To be honest, the reason it took me so long to beat this game was because the third stratum in Etrian 3 kind of ruined the thought of playing video games for a while (It's such dogshit that I'm talking shit about it in a review for another game!).
At first, I was little turned off by the fact that demons can't level up in this game (something I'm used to in the MegaTen games I've played), but I've got over it and actually enjoyed this game a lot.
Gameplay-wise, it obviously shares a lot of core MegaTen mechanics with other games (summoning demons, fusing them to create stronger ones, etc.), but it has some mechanics that are exclusive to the Devil Summoner series, such as Demon Loyalty, and Zoma Fusion.
Zoma Fusion was ok, it allowed you to create your own demon with it's own skillset, but it was only helpful during the mid-game, at least for me. Demon Loyalty (which is where demons have personality types and having them respond accordingly to those types increase their loyalty to you) on the other hand, is a great mechanic that might seem limiting and complex at first, but once you figure it out, it gives demons a little bit of individuality that they don't get in the mainline games.
This game has a great story, where the protagonist obtains a gun-looking computer that unleashes a demon that possesses his friend. Together, they fight against a secret society that conspires to steal everyone's souls to summon a demon that will destroy the world. I don't want to spoil the story, but it gets pretty crazy.
The soundtrack is good and so was the voice acting, especially Cassandra Lee Morris' performance as Hitomi/Nemissa. I also liked the Vision Quests and how they used the perspectives of other minor characters to progress the story, as well as the first Vision Quest being used to help the player get a feel of how the game plays. The dungeons were good as well, and unlike some dungeons whose name I will not repeat, they don't feel like a slog to get through.
It's a MegaTen game so some of the random encounters can feel unforgiving sometimes, but overall, I'd say you should check this game out if you like JRPGs. If you're a MegaTen fan, then this game is a must play
At first, I was little turned off by the fact that demons can't level up in this game (something I'm used to in the MegaTen games I've played), but I've got over it and actually enjoyed this game a lot.
Gameplay-wise, it obviously shares a lot of core MegaTen mechanics with other games (summoning demons, fusing them to create stronger ones, etc.), but it has some mechanics that are exclusive to the Devil Summoner series, such as Demon Loyalty, and Zoma Fusion.
Zoma Fusion was ok, it allowed you to create your own demon with it's own skillset, but it was only helpful during the mid-game, at least for me. Demon Loyalty (which is where demons have personality types and having them respond accordingly to those types increase their loyalty to you) on the other hand, is a great mechanic that might seem limiting and complex at first, but once you figure it out, it gives demons a little bit of individuality that they don't get in the mainline games.
This game has a great story, where the protagonist obtains a gun-looking computer that unleashes a demon that possesses his friend. Together, they fight against a secret society that conspires to steal everyone's souls to summon a demon that will destroy the world. I don't want to spoil the story, but it gets pretty crazy.
The soundtrack is good and so was the voice acting, especially Cassandra Lee Morris' performance as Hitomi/Nemissa. I also liked the Vision Quests and how they used the perspectives of other minor characters to progress the story, as well as the first Vision Quest being used to help the player get a feel of how the game plays. The dungeons were good as well, and unlike some dungeons whose name I will not repeat, they don't feel like a slog to get through.
It's a MegaTen game so some of the random encounters can feel unforgiving sometimes, but overall, I'd say you should check this game out if you like JRPGs. If you're a MegaTen fan, then this game is a must play