My first ever SMT game, but not the first one I've finished. As someone who never really stuck with Pokemon past the early days, I instantly fell in love with this darker take on the monster capture genre. Many of the monsters aren't as memorable (with names you're more than likely to mispronounce), but they're all beautifully detailed, and there are quite a few I've come to like. The art style and music are fantastic, with pre-rendered backgrounds and a mix of tunes that range from the most serene pieces in places of calm to some of the hardest-rocking battle themes ever to hit an RPG.
I enjoy the battle system, which has you fighting alongside your demons. Much like Resident Evil 4, you can open a menu that pauses the battle for you, allowing you some breathing room while you decide on items to use or commands to give your demons. Sometimes things can get a bit cluttered and you can lose sight of Raidou, or worse yet, get cornered by multiple demons that take turns beating on you, and sometimes you'll need to send your demons away to keep certain attacks from hitting them, but they add a bit of strategy to the mix, keeping you actively engaged in the battles instead of going on autopilot.
I also enjoyed the fusion mechanics, which not only allow you to combine two demons to make an all-new creature, but also let you sacrifice demons to strengthen others or even your sword. The only thing I dislike is that you'll often find yourself with demons that are quickly made obsolete as new fusions are made available to you. This is especially frustrating with how expensive it can be to reorder copies of previously owned demons to use in such fusions.
The story is interesting all throughout, but I will say, without any spoilers, the end falls a bit flat - beating the final boss rewards you with a very short cutscene (plus a post-credit scene) that just kind of ends. I was originally going to spend a few extra hours to grind and obtain more powerful demons, but ended up just powering through the final boss, and after seeing the end, I was glad I did. There is a New Game+ mode, which is always appreciated, and maybe one day I'll utilize it to go back and discover more secrets, but as it stands now, I've had my fill.
I enjoy the battle system, which has you fighting alongside your demons. Much like Resident Evil 4, you can open a menu that pauses the battle for you, allowing you some breathing room while you decide on items to use or commands to give your demons. Sometimes things can get a bit cluttered and you can lose sight of Raidou, or worse yet, get cornered by multiple demons that take turns beating on you, and sometimes you'll need to send your demons away to keep certain attacks from hitting them, but they add a bit of strategy to the mix, keeping you actively engaged in the battles instead of going on autopilot.
I also enjoyed the fusion mechanics, which not only allow you to combine two demons to make an all-new creature, but also let you sacrifice demons to strengthen others or even your sword. The only thing I dislike is that you'll often find yourself with demons that are quickly made obsolete as new fusions are made available to you. This is especially frustrating with how expensive it can be to reorder copies of previously owned demons to use in such fusions.
The story is interesting all throughout, but I will say, without any spoilers, the end falls a bit flat - beating the final boss rewards you with a very short cutscene (plus a post-credit scene) that just kind of ends. I was originally going to spend a few extra hours to grind and obtain more powerful demons, but ended up just powering through the final boss, and after seeing the end, I was glad I did. There is a New Game+ mode, which is always appreciated, and maybe one day I'll utilize it to go back and discover more secrets, but as it stands now, I've had my fill.