Limit Breaks), very often, and said abilities aren't just different flavors of "deal lots of damage". Each player character gets their own unique force ability which helps solidify their niches - especially notable is Virginia's "Mystic" which lets her use items in various ways (typically using them on every party member) and Gallows's "Extend" which lets him cast magic on an entire group.
Oh yeah, consumable items are actually really good in this game, go figure. It's probably because they're in relatively limited supply (you can get an infinite supply of them but that requires doing a sidequest) but there's something just... NICE about them being useful and not just being something to hoard.
The ENC/VIT gauge systems are also good. ENC lets you cancel encounters at the cost of a (refillable, mostly through battle) point gauge; it's a way, way better system than just flipping a switch to turn them off (and, I'd argue, having on-map encounters). It also rewards exploration(/having a guide :V) by letting you reduce the cost through finding items. VIT, meanwhile, just restores your health after battle - the more health you lost the more VIT you need to refill, until you're out of VIT. You'll want to keep on top of your HP in battle as a result, and that seems kinda self-defeating now that I type it out, but... idk, I like it still.
Oh also the story. The story is cheesy but I still like it. Something I really, personally appreciate is that it generally lays off the romance. Virginia isn't QUITE a standalone female protagonist (one of her motivations is still searching for her father - who she calls "Daddy", which is weird to me but I blame the internet for that) but she still is primarily motivated by her strong sense of justice. She wants to know what's up with her dad but she's also, pretty explicitly, in it to help Filgaia.
Also two of the party members are kinda stereotypical (Jet is a loner, Gallows is occasionally horny) but people call them out on it so it's kinda a wash.
Again - this game IS far from perfect but it has GREAT concepts and it DOES pull off a ton of stuff very well so I can't really help but love it.
Okay, more seriously - it's definitely one of my favorite games ever, even if there are a ton of flaws. The puzzles can be... questionable. The hit detection when crossing gaps on horses can be weird. It has a questionable "search" system. But there's still a lot in there that I love.
Gameplay-wise, the best thing is the customization - and, more importantly, the on-the-fly customization. You can completely shift your "medium" set up (more or less Guardian Forces from Final Fantasy VIII except, uh, done better) and what passive skills you have equipped in the middle of battle, allowing you to react to what your enemy is doing immediately instead of having to soft reset and finagle with your gear in the menu. There's some limitations, namely with "gear" (basically, what "teaches" new passive abilities to your medium - you can remove them but it'll break the gear. this is a problem especially since some gear is one-of-a-kind), and I wouldn't quite say it's PERFECT - there's no "memory" feature, though that kinda plays into making sure you have a good generalist build that you can fine-tune as necessary.
With all of this customization, you might think - all of the characters are really interchangeable, then, aren't they? Well... yes and no. They kind of can be but they're still unique in very noticeable ways. It helps that they can use the main distinguisher, "force abilities" (Limit Breaks), very often, and said abilities aren't just different flavors of "deal lots of damage". Each player character gets their own unique force ability which helps solidify their niches - especially notable is Virginia's "Mystic" which lets her use items in various ways (typically using them on every party member) and Gallows's "Extend" which lets him cast magic on an entire group.
Oh yeah, consumable items are actually really good in this game, go figure. It's probably because they're in relatively limited supply (you can get an infinite supply of them but that requires doing a sidequest) but there's something just... NICE about them being useful and not just being something to hoard.
The ENC/VIT gauge systems are also good. ENC lets you cancel encounters at the cost of a (refillable, mostly through battle) point gauge; it's a way, way better system than just flipping a switch to turn them off (and, I'd argue, having on-map encounters). It also rewards exploration(/having a guide :V) by letting you reduce the cost through finding items. VIT, meanwhile, just restores your health after battle - the more health you lost the more VIT you need to refill, until you're out of VIT. You'll want to keep on top of your HP in battle as a result, and that seems kinda self-defeating now that I type it out, but... idk, I like it still.
Oh also the story. The story is cheesy but I still like it. Something I really, personally appreciate is that it generally lays off the romance. Virginia isn't QUITE a standalone female protagonist (one of her motivations is still searching for her father - who she calls "Daddy", which is weird to me but I blame the internet for that) but she still is primarily motivated by her strong sense of justice. She wants to know what's up with her dad but she's also, pretty explicitly, in it to help Filgaia.
Also two of the party members are kinda stereotypical (Jet is a loner, Gallows is occasionally horny) but people call them out on it so it's kinda a wash.
Again - this game IS far from perfect but it has GREAT concepts and it DOES pull off a ton of stuff very well so I can't really help but love it.
The main game is INCREDIBLE, with expertly-designed levels. Once you get to the post game I think things can get a little more questionable but in general they're still really solid.
Bowser's Fury is a great add-on, though the power-up system can sometimes feel a little odd, and while the open-world nature is fun it does sometimes lead to some... wanting with level design and how specific aspects are incorporated.
Bowser's Fury is a great add-on, though the power-up system can sometimes feel a little odd, and while the open-world nature is fun it does sometimes lead to some... wanting with level design and how specific aspects are incorporated.
2019
A major improvement on the base game. Still maintains some of the awkwardness of the story (and the quality starts to roll downhill at roughly the final palace and it doesn't really get BETTER) and the DLC is, uh, atrocious still (ATLUS! P-Team!) but gameplay wise? Major improvements, making it an incredibly smooth JRPG.
If nothing else, being able to exploit status ailments and technical damage to knock enemies down, and also passing the baton to deal tons of damage? Beautiful. (The bosses that incorporate technical/baton pass into their gimmicks are the best bosses in the game, incidentally.)
If nothing else, being able to exploit status ailments and technical damage to knock enemies down, and also passing the baton to deal tons of damage? Beautiful. (The bosses that incorporate technical/baton pass into their gimmicks are the best bosses in the game, incidentally.)
This review contains spoilers
The story is great, and the game does an amazing job at fleshing out Midgar and its inhabitants. The only major beef I'd have with it is the ghosts, honestly - I "get" why they were included and I can appreciate it but every time they showed up besides the ending they just dragged things out.
Battle system is, in general, Very Good, being able to incorporate the... thoughtfulness, I suppose, of turn-based combat into fast-based action combat. Still some annoyances (with ex. a lack of super armor on moves, which is annoying especially with MP-costing spells) but overall it's still really solid.
Battle system is, in general, Very Good, being able to incorporate the... thoughtfulness, I suppose, of turn-based combat into fast-based action combat. Still some annoyances (with ex. a lack of super armor on moves, which is annoying especially with MP-costing spells) but overall it's still really solid.
Absolutely one of my favorite games of all times.
The characters? Top-notch. I'm not sure how to elaborate without it sounding weird, but... they feel like people, I guess. The protagonist, Neku, grows throughout the game by expanding his world, meeting with people with different ideals and having them clash. And they actually FEEL like people with ideals, y'know? Not just a cardboard cutout with the week's message taped on them. I just... adore them to bits. Even one of the guys who doesn't actually get a proper name!
Mind you, I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite games ever if I didn't like how it played - and I absolutely do. The battle system is really intuitive and there's just something about, say, making a slashing motion and having chains sprout up, pressing an enemy and having flames billow up, or scratching the screen to cause an earthquake that feels super-intuitive and pleasing to do. Of course, with all the touch commands some of them overlap and it's not perfect as a result (a frequent frustration is nothing happening when I press the screen because the enemy is too close to Neku) but it works enough and it's satisfying when it does so so I can't take off points for that.
The partner system from the DS version has been revamped and I think that's to the game's favor - it makes the game slightly easier for a variety of reasons but it also makes it more accessible, since you don't have to split your attention.
I think the only system I wouldn't quite be a fan of is Shutdown PP. Basically, whenever you don't play a game you get experience points (PP) to the skills you have equipped. It's great in concept, but here's the thing: you need Shutdown PP to evolve certain skills. Not all of them! But some of them. Which ones aren't elaborated on by the game. The problem arises with skills that don't evolve with shutdown PP, since they'll still grow because of it but can be screwed out of actually evolving because shutdown PP counts more than the PP you gain from battle. It's annoying to have to juggle and make sure you aren't accidentally screwing yourself over when you put the game aside (to, say, sleep).
There ARE a ton of other weird systems too, some of which work better than others, and others which are kind of... weird. But again - in general it's an amazing experience, in both gameplay and story, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
The characters? Top-notch. I'm not sure how to elaborate without it sounding weird, but... they feel like people, I guess. The protagonist, Neku, grows throughout the game by expanding his world, meeting with people with different ideals and having them clash. And they actually FEEL like people with ideals, y'know? Not just a cardboard cutout with the week's message taped on them. I just... adore them to bits. Even one of the guys who doesn't actually get a proper name!
Mind you, I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite games ever if I didn't like how it played - and I absolutely do. The battle system is really intuitive and there's just something about, say, making a slashing motion and having chains sprout up, pressing an enemy and having flames billow up, or scratching the screen to cause an earthquake that feels super-intuitive and pleasing to do. Of course, with all the touch commands some of them overlap and it's not perfect as a result (a frequent frustration is nothing happening when I press the screen because the enemy is too close to Neku) but it works enough and it's satisfying when it does so so I can't take off points for that.
The partner system from the DS version has been revamped and I think that's to the game's favor - it makes the game slightly easier for a variety of reasons but it also makes it more accessible, since you don't have to split your attention.
I think the only system I wouldn't quite be a fan of is Shutdown PP. Basically, whenever you don't play a game you get experience points (PP) to the skills you have equipped. It's great in concept, but here's the thing: you need Shutdown PP to evolve certain skills. Not all of them! But some of them. Which ones aren't elaborated on by the game. The problem arises with skills that don't evolve with shutdown PP, since they'll still grow because of it but can be screwed out of actually evolving because shutdown PP counts more than the PP you gain from battle. It's annoying to have to juggle and make sure you aren't accidentally screwing yourself over when you put the game aside (to, say, sleep).
There ARE a ton of other weird systems too, some of which work better than others, and others which are kind of... weird. But again - in general it's an amazing experience, in both gameplay and story, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
2020
It's an acceptable game but there's just... a lot of weird system things that bug me.
Story's nice. That the Monarchs are, like, relatable to the Phantom Thieves is nice (though some of the aspects are clunky. P-Team!), and Sophie is absolutely adorable.
The gameplay kind of suffers from trying to mash a phantom thief stealth game with a musou game, though it's at least tolerable unlike, say, Persona Q2. There's certainly annoyances, like having to leave a Jail completely to restore your HP and SP despite that not really being needed (the calendar system is basically aesthetic), but I don't want to completely tear my hair out.
Probably the WORST thing is the fusion system. It's an inferior version of Shin Megami Tensei IV's, where all the fusion options are laid out in a list and you have to sift through them to find the ones you want. There's no sort options or filters, so trying to create cool fusion chains from scratch is a pain in the ass, and with every Persona listed out it feels far more artificial and checklist-y, even if on a technical level it isn't that different from regular MegaTen fusion.
I don't feel like there's too much more to say beyond that. If you like Persona 5 and wanna follow the exploits of the Phantom Thieves, I wouldn't discourage against picking it up - it's a decent enough game and the story portions are nice, if not award winning. Just don't expect as smooth of an experience as Persona 5 Royal.
(also this game managed to make ice block puzzles even more annoying than normal, which is impressive)
Story's nice. That the Monarchs are, like, relatable to the Phantom Thieves is nice (though some of the aspects are clunky. P-Team!), and Sophie is absolutely adorable.
The gameplay kind of suffers from trying to mash a phantom thief stealth game with a musou game, though it's at least tolerable unlike, say, Persona Q2. There's certainly annoyances, like having to leave a Jail completely to restore your HP and SP despite that not really being needed (the calendar system is basically aesthetic), but I don't want to completely tear my hair out.
Probably the WORST thing is the fusion system. It's an inferior version of Shin Megami Tensei IV's, where all the fusion options are laid out in a list and you have to sift through them to find the ones you want. There's no sort options or filters, so trying to create cool fusion chains from scratch is a pain in the ass, and with every Persona listed out it feels far more artificial and checklist-y, even if on a technical level it isn't that different from regular MegaTen fusion.
I don't feel like there's too much more to say beyond that. If you like Persona 5 and wanna follow the exploits of the Phantom Thieves, I wouldn't discourage against picking it up - it's a decent enough game and the story portions are nice, if not award winning. Just don't expect as smooth of an experience as Persona 5 Royal.
(also this game managed to make ice block puzzles even more annoying than normal, which is impressive)
Honestly? I really like some of the tricks that they used in this game. At least specifically like... using the NES's limitations and quirks to their advantage.
The difficulty definitely goes up and down in waves. Glad I had a version with rewinding if nothing else.
It's annoying that there's not really a definitive version of the game; for the reasons stated above I'd think the Famicom version is superior (they definitely mess up World 9 in All-Stars) but World A, B, C, and D are tedious to access in this version (even discounting the difficulty of the game).
The difficulty definitely goes up and down in waves. Glad I had a version with rewinding if nothing else.
It's annoying that there's not really a definitive version of the game; for the reasons stated above I'd think the Famicom version is superior (they definitely mess up World 9 in All-Stars) but World A, B, C, and D are tedious to access in this version (even discounting the difficulty of the game).
2021
This review contains spoilers
The story's played way safer compared to the previous games, which wouldn't be as much of a problem if they didn't completely botch the execution anyways. The only real interesting scenario is Savalon, because of the whole "flooded by water crystal" thing. (I think it's neat, at least - the crystals causing problems by not being where they should.) The earth crystal scenario tries to be interesting like that, at least, but the fire crystal doesn't try at all.
Gameplay suffers from inexplicably cutting out QoL features. A huge one is with the battle system - for some reason, they made the shift to a conditional turn-based format (think Final Fantasy X), but they didn't pair being able to view the turn order - they just gave vague indications of who's up next. You could argue that this is to counterbalance how it would affect Brave/Default; I'd argue that's a good reason to just sticking to traditional turn-based like the last two games.
The jobs are kinda sloppily designed. They undid the "double unlock" system for magic that the first two games had, which wouldn't be too bad if they didn't also make getting job levels way more accessible. This does not make magic good. On the contrary, they massively undertuned magic because you can, without too much effort, get -aga spells before even leaving the first area. (The job levels being easier to get thing would be nice if this wasn't almost assuredly the direct result). One of the final jobs you unlock has its schtick completely undermined by its final passive, which lets you break the damage limit. You can deal 10k damage over four turns... or you can slam 45k (generously, it's easy to get more) at once with, say, Berserker. Your call.
...I will say that I do like that specialties are actually, like, special, rather than "just" a job having an innate version of a passive they can learn normally. The integration is kinda wonky and uneven (some are very subclass-reliant, some are more focused on the class itself. some are really fucking good (tank class gets more attack the more target rate it has!), others are bottom tier crap - I'm looking at you, black mage specialty 2, or "use a different element, dipshit!"). But it's a nice concept.
Also counterattacks are dumb in this game. They're either a huge pain in the ass or absolutely nothing to worry about, depending on where you are in the game. Early on they're godawful, most of the game they're un-notable because you get a passive to dodge most of them (yes really), end game they're super fucking annoying because one of them is... Counter Any Ability: BP +1. Extra turns because you did literally anything. This makes you lean towards not letting your enemies get a turn at all, which is really easy, and I'm gonna let you in on a secret: keeping your enemies effortlessly locked down is really, really fucking boring. Status effects are absolutely criminally unused in RPGs but the way to make them usable is not making a passive that lets them have a 100% success rate, at least/especially when one of those statuses makes your enemies completely unable to move.
Like it could be fun in theory but like, almost every boss (when it's relevant) is open to some variant of it. That's boring.
Also sidequests generally suck, compared to the last two games. There's some that are fun and also worth it (not-coincidentally, they have voice acting) but most of them are just... dumb crap for shit that's not even unique.
tl;dr - there's a lot that went wrong with this game. i won't, admittedly, say it's BAD - it's serviceable enough and for most of the game it isn't really offensive. But it could've been more - and it doesn't always land on its feet for what it's trying to be.
Gameplay suffers from inexplicably cutting out QoL features. A huge one is with the battle system - for some reason, they made the shift to a conditional turn-based format (think Final Fantasy X), but they didn't pair being able to view the turn order - they just gave vague indications of who's up next. You could argue that this is to counterbalance how it would affect Brave/Default; I'd argue that's a good reason to just sticking to traditional turn-based like the last two games.
The jobs are kinda sloppily designed. They undid the "double unlock" system for magic that the first two games had, which wouldn't be too bad if they didn't also make getting job levels way more accessible. This does not make magic good. On the contrary, they massively undertuned magic because you can, without too much effort, get -aga spells before even leaving the first area. (The job levels being easier to get thing would be nice if this wasn't almost assuredly the direct result). One of the final jobs you unlock has its schtick completely undermined by its final passive, which lets you break the damage limit. You can deal 10k damage over four turns... or you can slam 45k (generously, it's easy to get more) at once with, say, Berserker. Your call.
...I will say that I do like that specialties are actually, like, special, rather than "just" a job having an innate version of a passive they can learn normally. The integration is kinda wonky and uneven (some are very subclass-reliant, some are more focused on the class itself. some are really fucking good (tank class gets more attack the more target rate it has!), others are bottom tier crap - I'm looking at you, black mage specialty 2, or "use a different element, dipshit!"). But it's a nice concept.
Also counterattacks are dumb in this game. They're either a huge pain in the ass or absolutely nothing to worry about, depending on where you are in the game. Early on they're godawful, most of the game they're un-notable because you get a passive to dodge most of them (yes really), end game they're super fucking annoying because one of them is... Counter Any Ability: BP +1. Extra turns because you did literally anything. This makes you lean towards not letting your enemies get a turn at all, which is really easy, and I'm gonna let you in on a secret: keeping your enemies effortlessly locked down is really, really fucking boring. Status effects are absolutely criminally unused in RPGs but the way to make them usable is not making a passive that lets them have a 100% success rate, at least/especially when one of those statuses makes your enemies completely unable to move.
Like it could be fun in theory but like, almost every boss (when it's relevant) is open to some variant of it. That's boring.
Also sidequests generally suck, compared to the last two games. There's some that are fun and also worth it (not-coincidentally, they have voice acting) but most of them are just... dumb crap for shit that's not even unique.
tl;dr - there's a lot that went wrong with this game. i won't, admittedly, say it's BAD - it's serviceable enough and for most of the game it isn't really offensive. But it could've been more - and it doesn't always land on its feet for what it's trying to be.
2021
Probably the best version of FF3, though that's admittedly not saying too much. :U
It is a nice, simple adventure. It won't blow your mind too much, and battles are... absurdly simple, but sometimes you just wanna play a comfy RPG, y'know?
That said - the dungeons are ENTIRELY too freaking long. Even ignoring how much of a slog it ends up being, it's kinda painful to use mages. Final Fantasy III uses an MP charge system, which means each "level" of magic has a certain amount of times you can use it before going to an inn or drinking an elixir - with the number of times scaling with how high your level is, natch. For the base jobs (which are the jobs you have for most of the game, mind) you get a ton of level 1 charges and... not nearly as many for the other levels. Level 1 spells can still be surprisingly useful for a surprisingly long time, but it's still kind of a pain - especially since the Pixel Remaster version of the first game added Ethers. It's mostly a pain in the ass during the midgame - the final set of jobs, while coming in way too late, have their MP distributed far more sensibly.
Otherwise it's generally pretty decent. The graphics are really good - it probably helps that Final Fantasy III doesn't have a 16-bit version to match itself against already, sure, but. The spell effects are REALLY good and I like them a lot. Music's also nice.
I think the final weird thing to me is forcing you to save on the world map still but then adding auto-saves (that're only really visible if you die, mind) and quick saves that... don't really go away, at all. like what the hell
Other than that, if you wanna waste an afternoon or two, there's far, far worse games to idly waste time with.
It is a nice, simple adventure. It won't blow your mind too much, and battles are... absurdly simple, but sometimes you just wanna play a comfy RPG, y'know?
That said - the dungeons are ENTIRELY too freaking long. Even ignoring how much of a slog it ends up being, it's kinda painful to use mages. Final Fantasy III uses an MP charge system, which means each "level" of magic has a certain amount of times you can use it before going to an inn or drinking an elixir - with the number of times scaling with how high your level is, natch. For the base jobs (which are the jobs you have for most of the game, mind) you get a ton of level 1 charges and... not nearly as many for the other levels. Level 1 spells can still be surprisingly useful for a surprisingly long time, but it's still kind of a pain - especially since the Pixel Remaster version of the first game added Ethers. It's mostly a pain in the ass during the midgame - the final set of jobs, while coming in way too late, have their MP distributed far more sensibly.
Otherwise it's generally pretty decent. The graphics are really good - it probably helps that Final Fantasy III doesn't have a 16-bit version to match itself against already, sure, but. The spell effects are REALLY good and I like them a lot. Music's also nice.
I think the final weird thing to me is forcing you to save on the world map still but then adding auto-saves (that're only really visible if you die, mind) and quick saves that... don't really go away, at all. like what the hell
Other than that, if you wanna waste an afternoon or two, there's far, far worse games to idly waste time with.
2021
Sequel to the hit game "Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE", Shin Megami Tensei V takes a surprisingly dark turn compared to the bright, optimistic views of its predecessor.
Alright, alright, let's actually be a bit serious here. A pretty common meme going around is that this game is "Persona 5 without the heart" and that... well, it isn't too far off. If you're here for the story and character development, you're gonna be sorely disappointed. The story's split up into Dragon Quest-style vignettes. Everything you do is relevant to some degree, it's just not quite tight and connected. Certain beats and sidequests (especially involving the fairy village) can be cute and fun, it's just... not all quite connected, y'know?
But what if you aren't? What if you're more interested in exploration? Testing your wits against enemy demons in a frantic battle for survival? If that interests you, then Shin Megami Tensei V is your game - which isn't too surprising, as it shares a director with the Etrian Odyssey series, which puts a similar emphasis on exploration and tight battles over the story.
The skill design of SMTV is really great - and honestly, some of my favorite in an RPG. Helping things out a ton is the large amount of unique skills, helping your demonic companions stand out from each other more - occasionally it's simply allowing earlier, restricted access to certain skills, but often it's a unique effect, such as series mascot Jack Frost's "Jack Bufula", which deals ice damage and lowers the target's defense. These skills can definitely help you get more mileage out of your demons, and SMTV is even generous enough to let you have your favored demons keep pace with you (especially with Essences, an enhanced version of Strange Journey's demon sources, which you can apply even after a demon has been fused). I also adore that items can provide a meaningful backbone to your strategy - you can learn a passive that lets all of your demons use items, which adds a bit of extra depth because items are actually good! New (ish; the concept has been in Digital Devil Saga) to the series are items that create one-use elemental shields, and those coupled with attack gems can be incredibly useful. (Status gems, while not quite as good, can still be useful in a pinch - bosses aren't immune to statuses, for once.)
Exploration can be a bit of a double-edged sword - there is a LOT of platforming, things can get confusing, and it can honestly be a bit of a pain, but in most cases it enhances that feel of "wow, Tokyo got messed up". YMMV on if that's enough to save it for you, but it was fine for me.
It might sorta drag near the end but honestly it feels like enough games do that, at least nowadays, that I really can't get too mad at it for that.
tl;dr: story's kinda barebones, if sometimes fun or personal, gameplay is top-notch if maybe dragging near the middle-end.
Alright, alright, let's actually be a bit serious here. A pretty common meme going around is that this game is "Persona 5 without the heart" and that... well, it isn't too far off. If you're here for the story and character development, you're gonna be sorely disappointed. The story's split up into Dragon Quest-style vignettes. Everything you do is relevant to some degree, it's just not quite tight and connected. Certain beats and sidequests (especially involving the fairy village) can be cute and fun, it's just... not all quite connected, y'know?
But what if you aren't? What if you're more interested in exploration? Testing your wits against enemy demons in a frantic battle for survival? If that interests you, then Shin Megami Tensei V is your game - which isn't too surprising, as it shares a director with the Etrian Odyssey series, which puts a similar emphasis on exploration and tight battles over the story.
The skill design of SMTV is really great - and honestly, some of my favorite in an RPG. Helping things out a ton is the large amount of unique skills, helping your demonic companions stand out from each other more - occasionally it's simply allowing earlier, restricted access to certain skills, but often it's a unique effect, such as series mascot Jack Frost's "Jack Bufula", which deals ice damage and lowers the target's defense. These skills can definitely help you get more mileage out of your demons, and SMTV is even generous enough to let you have your favored demons keep pace with you (especially with Essences, an enhanced version of Strange Journey's demon sources, which you can apply even after a demon has been fused). I also adore that items can provide a meaningful backbone to your strategy - you can learn a passive that lets all of your demons use items, which adds a bit of extra depth because items are actually good! New (ish; the concept has been in Digital Devil Saga) to the series are items that create one-use elemental shields, and those coupled with attack gems can be incredibly useful. (Status gems, while not quite as good, can still be useful in a pinch - bosses aren't immune to statuses, for once.)
Exploration can be a bit of a double-edged sword - there is a LOT of platforming, things can get confusing, and it can honestly be a bit of a pain, but in most cases it enhances that feel of "wow, Tokyo got messed up". YMMV on if that's enough to save it for you, but it was fine for me.
It might sorta drag near the end but honestly it feels like enough games do that, at least nowadays, that I really can't get too mad at it for that.
tl;dr: story's kinda barebones, if sometimes fun or personal, gameplay is top-notch if maybe dragging near the middle-end.
Honestly even if its only merit was "Westerners can actually play Rush Duels without knowing Japanese" it'd rank pretty high. Thankfully, that's not its only merit - it has lots of nice little animations that play when various effects activate, and the small "holograms" add a nice touch to your duels.
Admittedly, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Your deck-making capabilities are extremely limited - you can only use "deck recipes" for most of the game (you can unlock the ability early by using the Konami Code, but for the final storyline duel you HAVE to use a specific deck - that the game gives you the cards for, thankfully). I get the reason (this is a game for kids) but it can be frustrating getting the exact cards you need for them. The decks you face can also feel a bit same-y at times, which is... pretty unfortunate.
That said, I'd still probably recommend the game to anyone interested in Yu-Gi-Oh unless you're really interested in the super-complex plays of the modern game. They're simple, but fun, and trying to figure out how to use your hand so you can draw as many cards as you can? There's no rush (ha) like that.
...Definitely check out the options menu, though. By default there's a LOT of options enabled that slow down the duels or might be too hand-holdy.
Admittedly, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Your deck-making capabilities are extremely limited - you can only use "deck recipes" for most of the game (you can unlock the ability early by using the Konami Code, but for the final storyline duel you HAVE to use a specific deck - that the game gives you the cards for, thankfully). I get the reason (this is a game for kids) but it can be frustrating getting the exact cards you need for them. The decks you face can also feel a bit same-y at times, which is... pretty unfortunate.
That said, I'd still probably recommend the game to anyone interested in Yu-Gi-Oh unless you're really interested in the super-complex plays of the modern game. They're simple, but fun, and trying to figure out how to use your hand so you can draw as many cards as you can? There's no rush (ha) like that.
...Definitely check out the options menu, though. By default there's a LOT of options enabled that slow down the duels or might be too hand-holdy.
There's a LOT of streamlining which is very much appreciated here. "It's super effective!" shows up during an attack, and how they handle EXP and learning moves makes post-battle far more streamlined and less annoying with pestering about learning moves and what-not. It's not perfect, and there's definitely some redundancy still (the menu to go back to town has two "I'm gonna keep exploring!" options, actually equipping new moves - while still less tedious than the old option - kinda takes too long for no real reason, and the "continue" screen in boss battles can be too verbose). It's still a much-appreciated step forward for the Pokemon franchise, though.
I will say, though, that rare Pokemon like Cherrim or Munchlax can be REALLY annoying to find, which is a huge pain in the butt. The action RPG elements don't really help either, especially for Pokemon that opt to flee - it MAKES SENSE but it's annoying for rarer ones that might not always show up.
I will say, though, that rare Pokemon like Cherrim or Munchlax can be REALLY annoying to find, which is a huge pain in the butt. The action RPG elements don't really help either, especially for Pokemon that opt to flee - it MAKES SENSE but it's annoying for rarer ones that might not always show up.
square enix refusing to release most of the Dragon Quest games that came out on the 3DS over here is a freakin' travesty
If mashing monsters together to make cool powerful dudes designed by Akira Toriyama appeals to you then man do I have the subseries for you! Some overhauls make creating powerhouses a bit easier in this game (and for making the monsters you like powerful, too), which I honestly think is fun! As a result the game does end up on the easier side, except for the end- and post-game where a lot of bullshit gets cranked up to maximum. Think the only real downside beyond that is the lame accessory crafting and customization system, which has materials that are a pain in the ass to get in meaningful quantities.
Oh yeah, and I love the sci-fi-fantasy aesthetic the game has going on. It's fun!
If mashing monsters together to make cool powerful dudes designed by Akira Toriyama appeals to you then man do I have the subseries for you! Some overhauls make creating powerhouses a bit easier in this game (and for making the monsters you like powerful, too), which I honestly think is fun! As a result the game does end up on the easier side, except for the end- and post-game where a lot of bullshit gets cranked up to maximum. Think the only real downside beyond that is the lame accessory crafting and customization system, which has materials that are a pain in the ass to get in meaningful quantities.
Oh yeah, and I love the sci-fi-fantasy aesthetic the game has going on. It's fun!