[Emulated PS2 version on PCSX2 and achieved Freedom ending]

You either get it or you don’t I guess, this game definitely wasn’t for me. I suppose some people find the dreamy surreal atmosphere formed from the minimal cel shading and Kaneko’s paintings coming to life in 3D for the first time synergizing with Meguro’s score to be something special which I can agree that the game does have its own vibe and is what I’d attribute to its biggest strength.

The first dungeon was my personal favorite part of the game, I really loved the eerie hospital and how the game did a great job at reinforcing to the player that they have turned into a demon through using NPC dialogue to make the ghosts afraid of them while demon NPCs treat the protagonist as one of their kind. Having the world flipped upside down created a nice sense of mystery and confusion which made this part of the game the most memorable for me.

As for the story, really not a fan. The story is so minimal and when the game spends so little time on developing its themes, narrative, and characters it leads me to believe its not the focus of Nocturne at all and definitely not its strength. Maybe Nocturne’s narrative is just something only certain people can appreciate but… yeah this really wasn’t it for me..

Gameplay was alright but some dungeons rely too much on trial and error through the teleportation gimmick like the red temple which throws you in poison mist if you enter the wrong door and that gets old. Not being able to relearn skills is also a bit frustrating and I don’t like how skewed the game is towards a physical build despite giving Demifiend so many magic skills. Hard mode is also completely unbalanced, don’t even bother with it.

Encounter rate gets old when not only dungeons but towns and the world map also have them. If this was a short game it probably wouldn’t bother me but 60+ hours in and it was getting irritating having to deal with them so frequently. One-hit kill skills are a cheap mechanic and its frustrating to lose progress over getting killed by a random encounter. Even if these can be prevented with magatamas I still don’t think its inclusion brings anything to the game other than annoyance which is something I can say about a lot of the game design in Nocturne.

Overall it was certainly a game, just not one for me. A good recommendation for those curious what Shin Megami Tensei is all about or want a gameplay driven turn-based rpg but those looking for characters and story should look elsewhere.