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That part where you said "being too neutral to get the neutral ending" got me, when I played SMT4 I just tried going chaos but accidentally ended up at neutral. Truly the game ever.
Dude me too , then I read how sort of intentional going that route is I felt like a jackass for just sort of stumbling into it. It was rewarding getting the true ending based on my natural inclination , but didn’t miss getting clapped by beelzebub a bunch
@@opinionpaladin6007 from what I remembered, I kept picking chaos choices because that was what I was originally going for but then the game ended up throwing me a bunch of law oriented choices just before the route lock, that somehow made me get to neutral route. The side quest part is after getting to the route so thankfully you have all the time in the world to do that iirc.
Such is real life bud. I mean look at Apple they have been going the chaos route for years but people still like their products so it's more of a neutral :|
eridanus will forever be my favorite SMT dungeon solely of last summer when I was in my demonica cosplay, and someone came up behind me, tapped my shoulder, showed me a picture of the teleport maze on their phone, said BOO and then immediately left
daily reminder that if you know a strange journey fan and want to scare them (even better, it's almost halloween) then proceed to show them a map of sector E (Eridanus)
I love how SJ holds up setting and theme-wise. Sci-fi horror works really well with MegaTen and I’m surprised there hasn’t been much done with it, plus having more of a focus with the problems humanity has and not sugarcoating it is something much needed especially compared to how a lot of post-apocalyptic media just puts the blame on one thing (which is pretty repetitive). Definitely the kind of themes I think of when SMT comes to mind and I’m glad SJ went all in with it. Not to mention how those themes beautifully impacted the dungeons at least in terms of aesthetic. Super unique. Wish Atlus did that more often since, while mainline is definitely bleak, the more pessimistic cautionary tale vibe and sort of experiencing how the apocalypse could unfold is much more effective.
Aside of SJ, the only one game with Sc-fi horror themes in series is Majin Tensei 1 & 2. Sadly this setting don't sell well, even if it fits very well with this franchise (that's why we have .... cough... Persona 3-5 with anime tropes).
@@snailthelostcow63 Meh kinda disagree on SH1 being on the same level of bleak as SJ. It’s more cyberpunk (which does rely a lot more on stylization complimenting the commentary while SJ, though stylish in its own way, has more of a focus on the fear of the unknown) and, at least on the ending front, it was a message on how humanity isn’t ready for super advanced tech and the issue with letting big companies do whatever they want without restrictions/letting them be apart of everyday life (especially ones that have a chokehold on industries kinda like Amazon), especially since rapid modernization is making people lose touch with their cultures. SH1’s epilogue ends on a much lighter note despite that though. SJ’s outcomes are all depressing. Either let the cycle of humanity sucking continue or do a hard reset. Both offer a good insight on several of humanity’s biggest issues and are fantastic at least story-wise for different reasons, not to mention how well they hold up in terms of setting. SH2’s story is really disconnected and feels like Atlus’s answer to that infamous IGN SMT5 review.
@@ExpandDong420 That's is one of reasons why P3-5 started to sell very well. JRPG's with full adult cast with more complex / mature plot tends to sell much worse, than shonen insipered anime JRPG's. The only one exception is FF XVI which is barely a jrpg, it's more like western slasher with rpg elements. There is also Yakuza series, which is the only one good selling seinen JRPG on market. And thats all.
Not knowing what demon youre fighting the first time is awesome for this game especifically. Adds to the investigation vibe that is the essence of the story.
This game man, it's something special, it took advantage of everything this series has to offer & executed it wonderfully, it probably has the best side quest in the entire series (the one that involves Yggdrasil), its such a perfect send off for the former character/demon artist of the franchise, definitely my favorite game in the series.
@@mattalan6618 The question is, do you have the time? Cause if you don't you'll probably suffer or just resort in using cheats or the password trick. That is, of course, unless you have a really high adaptability for games then you'll probably need less time than average
@@ironman-fg3jhi didnt need to grind troigh my entire devil survivor playtrough on the original ds version Hell i even gone phys (dont listen to the internet phys is broken in that game the protagonist became a god among men in the end)
One thing I really appreciated about SJ, is how nicely it forces you indirectly to switch up your party constantly. I never look up endings or routes, so my Protagonist was constantly swapping alignments, forcing me to change my party, which was really cool and interesting. Such a great game!
Something I absolutely love about the Jack's squad decision is the way that its framed. At first I was scared that I had to take the angelic or demonic route since Zelenin's song was just scary and killing Jack's squad didn't seem right either. Then I GOT to the decision and I saw that magical choice. "Just take out the demons in your way by yourself" and I smiled. At no point in the game are you really FORCED to take a route for what is usually a locking moment full of no middle grounds. You STILL take out the demons yes but with your own power, without relying on Zelenin OR Jimenez. I love this game with my whole chest. And in my opinion it does the alignment system the best in the whole series.
I always thought how interesting it was that it went a slight "horror" theme approach with the various demons we've seen through Atlus games. Plus I wouldn't mind where our cast isn't always the age range of high schoolers. Closest that even came to that was DDS, and Persona 2 EP.
I haven't played strange journey yet but I have means of doing it. I think I'll give it a try when I gave time. P2 eternal punishmentnis my favouritr persona game when it comes to plot, it was also mynfirst and the older characters age was very much a plus.
OG SJ is arguably the best SMT overall. Soul Hackers probably has the best story, IV:A might have the best gameplay, but SJ is the greatest encapsulation of the heart and soul of SMT in a single package. SJR was a huge mixed bag with plenty to like (voice acting, graphics, certain QoL improvements) but plenty not to like (most of the new story content, difficulty completely upended) but I poured hundreds of hours into it across several playthroughs just like the original. Maybe one of the most relevant games in this day and age.
i don't disagree with you, but i do think that saying the difficulty is upended in the remake is a bit unfair. you never have to go through the new dungeon, which leaves the old content and power progression about where it always was... but if you do go through the new stuff, the difficulty is more focused around that. don't disagree, just have a slightly different take. i'm with you that i like the original a little better just due to hte way it handles atmosphere and difficulty, though. it's way easier to balance one linear path than two with one being linear and one being nonlinear.
@@ZapBlaze Redux's Womb of Grief wanted to be the Labyrinth of Amala *so* badly, and the game does push the player extremely hard to explore it at least once. There's also unavoidable stuff in the main game, like the commander skills and healing at the Red Sprite being free, which objectively make the game easier. SJR (on Expert) is actually my preferred experience due to the voice acting and QoL improvements - like selecting demons' inherited skills, such a no-brainer that it was retroactively patched into Nocturne HD - but OG SJ is the better game IMO due to its higher difficulty and preceding Redux's "ATLUS remake, *must* include new waifu and story revolving around her" syndrome.
About the protagonist's random skill growth: If you get a magic build at the beginning, RESET IMMEDIATELY! The skills you get from your guns do NOT scale off your magic skill, they scale off strength just like physical and regular gun attacks. Your magic skill only effects magic stones, which are too rare to rely on scavenging for and too resource-intensive to rely on purchasing. For this reason, you want to get a strength build from the questionnaire, with vitality being a decent second option.
Imo Strength is the dump stat, Luck is the most important for gathering materials. For damage I prefer abusing co-op attack using elemental gun skill and left the heavy work for my demons. Agility is important for going first and to avoid instant kill (and to avoid getting ambushed, cmiiw). also Magic stat actually affect your magic defense.
@@mardshima2070 Yes. I prefer Magic + Vitality build in SJ. Just like in Raidou games, you should focus on survival, and let your demons to do most of dmg (in SJ - Demon Co-op Attack, in Raidou games - demons with using magic). Strength build is only good in SJ when you aim for best skill in game - Riot Gun, with best gun in game (very late game, and post game).
@@benjamin____f either one will do since they have no connection to each other, but i personally recommend the first one if you're looking for better story, and the second if you're looking for more refined gameplay
Oh Strange Journey, this was my first mainline SMT game after I got into the franchise with Persona 4 and thanks to this game and its amazing quality I've never looked back. The OST is awesome with its imposing orchestral that really leads to the theme of a small group of solders literally being humanity's last line of defense against the Schwarzwelt. Though the demon recruitment system is a bit of an odd duck. As normally you can't recruit Dark Demons though negotiation, but whatever that's what fusion is for. The combat difficulty is just right with the bosses being real tests of your skill, especially Morox, Ouroboros and Mem Alph being especially challenging my first time playing. As for Redux, I'll say that for next time but I'll just say that I still enjoy it but I can definitely see what people's problems with it are. But again, till next time.
The remake made it even better. The extreme alignments are reined in if you take the + endings, and in neutral + you become doom slayer. A whole new set of dungeons is how you access these endings, and the VAs knock it out of the park. Law + allows people to talk it out rather than just destroying the ability to reason and argue, but risks annihilation if an enemy the song doesn’t work on show up,. It is law permitting some chaos. Chaos+ gives everyone a truly fair shot, because survival of the fittest ironically would lead to a strong being laying down laws in the most gruesome way possible. It is chaos permitting law. Point is, when both alignments are take to their extreme, they eventually become dictatorship. The question then becomes who you want to live under and how fast does individuality fade? It’s only when you allow part of the other alignment to leak in that you can actually tell an eventual difference.
Oh my God, I couldn't have said it better myself. I hate how cynical this series feels towards humanity and the concept of neutrality at times. There's many shades of grey to life and I'd rather see some acknowledgement that there can be compromise and some amount of faith that we can do better.
I really really love Strange Journey, it was the first mainline smt game I have played, and my favorite. From the amazing atmosphere, the writing better than most books sci-fi books, and goodly orchestral ost. One of the greatest game of all time.
This has been my favorite SMT game so far, it's the first time I feel attracted to pick all the routes, I love Zelenin and Jimenez, one of my favorite interactions in the franchise is in Sector E where Zelenin makes a joke and Jimenez remarks it by telling you, they're having a short but genuine free time to joke around like buddies before they choose their alignments later on. The remastered version is how I got into this game and I gotta say that I loved the new endings and that I also really liked Alex, the character does feel off but I didn't hate her like I see many other people do. All in all this is my favorite SMT game, there's some that I'm still yet to play.
While epic and orchestrated, i dont find it better than other SMT's music. Checking the OST i would say that only the main theme, Antlia and boss theme are still in my mind, while other themes fell flat. However, considering the settling and tone of the adventure, the epic style is appropriate, but SMT traditional law and chaos themes like music could improve it enormously.
Man, finally a full review on this masterpiece. This game really was special. The music, the atmosphere, and the direness of the scenario. The credits theme made me feel empty upon completion and yet I was happy I’d finally beaten the game.
Aw :( I love Strange Journey Redux. It fixed some of the darkness-induced apathy for me. In SJ, I felt like I was stuck with Neutral, because Law and Chaos were simply too extreme and unethical. Why the hell would I pick them? They're *awful* plans with huge problems, and that neuters any sort of dilemma when I can just pick Neutral. This extremism also damaged my opinion on the two opposing Alignment Reps and their relatability. Like, I get why they're both like that. I do, IMO they get their time and writing to express it. But then they become zealots, and the ensuing struggle between us comes across not as tragic, but just having to stop two dangerous idiots. And Redux has a character, Alex, who... tests their ideology. Eugh. I *don't* especially like her, like at all, but she dies no matter what happens so I'm not as bothered. It gets them to change via voicing my thoughts and problems through her, and I *vastly* prefer the new endings they each get. I can actually get why each new ending could be considered "right" now, in the circumstances. They make much more compelling cases! And because, IMO, the characters and story are so paramount to what I love about Strange Journey, I do genuinely prefer Redux.
Yep I agree that redux makes every ending a viable consideration for the first time in this series, in the original version there's only the right choice and the 2 wrong ones, while in redux it's actually about perspective because there's no objective better ending.
@@Danielss250 So... redux just basically made it more comprehensible? Cause honestly, not that much has changed Which isn't a bad change mind you, it's a good change even. The original is a bit too "on your face" so it's hard to see the positives thanks to its extreme presentation.
I disagree with neutral being a better option in og SJ Law and Chaos are pretty bad in their own way, but at least some of humanity survives, in neutral we give a chance for humanity to be better with failure meaning the end of it. And it will fail. Just not today, with your co-workers generation being the only one who can rest peacefully. Redux law and chaos are "fix everything bad now the world is good and with no big moral dilemmas" buttons and new neutral is actually quite good and melancholic - same as the old one, except you know that humanity doesn't get better, but protagonist goes through hell again and again hoping that giving it another chance is the right thing to do and that humanity will get better this time
21:57 somebody correct me if I am wrong but iirc you need to invest into physical stat in order to increase the damage of your elemental gun skills Investing into magic only increases the damage from items that deal magic damage
I played the DS game cause that's the console I had. It was a torture because I stubbornly went for the neutral route and after I finally completed it, it left me with an empty feeling of: "Well, now what I do with my life?" and "OF COURSE ONLY AN ATLUS RPG WILL MAKE ME CRY FOR AN A.I." Also my favorite quest was probably Antonio trying to get laid with demons. That guy never learnt to take a hint.
I'm biased since SJ is the only SMT game I've beaten, but it's definitely my favorite. The game is consistently challenging and despite me definitely struggling in Sector E, I didn't find it any more obnoxious than any of the other areas. The game rewards experimenting with party composition and especially patience.
You can reroll stats via level up, just be sure to save within 1 battle of said level up for a chance. Afterwards battle and soft-reset until you get the stat spread you want. This is also viable for your other party members. The max stat points your main character can obtain per level up is 3, the rest are 5 (very difficult, but possible). This is the reason nobody complains about the MC stats, the can easily max it out without difficulty.
As much as i love the press turn combat system, the demon co-op system does much more to flesh out the world and the demons themselves. It makes you more carefully consider which demons you're going to keep around instead of just using the same small handful of endgame demons like all the other smt games. on top of that, the unpredictability of having to input all your turns before seeing how it plays out adds to the psychological stress the game really thrives on; you have to be very careful about your engagements and consider support skills in a different way than just shoving them inside an activated press turn so save momentum. You're also much much less likely to get steam rolled by rng when the enemies start criting/hitting your weaknesses back to back, like a certain first boss from smt4. I wish atlus would utilize demons' alignments much more often, especially since SMT as a whole is very heavy on the alignment paradigm. Strange journey has been their best attempt yet but they seem reluctant to go further with it.
Hello, English is not my native language but I had to write that I loved your video and I am very happy to see love for this game which I treasure in my DS collection. Thanks for doing this great job.
The internet didn't tell me Sector E was bad, I came to that conclusion after needing to look up a Map online because all the Teleporter shit and the map not marking the Teleport locations at all made navigation horrible. That along with the random encounters made planning annoying as hell.
Honestly feel the same but i dunno revisiting eridanus wasnt so bad... But man we dont talk about sector grus i like some of the pallet swaps (but i hate the delphinous sections they look like shit) but mand what a mess of gimmicks that dungeon is Honestly i feel like at that point in the game you could have faced maya right after that door but the developers just went "random bullshit go" to make the level longer And its not like there even is story between the door and maya its just you and the dungeon it honestly started to remind me of the womb of grief more then an actual sector
When playing retro SMT as old as Soul Hackers and older (thru means still frowned upon), I don't really miss the press turn system but I sure do long for a co-op mode with the various L/N/C aligned demons. That alone is a grand testament to how awesome & versatile co-op mode is.
This video pretty much sums up very wel why SJ is my favorite SMT game, great job! PS: No mention to the amazing and unique (compared to the other SMT games) OST :(
I honestly don't get why Nocturne dungeons get so much praise. Almost every single one of them is a "teleport you backwards to waste your time everytime you make a wrong turn" dungeon and its a pain in the ass combined with the high encounter rate
Yeah SMT3 definitely went to the FF2 school of dungeon design which is far from a good thing. If you want to see good dungeons play Golden Sun or Lufia or something. Even FFXII would do. (Necrohol of Nabudis and Pharos Tower SLAPS!)
TWEWY is the best DS game but SJ is pretty neat. I do think you're giving it a pass on some things that are more of an issue than you're portraying them as, but on the whole this was a pretty good video. One thing I really agreed with was how Demon Co-op Attacks really played into your place in the story, making your alignment matter for more than just your ending. That was a cool detail!
Strange Journey is better. Doesn't make SSU bad. Super Star Ultra isn't even the best in the series, that would have to go to literally any main series game starting with Return to Dreamland minus Star Allies. RtDD, TD, PR, and FL are all 9/10 games, all really good. PR would probably be the best tho, especially if it had a traditional final boss instead of a 40 minute long shoot-em-up section and a bit more content like the Switch games had.
@@krimsonkatt Naw I personally think the RtDL era games miss the mark on what made SS fun. Sure they have the fully fleshed out ability movesets, but the games themselves feel entirely too sluggish compared to SS/U. And I personally think the bosses are abhorrent with their long invulnerability phases. Forgotten Land is definitely great and a step in the right direction though I will agree on that one.
I've been really wanting to get into SMT for some months, and got stuck between choosing Devil Survivor Overclocked or Strange Journey Redux as a start, I was leaning more on Strange Journey since I've found de premise to be more interesting and never played a dungeon-crawler before (I also ending FE Awakening, so I would like to take some time off from tactical RPGs), but everyone kept saying how this game was near impossible and stuff, but after watching your video I definitely starting with this one! Can't wait for the video explaining why you didn't like Redux!
@hg md me too lol, but I looked it up and the differences are the game being easier, with infinite space for apps, the option to save anywhere, a new character and 3 new endings and a remade artwork. And honestly, it doesn't look like these things ruin the game, at least I think, let's see on the next video
I'm a very hardcore fan of the series and strange journey is the best in the series and one of the best games ever made. So about the redux, i'd say to not worry too much, i'm on the minority here but I think it's really good, in fact I prefer it. The main change are the new endings, which for the first and only time in this series, makes every ending more or less equal in objective terms, and choosing is actually just about perspective, this is what SMT always tried to but never could quite do it, the OG strange journey has a very clear canon neutral ending because the other 2 are SO bad it's funny. And that's usually what ppl complain about with redux, and you still get the 3 endings from the original version too. As you already pointed out, the changes to the gameplay don't make it worse necessarily, just different, and the game has a new difficulty which makes it much harder than the original. And there are some QoL changes that really change a lot about the usual gameplay loop and make it a lot less tedious, specially farming demon source, it makes a HUGE difference when farming these things for optimized builds, which are mandatory to beat to game on the harder dificulty. I'm just sharing my perspective, the other side of the coin, since you're interested in playing the game because i'm pretty sure he's gonna bash redux to hell and back on the next video as everyone does on youtube.
@@hgmd3284 honestly, just play redux. I couldn't get into the original at the time since I knew just from playing the few hours that this was a game that was doable, but would demand a huge chunk of my time because of grinding. Redux is more balanced towards the less hardcore fan. The dungeon crawling and other aspects are eased up because of the removal of the app restriction. But it isn't as easy as everyone makes it out to be since you don't really get to enjoy the perks of having all the apps activated until far into the game. The fights are still as tactical and unforgiving at least in my experience. I still got stuck for a bit with Asura and the last boss for the old endings but overcame it by shaking my lineup and strategy. Not to mention the random encounters that could make you gameover because of bad luck or not having the tool to effectively clear the dungeon. Also, Im one of the few people who actively use the 3DS glasses free 3D, and I gotta say dungeon crawlers like this and Etrian odyssey really benefit immersion wise from the said technology. The dungeons are just hauntingly gorgeous and the added depth of 3d just really got me into it more. Other than wishing I could have an option to use the old artstyle, I'd say it's a solid re-release. It's the only version of strange journey I played, but still good enough to cement itself as my favorite of the mainline and spinoff SMT games (barring Persona since I don't group them with SMT anymore)
I really enjoyed both games, though I do prefer the Devil Survivor games! They're strategy RPGs, rather than dungeon crawlers. I really enjoyed the pacing. Redux made the game easier in some ways, which was nice. The new dungeon sucked, but IIRC you don't have to do it
Those posters with the blatant BUY, CONSUME, etc. are callbacks to the 80's classic They Live! Starring Roddy Piper and Keith David, directed by John Carpenter. I'm still working on Redux, but...I don't think I really like it. Damn shame too, since I agree that the original SJ was brilliant.
13:46 this was something that admittedly felt like a downgrade to me. Sources, while in theory are a good alternative, are extremely scarce and downright impossible for certain scenarios to retrieve more than one. This is something smt v definitely improved in that regard, because if I want access to buff moves, I have to essentially farm a lot of enemies just to get sukukaja or even the one skill that makes the second half _doable_ (immunity to light and dark skills), good. Fucking LUCK
There reason why some people says that Luck is the best stat in SJ. Strength affects your damage, but the thing is you won't deals as much damage as your demons. Imo this is the dump stat. For me it's: Lu = Ag > Vi = Ma > St
Watching this makes me want to play Strange Journey. I only have Redux though. I'm eager to see your video comparing and contrasting the two versions. I've heard Redux adds things that take away from the game. I had fun with it and liked the game. It certainly isn't a bad game and I would recommend it to anyone who had a hard time finding a copy of vanilla Strange.
Give it a try, it adds and takes away from the original. But the core of SJ is such a good experience that even just playing Redux, it became my favorite SMT title.
10:30 this is wn awesome idea, ive always felt like the Alignment system is underused, so watching this segment of the video is a treat. I wonder if they'll try to work combst around alignments in the future.
So on the Neutral ending, I don't see how it's any different at fixing the problem than the others. All endings would end up avoiding the problem and eventually the problem would pop up again rather than just Neutral having this issue
People don't like it because it's "easier" (translation: less tedious) and because they don't like the writing for the new content, which is completely fair. The new endings slap tho, easily the best endings in the series bar none.
This game is peak SMT. Dark, gritty, unforgiving. The Demonica is one of the coolest pieces of gear in any video game. Jimenez did nothing wrong. I'll die on that hill. Great review! Enjoyed watching it from the moon. 10/10
Jimenez was based. Humans and demons DO deserve equal rights. His only flaw was going way too far in wanting to destroy the world and make humanity suffer and perish for the benefit of demon kind. That's why new chaos in SJR is so good, it takes out that whole genoside bit and makes humans and demons equal, eventually able to work hand in hand to form a better future. And heck, who would say no to a cute pixie girlfriend?
@@krimsonkatt i think his "flaw" mainly came from the amount of rage he felt after seeing how Jack's squad treated him and supposedly it's implied that they literally tortured him in ways that might've broke him (which is why he might've came out enraged as soon as he fused with Bugaboo) which i could kinda see why he'd be driven to the point of wanting to end humanity as he was literally tortured by the same race of people he was in (which in the end made him relate to the demons that were also being locked up/tortured since they were all in the same position as him) and i think that's what also led him to want humanity to die. thankfully they did make his ending better in Redux tho, i was more satisfied with that ending than the original.
im so glad i bought this game a while ago i have the full box with the manual and everything for like $25 and im at the shopping mall section and its soooo much fun
One of the best Megaten related videos I’ve ever seen. This is a very comprehensive review, but I also feel like it withholds enough information to make someone still want to try the game. I love Strange Journey, and you pretty much hit the nail on the head as to why. I especially like how you explained the story. The reason this game is so impactful, is because it has something valid to say about humanity. And the message is gonna be relevant forever.
Preach about the alignments, I was so upset when I learned you had to go with the true demon ending to get the true ending and all of the bonus content. I just wanted to go back to normal life man 😭
You can always do Freedom Ending for your first playthrough and save TDE/Labyrinth of Amala for NG+, you know... Actually, I'm pretty sure that's what's intended. Freedom Ending is actually the true ending, True Demon Ending is more like a secret bonus ending added in a re-release which just so happened to be the version we got. (Maniax)
I rather disagree about the ending bias here. The original SJ was heavily Neutral-biased, and the grim state of the world didn't really detract from it. The Neutral ending is impermanent, fragile, up to mankind at large to capitalize on and fully in line with the traditional weaknesses of the Neutral alignment. Yet the alternatives are so utterly hostile to human life that to pick anything but Neutral is to abandon hope altogether. I truly do believe that for all the clumsiness of its execution, Redux did have the better idea in terms of balance: don't make everything suck "equally", make everything viable in meaningfully conflicting ways. When the alternatives are even remotely acceptable, suddenly the darkness of the Neutral state starts to matter all the more because you're now capable of saying that the long shot of rebuilding from Chaos+ or the vulnerability and possible stagnation in Law+ can be worth it against Neutral's humanity-driven perils (which don't go away with Neutral+, only the Schwartzwelt is held back, and even that is done with a Nocturne-style "for as long as you can hold it back"). I cannot call Alex good. I cannot say that the transition into the new endings was handled gracefully. But I do not in any way agree that lightening the endings cheapens the choice. Also, as for the G choice, I feel it would be a lot harder if not for the preceding events with the Song. You can choose to kill the demons that already experienced torture at the hands of Jack's crew... or you can put down the burnt-out indoctrinated husks of what used to be Jack's team. Their fate is already a clear demonstration of what the Wise Men mention towards the end: the Song is so singular in its focus on eliminating "flaws" that some people will have their personalities utterly erased by it. The trade-off is not "humans vs demons", it's more "do you still consider Jack's crew human enough to extend any care to them".
The only reason why some people hate strange journey dungeon due to they don't look on the lower screen automap. Constantly looking at the automap these dungeon become a piece of cake.
Honestly i feel like the automap is kinda overpowered here because i constantly felt like i was looking way too much at it isntead of looking at the actual game
Twewy and Strange Journey got the spot for best game on the DS in my heart. Especially SJ is so incredibly good, i never thought ill love it that much when i first played it.
If there's something SJ did perfectly, it's definitely the atmosphere especially for early game. It really feels like wandering into a really hostile environment, very different with the usual SMT where the hostility was first brought from the outside. You can actually feel the feeling of "I'm not paid enough for this shit". Also, I agree with SJ having great dungeon designs. I think the "dungeons in SJ is terrible" comes from the general opinion of it being "hard" but then twisted into "terrible design". Basically the case of skill issue lol
I never was that deep into like community conversation, but it kinda baffles me that people don't like the Strange Journey Dungeons. They may be hard, but I didn't think any of them were frustrating, they always felt very clear in their vision Lore and Gameplaywise. The twin Towers in Soul Hackers or the later Dungeons in Persona 1 frustrated me way more, despite being way easier. Maybe it's because I like Metroidvanias and Strange Journey kinda feels like one for me. The main focus is on pushing forward through the different Zones, but you often can go back to older zones to use new mechanics for new ways, even though most of the time those are optional. The only Strange Journey Dungeon I absolutely hate is the Womb of Grief, that one can suck a fat one, but it's not in the Original Game and even in Redux you can just skip it.
I can’t get redux to work right on citra… so I’m enjoying the DS version very much. I just like the voice acting in the newer one. Oh well. All the demons won’t even talk to me though. I own the only 3 that will. After like 3 hours
honestly I have this strange journey for playing a part in my love for RPGs. It was my favorite series in the megten series and basically my drill sergeant for rpgs. It may of been one of the hardest game in series but even as a kid playing on ds back then I still have fond memories with it (fond and frustrating memories 😅)
Thank you for all of your work putting together a video for this game. I only played Redux, personally. Its certainly not my favorite SMT, but I get the feeling that its probably the most/best SMT feeling game in the series? Its funny, I didn't like the soundtrack either, but that doesn't mean its bad. I can't think of a better way to orchestrate the military theme.
I own both versions of Strange Journey, constantly have a friend that tells me that I need to play it but I've been putting it off for a long time. But after watching this review and I'm more into gameplay than I am into storyline, this video has definitely moved the game up in my backlog/replays. I generally don't like overly long reviews, most of them sound that they like hearing themselves talk without going into detail in what really matters. Giving hypothesis about etc, etc, that doesn't belong in a video when I'm watching a review because I want to hear details about why I'd like the game. This review was actually really informative, going into detail of the co op system, demons being preset with no ability carry over except with the demon cores, with only the main character having customization of over skills more similar to the Mantra system than the Nocturne system it appears with the issue that you can't build the main character how you want unfortunately(also similar to DDS though,) and then I always like when games add great implementations of the Final Fantasy 9 AP system. I've always liked the press turn system on SMT4, Apocalypse, DDS1 and 2, and Nocturne, but having replayed Nocturne many times over, eve within the past month. One thing I've noticed that I'll be doing on a lot of battles in Nocturne at points is passing turns and only using two demons and only using others when passing turns will lose a turn. Demons that I don't yet want to fuse or are good in different situations. So the two demons who may be finishing off battles in one or two turns may be having their turns passed in other battles. I've just become a little bit tired of the press turn system, while also not being a fan of the bloat that Persona 5 shoves down your throat. Persona 4, I liked the storyline and the dialogue, Persona 5 happens to just shove so much unnecessary dialogue to just pad the game and I quit playing after the bank. I actually think the once again and baton passing system are better versions of the SMT Nocturne press turn system, but SMT Nocturne is a better game by design. So after watching this review I'm like. Have I avoided playing the best SMT game? This game has definitely moved up on my must play list so I'll be playing it within the month just as soon as I finish Divinity Original Sin 2 on honour mode.
I’ll just say…I own the game, I made it to the garden-like area, but stopped because of the maze-like level design. I love this game in every OTHER way. Hope someday to beat it😅
For reference: it was Sector E. The previous dungeons did kinda annoy me with their “go up, use elevator to go down, take new stairs up, then drop into a pit down to where you want to go” layouts😨
I always saw people complaining about Sector Eridanus and I never found it hard or confusing. It was sector G the one that actually made me bored (I hate dungeons with frequent encounters with demons that are phys resistant). Oroboros took a while though.
Stopped at the same place 3 years ago and now ive been playing again and i am at the final dungeon after playing all mainlines but smt 1 and devil survivor
see for me I made a critical mistake, this was my first jrpg dungeon at like 7, I didn't touch anything that was like it after I first played it, dying that many times hurt my soul
Nam you should definitely try some more games from DS to say that: My favorite is from a completely different genre but I can’t put in second place because I think it was a miracle That game is Ace attorney, if you like story only games then play it.
I'll give redux one thing. I love that they explain exactly what went wrong with each ending and then you basically fix that problem. Well except for Neutral I guess.
Another great video but I can easily tell you why people hate Eridanus. It ends with oroborous. So you suffer through that nightmare maze to fight the forever boss. As someone who isn't AS into the challenge aspect of the series, beating her didn't feel like overcoming a challenge due to strategy it was more a sigh of relief before realizing "Oh God there's still more game left". That's just me tho
5:38 that intro has stopped me from playing Persona 4 on PC for months. I just started 5 on my switch and was genuinely shocked when there was combat in the first 5 minutes. Also Gun is an option that should be in more rpgs.
Maybe because it was my first SMT game but it's my favorite. I was completely hooked. Unfortunately, I semi-soft locked myself and I really couldn't beat a particular boss late in the game so I gave up.
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I hope they port this game(along with all the main line games and more) to PS4, PS5, Switch, etc..
Thank you for this video! More people NEED to know why this game is the best.
This was a really solid video
Edit: managed to buy Redux before 3DS store went down, cannot wait to play
Never forget building 7 2000s boy
That part where you said "being too neutral to get the neutral ending" got me, when I played SMT4 I just tried going chaos but accidentally ended up at neutral. Truly the game ever.
Dude me too , then I read how sort of intentional going that route is I felt like a jackass for just sort of stumbling into it. It was rewarding getting the true ending based on my natural inclination , but didn’t miss getting clapped by beelzebub a bunch
Isnt the smt 4 Nuetral ending hard to get? Dont you have to 100% the side quests and be almost exactly nuetral. Or some shenanigans like that
@@opinionpaladin6007 from what I remembered, I kept picking chaos choices because that was what I was originally going for but then the game ended up throwing me a bunch of law oriented choices just before the route lock, that somehow made me get to neutral route. The side quest part is after getting to the route so thankfully you have all the time in the world to do that iirc.
Such is real life bud.
I mean look at Apple they have been going the chaos route for years but people still like their products so it's more of a neutral :|
@@opinionpaladin6007 Def not easy, I was flabbergasted when I actually got it in my only playthrough. I lovd that ending
eridanus will forever be my favorite SMT dungeon solely of last summer when I was in my demonica cosplay, and someone came up behind me, tapped my shoulder, showed me a picture of the teleport maze on their phone, said BOO and then immediately left
daily reminder that if you know a strange journey fan and want to scare them (even better, it's almost halloween) then proceed to show them a map of sector E (Eridanus)
wooaaa you have a demonica cosplay thats so awesome
Gigachad
@@WindermedI'm not sleeping tonight SO THANKS! 😑
I love how SJ holds up setting and theme-wise. Sci-fi horror works really well with MegaTen and I’m surprised there hasn’t been much done with it, plus having more of a focus with the problems humanity has and not sugarcoating it is something much needed especially compared to how a lot of post-apocalyptic media just puts the blame on one thing (which is pretty repetitive). Definitely the kind of themes I think of when SMT comes to mind and I’m glad SJ went all in with it. Not to mention how those themes beautifully impacted the dungeons at least in terms of aesthetic. Super unique. Wish Atlus did that more often since, while mainline is definitely bleak, the more pessimistic cautionary tale vibe and sort of experiencing how the apocalypse could unfold is much more effective.
Aside of SJ, the only one game with Sc-fi horror themes in series is Majin Tensei 1 & 2. Sadly this setting don't sell well, even if it fits very well with this franchise (that's why we have .... cough... Persona 3-5 with anime tropes).
Ahem, Soul Hackers
But well... we got Soul Hackers 2 instead...
@@snailthelostcow63 Meh kinda disagree on SH1 being on the same level of bleak as SJ. It’s more cyberpunk (which does rely a lot more on stylization complimenting the commentary while SJ, though stylish in its own way, has more of a focus on the fear of the unknown) and, at least on the ending front, it was a message on how humanity isn’t ready for super advanced tech and the issue with letting big companies do whatever they want without restrictions/letting them be apart of everyday life (especially ones that have a chokehold on industries kinda like Amazon), especially since rapid modernization is making people lose touch with their cultures. SH1’s epilogue ends on a much lighter note despite that though. SJ’s outcomes are all depressing. Either let the cycle of humanity sucking continue or do a hard reset. Both offer a good insight on several of humanity’s biggest issues and are fantastic at least story-wise for different reasons, not to mention how well they hold up in terms of setting.
SH2’s story is really disconnected and feels like Atlus’s answer to that infamous IGN SMT5 review.
@@nr2676what's wrong with anime tropes in an anime game? Persona is objectively the most "anime" SMT spinoff and runs with it
@@ExpandDong420 That's is one of reasons why P3-5 started to sell very well. JRPG's with full adult cast with more complex / mature plot tends to sell much worse, than shonen insipered anime JRPG's. The only one exception is FF XVI which is barely a jrpg, it's more like western slasher with rpg elements. There is also Yakuza series, which is the only one good selling seinen JRPG on market. And thats all.
Strange Journey is called "Odd Walkthrough" in the United Kingdom
And "Vreemde Reis" in the Netherlands
Aventura extraña
@@Kruppuchinowow, it's almost like that's a direct translation
@@ihavenonamestilldonthaveon8970 What!? Nah you're taking the piss with me.
bullocks
Not knowing what demon youre fighting the first time is awesome for this game especifically. Adds to the investigation vibe that is the essence of the story.
This game man, it's something special, it took advantage of everything this series has to offer & executed it wonderfully, it probably has the best side quest in the entire series (the one that involves Yggdrasil), its such a perfect send off for the former character/demon artist of the franchise, definitely my favorite game in the series.
is it worth a playthrough? i kinda fell off the series after the PS2 era
@@mattalan6618 it's only one of the best DS games you can get, so yea definitely worth it imo.
@@mattalan6618 The question is, do you have the time? Cause if you don't you'll probably suffer or just resort in using cheats or the password trick. That is, of course, unless you have a really high adaptability for games then you'll probably need less time than average
@@snailthelostcow63 i used money cheat for devil survivor cos im not grinding a single player game lol. but to each their own i guess
@@ironman-fg3jhi didnt need to grind troigh my entire devil survivor playtrough on the original ds version
Hell i even gone phys (dont listen to the internet phys is broken in that game the protagonist became a god among men in the end)
22:00 not to mention your magic stat doesnt affect your gun "spells". strength does, magic only affects magic defense..mp..and consumable magic items
What do all the stats affect in this game, never could figure out everything so please lemme know
@@gabrieldevoogel6225 imma be honest I forgot by now lol
@@toooydoeur DAMN MY NOT SEEING THIS VIDEO SOONER , lmao but your good
One thing I really appreciated about SJ, is how nicely it forces you indirectly to switch up your party constantly. I never look up endings or routes, so my Protagonist was constantly swapping alignments, forcing me to change my party, which was really cool and interesting. Such a great game!
Something I absolutely love about the Jack's squad decision is the way that its framed. At first I was scared that I had to take the angelic or demonic route since Zelenin's song was just scary and killing Jack's squad didn't seem right either. Then I GOT to the decision and I saw that magical choice. "Just take out the demons in your way by yourself" and I smiled. At no point in the game are you really FORCED to take a route for what is usually a locking moment full of no middle grounds. You STILL take out the demons yes but with your own power, without relying on Zelenin OR Jimenez. I love this game with my whole chest. And in my opinion it does the alignment system the best in the whole series.
I always thought how interesting it was that it went a slight "horror" theme approach with the various demons we've seen through Atlus games. Plus I wouldn't mind where our cast isn't always the age range of high schoolers. Closest that even came to that was DDS, and Persona 2 EP.
I haven't played strange journey yet but I have means of doing it.
I think I'll give it a try when I gave time.
P2 eternal punishmentnis my favouritr persona game when it comes to plot, it was also mynfirst and the older characters age was very much a plus.
OG SJ is arguably the best SMT overall. Soul Hackers probably has the best story, IV:A might have the best gameplay, but SJ is the greatest encapsulation of the heart and soul of SMT in a single package. SJR was a huge mixed bag with plenty to like (voice acting, graphics, certain QoL improvements) but plenty not to like (most of the new story content, difficulty completely upended) but I poured hundreds of hours into it across several playthroughs just like the original. Maybe one of the most relevant games in this day and age.
2nd best mainline
IMO Devil survivor has the best story. But overall SJ (Both OG and Redux) are the best mainline games
IMO Devil survivor are the best megaten games.
Digital Devil Saga and Devil Survivor have best story, better than SH1 for sure. SMT 1 & SMT 2 & SMT 3 have also great story, if you like minimalism.
i don't disagree with you, but i do think that saying the difficulty is upended in the remake is a bit unfair. you never have to go through the new dungeon, which leaves the old content and power progression about where it always was... but if you do go through the new stuff, the difficulty is more focused around that. don't disagree, just have a slightly different take. i'm with you that i like the original a little better just due to hte way it handles atmosphere and difficulty, though. it's way easier to balance one linear path than two with one being linear and one being nonlinear.
@@ZapBlaze Redux's Womb of Grief wanted to be the Labyrinth of Amala *so* badly, and the game does push the player extremely hard to explore it at least once. There's also unavoidable stuff in the main game, like the commander skills and healing at the Red Sprite being free, which objectively make the game easier. SJR (on Expert) is actually my preferred experience due to the voice acting and QoL improvements - like selecting demons' inherited skills, such a no-brainer that it was retroactively patched into Nocturne HD - but OG SJ is the better game IMO due to its higher difficulty and preceding Redux's "ATLUS remake, *must* include new waifu and story revolving around her" syndrome.
About the protagonist's random skill growth:
If you get a magic build at the beginning, RESET IMMEDIATELY! The skills you get from your guns do NOT scale off your magic skill, they scale off strength just like physical and regular gun attacks. Your magic skill only effects magic stones, which are too rare to rely on scavenging for and too resource-intensive to rely on purchasing.
For this reason, you want to get a strength build from the questionnaire, with vitality being a decent second option.
Magic stat give you magic resistance, which is very good VS Mem Aleph.
Luck build chads rise up
agility builds for life. give me.... PRIORITY.
Imo Strength is the dump stat, Luck is the most important for gathering materials. For damage I prefer abusing co-op attack using elemental gun skill and left the heavy work for my demons. Agility is important for going first and to avoid instant kill (and to avoid getting ambushed, cmiiw). also Magic stat actually affect your magic defense.
@@mardshima2070 Yes. I prefer Magic + Vitality build in SJ. Just like in Raidou games, you should focus on survival, and let your demons to do most of dmg (in SJ - Demon Co-op Attack, in Raidou games - demons with using magic). Strength build is only good in SJ when you aim for best skill in game - Riot Gun, with best gun in game (very late game, and post game).
But you haven't played Devil Survivor yet 🥺
Which devil survivor should I start with?
@@benjamin____f Devil Survivor Overclocked on the 3DS
@@benjamin____f either one will do since they have no connection to each other, but i personally recommend the first one if you're looking for better story, and the second if you're looking for more refined gameplay
@@Messiah_Abel thank you
@@conorhannon3352 thanks
Oh Strange Journey, this was my first mainline SMT game after I got into the franchise with Persona 4 and thanks to this game and its amazing quality I've never looked back. The OST is awesome with its imposing orchestral that really leads to the theme of a small group of solders literally being humanity's last line of defense against the Schwarzwelt. Though the demon recruitment system is a bit of an odd duck. As normally you can't recruit Dark Demons though negotiation, but whatever that's what fusion is for. The combat difficulty is just right with the bosses being real tests of your skill, especially Morox, Ouroboros and Mem Alph being especially challenging my first time playing. As for Redux, I'll say that for next time but I'll just say that I still enjoy it but I can definitely see what people's problems with it are. But again, till next time.
The remake made it even better. The extreme alignments are reined in if you take the + endings, and in neutral + you become doom slayer. A whole new set of dungeons is how you access these endings, and the VAs knock it out of the park.
Law + allows people to talk it out rather than just destroying the ability to reason and argue, but risks annihilation if an enemy the song doesn’t work on show up,. It is law permitting some chaos.
Chaos+ gives everyone a truly fair shot, because survival of the fittest ironically would lead to a strong being laying down laws in the most gruesome way possible. It is chaos permitting law.
Point is, when both alignments are take to their extreme, they eventually become dictatorship. The question then becomes who you want to live under and how fast does individuality fade? It’s only when you allow part of the other alignment to leak in that you can actually tell an eventual difference.
Oh my God, I couldn't have said it better myself. I hate how cynical this series feels towards humanity and the concept of neutrality at times. There's many shades of grey to life and I'd rather see some acknowledgement that there can be compromise and some amount of faith that we can do better.
@deathseraph3 faith?
What was humanity doing 5600 years ago? Grape and murder
What's happening every day? Grape and murder
I really really love Strange Journey, it was the first mainline smt game I have played, and my favorite. From the amazing atmosphere, the writing better than most books sci-fi books, and goodly orchestral ost. One of the greatest game of all time.
DOOM: The JRPG
Mobile phones with Java literally have DOOM RPG
This has been my favorite SMT game so far, it's the first time I feel attracted to pick all the routes, I love Zelenin and Jimenez, one of my favorite interactions in the franchise is in Sector E where Zelenin makes a joke and Jimenez remarks it by telling you, they're having a short but genuine free time to joke around like buddies before they choose their alignments later on.
The remastered version is how I got into this game and I gotta say that I loved the new endings and that I also really liked Alex, the character does feel off but I didn't hate her like I see many other people do. All in all this is my favorite SMT game, there's some that I'm still yet to play.
Love the SMT vids! Keep up the great work!
Yeah, love the SMT (and related) vids.
Also the music in this game is hauntingly beautiful. Stands out the most compared to other megaten games
I agree 1000%
While epic and orchestrated, i dont find it better than other SMT's music. Checking the OST i would say that only the main theme, Antlia and boss theme are still in my mind, while other themes fell flat.
However, considering the settling and tone of the adventure, the epic style is appropriate, but SMT traditional law and chaos themes like music could improve it enormously.
Gotta love how it's chill in an encounter but then you want to fight and the ost goes full "latin lyrics orchestra" on it.
Man, finally a full review on this masterpiece. This game really was special. The music, the atmosphere, and the direness of the scenario. The credits theme made me feel empty upon completion and yet I was happy I’d finally beaten the game.
2:47 "the United Nations decided to take action" this game is so unrealistic
💀💀💀
Aw :( I love Strange Journey Redux.
It fixed some of the darkness-induced apathy for me. In SJ, I felt like I was stuck with Neutral, because Law and Chaos were simply too extreme and unethical.
Why the hell would I pick them? They're *awful* plans with huge problems, and that neuters any sort of dilemma when I can just pick Neutral.
This extremism also damaged my opinion on the two opposing Alignment Reps and their relatability.
Like, I get why they're both like that. I do, IMO they get their time and writing to express it.
But then they become zealots, and the ensuing struggle between us comes across not as tragic, but just having to stop two dangerous idiots.
And Redux has a character, Alex, who... tests their ideology. Eugh.
I *don't* especially like her, like at all, but she dies no matter what happens so I'm not as bothered.
It gets them to change via voicing my thoughts and problems through her, and I *vastly* prefer the new endings they each get.
I can actually get why each new ending could be considered "right" now, in the circumstances. They make much more compelling cases!
And because, IMO, the characters and story are so paramount to what I love about Strange Journey, I do genuinely prefer Redux.
Yep I agree that redux makes every ending a viable consideration for the first time in this series, in the original version there's only the right choice and the 2 wrong ones, while in redux it's actually about perspective because there's no objective better ending.
@@Danielss250 So... redux just basically made it more comprehensible? Cause honestly, not that much has changed
Which isn't a bad change mind you, it's a good change even. The original is a bit too "on your face" so it's hard to see the positives thanks to its extreme presentation.
I like SJR better as well.
I disagree with neutral being a better option in og SJ
Law and Chaos are pretty bad in their own way, but at least some of humanity survives, in neutral we give a chance for humanity to be better with failure meaning the end of it. And it will fail. Just not today, with your co-workers generation being the only one who can rest peacefully.
Redux law and chaos are "fix everything bad now the world is good and with no big moral dilemmas" buttons and new neutral is actually quite good and melancholic - same as the old one, except you know that humanity doesn't get better, but protagonist goes through hell again and again hoping that giving it another chance is the right thing to do and that humanity will get better this time
21:57 somebody correct me if I am wrong but iirc you need to invest into physical stat in order to increase the damage of your elemental gun skills
Investing into magic only increases the damage from items that deal magic damage
Correct, gun skill damage is handled by strength.
Magic also handles defense against magic skills.
I played the DS game cause that's the console I had. It was a torture because I stubbornly went for the neutral route and after I finally completed it, it left me with an empty feeling of: "Well, now what I do with my life?" and "OF COURSE ONLY AN ATLUS RPG WILL MAKE ME CRY FOR AN A.I."
Also my favorite quest was probably Antonio trying to get laid with demons. That guy never learnt to take a hint.
I'm biased since SJ is the only SMT game I've beaten, but it's definitely my favorite. The game is consistently challenging and despite me definitely struggling in Sector E, I didn't find it any more obnoxious than any of the other areas. The game rewards experimenting with party composition and especially patience.
Great video! This video goes crazy! So excited for the redux one keep up the great work!
You can reroll stats via level up, just be sure to save within 1 battle of said level up for a chance. Afterwards battle and soft-reset until you get the stat spread you want. This is also viable for your other party members. The max stat points your main character can obtain per level up is 3, the rest are 5 (very difficult, but possible). This is the reason nobody complains about the MC stats, the can easily max it out without difficulty.
You can't do this in base SJ since you can't save anywhere. You can only use this strat in Redux.
Save scumming in RPGs upon level up is pretty lame though. I would rather play with the cards I'm given
@@krimsonkatt emulators have save states, bub
Finally, someone else who feels the same I do about Sector E. Yeah the map is funny but man it's such a damn fun dungeon
As much as i love the press turn combat system, the demon co-op system does much more to flesh out the world and the demons themselves. It makes you more carefully consider which demons you're going to keep around instead of just using the same small handful of endgame demons like all the other smt games. on top of that, the unpredictability of having to input all your turns before seeing how it plays out adds to the psychological stress the game really thrives on; you have to be very careful about your engagements and consider support skills in a different way than just shoving them inside an activated press turn so save momentum. You're also much much less likely to get steam rolled by rng when the enemies start criting/hitting your weaknesses back to back, like a certain first boss from smt4. I wish atlus would utilize demons' alignments much more often, especially since SMT as a whole is very heavy on the alignment paradigm. Strange journey has been their best attempt yet but they seem reluctant to go further with it.
Hello, English is not my native language but I had to write that I loved your video and I am very happy to see love for this game which I treasure in my DS collection. Thanks for doing this great job.
This is peak SMT, we need more dungeon crawlers.
The internet didn't tell me Sector E was bad, I came to that conclusion after needing to look up a Map online because all the Teleporter shit and the map not marking the Teleport locations at all made navigation horrible.
That along with the random encounters made planning annoying as hell.
Eridanus fucking sucks, the rest of the game is good though
Honestly feel the same but i dunno revisiting eridanus wasnt so bad...
But man we dont talk about sector grus i like some of the pallet swaps (but i hate the delphinous sections they look like shit) but mand what a mess of gimmicks that dungeon is
Honestly i feel like at that point in the game you could have faced maya right after that door but the developers just went "random bullshit go" to make the level longer
And its not like there even is story between the door and maya its just you and the dungeon it honestly started to remind me of the womb of grief more then an actual sector
When playing retro SMT as old as Soul Hackers and older (thru means still frowned upon), I don't really miss the press turn system but I sure do long for a co-op mode with the various L/N/C aligned demons. That alone is a grand testament to how awesome & versatile co-op mode is.
This video pretty much sums up very wel why SJ is my favorite SMT game, great job!
PS: No mention to the amazing and unique (compared to the other SMT games) OST :(
Man, you barely talked about my man Gore, the most based and redpilled human to ever exist
Gore was so based, he ascended from humanity and became a god. Chad.
Always fun to see another SJ is top tier message
Makes me feel validated for enjoying it so much.
I honestly don't get why Nocturne dungeons get so much praise. Almost every single one of them is a "teleport you backwards to waste your time everytime you make a wrong turn" dungeon and its a pain in the ass combined with the high encounter rate
Yeah SMT3 definitely went to the FF2 school of dungeon design which is far from a good thing. If you want to see good dungeons play Golden Sun or Lufia or something. Even FFXII would do. (Necrohol of Nabudis and Pharos Tower SLAPS!)
great video mr. compendium. maybe one of these days i'll finally play this game.
TWEWY is the best DS game but SJ is pretty neat.
I do think you're giving it a pass on some things that are more of an issue than you're portraying them as, but on the whole this was a pretty good video. One thing I really agreed with was how Demon Co-op Attacks really played into your place in the story, making your alignment matter for more than just your ending. That was a cool detail!
no way you did kirby superstar ultra like that
Strange Journey is better. Doesn't make SSU bad. Super Star Ultra isn't even the best in the series, that would have to go to literally any main series game starting with Return to Dreamland minus Star Allies. RtDD, TD, PR, and FL are all 9/10 games, all really good. PR would probably be the best tho, especially if it had a traditional final boss instead of a 40 minute long shoot-em-up section and a bit more content like the Switch games had.
@@krimsonkatt Naw I personally think the RtDL era games miss the mark on what made SS fun. Sure they have the fully fleshed out ability movesets, but the games themselves feel entirely too sluggish compared to SS/U. And I personally think the bosses are abhorrent with their long invulnerability phases. Forgotten Land is definitely great and a step in the right direction though I will agree on that one.
I've been really wanting to get into SMT for some months, and got stuck between choosing Devil Survivor Overclocked or Strange Journey Redux as a start, I was leaning more on Strange Journey since I've found de premise to be more interesting and never played a dungeon-crawler before (I also ending FE Awakening, so I would like to take some time off from tactical RPGs), but everyone kept saying how this game was near impossible and stuff, but after watching your video I definitely starting with this one! Can't wait for the video explaining why you didn't like Redux!
wait redux is bad? FUCK! and i kinda wanted to play it. all i have is a 3ds.
@hg md me too lol, but I looked it up and the differences are the game being easier, with infinite space for apps, the option to save anywhere, a new character and 3 new endings and a remade artwork. And honestly, it doesn't look like these things ruin the game, at least I think, let's see on the next video
I'm a very hardcore fan of the series and strange journey is the best in the series and one of the best games ever made. So about the redux, i'd say to not worry too much, i'm on the minority here but I think it's really good, in fact I prefer it.
The main change are the new endings, which for the first and only time in this series, makes every ending more or less equal in objective terms, and choosing is actually just about perspective, this is what SMT always tried to but never could quite do it, the OG strange journey has a very clear canon neutral ending because the other 2 are SO bad it's funny. And that's usually what ppl complain about with redux, and you still get the 3 endings from the original version too.
As you already pointed out, the changes to the gameplay don't make it worse necessarily, just different, and the game has a new difficulty which makes it much harder than the original. And there are some QoL changes that really change a lot about the usual gameplay loop and make it a lot less tedious, specially farming demon source, it makes a HUGE difference when farming these things for optimized builds, which are mandatory to beat to game on the harder dificulty.
I'm just sharing my perspective, the other side of the coin, since you're interested in playing the game because i'm pretty sure he's gonna bash redux to hell and back on the next video as everyone does on youtube.
@@hgmd3284 honestly, just play redux. I couldn't get into the original at the time since I knew just from playing the few hours that this was a game that was doable, but would demand a huge chunk of my time because of grinding.
Redux is more balanced towards the less hardcore fan. The dungeon crawling and other aspects are eased up because of the removal of the app restriction. But it isn't as easy as everyone makes it out to be since you don't really get to enjoy the perks of having all the apps activated until far into the game.
The fights are still as tactical and unforgiving at least in my experience. I still got stuck for a bit with Asura and the last boss for the old endings but overcame it by shaking my lineup and strategy. Not to mention the random encounters that could make you gameover because of bad luck or not having the tool to effectively clear the dungeon.
Also, Im one of the few people who actively use the 3DS glasses free 3D, and I gotta say dungeon crawlers like this and Etrian odyssey really benefit immersion wise from the said technology. The dungeons are just hauntingly gorgeous and the added depth of 3d just really got me into it more.
Other than wishing I could have an option to use the old artstyle, I'd say it's a solid re-release. It's the only version of strange journey I played, but still good enough to cement itself as my favorite of the mainline and spinoff SMT games (barring Persona since I don't group them with SMT anymore)
I really enjoyed both games, though I do prefer the Devil Survivor games! They're strategy RPGs, rather than dungeon crawlers. I really enjoyed the pacing.
Redux made the game easier in some ways, which was nice. The new dungeon sucked, but IIRC you don't have to do it
Those posters with the blatant BUY, CONSUME, etc. are callbacks to the 80's classic They Live! Starring Roddy Piper and Keith David, directed by John Carpenter.
I'm still working on Redux, but...I don't think I really like it. Damn shame too, since I agree that the original SJ was brilliant.
Strange Journey was my first SMT ever. I didn't even get to Persona until after SMT IV:A. Good stuff.
My first mainline SMT is Nocturne though I played Persona 1 when it first came out.
13:46 this was something that admittedly felt like a downgrade to me. Sources, while in theory are a good alternative, are extremely scarce and downright impossible for certain scenarios to retrieve more than one.
This is something smt v definitely improved in that regard, because if I want access to buff moves, I have to essentially farm a lot of enemies just to get sukukaja or even the one skill that makes the second half _doable_ (immunity to light and dark skills), good. Fucking LUCK
There reason why some people says that Luck is the best stat in SJ.
Strength affects your damage, but the thing is you won't deals as much damage as your demons. Imo this is the dump stat.
For me it's: Lu = Ag > Vi = Ma > St
Sector e was hella fun.
The finally dungeon is where i started to lose it.
Watching this makes me want to play Strange Journey. I only have Redux though. I'm eager to see your video comparing and contrasting the two versions. I've heard Redux adds things that take away from the game. I had fun with it and liked the game. It certainly isn't a bad game and I would recommend it to anyone who had a hard time finding a copy of vanilla Strange.
Give it a try, it adds and takes away from the original. But the core of SJ is such a good experience that even just playing Redux, it became my favorite SMT title.
Redux adds some apps that help with Dungeon Crawling. Making Eridanus go from Absolute Torture to Somewhat Annoying.
10:30 this is wn awesome idea, ive always felt like the Alignment system is underused, so watching this segment of the video is a treat. I wonder if they'll try to work combst around alignments in the future.
So on the Neutral ending, I don't see how it's any different at fixing the problem than the others.
All endings would end up avoiding the problem and eventually the problem would pop up again rather than just Neutral having this issue
I’m intrigued to see why there is hate towards redux? Would it be the time traveler lady out to get you? I still really enjoyed the game.
People don't like it because it's "easier" (translation: less tedious) and because they don't like the writing for the new content, which is completely fair. The new endings slap tho, easily the best endings in the series bar none.
@@krimsonkatti feel like smt 2 has the best endings followed by devil survivor
This game is peak SMT. Dark, gritty, unforgiving.
The Demonica is one of the coolest pieces of gear in any video game.
Jimenez did nothing wrong. I'll die on that hill.
Great review! Enjoyed watching it from the moon. 10/10
Jimenez was based. Humans and demons DO deserve equal rights. His only flaw was going way too far in wanting to destroy the world and make humanity suffer and perish for the benefit of demon kind. That's why new chaos in SJR is so good, it takes out that whole genoside bit and makes humans and demons equal, eventually able to work hand in hand to form a better future. And heck, who would say no to a cute pixie girlfriend?
@@krimsonkatt i think his "flaw" mainly came from the amount of rage he felt after seeing how Jack's squad treated him and supposedly it's implied that they literally tortured him in ways that might've broke him (which is why he might've came out enraged as soon as he fused with Bugaboo) which i could kinda see why he'd be driven to the point of wanting to end humanity as he was literally tortured by the same race of people he was in (which in the end made him relate to the demons that were also being locked up/tortured since they were all in the same position as him) and i think that's what also led him to want humanity to die.
thankfully they did make his ending better in Redux tho, i was more satisfied with that ending than the original.
im so glad i bought this game a while ago i have the full box with the manual and everything for like $25 and im at the shopping mall section and its soooo much fun
One of the best Megaten related videos I’ve ever seen. This is a very comprehensive review, but I also feel like it withholds enough information to make someone still want to try the game. I love Strange Journey, and you pretty much hit the nail on the head as to why. I especially like how you explained the story. The reason this game is so impactful, is because it has something valid to say about humanity. And the message is gonna be relevant forever.
Preach about the alignments, I was so upset when I learned you had to go with the true demon ending to get the true ending and all of the bonus content. I just wanted to go back to normal life man 😭
You can always do Freedom Ending for your first playthrough and save TDE/Labyrinth of Amala for NG+, you know... Actually, I'm pretty sure that's what's intended. Freedom Ending is actually the true ending, True Demon Ending is more like a secret bonus ending added in a re-release which just so happened to be the version we got. (Maniax)
I rather disagree about the ending bias here. The original SJ was heavily Neutral-biased, and the grim state of the world didn't really detract from it. The Neutral ending is impermanent, fragile, up to mankind at large to capitalize on and fully in line with the traditional weaknesses of the Neutral alignment. Yet the alternatives are so utterly hostile to human life that to pick anything but Neutral is to abandon hope altogether. I truly do believe that for all the clumsiness of its execution, Redux did have the better idea in terms of balance: don't make everything suck "equally", make everything viable in meaningfully conflicting ways. When the alternatives are even remotely acceptable, suddenly the darkness of the Neutral state starts to matter all the more because you're now capable of saying that the long shot of rebuilding from Chaos+ or the vulnerability and possible stagnation in Law+ can be worth it against Neutral's humanity-driven perils (which don't go away with Neutral+, only the Schwartzwelt is held back, and even that is done with a Nocturne-style "for as long as you can hold it back"). I cannot call Alex good. I cannot say that the transition into the new endings was handled gracefully. But I do not in any way agree that lightening the endings cheapens the choice.
Also, as for the G choice, I feel it would be a lot harder if not for the preceding events with the Song. You can choose to kill the demons that already experienced torture at the hands of Jack's crew... or you can put down the burnt-out indoctrinated husks of what used to be Jack's team. Their fate is already a clear demonstration of what the Wise Men mention towards the end: the Song is so singular in its focus on eliminating "flaws" that some people will have their personalities utterly erased by it. The trade-off is not "humans vs demons", it's more "do you still consider Jack's crew human enough to extend any care to them".
The only reason why some people hate strange journey dungeon due to they don't look on the lower screen automap.
Constantly looking at the automap these dungeon become a piece of cake.
Honestly i feel like the automap is kinda overpowered here because i constantly felt like i was looking way too much at it isntead of looking at the actual game
Same thing with Nocturne though. Nocturne marks warp points on the map for you
This game is a masterpiece. Dripping atmosphere. I love the adult cast
Twewy and Strange Journey got the spot for best game on the DS in my heart. Especially SJ is so incredibly good, i never thought ill love it that much when i first played it.
If there's something SJ did perfectly, it's definitely the atmosphere especially for early game. It really feels like wandering into a really hostile environment, very different with the usual SMT where the hostility was first brought from the outside. You can actually feel the feeling of "I'm not paid enough for this shit".
Also, I agree with SJ having great dungeon designs. I think the "dungeons in SJ is terrible" comes from the general opinion of it being "hard" but then twisted into "terrible design". Basically the case of skill issue lol
Ngl, fear of God made me appreciate trumpets so much more than I ever have, lol
A great video, hope you keep making more and more of these.
I love the DS also I agree the DS Pokémon games is the peak of that franchise and TWEWY is one of my favorite games of all time
I never was that deep into like community conversation, but it kinda baffles me that people don't like the Strange Journey Dungeons. They may be hard, but I didn't think any of them were frustrating, they always felt very clear in their vision Lore and Gameplaywise. The twin Towers in Soul Hackers or the later Dungeons in Persona 1 frustrated me way more, despite being way easier. Maybe it's because I like Metroidvanias and Strange Journey kinda feels like one for me. The main focus is on pushing forward through the different Zones, but you often can go back to older zones to use new mechanics for new ways, even though most of the time those are optional.
The only Strange Journey Dungeon I absolutely hate is the Womb of Grief, that one can suck a fat one, but it's not in the Original Game and even in Redux you can just skip it.
I can’t get redux to work right on citra… so I’m enjoying the DS version very much. I just like the voice acting in the newer one. Oh well.
All the demons won’t even talk to me though. I own the only 3 that will. After like 3 hours
Extraordinary video my friend. Hope too see what’s next on the agenda 😊
this is the best video you have ever made fucking exelent work
I hope the SMT 30th will give some love to this game along with DDS, Raidou, etc.
i respect your opinion enough that i’m gonna go play the whole game and then come back and watch the video then
23:39 ehhhh yeah i dont think they beat dds1 dungeons but theyre def up there. sector e the goat
honestly I have this strange journey for playing a part in my love for RPGs. It was my favorite series in the megten series and basically my drill sergeant for rpgs. It may of been one of the hardest game in series but even as a kid playing on ds back then I still have fond memories with it (fond and frustrating memories 😅)
Thank you for all of your work putting together a video for this game. I only played Redux, personally. Its certainly not my favorite SMT, but I get the feeling that its probably the most/best SMT feeling game in the series? Its funny, I didn't like the soundtrack either, but that doesn't mean its bad. I can't think of a better way to orchestrate the military theme.
23:20 which sector is this??? I straight up don't recognize it at all
Sector Horologium (last sector before Mem Aleph)
@@nr2676 They must have made it less..... bloody looking in the Redux version then (that was the version I played)
Definitely playing SJ now, even though you did explain the story i think playing it myself is probably better for experiencing this game.
as much as i adore strange journey, the best ds game for me is 100% the world ends with you
I own both versions of Strange Journey, constantly have a friend that tells me that I need to play it but I've been putting it off for a long time. But after watching this review and I'm more into gameplay than I am into storyline, this video has definitely moved the game up in my backlog/replays.
I generally don't like overly long reviews, most of them sound that they like hearing themselves talk without going into detail in what really matters. Giving hypothesis about etc, etc, that doesn't belong in a video when I'm watching a review because I want to hear details about why I'd like the game. This review was actually really informative, going into detail of the co op system, demons being preset with no ability carry over except with the demon cores, with only the main character having customization of over skills more similar to the Mantra system than the Nocturne system it appears with the issue that you can't build the main character how you want unfortunately(also similar to DDS though,) and then I always like when games add great implementations of the Final Fantasy 9 AP system.
I've always liked the press turn system on SMT4, Apocalypse, DDS1 and 2, and Nocturne, but having replayed Nocturne many times over, eve within the past month. One thing I've noticed that I'll be doing on a lot of battles in Nocturne at points is passing turns and only using two demons and only using others when passing turns will lose a turn. Demons that I don't yet want to fuse or are good in different situations. So the two demons who may be finishing off battles in one or two turns may be having their turns passed in other battles.
I've just become a little bit tired of the press turn system, while also not being a fan of the bloat that Persona 5 shoves down your throat. Persona 4, I liked the storyline and the dialogue, Persona 5 happens to just shove so much unnecessary dialogue to just pad the game and I quit playing after the bank. I actually think the once again and baton passing system are better versions of the SMT Nocturne press turn system, but SMT Nocturne is a better game by design.
So after watching this review I'm like. Have I avoided playing the best SMT game? This game has definitely moved up on my must play list so I'll be playing it within the month just as soon as I finish Divinity Original Sin 2 on honour mode.
Devil Survivor watching this:🗿
SJ >>>
I’ll just say…I own the game, I made it to the garden-like area, but stopped because of the maze-like level design. I love this game in every OTHER way. Hope someday to beat it😅
For reference: it was Sector E. The previous dungeons did kinda annoy me with their “go up, use elevator to go down, take new stairs up, then drop into a pit down to where you want to go” layouts😨
@@krisisgod666 I love those kinds of areas. It’s just fun to explore and experiment.
I always saw people complaining about Sector Eridanus and I never found it hard or confusing. It was sector G the one that actually made me bored (I hate dungeons with frequent encounters with demons that are phys resistant). Oroboros took a while though.
Stopped at the same place 3 years ago and now ive been playing again and i am at the final dungeon after playing all mainlines but smt 1 and devil survivor
see for me I made a critical mistake, this was my first jrpg dungeon at like 7, I didn't touch anything that was like it after I first played it, dying that many times hurt my soul
PTSD hit me like crazy with this game the only SMT game I never replayed 😂😂😂 I replayed redux tho
Nam you should definitely try some more games from DS to say that:
My favorite is from a completely different genre but I can’t put in second place because I think it was a miracle
That game is Ace attorney, if you like story only games then play it.
I think SMT IV's Tokyo IS it's dungeon, it's got all the trappings of one anyway.
new nam video out so happy
I mean... I'll put up Etrian Odyssey 3 as a contender, alongside the OG TWEWY. But I'll definitely rank SJ as best SMT, I'll give you that.
I love SMT SJ but I'm not gonna ever play it again. Those dungeons (If you kniw what I'm talking about) gave me PTSD.
Silly Nam you forgot about Devil Survivor and the Lucky Star maths game
Strange journey having all endings terrible unironically made it my favourite smt game, it's so bleak i love it
I'll give redux one thing. I love that they explain exactly what went wrong with each ending and then you basically fix that problem. Well except for Neutral I guess.
Strange Journey is a strange way to spell Devil Survivor
16:43 I definitely didn't do that when trying to get different endings
I did take Chaos ending on my 3DS by playing on R4I Gold.
Another great video but I can easily tell you why people hate Eridanus. It ends with oroborous. So you suffer through that nightmare maze to fight the forever boss. As someone who isn't AS into the challenge aspect of the series, beating her didn't feel like overcoming a challenge due to strategy it was more a sigh of relief before realizing "Oh God there's still more game left". That's just me tho
If you're not into challenge aspect then it's rather not for you
masterpiece indeed.
wth i just started SJ redux today
This video is great. I like to see that others have an opinion similar to mine. I look forward to your video on ridux.
i see a Strange Journey video, i click like
5:38 that intro has stopped me from playing Persona 4 on PC for months. I just started 5 on my switch and was genuinely shocked when there was combat in the first 5 minutes. Also Gun is an option that should be in more rpgs.
Not me, pausing at 23:34 to see where the dancing games ranked.
Nams penguindium
Yo! I just got my copy of SMT: Strange Journey today let’s go!
Where did you get it? Cost so much on ebay :(
Maybe because it was my first SMT game but it's my favorite. I was completely hooked. Unfortunately, I semi-soft locked myself and I really couldn't beat a particular boss late in the game so I gave up.