Decidi probar este juego porque un reseñador dijo que era muy malo y que nadie deberia tocarlo, en un arrebato de estupides juvenil decidi hacer caso omiso y probarlo para terminarlo solo por orgullo, gran error xd

primero mencionare todas las cosas malas de este juego, busquen algo que comer o una bebida

1-hasta la fecha creo que este es el JRPG con mayor numero de apariciones de peleas aleatorias que he visto, me di cuenta que aveces depende mas de si estas entrando a una sala y no tanto en un pasillo, el problema es que este juego esta infestado de salas o similares donde pareciera estar programada una aparicion de demonios del 50% o mas, no hace falta decir lo que significa pasar por esto a largo plazo

2-las estadisticas de los personajes se nos presentan como una oportunidad para personalizarlos, sin embargo esto no parece ser asi realmente, mis personajes aguantaban daño similar y pegaban similar, tenian la misma oportunidad de escapar de siempre y las magias lastimaban igual, creo que lo que de verdad importa es el nivel y el armamento, eso si afecta tu ofensiva y defensivas, las stats no parecen influir en nada realmente mas que la velocidad con que aprendes hechizos (segun lei, ni me consta esto)

3-los efectos de estados pueden ser molestos but no hay pedo porque habran hechizos y objetos para curarlos verdad? pues no hay objetos y solo hay un par de magias que curan estados, uno para los temporales y otro para los permanentes aun despues de la pelea, el problema es que solo yumiko puede usarlos fuera de combate y son pocos los demonios que suportean con magias curativas (no se porque no dejan usarlas fuera de combate con demonios), de manera que, si paralizan o petrifican a yumiko, no valdra la pena seguir, ella cura y hace bastante mas, sera un giga dolor de huevos regresar (ademas los demonios mas fuertes no cuentan con la magia clink la cual quita paralizis)

4-los npc aveces dan informacion redundante, sin relacion o muy ambigua, por ejemplo, un personaje me pidio que le buscara un escudo que fue robado por un goblin, ni derrotando o trayendo goblins cambia algo, lo que pasa es que el escudo esta en una casilla especifica de la zona 1, es probable que la dejes de lado como me paso a mi y te vayas a la zona 3

5-enemigos que quitan niveles, en que rayos estaban pensando, hay magias para bloquear sus hechizos de restar niveles, pero un grupo de enemigas demonio en especifico pueden atacar de a 6 y antes que tu (desprevenido) haciendo que te bajen 1 o 2 niveles en un mismo combate, esto no tiene perdon de Dios

6-aveces es imperceptible saber si te mueves en una zona ancha o pasillo grande, debieron hacer que se note mas el movimiento

7-mapas que cambian, aveces estaras dibujando mapas para avanzar pero por alguna razon estos cambian su estructura a partir de cierto punto, wtf, es frustrante

8-relacionado al punto anterior, este jrpg, es en primera persona y sin mapas propios (mas que un mini mapa que se llega a desactivar aveces y no cubre tanto rango) asi que deberas dibujar tu tus propios mapas, estaras muchisimas horas dibujando y dibujando y dibujando

9-los hechizos ofensivos son mas o menos inutiles, solo blizaton sirve porque congela un turno al enemigo pero gasta mucha magia y sale mejor golpear, la verdad es que los combates solo se resumen en ofensiva simple, no varia la estrategia

10-hay un exceso de trampas, teleportadores y agujeros que hacen mucho mas engorrosa la experiencia de dibujar mapas

11-no hay sistema de renuncia de demonios xdxdx, te los quitas de encima con fusiones o dejandolos debilitados cuando apagues y continues tu partida

12-las contraseñas para seguir tu partida son enooooooooooooooooooooooooooooormes, y vas a tener que escribirlas varias veces

13-tambien hay otros acertijos no items escenciales para continuar de los que casi no te explican nada como el objeto de gaia y los 2 objetos importantes de la tienda de rag (solo un npc da una pista ligera de uno de ellos, sin estos objetos no avanzaras)

cosas buenas:

1-las fusiones y los monstruos son divertidos e interesantes, hice una lista de las posibles fusiones, fue grato

2-la musica es buena, puedes hartarte si te pierdes y escuchas lo mismo pero no es mala musica, la del jefe final es genial

3-graficos y sprites, tan bonitos

y ya, no sientas verguenza por usar savestate, guias fusiones o mapas ya hechos por otros, intente jugar sin nada de eso y si bien me sentia bien al salir adelante por mi mismo sin guias (solo un poco), tambien desperdicie un montoooon de horas al pedo, horas que pude invertir con titulos que no sean injustos, deficientes y mal diseñados, termine usando guias de mapas para el palacio final porque de verdad era enorme, lleno de trampas y teletransportadores que hacian que perdieras el rumbo del mapeado que preparabas, pude perder 4 horas mas si no hubiera escogido usar guia

hazme caso, tu vida es importante, hay mejores opciones, ah no ser de que estes tan enfermo como yo y decidas experimentar en carne propia esta tortura para conocer los inicios de la franquicia megami tensei

55

Solid dungeon crawler with a barebones, yet fun demon system along with surprisingly solid art design and atmosphere.

Second half unfortunately drops the ball with boring navigational puzzles and once fun gameplay systems losing their magic due to a lack of interesting progression.

Some of the late game design choices are so hateful towards the player that I can kinda respect it.

Uni-vos todas as criações das esperanças humanas e desmantelaremos o grande mal Lúcifer. Nunca fiquei tão viciado e imerso em um jogo de NES até hoje, passei dezenas de horas dentro desse mundo e foi incrível, vou dividir em 3 tópicos principais:

Gameplay

Tudo que eu desejava, e muito mais, quando comecei a jogar vários JRPGs de 1986 e 1987, como:

Progressão de nível sem limites definidos por momento de jogo ou inimigos: Alguns JRPGs que eu joguei da época limitavam a evolução de modo que ao vencer inimigos fracos você não recebia XP nenhum, aqui além de ser livre disso ainda torna vantajoso vencer inimigos fracos mesmo no fim do jogo, já que podem fornecer MAG (pontos necessários para andar com os monstros invocados) e joias de cura (muito úteis em qualquer momento do jogo para te curar totalmente quando fora da batalha).

Ritmo de evolução: Para alguns pode incomodar o elevado tempo de grinding, no entanto, acredito que seja boa parte por ponto de vista, se você focar em fazer fusões cada vez mais fortes, boa parte do grinding é diluído em meio as buscas dos monstros desejados.

Mapa: Eu não era muito fã dessa perspectiva de câmera, porém, com o mapa na lateral fica bem mais fácil de se orientar, além de poder utilizar os mapas de um guia para se localizar, no entanto, com o tempo você acaba decorando os caminhos principais mais usados e nem precisa mais de mapa algum.

Status: Gostei muito como cada um tem extrema importância, como por exemplo, a Sorte, existem alguns inimigos que tem ataques que diminuem seu nível, portanto eu maximizei minha sorte para evitar ao máximo sofrer um ataque desses, e funcionou, só aconteceu uma vez no jogo inteiro. Outro exemplo, eu aumentei bastante a velocidade da Yumiko, já que se eu estiver prestes a perder algum personagem, com ela sendo a mais rápida, fica possível eu usar a cura antes de qualquer movimento do inimigo no próximo turno. E vai indo, você pode elaborar sua estratégia em relação a qual status priorizar.

Magias: Não fiz tanto uso na maioria das lutas, com exceção das de cura, focando mais nos ataques físicos, no entanto, nas emergências ou dependendo caso eram extremamente úteis e interessantes devido a grande variedade delas, ponto positivo.

Captura e fusões: Acredito ser um dos destaques do jogo, dando mais importância para várias criaturas e como eu já disse, diluindo o grinding, no entanto acredito que poderia ser melhorado uma coisa, eliminar personagens, o único jeito era deixando a criatura morrer e reabrindo o jogo com a senha, deixando o processo mais chato, mas tirando isso adorei.

Visuais

Criaturas: Simplesmente incomparáveis com qualquer coisa de NES da época, a quantia de criaturas diferentes com designs incríveis e além de tudo com movimentos animados, é absurdamente mais bonito nisso que qualquer JRPG que eu já joguei lançado antes dele, só pegar por exemplo o Dragon Quest 2, as criaturas lá são bonitinhas, mas não chegam nem aos pés do detalhamento e grandiosidade das criaturas daqui.

Mundo: Muito bonito também, é muito legal como cada mundo tem uma atmosfera diferente, mudando desde a música até a cor da tela, além de serem bem feitos para auxiliar na orientação do jogador em se localizar em um ambiente tridimensional.

OST

Excelente, adorei várias músicas, as minhas 10 favoritas foram:

1: Recollections (Ending)
2: Hellfire
3: Anfini (Anfini Palace)
4: Valhalla
5: Power Attack (Boss)
6: Izanami (Burial Chamber of Izanami)
7: Jewel of The Three (Izanami Rescue)
8: Battlefield (Battle)
9: Daedalus
10: Pray (Jakyou)

Ouça nesse link: https://downloads.khinsider.com/game-soundtracks/album/digital-devil-story-megami-tensei-family-computer

Espiritualidade e Simbolismos

Isso foi disparado o que fez esse jogo me interessar tanto e virar um dos meus favoritos, começando que ele apresenta criaturas de diversas religiões e culturas como Xintoismo, Astecas, Hinduismo, Judaismo, Cristianismo, Zoroastrismo, mitologias nórdicas, irlandesas e de localidades especificas como a criatura Barong da ilha de Bali. Sem dúvidas é um jogo riquíssimo.
E, embora alguns não percebam, essas questões religiosas estão por todo o jogo, não apenas nas criaturas, itens e na história, como no caso da parte que você vai pegar a espada Hinokagutsuchi, e o local que você passa logo antes tem o formato de uma Ura Manji (裏卍) que representa força e a inteligência. E para pegar essa espada você tem que justamente ter um nível 48 ou acima com status de inteligência e força altos! Não vi esse detalhe específico escrito ainda e certeza que devem ter muitos detalhes no jogo que eu não percebi, é genial!

Simplesmente é isso, tiraram leite de pedra, depois dessa eu estou com muita vontade estudar sobre o Xintoísmo, deu tanta curiosidade de saber sobre esses infinitos conhecimentos da humanidade, obrigado Megami Tensei.

The spirit of perversity must have overtaken me when I decided to beat this game because no rational human being would ever do that. To make this irrational self-vexing even more extreme, I decided I was going to fuse every single demon in the game. All of this created an experience almost beyond description. Playing this game was a boring, frustrating, and bewildering ordeal and yet for some reason I could not bring myself to put it down. I have no idea where this monomania came from.

This is not a short game, mind you, the whole ordeal probably took around 60 hours; 60 hours that I could have spent doing literally anything else.

If some idiot ever tries to tell you that human beings are rational actors, make them play 20 minutes of Megami Tensei and then inform them that there are countless people who have played the game to completion. I promise you they won’t believe human beings are so rational anymore.

This game exists mainly as a historical artifact for those interested in the beginnings of the MegaTen franchise, the monster collection genre, and Famicom graphical design. It’s a visually impressive game with a decent soundtrack to boot and was incredibly innovative for its time. That said, there’s really no reason to play this to completion today. You’d be much better off playing it for 20 minutes to get a feel for it or watching a video about it on YouTube.

     「イザナミの優しい瞳に暖かみさが次第に戻って行く。」

By 1987, the Japanese RPG had several sub-categories, each represented by iconic titles: Dragon Quest (1986) and Final Fantasy (1987) were establishing a new standard for the genre, while Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished (1986) followed the formula of Hydlide (1984), with its action-RPG overtones. Alongside these new game design explorations, a series inspired by the novels of Aya Nishitani was born. ATLUS's Digital Devil Monogatari: Megami Tensei is not, unlike Telenet's eponymous computer game, an adaptation of the light novels, but their sequel. Similarly, the gameplay between the two games is quite different, as the Telenet title opts for a hack-n-slash concept similar to Gauntlet (1985), while the Famicom version is in the pure Wizardry tradition. In this seminal opus, the player takes on the role of Akemi Nakajima and Yumiko Shirasagi, two high school students who team up to eliminate the demons that have invaded the Earth, after Akemi had summoned them with the help of an elaborate computer program. In the novels, the two heroes had already triumphed over Loki and Seth, but they have been resurrected by Lucifer, the game's main antagonist. The quest begins in a large pyramidal building, apparently a kind of kofun for the Shirasagi family. Underneath this structure, a labyrinthine network of catacombs, brimming with demons, unfolds. Nakajima and Shirasagi's mission is to free the goddess Izanami, a captive of Lucifer, and to put an end to the evil yoke.

At first glance, the title plays like a Wizardry game. The player must explore the catacombs further and further, acquiring equipment and experience along the way. But Megami Tensei quickly stands out because of the specificity of its characters. While Yumiko is the only one who can use magic – and therefore heal outside of combat – Nakajima has the COMP action, which allows him to recruit and then summon demons to facilitate the progression. A novelty for the time, this mechanic forces the player to find a new balance in their exploration, as they will necessarily have to visit certain places to find specific demons: to acquire the most powerful creatures, demons must be merged, a task that can prove difficult without a guide. While this mechanic provides significant flexibility in dungeon exploration, it comes with its own constraints. Merging demons only works if Nakajima's level is high enough, thus making the exploration of certain areas strictly dependent on an experience grind, as demons are an essential part of the team's firepower. Furthermore, when demons are summoned into the team, they consume a certain amount of Magnetite for each step. To keep this resource afloat, it is essential to fight regularly, at the risk of seeing the demons lose their HP little by little, if the reserve is empty. These features make Megami Tensei a title that, even more than other entries of this era, makes grinding a central component of its gameplay loop.

As in Wizardry, exploration is divided into several phases. In the first one, the player will map their environment – this is highly recommended, as the title has no automatic mapping –, in the second one, they have to accumulate enough experience to go through the corridors smoothly, and in the last one, they need to reach the dungeon boss and kill them. In the case of Megami Tensei, most of the time will be spent in this second part and it can become very lengthy. Farming sequences have to be interspersed with regular breaks to Micon or Bien, disrupting the progression pace. It is perhaps during the Rotten Sea of Flames segment that the frustration builds up most dramatically, as the return trips tend to be quite protracted. Also, in contrast to Dragon Quest, farming is not such an automatic activity, as some enemies may prove too powerful for the group, due to some of their attacks. Early on in the game, the player learns to avoid as much as possible the demons that can paralyse or turn team members into stone, as this means a mandatory retreat to a town. In the second half of the game, enemies that can permanently remove levels pose the greatest hazard to the group and there is little choice but to flee. It should also be noted that misallocation of attributes during the level-ups can cause some temporary difficulties. Not investing enough in vitality comes at an immediate cost and underestimating Yumiko's Attack or Nakajima's Wisdom proves to be a mistake towards the end of the game.

This cruelly tedious nature is nevertheless compensated for by a unique atmosphere for a console RPG of that era. Admittedly, for obvious reasons, the demons are often rather underwhelming colour swaps and they don't yet reach the eerie esoterism of later installments: but the title manages to have some surprising moments. During the first excursion into Mazurka, the music becomes more ponderous and accompanies the much higher difficulty. This tension culminates in the exploration of the Rotten Sea of Flames, where the walls have an unintentionally very organic texture. The fire damage taken with each step accentuates the viciousness of this place and reinforces the urgency to save Izanami. The final dungeon, meanwhile, has an arcane quality to it, with an all-blue palette that gives way to a dirty red in the final stretch. The various demons and NPCs complement this ambience: the different shops run by humans always impress with their pixel art, which thematically enforces a mood. The equipment shops emerge as restful havens with the fluctuating benevolence of the warm, brown torches. Meanwhile, the healer and especially the House of Heresy play with their purple and green colours to create a sickly impression around the wizards, whose cryptic arcanas cannot be deciphered by the protagonists. It is perhaps the vision of the imprisoned Izanami that contributes most significantly to this eeriness, as the mask that wraps her head draws on the organic imagery of Japanese horror fiction.

This atmosphere helps to make Megami Tensei distinctive and very gritty. With some effort, the player understands what is expected of them and the importance of choosing demons, but the title remains merciless. Unlike Wizardry, whose dungeon is built in a linear fashion, Megami Tensei revels in its convoluted nature. While Daedalus remains classic, it serves primarily to filter players. For those who triumph over the Minotaur, the real challenge now begins and the next sequence opens with a dilemma. Two areas can be explored: Valhalla and Bien. The latter is technically the prime objective, in order to liberate the city and secure a new base of operations. But it is likely that foes within the area are still too powerful, so a preliminary exploration in Valhalla, a region that meanders between two floors, is necessary to acquire better demons. However, venturing too far into Valhalla may prove to be a mistake, because of the walls that can only be crossed from one side. This difficult choice gives an insight into the difficulty of the title and is repeated over the course of the game. Yet Megami Tensei balances the difficulty with its Game Over system, which is very similar to Dragon Quest's, as the player resumes the adventure directly in the first city, only stripped of half of their money. Later on, the different regions also have two entrances, one accessible by piloting Bien's Sky City to land atop the dungeons: this second point of entry eases the exploration and shortens the back and forth to heal one's team.

Despite its very harsh difficulty, Megami Tensei can be tamed by patient players who are not put off by the fusion system. The title has some gentle accents amidst the harshness of its atmosphere and making progress through the various puzzles always brings great satisfaction. Undoubtedly, the title is not for everyone, but rather for the most ardent fans of the franchise or for those in need of archaic dungeon crawlers. For them, Megami Tensei would be a more subtle title than it seems, featuring a very unusual bestiary, its creatures coming from all the mythologies of the world. It is true that the scenario is still very simplistic, but the series proved more ambitious with its sequel, released three years later.

difficult for me to put a meaningful rating on this in 2022. if i'd been able to play this in 1987, it might've changed my life. this weird, occult, seemingly very japanese interpretation of wizardry stands in stark contrast to other rpgs from japan in the mid/late '80s. (instead, my first atlus rpg would be nocturne. "it changed my life" might sound over the top, but it absolutely has informed my tastes in the time since.)

now... well, it's very easy for me to appreciate how incredibly cool this looks for a famicom game from that time, but i might be inclined to recommend playing the remade version contained within kyuuyaku megami tensei instead (unless you want to set everything aside and give this game some serious attention (and it helps if you already like the nes)). the main reason for this, really, is just that moving through corridors feels a bit too stiff and disorienting, frame by frame, while kyuuyaku at least adds some animation to your surroundings when turning left or right and moving forward feels a touch smoother. i should add that this may not be true of dds: megami tensei 2 (also part of the sfc kyuuyaku package), which i understand has uniquely great music for a famicom title due to a special chip in the cartridge, but i'll have to find out about that another time.

Não é uma experiência muito agradável, mas é um jogo bem interessante, e que tem uma boa história, além de que para a época isso aqui era o ápice de um RPG em um Vídeo-Game. Acho que vale tanto a pena para quem só quer algo diferente, como foi comigo. Tanto para quem já é fã de JRPGs pré-históricos ou só um fã hardcore da franquia Megaten. E esse jogo também é pura cultura, dá para aprender ou começar a estudar sobre muitas mitologias e crenças, a partir dos inimigos e outras coisas, é bem genial tudo isso.

Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei Remaster
A game that while it took me a while and was very grindy, had an atmosphere, OST and history that made it all worth it
This has been something I've fucked about with for close to 4 years now and after the last week or 2 of just blasting it out it's finally done, I've beaten the remaster of Digital Devil Story
Fuck what to say about this game apart from it's a solid first person dungeon crawler that has given me such a massive appreciation for the entire MegaTen series as a whole
Was it hell, yes
Did I like it, also yes
Genuinely cannot recommend this game to anyone since a lot of it is just grinding till you can take down the next boss but fuck it I liked it for some reason
An amazing OST, atmosphere to die for is what makes this game, if you don't fuck with it completely understandable
But I ate that shit up even if it did take me a while
Another checked off the list
A good one, not one I regret

can't believe i actually did this

i'm an idiot who enjoys grinding and this game gave the formula a spin by turning it into a metatextual capitalism simulator by forcing you to give rag like 200 amethysts (of which you can only hold one at a time) just to not get murdered by demons in like 3 different dungeons

about as good as persona 5 and this should be ported to all modern systems