There's a lot left in Nintendo's basement. Smt iv duology Devil survivor duology Soul hackers 1 Persona q duology And even though the Etrian Odyssey isn't megaten We're missing 4, 5, Nexus, The Millenium Girl, and The Fafnir Knight.
This is a great video, this is my first time playing SMT5 and I've been enjoying it a lot. But it's nice to see what more experienced fans think of it.
SMTVV is great so far! Welcome to the franchise, I'm happy you enjoyed the video, and welcome to the channel! Have you played Persona or other Atlus games?
@@DogmasDomain Thanks! I've played Persona 3, 4 and 5R. I have more experience with the Persona franchise than SMT, but my mate keeps recommending I play SMT 4 lol
You and I had an identical path! I tried SMT4 and couldn't get into it because it was on a 3DS. After Nocturne was announced and I enjoyed P4 and P5 so much, I decided to give it a try and I haven't looked back since! SMT4 is a great game that's easy to recommend! It smooths out and modernizes the system much after Nocturne. The story and characters are also exquisite. If you have a PC or 3DS, I highly suggest getting your hand on a copy!
I see the massive open levels as just giant dungeons. There are still mazes, elevation puzzles, one way doors, but it's all presented in a different way.
This is an interesting perspective I never thought about. I think they are lacking though, but I wish they had unique environments or some gimmick in each area. The stages are missing an identity.
@@DogmasDomain I think the second one is split up nicely between a maze like area with elevation puzzles [the container yard area], even has pitfalls of a sort! Oeno has just a lot of classic Atlus bs, having to take long ways around to get to places that are close, places that can only be reached by going up in one area then down in another. If you think about it, these are all things present in other games, it's just presented in a different way and I thought it was awesome! Personal taste of course! I mean even in older megaten games, many of the dungeons didn't have too much identity. There were the grey brick levels, the green brick levels, the gold brick levels [the Heaven levels!], the inside-a-monster's-stomach levels. The third area in the CoV route is interesting because each 'section" of the area has its own music. Maybe that will make it feel more like it should?
Glad to hear you're having fun! I always really liked SMT V despite a few quibbles. I really like the open level design - the world feels like such a puzzle a lot of the times. I can see things in the distance that I really want like chests or glory crystals and even though they're visible it's not always so obvious how to actually get there. I find it a lot of fun to try to decipher the labyrinthine level design Not sure if you've ever given IV: Apocalypse a try but based on some of your impressions of this game I think you might enjoy it. I ended up liking it a lot more than I liked IV
It really does feel like a puzzle and the new sky view really helps with deciphering elevation. Here's hoping it introduces enough new things to keep me engaged because these open worldish designs run the risk of dragging as they progress. I'll be sure to give Apocalypse a try! I hear mixed things about it, but why not!
@@DogmasDomain oh yeah 100%, but I have still have 20 hours or so of Persona 3 Portable to finish. I’ve committed to playing games 100% in Japanese over the last year, so my progress is slow. I’m still at an intermediate Japanese level
Love your gripe with befriending and fusing demons in the demon haunt. An ethical dilemma fitting of an SMT game !! As a big SMT fan, I’m loving Vengeance so far, but I do sometimes miss the brutality of Nocturne and its evil UI ~~
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. The more I play, the more this game feels like a passing of the guard from Kouji Okada and Kazuma Kaneko to Shigeo Komori and Masayuki Doi. I really miss Nocturne's tone and that SMT feel as well, but I am enjoying the game... Maybe I am conflicted about this game...
I completed the vanilla version back in May, and it was a blast. This one is even better, and thanks to the infamous level scaling scheme not being there anymore, you can actually take on enemies which are 20+ levels above you. As I mentioned previously, my only gripe is not being able to delete save files. It turns different playthroughs into a bit of a mess.
I heard the level scaling was a complete mess in the original and forced grinding. Thankfully they ironed it out! And hopefully they fix the save problem, I hate when developers do that
I've been waiting for this since Nocturne on PS2. Been playing non-stop since the game's release (40 hours now). The gameplay is the best. Fusing was never this convenient. And you can start with the most basic form of a demon and end up with an optimal endgame build just using essences. The semi-open world exploration is very welcome too. And a lot of QoL features help with that like saving everywhere, the magatsu rails and teleportong back to a leyline whenever you want. My only gripes are the areas feeling too similar (it felt so good when i reached a certain castle and finally had a change of landscape) and the subquests suffering from the open world syndrome and feeling like a drag just like you described. But overall, i'm SO happy to finally play a home system mainline SMT game after two decades.
I completely understand where you're coming from! I'm not entirely convinced on the world yet and the quests are a huge step back, but that may have to do more with the setting than anything. 4 had great quests that built out the world in my opinion. Hopefully the environments start to change. The game also doesn't have Nocturne's oppressively quiet atmosphere or the introspective story. Ichiro and Aogami are interesting so far though!
@@DogmasDomain I'd consider Nocturne's OST, atmosphere, environments and story to be definitely better. But i'm also a HUGE gameplay focused player. And SMT5V makes up for its shortcomings with the stellar gameplay.
I get where you're coming from though. Nocturne, bless it's heart, has some antiquated stuff that's hard to recommend unless you have Stockholm syndrome like me.
Played Nocturne III. Loved that one. A bit rigid for my liking but it's game mechanics really did become one of my top picks. I just like to be creative and have a peeve about skills that end up useless as things progress, but it wasn't so bad. I found III to be fair and that was what made it so difficult. Enemies turned allies join with their stats, their skills. So there was no inconsistencies. Its combat rules were fair and had little tricks. So I'm really excited to start this game next weekend. Freikugel!
I'm right there with you. I thought it was stiff and weird at first, but after you get used to how it feels and it's story, that game is something so special
I started the game on hard, so far its all the same but more refined. I really, really like the vengeance story bits though. the characters feel more alive, they really needed the guest system. i dont know about the normal route. i hope they added more interactions with the cast.
If you liked the side quests in SMT 4, Im not sure how you felt as if the side quests in SMT 5V were worse as there's more varied side quests and more of them...
I didn't enjoy 5V's subquests myself. It probably has to do with quality over quantity. There's just too much filler subquests in 5V even for me who usually likes them.
@@DogmasDomain Not gonna lie to you, i was so hype to make this my 3rd platinum trophy (the others being dark souls 3 and elden ring). But these subquests alone made me reconsider the task. XD
@@DogmasDomain ah so the world building aspect, yes the factional sub quests in smt 4 were really great at that. You only kind of get that here with a few sub quests in assisting/destroying smaller demon coalitions. While that was great in 4, I personally really enjoy getting a view into how the demons work together and their overall attitudes towards each other more. You didn't get that in smt 4. But yeah, I wish there were more impactful sub quests in smt 5 like those factional quests....
Atlus continues to make great games
Yessir
“Nintendo purgatory” is outrageous 😭
I had to keep it a buck.
There's a lot left in Nintendo's basement.
Smt iv duology
Devil survivor duology
Soul hackers 1
Persona q duology
And even though the Etrian Odyssey isn't megaten
We're missing 4, 5, Nexus, The Millenium Girl, and The Fafnir Knight.
I need Strange Journey... my beloved strange journey
Thanks Switch owners for the play-testing.
As true fan of Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne you will enjoy the "Return of the True Demon" sidequest in this game.
I'm loving it right now. It's a cool little call back to Nocturne
@@DogmasDomain Trust me its more than a call back
Alright, you get my attention now haha. I'm in UENO, but I'll double back now haha
This is a great video, this is my first time playing SMT5 and I've been enjoying it a lot. But it's nice to see what more experienced fans think of it.
SMTVV is great so far! Welcome to the franchise, I'm happy you enjoyed the video, and welcome to the channel! Have you played Persona or other Atlus games?
@@DogmasDomain Thanks! I've played Persona 3, 4 and 5R. I have more experience with the Persona franchise than SMT, but my mate keeps recommending I play SMT 4 lol
You and I had an identical path! I tried SMT4 and couldn't get into it because it was on a 3DS. After Nocturne was announced and I enjoyed P4 and P5 so much, I decided to give it a try and I haven't looked back since! SMT4 is a great game that's easy to recommend! It smooths out and modernizes the system much after Nocturne. The story and characters are also exquisite. If you have a PC or 3DS, I highly suggest getting your hand on a copy!
I see the massive open levels as just giant dungeons. There are still mazes, elevation puzzles, one way doors, but it's all presented in a different way.
This is an interesting perspective I never thought about. I think they are lacking though, but I wish they had unique environments or some gimmick in each area. The stages are missing an identity.
@@DogmasDomain I think the second one is split up nicely between a maze like area with elevation puzzles [the container yard area], even has pitfalls of a sort! Oeno has just a lot of classic Atlus bs, having to take long ways around to get to places that are close, places that can only be reached by going up in one area then down in another.
If you think about it, these are all things present in other games, it's just presented in a different way and I thought it was awesome! Personal taste of course!
I mean even in older megaten games, many of the dungeons didn't have too much identity. There were the grey brick levels, the green brick levels, the gold brick levels [the Heaven levels!], the inside-a-monster's-stomach levels.
The third area in the CoV route is interesting because each 'section" of the area has its own music. Maybe that will make it feel more like it should?
Glad to hear you're having fun! I always really liked SMT V despite a few quibbles. I really like the open level design - the world feels like such a puzzle a lot of the times. I can see things in the distance that I really want like chests or glory crystals and even though they're visible it's not always so obvious how to actually get there. I find it a lot of fun to try to decipher the labyrinthine level design
Not sure if you've ever given IV: Apocalypse a try but based on some of your impressions of this game I think you might enjoy it. I ended up liking it a lot more than I liked IV
It really does feel like a puzzle and the new sky view really helps with deciphering elevation. Here's hoping it introduces enough new things to keep me engaged because these open worldish designs run the risk of dragging as they progress.
I'll be sure to give Apocalypse a try! I hear mixed things about it, but why not!
I cannot wait to get started on this game 😅
Did you get it?
@@DogmasDomain oh yeah 100%, but I have still have 20 hours or so of Persona 3 Portable to finish. I’ve committed to playing games 100% in Japanese over the last year, so my progress is slow. I’m still at an intermediate Japanese level
That's a great way of learning as long as you have the patience! I need to get back on my Japanese studies as well. It'd be great to pass the N3 exam!
Love your gripe with befriending and fusing demons in the demon haunt. An ethical dilemma fitting of an SMT game !! As a big SMT fan, I’m loving Vengeance so far, but I do sometimes miss the brutality of Nocturne and its evil UI ~~
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. The more I play, the more this game feels like a passing of the guard from Kouji Okada and Kazuma Kaneko to Shigeo Komori and Masayuki Doi. I really miss Nocturne's tone and that SMT feel as well, but I am enjoying the game... Maybe I am conflicted about this game...
I completed the vanilla version back in May, and it was a blast. This one is even better, and thanks to the infamous level scaling scheme not being there anymore, you can actually take on enemies which are 20+ levels above you. As I mentioned previously, my only gripe is not being able to delete save files. It turns different playthroughs into a bit of a mess.
I heard the level scaling was a complete mess in the original and forced grinding. Thankfully they ironed it out! And hopefully they fix the save problem, I hate when developers do that
I've been waiting for this since Nocturne on PS2. Been playing non-stop since the game's release (40 hours now).
The gameplay is the best. Fusing was never this convenient. And you can start with the most basic form of a demon and end up with an optimal endgame build just using essences.
The semi-open world exploration is very welcome too. And a lot of QoL features help with that like saving everywhere, the magatsu rails and teleportong back to a leyline whenever you want.
My only gripes are the areas feeling too similar (it felt so good when i reached a certain castle and finally had a change of landscape) and the subquests suffering from the open world syndrome and feeling like a drag just like you described.
But overall, i'm SO happy to finally play a home system mainline SMT game after two decades.
I completely understand where you're coming from! I'm not entirely convinced on the world yet and the quests are a huge step back, but that may have to do more with the setting than anything. 4 had great quests that built out the world in my opinion.
Hopefully the environments start to change. The game also doesn't have Nocturne's oppressively quiet atmosphere or the introspective story. Ichiro and Aogami are interesting so far though!
@@DogmasDomain I'd consider Nocturne's OST, atmosphere, environments and story to be definitely better. But i'm also a HUGE gameplay focused player. And SMT5V makes up for its shortcomings with the stellar gameplay.
I get where you're coming from though. Nocturne, bless it's heart, has some antiquated stuff that's hard to recommend unless you have Stockholm syndrome like me.
@@DogmasDomain People can do some crazy stuff in the name of nostalgia lol
That's the wild part... I didn't play Nocturne until the remaster dropped 😂😂
Played Nocturne III. Loved that one. A bit rigid for my liking but it's game mechanics really did become one of my top picks. I just like to be creative and have a peeve about skills that end up useless as things progress, but it wasn't so bad. I found III to be fair and that was what made it so difficult. Enemies turned allies join with their stats, their skills. So there was no inconsistencies. Its combat rules were fair and had little tricks. So I'm really excited to start this game next weekend.
Freikugel!
I'm right there with you. I thought it was stiff and weird at first, but after you get used to how it feels and it's story, that game is something so special
I started the game on hard, so far its all the same but more refined. I really, really like the vengeance story bits though. the characters feel more alive, they really needed the guest system. i dont know about the normal route. i hope they added more interactions with the cast.
Dope, that's great to hear! I'm happy you're enjoying the new route. I think the story is interesting enough because SMT stories aren't always direct.
The vengeance route took care of multiple problems in the creation route
Can't wait to run it back!
If you liked the side quests in SMT 4, Im not sure how you felt as if the side quests in SMT 5V were worse as there's more varied side quests and more of them...
I didn't enjoy 5V's subquests myself. It probably has to do with quality over quantity. There's just too much filler subquests in 5V even for me who usually likes them.
It has to do more with writing. Yes, Vengeance has better overall variety, but they lack the world building and writing from SMT4s.
You hit the nail on the head. They exist to exist lol
@@DogmasDomain Not gonna lie to you, i was so hype to make this my 3rd platinum trophy (the others being dark souls 3 and elden ring). But these subquests alone made me reconsider the task. XD
@@DogmasDomain ah so the world building aspect, yes the factional sub quests in smt 4 were really great at that. You only kind of get that here with a few sub quests in assisting/destroying smaller demon coalitions. While that was great in 4, I personally really enjoy getting a view into how the demons work together and their overall attitudes towards each other more. You didn't get that in smt 4. But yeah, I wish there were more impactful sub quests in smt 5 like those factional quests....
BGs
BGs
🫡🫡🫡🫡
Back to back like we double up