Can You Beat Shin Megami Tensei II Without Demons?

Get a head start in your epic campaign in Vanillaware's Unicorn Overlord by pre-ordering here: gsght.com/c/kp...
Follow me on Twitter: / crawling_nyarly
Consider donating on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nyarly
Subscribe to my Twitch channel: / nyaarly
I go back to another old school MegaTen game; Shin Megami Tensei II for another demon-less run, relying only on human allies! Will I be able to attack and dethrone God without the help of demons? Watch to find out!
Intro by Lyric: / @lyric3595
SMTII Aeon Genesis Translation: www.romhacking...
QoL Improvement Patch: www.romhacking...
#atlusfaithful #UnicornOverlord #sponsored

[@Nyarly]

Be sure to check out the demo and pre-order Vanillaware's next masterpiece; Unicorn Overlord today! gsght.com/c/kpjsjr

[@aaronscott7467]

Weren't you going to reupload your smt1 video? Were you ever able to figure out what got claimed on it?

[@chocobofangirl]

Now THAT'S a sponsor we can all respect lol

[@callmezeldaonemoartime]

Most based sponsor ong

[@TheRealMakotoYuki419]

@@chocobofangirlfr finally no more leauge of legends

[@Hayastantzi92]

no

[@TimotheusVA]

Ah yes SMT 2 the only game where you play as the Messiah who is actually a aged up child and who's girlfriend is actually his mother and who's best friend is literally satan and who has to join a dance battle to actually progress in the game Damn this game needs a remake its so good

[@autumnoraki]

The best game in the series imo. It was so good I did every route multiple times lol

[@zerohunter2966]

I'm sorry, but what the fuck? Can you explain a little more to me?

[@ankar8881]

Me who never played: HUUUUHHHHH???

[@olegoose574]

This game and SMT 1 unironically need high-budget remakes like FF7 Remake (apart from weird stuff like time ghosts)

[@myokui]

@@zerohunter2966 Spoilers (duh) "messiah who is actually an aged up child" - Aleph is an artificial human created by the center to essentially be a messiah. He was created in an artificial womb and he aged rapidly in it(about 10 years in 24 hours iirc). So in game he was like 5 years old mentally. "girlfriend who is actually his mother" - Hiroko, the main heroine, is actually the mother of Aleph according to Mekata (the scientist who made Aleph and Hiroko's father) "who's best friend is satan" - Zayin, one of Aleph's "friends", fuses with Seth to become Satan. "dance battle to actually progress the game" - there's a point in the game where you have to find 7 pillars in order to progress to the underworld. One of these pillars is hidden behind a dance battle that you have to win (for some reason) you need to have 10 points in magic to beat it.

[@HELLRAISER02]

That alice luck is a 1 in 32,768 chance, the luck gods were smiling upon you

[@valletas]

Damn worst is that i skipped all these chests in my playtrough because honestly gems are pretty much useless and i aint gonna wait for the right time to open them Did the same thing in nocturne

[@M4DTA]

@@valletasGems are actually not that useless. If you get 9 of the same type of gem you get a stat bonus, not permanent if the amount of that gem goes down but it’s still pretty good. Especially if you don’t want to grind for levels that much. My first playthrough I just kept farming them to have an easier time later on.

[@jaffinator2166]

Standard Weapons in most SMT games: Useless to Situational Standard weapons in SMT2:

[@lowhp_comic]

man back when your protagonist was the demon summoner every-day guy that didn't have magical powers strong enough to make their summoning functions counterintuitive haha

[@furiouscorgi6614]

@@lowhp_comic you mean smt4?

[@mayborneflower]

6:11 - Man really went full Hank Hill on the rando

[@maxmaxmaxmax647]

Taste the meat not the heat

[@KishinAubrey]

59:28 the "sin of genocide" line was not in the japanese version. satan doesnt even say why he rebelled in japanese. from what i understand the extra content in the gba version suggeets that, while turned into stone, zayin had a revelation that everything he does is "god's will" and he doesn't have to obey a funny yellow man to enact "god's will". he had his own reasons for destroying the world

[@megatennepster3833]

my headcanon is that Satan needed the perfect excuse to kill God, and destroying earth let him justify to himself why his treason is justified

[@KishinAubrey]

@@megatennepster3833 hmm, that is very interesting

[@Zorothegallade-gg7zg]

Man's been cranking out these challenge videos like crazy and STILL apologizes for not publishing the P3R video. What a legend.

[@Gamedres95]

Here before the video gets age restricted

[@lordvaust5830]

Bet

[@Not_Alanius]

Bet

[@TheSkittleNerd]

Same

[@John_Doe3rd]

Bət

[@theoshodi]

Bet

[@finalsurvivor1]

The reason Voice of God only hit Aleph is because it always targets whoever has the lowest Intelligence. All the bosses in the final dungeon have unique moves that are very predictable as to who they hit and, with the exception of Satan, all of them target whoever has the lowest of a particular stat. Sabaoth binds the one with the lowest Strength, Shaddai paralyzes the one with the lowest Agility, Elohim petrifies the one with the lowest Luck, and Satan instakills based on how you've ordered your party. That's why I was torn over you choosing the Law ending - it's my favorite of the three endings, but the final dungeon without demons would have been a big difficulty spike because of their signature moves. Also, the agility issues on Lucifer and YHVH weren't just bad luck; those two and Satan are just super evasive naturally to make them more challenging. Only guaranteed hit skills and really powerful swords will consistently damage them.

[@nightm4re3fredbear_adrian-42]

14:52 that is CRAZY i've spent hours upon hours trying to get fiend encounters in smt 2 let alone their weapons!!!!!

[@abeeocta2599]

I remember meet david in smt 1 at hospital not a fun time

[@damianwarneke305]

Mad respect for that tbh

[@jackofminds8338]

"Patrick Stewart's disembodied head is looking right at us, and we have to fight it." This line is absurdly funny.

[@paytonludwig1455]

Now I can only picture YHVH talking like Director Bullock from American Dad to the archangels "i said KILL them! Kill them all! ...yes them too! ...also them! No! Not him...thats me..."

[@thebigdork8030]

"The line must be drawn HERE, and no further!" *Boss music*

[@Zman7981]

With how hard it is to find good plot summaries of SMT 2, I'm glad this video exists

[@benmcgiggles7655]

I was thinking the same thing

[@transformer333]

There's something about the older SMTs' vibes, with the environmental swerves and constrained physical layout putting everything in the same dungeon-navigation interface. SMTII in particular I don't see covered very often, and it's a cool changeup to see a direct sequel to the events of a previous game. IV's basically the only game with a similar combination of setup and sequel placement (at least with Apocalypse included) that I'm aware of in the main series. Thanks for the run and insight, Nyarly.

[@ravenstires1747]

Doesn't SMT 4 also follow 3? Just a little time skip? And 4A happens concurrently with it and isn't a sequel?

[@edwardking9359]

​@ravenstires1747 4 follows 2, I'm pretty sure. Nocturne is it's own special thing

[@nataliecoronado4206]

4 doesn't follow up on 3, but 5 does. 4A takes place during 4's neutral route, but is in its own separate timeline

[@nr2676]

Shin Megami Zio - SMT I Shin Megami Happy -SMT II

[@ibragimowbekhan0987]

Shin Megami STRENGHT - SMT III

[@GamerNym]

44:50 To expand on this one point a bit, when Hiroko first arrived in Valhalla back at the start of the game she said she was looking for "a missing child." The implication isn't hard to figure out but it's easy to overlook when you play the game yourself. The child in question is undoubtedly Aleph.

[@BoogieMoogle]

6:19 Red Bear sniff "Why are you yelling at me?!?"

[@FoxMan_FF]

Ah, yes, this is the Megaten game that introduced the phrase "Everyone's dancing furiously". How could I forget? 😁

[@RobinandZephyr]

this run inflicted me with Happy

[@Dw7freak]

Gets the rare drop from Alice: "Time to make the world a happy place." *proceeds to beat demons with a bat with a smiley face on it*

[@markuswithak5084]

I don't think the happ ailment on Master Therion mattered...dude sounded quite excited already.

[@bossofthisgym6842]

Finally a reel shen magoomy tensay game...

[@guilhermegaspar752]

Ten say

[@ruekruz]

Smt2 is easy compared to nocturne especially early game.

[@GRiznitDShiznit]

Finally, a REAL Personuh gam

[@nuspas]

@@GRiznitDShiznit *purse owner

[@persona3rulez]

​@@ruekruzby this logic the only hard game in the franchise is actually SJ. Maybe DDSaga 2. Seriously, Nocturne is even easier than Eternal Punishment or FES, lol.

[@yolinhoz1724]

i didnt understand a single thing happening in the story that's incredible

[@deshawnwilliams503]

6:11 King of the Hill reference!!! 10/10

[@purelelez]

player : tries to do the right thing game : "good, good... anyway, the world gets destroyed" thank you, Shin Megami Tensei.

[@KittyKatty999]

Shin Megami Tensei 2 would never take advantage of our initiate gullibility

[@Isuream6331]

Well, at least you avenge them… I guess

[@maxschwitzer9390]

Here's your Hebrew lesson of the day! for some reason, romanizations like to add an H to the end of hebrew letters. I dunno why I've seen "beth" so much when it's pronounced "beth". same for Daleth, which is normally dalet. With the actual Japanese, it is pronounced like it's romanized, but it messes with my head xD Also worth noting that while it might have been romanized as Zain, the japanese does have the correct pronunciation, which sounds like "za-een". less relevant is that aleph has the emphasis on its first syllable. This has been your obligatory OCD powered hebrew lesson of the day. great video!

[@MusicoftheDamned]

Given I assume the second "beth" here is supposed to be *"bet"* instead, that ironically shows easy still is to at least typo it even when you know. Otherwise, neat. Thanks.

[@tomo8940]

The only SMT game where your main waifu dies and second waifu turns out to be your mother.

[@silentnight6810]

Hah

[@christianwabajak37]

Sounds like evangelion

[@gluttonousgoddess]

I like how this game handles alignment. It's supposed to be changed with your actions and ideals, not a by all end all that dictates your actions

[@Finalrestingplace66]

Man I can’t wait for you to do demonless for the entire series

[@amethyphoenix]

I mean, he did (De)Buffless on SMT 3 Nocturne, and Fusionless (and Minimum%) on SMT 4, as well as the same Nocturne-style run on Strange Journey. Dude's got his bases covered and his plate full.

[@Xord2006]

If you want to see smt 3 and 5 demonless you Can find it on deus Channel and he Said that he almost finish smt4

[@Finalrestingplace66]

@@Xord2006 yeah I’ve seen those videos but I’d love to see how he would handle it

[@Xord2006]

@@Finalrestingplace66 ok

[@autumnoraki]

Really nice to see you do this challenge for II. It's a game that while more loved nowadays, still deserves a lot more credit and love than it gets.

[@theking5116]

Daleth wasn't trying to make Aleph fall in love with him. He was trying to make him fall in love with Anoon so he would settle down with her and stop opposing him. She went along with the plan because she loves Daleth that much. I think the way that whole arc resolves is cute.

[@Yeaster]

This game's story is bananas. I absolutely love it. SMT's atmosphere is so unique even to this day

[@billyboleson2830]

Shout out to smt2s translation apparently having a chaos bias which is why this game has probably the best chaos ending in mainline

[@KittyKatty999]

Can you please explain?

[@reinweissritter]

​@@KittyKatty999iirc the guy who made the translation purposefully mistranslated stuff to make the law route look bad, more than what the Japanese chaos bias already make it look. It happened also in the snes smt 1 translation, with stuff like the law hero saying "try not to feel to bad" when the MC mother dies, and if you check the official smt 1 translation in the IOS port (or the gba translation which just copied and pasted that one), it says something different.

[@qorrn]

Wait what, really??!?!, thats not fair......

[@ZuperNEZ]

I remember the first time I fought YHVH, the battle lasted so long, I had to create a save state so I could take a break. The moment I loaded the save state back from my break, the first attack killed YHVH. I wasn't sure if I was one attack away from killing YHVH when I created the save state or it was a bug in creating the save state that caused YHVH to be killed in the one attack. Either way, I took it as a win and enjoyed the ending.

[@Naterkix]

Dayum, being happy is basically a death sentence in SMT 2.

[@tulaamami7759]

can i just say that i have been binge watching all of your challenge run vids of persona and SMT games on repeat and you are the reason I bought SMT Nocturne remaster for my ps4 and plan on playing it soon after i finish reload. You make great vids broski, keep it up

[@alexlee4154]

So in smt 2 the last few bosses have super high avoid. Normally you would rely on your demons but here you would really want to have a weapon with super high hit The problem is that most weapons have (relatively) dogshit hit except the ones only obtainable in the postgame dungeon and the fiend drops That is to say getting a fiend drop early game is spectacularly lucky. One could even say suspiciously so

[@jakebuckley4059]

1:03:54 ok so the reason why yhvh always targeted aleph with voice of god is because targets the party member with the lowest intelligence. aleph had low af intelligence so he would always be hit by gods voice.

[@demonking41-l8j]

That's honestly pretty funny.

[@jakebuckley4059]

@@demonking41-l8j it really is lol

[@davidjimenez3822]

little bro out here being an accelerated growth newborn and being called "the party member with the lowest intelligence" Sadge

[@daehan8227]

Thanks for uploading these. It's been ages since I last played the snes era smt games. I mostly dived into smt knowing that Personas 1-2ep get less love and attention than 3-5. Though thanks for saying that Shinjuku was a huge and easy to get lost in. Lost myself countless times in smt 1

[@dexx3945]

The reference to the boggle tournament King of the Hill episode destroyed me. Never expected that

[@nijunikuro]

Wow. That Alice fight was both epic and *really* lucky. I haven't seen *any* majin in 2 full playthroughs and I've only encountered them in my 3rd one - and that's 'cause I was specifically *looking* for them. Btw, Daleth *didn't* try to get the main character to fall in love with him - he wanted to make him fall in love with Anoon, but she liked Daleth and not the protagonist, hence why she decided to help you and entranced *him* instead. "Wait! I never said I was onboard with this!" I had the same reaction when that happened at the end of my law playthrough. XD

[@GanonAutumn777]

"Making his LONG awaited appearance". I see what you did there :D

[@TitaRussellTrails]

SMT if is one you may wanna play through twice because there’s a character exclusive to new game + and it’s got brand new dungeons and bosses.

[@Dark-qg4kb]

Ye, Akira so cool

[@SonnyFRST]

Again: Reload can sit on the backlog for all I care, not a priority.

[@megaman874]

Vote for Devil Survivor Hero Only Run.

[@CCYami]

Due to how EXP works in DeSu, this is actually one of the easier ways to play the game.

[@RadioballZ129]

Pls do an SMT devil survivor challenge run sometime. I am playing it right now and it is my first ever game in the SMT franchise ever (including persona). Unless playing joker in smash counts as a persona game.

[@pierrelindgren5727]

Being Happy is an ailment in the world of SMT. That's depressing, which luckily isn't an ailment, so I'll be fine.

[@ztheninja8434]

6:09 I instantly had to go check the Loser speech Hank Hill said because it sounded similar, but I never listened to the full quote, and I was right

[@Stroimex]

"He just beats God. He literally just punches, and kicks him and shoots him until he dies."

[@airtempest8945]

I find it infinitely funny the hint to what you're supposed to do for the Moon Pillar 'cause the game gives you a hint... About some lady's 9 magic backflips of all things.

[@apocalfailed8090]

Oh yeah, in the fight against YHVH, the reason Aleph always gets nailed by Voice of God is because it always targets the one still standing with the WORST magic stat.

[@lealkenseal1424]

"It's not your agility, or your luck, or your endurance, or anything like that. It's your MAGIC that determines your ability to dance." Clearly Aleph's busting out his conjuring turns under the Jellicle Moon.

[@reicherwallace6774]

Clearly, Aleph should have shown up in the persona dancing all night game. He's pretty damn saucy.

[@HarbingerYT]

Ryuji has an Aleph costume in Persona 5: Dancing in Star Night, with the Atlus Selections DLC.

[@TeeQueueSA]

Clearly, the dance contest is all a Labyrinth reference. To whit: Dance, magic dance (dance, magic dance) Dance, magic dance (dance, magic dance) Put that baby's spell on me Jump, magic jump (jump, magic jump) Jump, magic jump (jump, magic jump) Put that magic jump on me Slap that baby, make him free

[@tespenkr9924]

Literally my favorite SMT game. As much as 3, 4, and 5 are super fun, but there's something by about 2 and it's story that hit differently for me.

[@Skywolve1998]

Ah, drinking alcohol to temporarily raise your stats to meet a requirement, the ol' OSRS classic.

[@AditionalPylons]

Hey I'm curious why you often rename characters, but then refer to them by their default names. As someone less familiar with some of the older megaten games, it makes it a bit harder to follow. Love the videos, always entertaining and great work put into them!

[@hencat4077]

Commenting to make sure the algorithm doesnt screw you keep up the good work i love your videos

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

Nyarly: says the game doesn’t sound as good Also Nyarly: plays the banger battle theme

[@ARantingMarch]

This game reminds me of how much I miss SMT: Imagine, and how it takes place between I and II. (And yes, I'm aware of the private server, my laptop is over 6 years old and can barely handle opening browsers at times lol.)

[@WoobertAIO]

It would be cool to see if you can beat SMT1 using only demons (like, only defending or talking with your protagonist, and only defending with your other human party members)

[@alkaid5121]

my man nyarly going full low tier god on poor red bear. Also, aside from spd (which you don't really need to max), you also need luck to improve the accuracy problems, kek.

[@funkyfresh1379]

Nyarly is on the challenge grind frfr

[@callmezeldaonemoartime]

Oh damn he ACTUALLY did SMT2, poggers

[@jamesbyrne7564]

Nylary is dancing furiously.

[@iriswav7379]

15:06 now your luck is even

[@EpicFox56]

*Proceeds to punch, kick, stab, and shoot God until he dies*

[@SnailBot]

5-7 normal attacks feel like using hassotobi every turn without SP. And I love it.

[@Treble0096]

Someone may have posted this already, but YHVH's insta-kill always targets the character in the first available position, so that is why it was only hitting Aleph.

[@Barooth100]

i mean this in the friendliest way possible when i say "fu- the P3R videos" gimme more "oldschool" SMT games :D

[@Valkbg]

He has to pay the bills man

[@nestorgamer9746]

nah I would love to see him solo P3R with only Orpheus

[@timdoe8895]

Been waiting on this since the community post

[@crimsonslayer6641]

Smt 4 apocalypse fans when they hear someone mention YHVH: How do I get there?

[@johngleeman8347]

49:21 Mara in the house!

[@nr2676]

The real challenge: Can you beat SMT Ronde without destroying Sega Saturn and TV ?

[@slayeroffurries1115]

Nyarly should play the loto, like damn, insane luck with that Alice encounter

[@bradleyharris774]

6:05. Shit Nyarly, where did that come from? Who hurt you, dude?

[@KyRex1783]

It was a King of the hill reference ^^;

[@uidsea]

Time for a nice, cozy afternoon with nyarly

[@antoinevilleneuve7680]

This game needs a remake

[@DixieChix]

13:36 Tfw I actually had the same exact experience with my first time playing SMT II a couple of months back LMAO Basically, I was going through the game while having some GameFAQs maps handy along with a overall guide, and while I was in one of the Underground areas (looks like it might be the Akasaka one, at least from what I saw after checking the map I used on GFAQS again) I noticed that there was this really small area that seemed to contain a ton of Fiend spawns alongside a Magic Box, so I basically tried to go there a couple of times while saving and resetting the game from the terminal in that area to see if I could find one... but then I tried to go for the Magic Box Alice encounter as well, just for shits and giggles, and I get it on pretty much my first try... and yeah, I got the fucking Shiki Staff from her as well, which I instantly equipped onto Hiroko and basically had that weapon for her for pretty much the rest of the game LOL But that's actually not the only time I had a encounter with Alice either, because right at the time where you go to the Center again to fight the Elders and have that back-to-back boss fight with them, I had a encounter with her there, this time just from the 1/32 Fiend spawns, and guess what? I got another Shiki Staff drop. _AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ Still wonder how lucky I truly was with those btw, cuz I can't imagine these being very easy to get; hell, I did not get a single Fiend encounter in SMT If... despite playing all four routes (don't judge me, I was bored okay) and the rates still being the same ones from SMT II, so I dunno what the hell even happened for me to have gotten both Alice encounters like that lmao

[@Barretberet]

I didnt realize betelgeuse and bettlejuice are two different thing

[@zaphyy]

I like all the old school SMT vids, not super familiar with them but cool to see them with your perspective

[@justanotherguywithamoustac8893]

Oh that's cool, Nyarly just gets really good early game RNG

[@luispinzon1282]

15:39 nice fucking model HONK! HONK!

[@wolfscar05]

This has gotten me brainstorming over a suikoden 3 run of using only "Dead" Party members all things

[@Siinory]

The North Temple is Exdeath Castle! It's a Meat fort!

[@louisagreer1700]

appreciate the King of the Hill reference

[@givemysundaeback]

Apparently you can free Hiruko without Nadja's help, something i discovered accidentally by only learning about Nadja by these videos

[@SilkyForestMoose]

Seeing that church mofo at around the 9:30 minute mark, I had to do a double take like, "Wait, is that... PAPA IV?!" Keep up the great work, man, these are real fun to watch.

[@DrunkedOwly]

Pretty good, really hoping ror a remake with a good battle system

[@Nocxys]

6:06 Nyarly what did that man do to you?? Nyarly be out here sounding like Eminem 😂

[@XenoPlayerP3]

Bro was like who needs demons we got them hands

[@TheMetalGaia]

Love this content, man!

[@nore5888]

Nyarly grind is crazy

[@snuffaluffagus1000]

was waiting !

[@sirnegative0035]

It's already past Christmas but we keep getting presents. 🎉 Thanks Nyarly Claus 😂

[@tun1412]

Slight correction, Aleph's rival plan wasn't to make him fall in love with him, it was to make Aleph fall in love with that fairy lady

[@IGN_OFFClAL]

I played this for the first time recently. I have never loved and hated a game quite like this. If I never see the tunnel from Holy town to the center again, it will be too soon.

[@defaltpearce3187]

Not gonna lie after this I'd love to watch a Neutral playthrough of this from you.

[@SpeakTheNarrator]

New challenge idea: Can nyarly catch up on sleep without playing soul hackers 2? (Impossible)

[@infernx193]

Just got home with lunch and see a Nyarly Challenge Video happy day.

[@terrenceojeda7172]

The Hank Hill "LOSER. YOU'RE A LOSER." rant got me good.