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Shin Megami Tensei IV |OT| The Dark Souls of Persona

Jinfash

needs 2 extra inches
That's three incenses. Doesn't matter.
You just reminded me that incenses exist. Maybe now I can correct my mistake of not investing too much in Agility.
U0Xupt6.png
 

Yuterald

Member
This game literally became my GOTY the moment I set foot on Tokyo's grounds (sorry Zeno Clash II!). I seriously cannot move on from this music. I've let my 3DS sit idle for awhile now because this music is just too good. This game became full blown Nocturne-levels of perfection real fast.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
This game literally became my GOTY the moment I set foot on Tokyo's grounds (sorry Zeno Clash II!). I seriously cannot move on from this music. I've let my 3DS sit idle for awhile now because this music is just too good. This game became full blown Nocturne-levels of perfection real fast.

Yeah Tokyo's music is really good. Ikebukuro, Ichigaya, and another part of Shinjuku have great music as well.
 
"Extend your left arm"

"Dont extend your arm"

Please don't tell me that choices like this determine law or chaos. lol

Then again, SJ had not shaking a dudes hand as chaotic.

Is it bad to only focus on two stats? Say.... Mag/Agi?
 

Jarekx

Member
*paraphrasing*

Demon: I've been getting into fortune telling lately

Me: Could you read my fortune?

Demon: Alright. It says...horrible luck Man, that suck! I'll join you if that makes ya feel better!

*brofist Momunofu*

Love this game.
 
Tokyo is awesome. Lovingly crafted. I just switched to my 3DSXL and that Tokyo world map is stunning. Just not sure about the rest of the game of the bigger screen.

Also, going forward, SMT games need to stay on portables. So much more fun and accessible this way.
 

totowhoa

Banned
"Extend your left arm"

"Dont extend your arm"

Please don't tell me that choices like this determine law or chaos. lol

Then again, SJ had not shaking a dudes hand as chaotic.

Is it bad to only focus on two stats? Say.... Mag/Agi?

Somebody a few pages back posted a screen cap at level 30 with this build, plus a bit of luck. He seemed to be digging it. His str and dex were only 7 each vs. 100, 60, and 40 for those stats

If you go that route you might invest in an extra skill slot or two early on so you can make sure your MC will always have a viable magic skill in battle.
 

Mononoke

Banned
I'm already getting tired of demon recruitment. It's so shallow and random that I can't help but wish it was designed in a way that was more interesting or challenging in a meaningful way.

Yep. It's getting monotonous to the point that I don't even want to do it. Doesn't help that it's a lot of trial and error (then more trial and error).

I know I'm a noob to this series, so maybe I'm just not "getting it". But so far I've really disliked the recruiting/ fusion system in this game compared to Persona. I feel like it's more of a hassle than it's worth.
 
Tokyo is awesome. Lovingly crafted. I just switched to my 3DSXL and that Tokyo world map is stunning. Just not sure about the rest of the game of the bigger screen.

Also, going forward, SMT games need to stay on portables. So much more fun and accessible this way.

They can stay on portables but I still hope the next one gets a real budget.

Lack of 3D models is disappointing but it's most notable in the Strange Journey style town conversation sprites and lack of animations in the cutscenes which are also compressed to hell and back.

To me it feels almost cheaper than Strange Journey because of the mix of 3D and 2D.
 

Althane

Member
Well, I'm at Minotaur.

He's tearing me to pieces. My MC just seems to get ripped to shreds by his Labyrs strike, even after I've tagged him 3 times with Sukunda. Is Sukaja worth getting for this fight?

My party right now is:

Physical based MC (Sukaja as well)
Leanna Sidhe (Media, Patra, fusion accident, so she's got some junk skills)
Naga (Physical damage output)
Sonka (Sukaja, attack bitch)

I'm level 13, so I figured I was prepped, I'm just not sure if I've got a terrible strategy, or if I'm underleveled.
 

SteeloDMZ

Banned
Fuck yes, just got 4 MG incense from the
Fury Chernobog
side mission.

It's so satisfying when you plan a strategy, and it all goes exactly how you planned it.
 

Aeana

Member
They can stay on portables but I still hope the next one gets a real budget.

Lack of 3D models is disappointing but it's most notable in the Strange Journey style town conversations and lack of animations in the cutscenes which are also compressed to hell and back.

To me it feels almost cheaper than some of the other games because of the mix of 3D and 2D.
And yet, it hearkens back to the original SMT games so beautifully. You say "Strange Journey style town conversations," but what they really are is SMT-style town conversations. It might come off as low budget or cheap, but it's clear to me now that it was intended to well up nostalgia for longtime fans. It could be because of lack of budget (and I really doubt they expected this game to do as well as it's done), but it works.
 

Jinfash

needs 2 extra inches
And yet, it hearkens back to the original SMT games so beautifully. You say "Strange Journey style town conversations," but what they really are is SMT-style town conversations. It might come off as low budget or cheap, but it's clear to me now that it was intended to well up nostalgia for longtime fans. It could be because of lack of budget (and I really doubt they expected this game to do as well as it's done), but it works.
Speaking of which, how well did it do in Japan?
 
And yet, it hearkens back to the original SMT games so beautifully. You say "Strange Journey style town conversations," but what they really are is SMT-style town conversations. It might come off as low budget or cheap, but it's clear to me now that it was intended to well up nostalgia for longtime fans. It could be because of lack of budget (and I really doubt they expected this game to do as well as it's done), but it works.

I was referring to the sprite style that Strange Journey used for NPCs, very muddy and undetailed in comparison to the monsters or main characters.

And potentially so, I started at Nocturne so it's just disappointing to some degree. I don't even mind the sprites so much as the to me inconsistent mix between 2D and 3D. For example, in
Tokyo
's underground you can actually run around and come across 3D NPCs while running from shop to shop and actually talk to them. Where back in the Kingdom it's all menu based and you encounter the very ugly sprites again(and that's my problem, the town npc sprites are very poor in comparison to everything else) Just feels a bit bipolar to me.
 
So just reading the stat descriptions and with the general flow of combat, I've been dumping most of my points into luck and agi. Is all the magic talk in here because magic is better than physical attacks down the line?
 
Have they said why this game is called SMTIV where Nocturne didn't get a number? Just surprised because I had always thought they had said Strange Journey was the 4th mainline game and particularly because this game seems to have some direct callbacks to that game.
 

Dresden

Member
So just reading the stat descriptions and with the general flow of combat, I've been dumping moat of my points into luck and agi. Is all the magic talk in here because magic is better than physical attacks down the line?

Not down the line, it's just better all throughout. That said I think dex builds even out as you go, but it's certainly rougher at the start.
 
Have they said why this game is called SMTIV where Nocturne didn't get a number? Just surprised because I had always thought they had said Strange Journey was the 4th mainline game and particularly because this game seems to have some direct callbacks to that game.

Nocturne had a number in Japan. Probably dropped it for the Western release because I and II hadn't come over.
 

Aeana

Member
Have they said why this game is called SMTIV where Nocturne didn't get a number? Just surprised because I had always thought they had said Strange Journey was the 4th mainline game and particularly because this game seems to have some direct callbacks to that game.
Nocturne did have a number, in Japan. They didn't use it for the NA release since it was the first SMT ever released in NA.

d6e7925e7423a2373237c89c036817f5.jpg
 

vall03

Member
Yes!
I am the Hunter Tournament champion!

Darn that Ose.
Blight is way too broken.

I just remembered that I still haven't finished this quest. I remember reaching the third fight but I lost because I had no more MP and no good reserve demons. But this was way earlier in the game when I didn't have many good demons, wonder if I can do it right now.
 

Althane

Member
A feature WHOLLY unnecessary in a save anywhere game. Would have used it occasionally in previous entries... it's just obnoxious here.

You can press X to skip the hill climb part. And hold it down to speed through Charon.

(or you can hit home, and restart the game like that)
 
A feature WHOLLY unnecessary in a save anywhere game. Would have used it occasionally in previous entries... it's just obnoxious here.

Yeah. The game really made itself needlessly fucking awful and tedious at the beginning with this randomized recruiting and death sequence bullshit.
 
Do you get anything if you never use Charon? I've been resetting everything, silly but that long death march annoyed me and it was usually faster to just restart than view it again. Of course, it takes so long because the first time you can't skip it and I reset then.

Also, do you only get sidequests from the blackboard or can random NPCs given them out? I've been talking to everyone but so far I've only got them from backboards.
 

spiritfox

Member
Have they said why this game is called SMTIV where Nocturne didn't get a number? Just surprised because I had always thought they had said Strange Journey was the 4th mainline game and particularly because this game seems to have some direct callbacks to that game.

To add on, SJ was not a mainline SMT game because it was not set in Tokyo.
 

vall03

Member
Also, do you only get sidequests from the blackboard or can random NPCs given them out? I've been talking to everyone but so far I've only got them from backboards.

You can negotiate with demons and some of them will give you a quest. I'm not sure if theres a particular demon you need to talk to but I've gotten 2-3 sidequests from them. Also, its not tedious since they will directly tell you that they have some sort of concern and you have the choice whether to listen to their request or not.
 

totowhoa

Banned
You can press X to skip the hill climb part. And hold it down to speed through Charon.

(or you can hit home, and restart the game like that)

I know, but it's still silly. I was *really* hoping this game would boot right to the load menu after a game over... but no, now there's a death sequence to skip through, a gameover screen, AND reloading the entire game again. I've taken to just closing the software and restarting it. It's my only real complaint so far after adjusting to the art. Ten hours in and it's more or less everything I've wanted it to be otherwise.
 

halogamer

Banned
Does anyone have any tips for fusing good demons? It feels like I am missing out on something because I'm not fusing properly. Also, is it worth it to go a main dex/agi/lu build?
 
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