After II, you'd be forgiven for thinking the series had nowhere else to go. That was until Atlus had the genius idea to set it in a chaotic world in opposition to II's lawful one.

And it does feel chaotic. Powerful enemies can show up out of nowhere, might rules the day and you will feel overwhelmed. It's even reflected by the narrative, where you have to choose a philosophy to reshape the world, but all are morally gray and none of them are your own.

This game pioneered the Press Turn system which has been used by several games since. Of course you have to mention Kaneko's art and Meguro's soundtrack too. There's just so much to admire here.

The Persona series may be more accessible but Nocturne has it beat in sheer originality. I love, love, love this game.