I played through this on Hard difficulty, runtime about 70 hrs. The world-traversal is a revelation, and the combat is complex and engaging. I spent the better part of that 70 hours enthralled, but by the time I approached the third act, it became apparent that the thin plotting and uneven characterization was going to be amended in the final moments of the game, and even then only barely. I had some assumption that the complaints of "no plot" online were being made by SMT IV-heads, clamoring for that game's incessant interruptions and didacticism, but no. This game is VERY thinly plotted and it does not wear it well. Despite Persona-heads' protestations, Shin Megami Tensei, by which I mean Nocturne, is not a terribly sparse game. There are plot beats that fill the time and the games progress as you'd expect any JRPG to. But it's very clear SMTV's open-ended world traversal and more freeform structure posed a problem for the team in terms of narrative pacing, and they chose the lighter touch there. Maybe more plot asides would grate as they do in 4! I don't know! But there is woefully little to hang on in these characters or their beliefs, particularly the Chaos faction, and the game feels less complete as a result.

I look forward to playing this game again in the future without the weight of expectation bearing down because it is one of the very best JRPGs I have ever played. The problem is, it's a sequel to the very best JRPG I have ever played.