Persona Fan Plays Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne

[@agentcheriee]

The Matador fight is a roadblock meant to teach the player the importance of Buffs and Debuffs as they are extremely important in most SMT games Bu if you were using them and were still struggling then idk what to tell you unfortunately

[@TinMaxx]

That makes a lot of sense actually. It took some time but I did beat him, it was just a bit rough lol - Tin

[@ThereWasNoFreeName]

@@TinMaxx How about you give Digital Devil Saga I and II a try? It's a Duology with quite dark plot, have similar battle system (and also quite a lot of assets from SMT III) and is somewhat easier than SMT mainline but character development is closer to Persona series. But since it's a duology you have to play both games to understand the plot.

[@TinMaxx]

Someone else mentioned these games in an earlier comment and I'm making my way through the first one now. It's really good! I'm loving it so far! -Tin

[@gilded_lady]

Buffs, debuffs and bring force resistant party members. This one fight basically sets you to play the whole game smartly with less grinding!

[@PervertedNovaxc3]

Even with all that Matador is a bit rough because he's an early game boss and you probably won't have access to all the buffs/debuffs that would make it easy. Not to mention MP restoration.

[@Leon-kx4zk]

Great video! It's always refreshing seeing people trying new things. As for SMT, if you liked Nocturne, definitely check out Digital Devil Saga. It's got the same graphics and press turn system, but you can't fuse or recruit any demons (it has a skill tree for the characters), which is a different way of experiencing SMT's essence while still feeling fresh. Also the story is 10/10 so highly recommended

[@TinMaxx]

I loved Nocturne so I'll definitely check it out! Atlus has a lot of great games to check out and I'm slowly making my way through them lol Thanks for the recommendation! - Tin

[@TinMaxx]

This was a great recommendation btw. I'm only like 6 hours in but I'm loving DDS so far. The story and world of the game is cool and the gameplay is familiar while being different enough to offer a unique experience. Thanks for the recommendation! - Tin

[@backupschmliff1156]

I started with Nocturne, then got into Persona, then finally played Pokémon years later.

[@backupschmliff1156]

And Pokémon kinda sucks bro lmao

[@TinMaxx]

Nice! Pokémon and Persona have different vibes but we like it lol! But, I get if you don’t like it! The newer games have been pretty poor for Pokémon in my opinion - Maxx

[@celas1]

Nocturne has such a strong sense of atmosphere that I wish Atlus would do again. Not many JRPGS I know of limit themselves on dialogue and characters in favor of a more alone experience and having the atmosphere and the heavy concepts carry the story. I would recommend checking out Devil Survivor. I haven't played it yet but I heard it takes some traits from persona like being a lot more character focused but retains a lot of SMT traits like demons, alignments, and the apocalypse. I think Devil Survivor 2 even has social links.

[@TinMaxx]

Ooh we will definitely check it out! -Maxx

[@TinMaxx]

Devil Survivor is on my list. I can't wait to check it out, I'll probably do that one next after Digital Devil Saga. -Tin

[@PervertedNovaxc3]

I wanna say that they tried to do that with V. Keyword be try.

[@TinMaxx]

@@PervertedNovaxc3 It seems like with V they went for the broader appeal by making it similar to SMT3 in a lot of ways but making it easier for new fans to get into it. I can see why long term fans of the series have a problem with that but as someone who was just getting into SMT it was kinda nice. I do enjoy that game a lot but I understand why some people don't. -Tin

[@Mongoosesummoner]

Matador is basically the game's skill gate. If you're ignoring the press turns and the buffing/debuffing spells, he's there to hammer in how bad an idea that is.

[@TinMaxx]

Yeah a lot have people mentiomed that and it makes a lot of sense in hindsight. Still brutal tho - Tin

[@hippityhoppity8840]

Haven't played persona or smt. Now I kind of want to

[@TinMaxx]

Do it!!! They are long games, but you won’t regret it! -Maxx

[@drackestalentorgen166]

Go for it, I recommend Persona 5 it's one of the newest and it's quite beginner friendly

[@HollowGolem]

Persona 4 is dirt cheap on Steam and can run on a potato. They're doing cross-platform releases of the three modern Persona games. SMT Nocturne is on a bunch of platforms as well (The other mainline SMT games are mostly on Nintendo systems)

[@hippityhoppity8840]

@@HollowGolem I saw that, I'm totally gonna get them when they come. What's the best one to start with?

[@HollowGolem]

@@hippityhoppity8840 It depends. Persona 3 is dark, and very 2000's-edgy, but it hasn't aged that well. Persona 4 is a bit happier in the end, and feels like a "pastoral" take on the series. Persona 5 is very "style over substance," but that works for it because it has so Goddamn much style. Just raw fun. SMT Nocturne is a game that has a reputation for being very hard. I think that is incorrect; it is only hard if you try playing it like another turn-based rpg, instead of playing it on its own terms. So if you're willing to deal with 20-year-old jank, it's a good, puzzling, fun game about some kid trying to become the ubermensch. It's light on characters, but the combat is spectacular and the dungeons are fun. The Diet building alone blew my mind my first time through.

[@BAIGAMING]

11:20 I don't know if you were acting for the video but you can mash buttons to skip this. In fact I didn't even know the elevator ride was so long, I'd always mash buttons to skip it. It's great to see more people playing SMT!

[@TinMaxx]

Can you really? Omg that changes everything! Haha thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind next time I play the game. - Tin

[@Dw7freak]

One thing to note is that while the Persona games flesh out the characters of the party members and social links, SMT shows the characters of the various npc demons. While they're mostly one-note, they're very fun. The various demons act as how their mythology makes them out to be when you interact with them as npcs. Matador shows its honor by challenging you to a duel before fighting you. Pixie is a prankster but is loyal if you help her. Succubus offers a good time then tries to kill you if you accept. So many great interactions that Persona just shows as text in a bestiary.

[@TinMaxx]

Thats so true. One of the coolest parts of SMTV for me was seeing all the demons in the environment just running around. I really like how SMt uses the demons as somewhat actual characters. - Tin

[@insertjokeh3r3]

the one thing about smt and persona unlike what you said is that the answer to most of your problems are mostly never grinding and is mostly likely that you just don't have the right kit or someones weak to something the boss has. though changing your kit sometimes does require grinding.

[@TinMaxx]

Having the right demons or squadmates definitely makes all the difference. I do think grinding is useful too but it's not always required. - Tin

[@EzraThycc]

6:18 It's not just you. General consensus is that Matador is a roadblock for a lot of new players

[@TinMaxx]

It definitely felt like a pretty big leap in terms of difficulty. I was way more prepared for all the other fiends but Matador kinda surprised me. - Tin

[@louish5068]

You definitely need to try out the rest of smt, IV and V are in particular my favourites

[@TinMaxx]

SMTV is great! Probably the best one for newcomers to the series, at least that I've played so far. And I have IV downloaded and ready to go, I just need to actually start it - Tin

[@RizaLazar]

Fun fact quiz marugato includes a quiz category called "Megaten quiz" back on the pc engine before SMT 2 only in 1992 Wierd

[@TinMaxx]

That's crazy, it's insane this series is that old. Even crazier that its still going strong lol -Tin

[@RizaLazar]

@@TinMaxx yeah

[@shinigami9851]

6:35 In my personal experience I somehow managed to beat the fucker on my very first playthrough on my first try and got lucky with a lunge. I have no clue how I pulled it off.

[@TinMaxx]

That's kind of amazing! Idk how you managed that lol Matador kicked my ass a bunch of times before I finally beat him. - Tin

[@shinigami9851]

@@TinMaxx RnJesus was on my side.

[@eeveefrisk5659]

Relatable but for me I didn’t really struggle in the slightest, though i think it was partially due to III from SMT IV/IV Final. Although I never knew how did i do it on hard plus Matador having Sukukaja x4

[@memelordteseo5684]

I can also recommend the Devil Survivor Duology ( like other people did in the comments ) , but more specifically the 3ds Remakes ( polished up graphics , more content , some quality of life updates and voice acting ). Additionally I also recommend Strange Journey Redux which is more old school SMT ( first person dungeon crawling and a more traditional turn based battle system ( which still has its own twists )).

[@TinMaxx]

I recently got a 3ds for the first time so I'm definitely gonna play those versions. Thanks for the recommendation! - Tin

[@memelordteseo5684]

@@TinMaxx there's also Soul Hackers for like 10 Bucks on the E-Shop

[@TinMaxx]

@@memelordteseo5684 That might be what I play next. I wanna knock it out before the second releases next month. - Tin

[@shinigami9851]

8:37 yeah that's something I noticed in mainline Smt and is especially noticable in 5. It's probably why this game didn't really sell well when it originally released in '03. Story in JRPG's are one of the most important things it must nail. SMT3 did it differebtly. It had a more show don't tell feeling to it. The world is meant to chew you up and spit you out Ala the difficulty if your not careful. It even shows in the characters where there morals began to change overtime. It didn't say in dialoguev but God damn did it actually feel memorable. If you want to play a Mainline game that has a really good story I recommend 4 and it's sequel 4 apacalypse. 4 has probably the best story in the mainline series. Either way Shin megami tensei as a whole is just a whole nother beast entirely in terms of story rather than the heavily character driven stories of the persona series.

[@TinMaxx]

I actually bought smt 4 already and I'm gonna start it here soon. There is definitely a noticeable difference between the franchises and how they handle stories that I think is really interesting. After I've played more of them I might make a video just on that and go a little deeper into it. - Tin

[@ssjsylver]

Nocturne is a certified hood classic

[@TinMaxx]

💯 💯 💯 - Tin

[@taylortot8687]

I love Persona 5 so much! SMT seems so different tho

[@TinMaxx]

It is still fun though! If you like Persona you will like SMT! -Maxx

[@allonononami4593]

Being different is exactly why you should try it out. I am having tons of fun with Digital Devil Saga, my first SMT game (played Persona 5 for around 19 hours before trying something different out). Trying something different can show you a new stuff that you never thought you would like it.

[@taylortot8687]

@@allonononami4593 that's actually a great point lol next it's on sale I'll try it :)

[@Silath01]

I wouldn’t say the vortex world is an “evil sphere” it’s closer to a chaotic egg

[@TinMaxx]

That's so perfect. Now I just need to invent time travel and tell my past self to use that lol - Tin

[@lannobile7260]

Okay that elevator part had me laughing.

[@TinMaxx]

Haha that's great to hear! Nothing like waiting real time in an elevator to spice up your gameplay. - Tin

[@harrifongostudios]

I would say the next best game for you to try out if you like notcturne would be the digital devil saga duology. Game is similar to nocturne but with a higher emphasis on story and characters. Runs well on an emulator

[@TinMaxx]

A couple of people have mentioned that so I'm actually about 5 hours into DDS so far. Its really good so far. - Tin

[@Lozzu]

Real fun video :p

[@TinMaxx]

Thanks! I put a lot of work into it! -Tin

[@user-bh2di5by2n]

Quick question what video editing software do you use and also very good video

[@TinMaxx]

I use Adobe Premiere for all of the editing for this channel. I learned it in high school so I sorta just stuck with it all these years. And thanks! I worked hard on this video. - Tin

[@mi_kii]

The hardest thing I remember in smt 3 was the manikin puzzle boy

[@TinMaxx]

I don't think I ever actually finished that. I wanted to but keep getting stuck and gave up. - Tin

[@Danny_Ko]

0:17 but isn't Giratina basically pokemon Satan

[@TinMaxx]

Yeah pretty much lol but he's the kid friendly verison and I kinda forgot he exists when I wrote this. -Tin

[@drackestalentorgen166]

If one of the Pokémon was literally Satan? Giratina will have his revenge

[@TinMaxx]

Oh yeah, I guess that's kinda true lol I legit forgot about Giratina but that's a good point. - Tin

[@kuraux56s59]

"Persona is about the characters. SMT isnt." I am afraid that is one MASSIVE misconception created from the fact that Nocturne is put on a pedestal by both the fans and the developers. Stuff like Devil Survivor Overclocked and the Raidou duology are a hell of a lot more character focused! Nocturne is a bit of an outlier, as it started its development as an open world RPG that had the gameplay first and story second.

[@TinMaxx]

That makes sense seeing how the final game turned out. I made the mistake of assuming most SMT games were like Nocturne when that isn't exactly the case. With hindsight I would have changed it so it was more clear thay I'm speaking of SMT3 more specifically. - Tin

[@kuraux56s59]

@@TinMaxx Oh! No worries. This was still a nice review for a P5 fan that actually wants to expand their horizons. If I may say this, Devil Survivor is a FAR better introduction. As it is a good in-between point between Persona and Mainline.

[@TinMaxx]

@@kuraux56s59 Awesome! I'll be sure to check it out! I just got done with the first Digital Devil Saga game so that might be next. - Tin

[@kuraux56s59]

@@TinMaxx Good to know!

[@BugabooStrangeJourney]

can't wait for you to play strange journey (please not redux unless you have to) and see that it has the best over all package in all of smt

[@TinMaxx]

Redux is the only way I can play it legitimately but there's always emulation. - Tin

[@BugabooStrangeJourney]

@@TinMaxx Its always moraly acceptable to pirate if the company refuses to rerelease

[@carhighh]

If you liked Nocturne and Persona the. definitely check out Devil Survivor on the DS, and if you want to explore more of the interesting parts of the franchise check out Soul Hackers or Strange Journey, all great games.

[@TinMaxx]

There are all on my list! Right now I'm making my way through Digital Devil Saga but one of the 3DS ones will be next I think. - Tin

[@alsaiduq4363]

I find rather annoying this notion of smt not being a game that isn't about the characters, especialy because you didn't the other games. SMT games have great characters, you just happened to play one of the games that didn't focused on them..

[@TinMaxx]

That's a valid point and something I would change in the video based on what I know now. I still think that SMT focuses much less on characters than the Persona games do, especially just going off of this game specifically which is what I did. -Tin

[@jackfrost6219]

Great-hee video-hoo! ATLUS is the GOAT!

[@TinMaxx]

Wow are you the Jack Frost?! What an honor! -Maxx

[@linustg]

could've used some background music but otherwise its a great video!

[@TinMaxx]

Thanks! We appreciate that! We will look into the music idea for sure! -Maxx

[@drackestalentorgen166]

If you can you should try Devil Survivor

[@TinMaxx]

I'm making my way throught the Digital Devil Saga Duology right now but I think I'm gonna tackle Devil Survivor next. There's so many good Atlus games to play and so little time. - Tin

[@drackestalentorgen166]

@@TinMaxx oh thats so true

[@raymilbelmont2521]

Mentions the persona series and only shows p5 footage…

[@TinMaxx]

Persona 5 was the game I had the easiest time recording gameplay footage for so it what I used for this video. Plus the whole thing at the beginning was talking about how Persona 5 was my introduction to Shin Megami Tensei so it seemed fitting. - Tin