not making any comment on the state of this remaster. it is what it is, if you know, you know.

nocturne is a really, really good game. but it isn't great.

the (albeit VERY minor) QoL changes within the remaster are super helpful but don't quite go as far as they needed to.

the main gameplay loop of nocturne is MegaTen at its most tedious. I'd even go as far as to say that it's more tedious than Strange Journey.

This leads to moments where the tense atmosphere pokes thru in more ways than just the incredible art design.

Most of what this game has to offer is awesome. The music is incredible, the world design is jaw dropping, the combat is intense and begs for you to master it, and the demons you constantly encounter look and sound great.

BUT

The dungeon design is laughable, the characters (aside from demi and a select few others) are pretty meh, and the random encounter rate is set so high I almost feel that Atlus did it as a meme.

For everything this game does right, it does quite a bit wrong.

However, for those who enjoy Megami Tensei, you should really give it a try.

and no, this game is not that hard, it's just tedious.