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satoshi-mochida · 1 year ago

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Metaphor: ReFantazio launches in fall 2024

Gematsu Source

Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store in fall 2024, publisher ATLUS and developer Studio Zero announced.

Get the latest details below.

In the TGA trailer titled, “The Royal Tournament,” ATLUS announced that their highly anticipated fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch in Fall 2024. The trailer features new gameplay scenes, an introduction to the story and fantasy setting, and notes members of the team:

Director – Katsura Hashino (Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5)

Character Designer – Shigenori Soejima (Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5)

Composer – Shoji Meguro (Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5)

Concept Artist – Koda Kazuma (Notable Work: NieR:Automata)

Mechanical Designer – Ikuto Yamashita (Notable Work: Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Additionally, ATLUS will host a special YouTube live broadcast in Japan (Japanese language only) for the game on December 11 at 8:30pm JST / 3:30am PST, that will feature guests from the Japanese VA cast including Natsuki Hanae as Protagonist, Sumire Morohoshi as Gallica, Kensho Ono as Strohl, and Saori Hayami as Hulkenberg.

Story

Our story takes place in The United Kingdom of Euchronia, where the assassination of the king brings chaos and unrest to the land. Then, one fateful day, a magic known only to the king called the Royal Magic is invoked, and the world becomes embroiled in a royal tournament for the throne. In the midst of this, the protagonist, together with his partner, the fairy Galica, must find a way to break the curse that has been placed on the prince that the kingdom believes to be dead. To do so, they depart on a journey across the vast land. They will discover that in order to achieve their goal, they must participate in the tournament for the throne, and this great task shall require them to ally with many friends and followers of the various tribes inhabiting the world.

Protagonist

Together with the fairy, Galica, he embarks on a journey to lift the deadly curse placed on his childhood friend, the prince of Euchronia. He is a boy of the elda tribe, branded as a “”tainted”” people by the state religion who believe they have inherited dangerous and heretical magic. Being so rare among the populous, they are detested and discriminated against throughout the kingdom.”

Gallica

Not only a traveling companion, Gallica is the guide who helps the protagonist carry out his mission to save the prince. Although she is too small to participate in battles, her knowledge of magic and ability to sense magla is superior to the protagonist due to her fairy nature. She doesn’t mince words, but she is a reassuring ally on his journey.

Strohl

He is a young man of the clemar tribe who meets the protagonist in the recruitment centre for the State Army. A smart young man with a strong sense of justice, he hails from a noble family. And yet, it seems his circumstances are complicated, as it is rare for a noble to enlist in the army alongside commoners.

Hulkenberg

A knight of the roussainte tribe and former member of the royal family’s Kingsguard who served by the prince’s side. Despite her young age, she excelled in the use of various weaponry, and was assigned to the personal guard of the prince. But when the prince was attacked, she failed to protect him and set out to wander, carrying the stigma of this failure in her heart.

Heismay

A former knight of the eugief tribe. He has acute perception compared to most others, due in part to the eugief trait of being sensitive to sound. With an appearance that differs greatly from other tribes, it’s not uncommon for eugiefs to be discriminated against—and it seems Heismay is no exception, his past his own burden to bear.

New Concept Art

Journey through a vast and magnificent fantasy world. Explore the game alongside an intuitive and beautiful UI that elevates the experience. (Get an exciting sneak peek of the look of Metaphor: ReFantazio with new concept art pieces).

Watch the latest trailer below.

The Royal Tournament Trailer

English

youtube

Japanese

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#Metaphor: ReFantazio #Atlus #Studio Zero #RPG #PS4 #PS5 #Xbox Series #Steam #Gematsu #Youtube

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demifiendrsa · 8 months ago

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Metaphor: ReFantazio further details concept, world, tribes, story, and characters

■ What is Metaphor? (Proved Creators Come Together)

The creative team behind Persona 5, with over 6.4 million copies sold worldwide. An all-new fantasy RPG from a team of creators with an award-winning track record.

Director: Katsura Hashino (Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Persona 3, 4, and 5)

Character Designer: Shigenori Soejima (Persona 3, 4, and 5)

Composer: Shoji Meguro (Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Persona 3, 4, and 5)

Pedigree

The Persona series, an RPG set in modern-day Japan, takes players through a school-life experience, where life, friendship, and love intersect with confronting occult incidents, mysterious rumors, and urban legends. The playable cast awakens to their “persona” (the “other self” hidden in their hearts) and must grow together to overcome their many hardships. This series has sold a total of 16.8 million copies worldwide with Katsura Hashino acting as director, Shigenori Soejima the character designer, and Shoji Meguro as composer for Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. The latest mainline title, Persona 5, became the series’ biggest hit, rising to worldwide acclaim and over 6.4 million global units sold.

World-Renowned Artist Collaboration

Concept Artist: Kazuma Koda (Notable work: NieR: Automata)

—Concept Artwork: The Capital

Mechanical Designer: Ikuto Yamashita (Notable work: Neon Genesis Evangelion)

—The Gauntlet Runner

■ A Unique Work of Story, Art, Sound, and Game Mechanics

Story

A mysterious and exciting story unfolds in a world where people must fight their own anxiety. Join Atlus on an immersive journey that promises hours of captivating exploration and discovery.

—King’s Rock

—The Protagonist and Gallica

Art and Sound

Unique character design populates a vast, beautiful world against a fantastical backdrop. The stylish UI, inspired by Western paintings, creates unique and fun interactions.

The sound design, based on an interpretation of various religious music, combines orchestra, folk music, chorus and sutra in a style players have never experienced.

—Main Menu

—Party Menu

Game Mechanics

A unique battle system that seamlessly combines real time action and turn based commands, players will find exhilaration and strategy at every turn. Party customization through “Archetypes” provides players the freedom to personalize their adventure.

In an evolution of the Persona series’ calendar system, you’ll embark on a journey to change the world in your party’s gauntlet runner, bringing the sensation of travel to life.

—Carnage at the Fort

—Transition to Squad Battle

■ A World Where Fear and Anxiety is Visualized

Where Fantasy Meets Reality

The story takes place in a nation consisting of three countries populated by eight tribes called the United Kingdom of Euchronia. For the player, it is a world of fantasy, but those living in this fantasy world naturally have their own “fantasies.”

“In this world, there is only one tribe. All people accept each other, and no soul is born into discrimination. In such a world, there is no need for sorcery. A megapolis is built through learning and labour. Towers of glass that reach the heavens. Safe nights with no dark shadows. Busy streets well travelled. And in the laws of these emotionally satisfied people, it reads: All lives are equal.”

A fantasy envisioned by people living in a fantasy world, dreaming of a world not so unlike your own. Both the player and the world’s inhabitants think of each other’s worlds as impossible—mere stories.

But is it truly impossible? What is it that makes us think we can’t change that?

“Anxiety:” A simple concept and yet a complex emotion that the game will explore.

—This is a Fantasy

Only Those Who Face Their Fear and Anxiety Have the Power to Awaken

“Magic” is a general term for a phenomenon that consumes “magical power” and causes effects that defy the laws of nature. However, the inhabitants of Euchronia are unable to use magic on their own. Magic requires a special tool called an “igniter,” the possession and use of which requires a license.

The protagonist and his friends awaken and begin to master magical powers that defy this convention and need for “igniters.” An “Archetype” is a primordial secret power that awakens by facing your fear and anxiety. Put another way, it is the awakening of the nature of a hero that lies dormant in people’s hearts.

—The Protagonist Awakens

■ The Eight Tribes

With humanity transcending borders in real life, the game refers to those of distinct personalities and cultures as “tribes” rather than races of a nation or ethnicity.

The people who live in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, where this game is set, are divided by the concept of “tribe.” While they all have different physical characteristics, it is their cultural differences that come into focus within our story. The divisions that separate the tribes are primarily caused by their respective ideologies and beliefs rather than physical differences and appearances. Such beliefs are things where people should be able to find common ground, and yet they live in a reality where their future is influenced by their birth.

Clemar Tribe

The clemar tribe composes the largest population across the allied kingdoms. Their most distinctive features are the horns which grow on both sides of their head.

Clemars have a broad diversity of facial and body types, which has essentially made them average and common.

The Euchronian royal family are clemar, and members of this tribe hold a majority of important positions within the government. As a result, many clemars internalise the belief they are the most preeminent tribe.

Clemars value freedom and dislike illogical restraint. They enjoy cultivating discussion, but do not always consider the situation or appropriateness of doing so, which occasionally leads to conflict.

—Batlin, Sanctist Church Crier

Roussainte Tribe

One of the most populous tribes of the united kingdom, second only to the clemar.

Long, pointed ears are their most distinguishing feature. They often boast excellent physiques, which has given them superior martial prowess. Roussainte women are stronger than most men of other tribes.

Many inevitably work in the military and often hold key offices. They are considered as influential as the clemar, and the two tribes are sometimes called the “prevailing tribes.”

Many roussainte pride themselves on outperforming others in strength. While this can be perceived as a self-disciplined competitiveness, on the flip side, there are many with a belligerent temperament, obsessed with proving superiority in any situation.

—Glodell, Candidate for the Throne

Rhoag Tribe

A tribe whose members have longer lifespans, some living more than twice as long the average of other tribes. They age at the same pace until adolescence, spending the remainder of their lives in middle and old age. Perhaps as a result, the rhoag tribe conjures images of the elderly in many minds.

In a seniority-based society, rhoags often hold high positions due to their longevity. They place great value in eventually passing down their knowledge and purpose, so much so that they’re known to remember favours as well as hold grudges for three generations.

Though many rhoag have unique markings on their face, they are not born with them—they are a form of traditional make-up.

—Sanctifex Forden

Ishkia Tribe

A tribe recognizable by their avian wings, as well as their almond eyes and long eyelashes.

Though the fewest in number of the eight tribes, they have a reputation for their intelligence, giving them a strong presence in bigger cities.

Many find higher status in intellectual labor, such as scholars and sanctors and the like, making it not uncommon for ishkia to be wealthy.

Due in part to their regal stature, the ishkia are commonly admired. However, the act of speaking down on others has been ingrained in their nature for some, making it just as common for them to be resented.

Nidia Tribe

Characterized by their iridescent eyes and hair, members of the nidia tribe lack the conspicuously notable features of other tribes. They are known to be gregarious and talented at flattery. However, this temperament often leads to a reputation of being good with words yet untrustworthy or eccentric.

Paripus Tribe

A tribe recognizable by bestial ears and a tail. There are many variations in their hair and skin colors, including cold-colored skin not seen in other tribes. They are physically adept and often honest with their emotions, giving them a reputation for hedonism, for better or for worse. They are drawn to parties and festivities, and while this happy-go-lucky charm is often to their credit, it can also be seen as recklessness.

Due to this stereotype, they are looked down upon by other tribes which prevents them from securing a foothold in politics despite despite being nearly as populous as the roussainte and clemar tribes. The discrimination against them is especially obvious in large cities.

—Loveless, Candidate for the Throne

Eugief Tribe

Small in stature with bat-like wings and ears. Due to their singular appearance and low population, as well as their strong night vision derived from their nocturnal nature and keen hearing, it’s not uncommon for them to be perceived as unnerving, and they often become targets of discrimination. Most eugief live modest lives at the bottom of the social hierarchy with few positions of status.The eugief tribe is warm in nature, valuing harmony. The flip side of this is that they are often indecisive, second guessing themselves out of concern for what others want. This has lowered their relative status in the world.

—Lina, Candidate for the Throne

Mustari Tribe

A tribe recognizable by a third eye. They don masks and wear culturally-significant attire, which many among the other tribes find unsettling. Though their population isn’t necessarily low in number, the mustari are hard to come by, as most live in an archipelago in the inland sea.

As they believe in a unique faith, they are often targets of persecution outside of the island, denounced as “pagans.”

■ The Humans

The humans are designed based on the work of Hieronymus Bosch, a fantasy artist from the Renaissance era who is said to be the first artist that drew monsters on a world stage.

Bosch was a mysterious artist with a fantastical and eerie style—players can expect to be surprised (and perhaps horrified) by these foes.

Humans are unknown monsters with bizarre forms who rampage through their surroundings indiscriminately unlike any natural beast . Despite their berserk nature marking little sign of intelligence, they can wield advanced magic beyond the grasp of all sentient beings. Many aspects of their biology and ecology remain a mystery. Given their unnatural physical resilience, large specimens can wipe out entire armies.

Homo Gorleo

A human that attacked a fortress located in the wastelands north of Royal Capital Grand Trad. This fearsome monster singlehandedly drove the fort’s troops to total annihilation.

Homo Avades

A human with an indescribable eggshell-like body.

Even among larger humans, this one is both enormous and extremely dangerous, capable of leveling a city.

The only thing that the strange and irregular appearances of humans have in common is the presence of what appear to be elements resembling body parts in their biology.

■ Story Setting

A world unlike our own, where eight different tribes live in discord.

This is the United Kingdom of Euchronia.

Founded by a hero king and eventually annexing its neighboring countries, Euchronia has been long-governed by a strong royal family that inherited powerful magic. However, over the years, the kingdom has gradually fallen into corruption and is today torn apart by inequality and discrimination, its virtue in tatters.

The kingdom’s vast land is now infested with dangerous beasts and mysterious monsters called “humans.” To venture outside the city is to risk one’s very life.

With both the prince and the current king of Euchronia assassinated, the throne sits empty, and the kingdom reaches a tipping point of chaos and unrest.

—Euchronian Senate

—Blade Riding in Sunshade Row

—Paripus Facing Execution

Prologue

The protagonist embarks on a journey alongside a fairy to break the curse…

The protagonist is a boy of the elda tribe, a minority detested and not recognized by others. Alongside his partner, Gallica, he sets out to break the curse that has been placed on the kingdom’s prince whom many believe to be dead.

There is but one way to break the curse draining the life from the prince—to take the life of the person who cast it.

On a journey across the vast land, the protagonist will encounter numerous individuals. Through the bonds he forms with them, he will eventually come to realize the true nature of the kingdom.

It all begins with an incident that shakes the kingdom to its core—.

—The Cursed Prince

—Fighting Desert Wolves

—Blade Riding on Sunlumeo Street

—World Map: Imp’s Den

—On the Gauntlet Runner

—Gauntlet Runner Deck

■ Introduction

Royal Magic that ignites a tournament for the throne…

More than ten years have passed since the assassination of the prince, heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Euchronia.

And now with the king having succumbed to a fatal attack, the kingdom is in turmoil with no heir to set its course. Who will be the next king? Will it be the head of the state religion, the Sanctist Church? A lord of a neighboring principality, or perhaps the leader of the military?

As expectations rise among influential figures with their eyes on the throne, a “spell” is cast during the king’s funeral that no one could have predicted.

Time is finite before my soul departs this benighted world…

There shall come a reckoning—a Day of the Hero. Upon that October day, whosoever hath truly earned the greatest faith of the citizenry… shall ascend to throne and crown by right of kings.

The voice of the king, who all know to be dead, suddenly echoes in the sky. Upon the event of his death, he had arranged for a grand magic to allow all citizens to compete for the throne through his final, royal tournament.

The people are cast into turmoil over this unprecedented event, unable to fathom a world where the people decide the next king. Amidst this chaos, the protagonist decides that in order to fulfill his mission, he must participate in the race.

Thus begins the grand tournament for the throne that takes the entire kingdom by storm. Along his journey, the protagonist will find himself surrounded by a diverse group of allies, and a grand adventure that will shape the future of the kingdom begins.

—King’s Rock

—Strohl, Gallica, and the Protagonist

—Batlin Proclaims the King’s Message

—Giving a Speech

—Protagonist and Maria

—Victory in Battle

—Equipment Menu

■ Main Character

Protagonist (voiced by Natsuki Hanae in Japanese)

Together with the fairy, Gallica, he embarks on a journey to lift the deadly curse placed on his childhood friend, the prince of Euchronia.

He is a boy of the elda tribe, branded a “tainted” people by the state religion who believe the elda have inherited dangerous and heretical magic. Being so rare among the populous, they are detested and discriminated against throughout the kingdom.

—Arriving in the Royal Capital, Grand Trad

—Bandit Assault

Gallica (voiced by Sumire Morohoshi in Japanese)

—Reading on the Gauntlet Runner

■ Allies

In a discriminatory society, the protagonist joins forces with allies from across the tribes. Each has their own reasons for desiring a better world. Influenced by the “heroic embodiment” that awakens in the protagonist, and they too awaken the same powers: An Archetype.

Strohl (voiced by Kensho Ono in Japanese)

He is a young man of the clemar tribe who meets the protagonist in the recruitment centre for the State Army.

A smart young man with a strong sense of justice, he hails from a noble family. And yet, it seems his circumstances are complicated, as it is rare for a noble to enlist in the army alongside commoners.

—Cooking with Strohl

Hulkenberg (voiced by Saori Hayami in Japanese)

A knight of the roussainte tribe and former member of the royal family’s Kingsguard who served by the prince’s side.

Despite her young age, she excelled in the use of various weaponry, and was assigned to the personal guard of the prince. But when the prince was attacked, she failed to protect him and set out to wander, carrying the stigma of this failure in her heart.

—Training with Hulkenberg

Heismay (voiced by Akio Otsuka in Japanese)

—Cooking with Heismay

■ Japanese Main Voice Cast

Natsuki Hanae, Sumire Morohoshi, Kensho Ono, Saori Hayami, Kazuhiko Inoue, Akio Otsuka, Yoshino Nanjo, Misato Fukuen, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Tetsu Inada, Mamiko Noto, Ginga Banjo, Yuichi Nakamura, Mitsuru Miyamoto, Noriko Hidaka, Megumi Ogata, Satoshi Mikami, Tomokazu Sugita, Toru Furuya, Yui Ishikawa, Atsushi Tamaru, Yoko Hikasa, Ai Fairouz, and Kenji Hamada.

■ Director’s Visionary Statement

“This work was created with the simple message that ‘only by facing our anxieties can we take the first step forward.’

“As long as society continues to be composed of individuals, I want to believe in the dynamism of ‘creation’ that has the power to change someone. While tackling this genre for the first time, I came to realize that perhaps this is the original meaning of ‘fantasy’—and the reason why so many people have always been intuitively attracted to it.

“But I’ll dispense with the philosophical talk for now by pointing out that unifying goal for the entire development team was for the player to have ‘fun, above all else.’ Thank you for your continued support.”

—Katsura Hashino, ATLUS Studio Zero Creative Director

Metaphor: ReFantazio is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PC (Microsoft Store, Steam).

#Metaphor ReFantazio #Metaphor #ReFantazio #PROJECT Re FANTASY #Studio Zero #Atlus #video game #PS5 #Xbox Series #Xbox Series X #Xbox Series S #PS4 #PC #Steam #Microsoft Store #long post #late post #very late post

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cagepup · 9 months ago

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why strange journey classic over redux, may i ask?

kazuma kaneko's art makes my brain go " :] "

I also fuck crazy with the crunchy DS graphics, the UI and vibes are immaculate in the original.

#people gotta start sending me asks like this #this person fucking gets it #ask me about megaten!!!!!!!!

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ultraericthered · 11 months ago

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Anime Update V3 15

From Me To You - Now everyone in school believes that Sawako's smile is a blessing of good fortune, sort of like Taiga that one time in Toradora. Sawako is now close enough to her new friends to call them all by their first names, except she's unable to do the same for Kazehaya. Pin forces Kazehaya to be a committee member for the upcoming sports festival, and we're more properly introduced to Ume Kurumizawa, his territorial and possessive middle school friend we'd been seeing for the past few episodes. Shit's about to go down.

Hunter x Hunter - Shoot and Knuckle are still fighting Youppi.

SHUFFLE! - That's what that was all about? Sia has Dissociative Identity Disorder and could take on the personality of her stillborn twin sister, Kikyou? This certainly added a whole new layer to what I'd been seeing and made the fallout of Sia and Rin's deranged date all the more interesting, but if I had a complaint it'd be that it seems just a little redundant of what we just did with Nerine and Lycoris. The whole "absorbing her memories and essence" (while in the womb) angle was unnecessary - I'd much rather it be left ambiguous if the Kikyou persona really WAS her or just another personality of Sia she formed based on the idea of what her sister would've been like.

The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II - Waver actually got to meet with his old abusive mentor Kayneth in a dream, but it seemed good for finally getting him back up. Hephaestion and Gray took shelter from the raging snowstorm together and seemed to make a closer connection before Hephaestion parted ways with Gray. Adashino then gathereds all of the guests and accuses Karabo of being the one who murdered Trisha. Waver intervened and contested her theory, but Rail Zeppelin comes out in support of her and forcibly removes Karabo's Mystic Eyes for the auction per their agreement.

KonoSuba - Of course Vanir is immediately revealed to be alive due to one of his extra lives, now disbarred from the Devil King's army and working with Wiz at her store. He sells Kazuma a kotatsu that he refuses to come out from and harasses Darkness and Megumin when they try to get him out, but then like a Family Guy episode this stops being the focus and it instead becomes about the party fighting a bunch of lizard monsters and Kazuma dying and meeting with Eris once again as he begins to grow feelings for the friendly goddess.

K-On! - Yui got so busy practicing on her new guitar that she ended up not studying for her midterms exam and flunked it big time. So she must pass the makeup exam or else she will be barred from club activies, including being part of the Light Music Club band. All the ways her friends had to help her keep focus on her studies were amusing to watch, as is their continued interplay with each other and the comedic antics and reactions of Ritsu in particular. We also got to meet Ui, Yui's younger sister who's actually more mature and put together than her big sister is. In the end Yui just barely managed to ace the makeup exam, so the band doesn't have to have a break up!

Eureka Seven - Eureka finally told the whole story of her time with Adroc Thurston and how he gave up his life to protect her and the Scub Coral, to keep in-tact the planet that Dewey now seeks to eviscerate for the sake of reshaping the world of humans in his totalitarian image. And speaking of, he pulls a coup on the Council of Sages, with the councilwoman surrendering control to him after he's killed the other two, meaning Dewey is now the ruler of the world!

Air - Kano is revealed to possess strange magic powers, which briefly changed the surroundings of Yukito and Misuzu. Yukito later listens in on a really strange, uncomfortable conversation that Kano's older sister is having, but not much is made of it. Then at one point, Potato goes missing and has to be searched for by Yukito, Miszusu, and Kano all together. We get more cuteness and innocent wistfulness from Miszusu, and of course we had to get at least one scene with Michiru in there (though I really think that if this show had been dubbed later, they'd totally have cast David Matranga and Hilary Haag as Yukito and Michiru rather than Vic Mignogna and Serena Varghese - they just have THAT sort of dynamic going on.) Then we end on yet another, stranger and more disturbing Kano moment! Yikes! What the actual fuck is going on with this girl?

#Anime Update V3 #Anime Update

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gertlushgaming · 1 year ago

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review (PlayStation 5)

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review, Two larger-than-life heroes, Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu are brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister… Live it up in Japan and explore all that Hawaii has to offer in an RPG adventure so big it spans the Pacific.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review Pros:

- Beautiful graphics. - 54.04GB download size. - Platinum trophy. - You can import your PlayStation 4 save. - Three voice languages - Japanese, English, and Chinese. - Game settings - battle speed (slow/normal), trigger effects, action prompts, auto camera, subtitle text size, subtitle text color, UI display, swap left and right stick. - Controller settings - Invert axis and sensitivity sliders along with camera speed. - HDR support. - Audio can be tweaked such as the angle of the speakers, and controller speaker on/off. - Can remap controls. - Action adventure gameplay. - During some cutscenes you skip/fat forward conversations and in text-based interactions you can have it auto-scroll. - Tutorial pop-ups as you play. - Colorblind support. - You can save and load when you want. - Cases and materials are hidden around the game world and contain random items and health. - Turn turn-based combat, you can use items, perform additional attacks, and time your blocks for a perfect guard. - Earn exp and level up to increase your stats. - The story is as mental, impactful, and memorable as ever. - Injects much-needed comedy relief in imaginative ways. - You can get a refresher on the story so far. - A massive 3D world with full 360-degree camera control. - The English Dub is really good. - Interactions and conversation choices affect - passion, confidence, charisma, kindness, intellect, and style. - Main story mission with many optional side missions and events to trigger. - Treasure hunts can be performed around town for random loot. - You earn exp and level up your character, your teammates, and your job level. - Weapons and gear affect your stats. - Thugs that Patrol the street come in different difficulties and change their appearance based on Kasuga's imagination. - Music - you can use your phone to create playlists or listen to the radio. Find new songs around and use steroids to play music loud. - If the the story has a significant change then you get warned and can choose when to proceed. - Hitting a guy into another guy to kill or damage both is very addictive. - Party chats can happen when roaming the streets, in a party chat everyone talks about something. - When fighting you can go near objects to use them as weapons. - Auto attack lets you watch the computer take over and control your party in combat. - Safes can be found and unlocked with any found keys to get loot. - Taxis act as fast travel points and you can call a taxi from your phone. - The camera is very detailed and if any of your party members are in the shot they start emoting and reacting. - Sujidex is an app that catalogs all the Sujimon you defeat and fills in their strengths, weaknesses, etc. (clearly a spin on Pokemon) - Click the left stick to play in first person otherwise, it's a third-person game. - ATM lets you deposit and withdraw cash instead of losing it when in battle. - Unlock hangouts to play mini-games, chat with friends, etc, and build your friendships. - Aloha Links is a social app in that greeting and meeting people makes friends and changes your personality. - Play how you want. - You see enemies in the street and they have an awareness bar to help you avoid or engage with them. - Play how you want. - Walk past taxi stops to add them to your map and unlock them to fast travel. - Miss Match is a dating app where you spend credits looking for love, you can edit your profile as and when you like and dating is a process rather than a straight match and date type thing. - Chatting in the dating app is its a mini-game where you have rhythm action and multiple choice sequences to try and date. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review Cons: - New Game Plus is locked behind a paywall. - You have to turn on auto scroll every time. - It's still annoying that the game jumps between voiced and text-only conversations in one sequence. - Way too many items/cases to pick up. - It is slow in places as you go through lengthy introductions and side stories. - The game doesn't open up with any catchup story instead it's after the opening Prologue and is text-based. Related Post: Jett Rider Review (PlayStation 5) Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: Official website. Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Publisher: SEGA Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article

#PlayStation4 #PlayStation5

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cultho · 5 years ago

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Guess who started watching a DGS playthrough yesterday and fell in love with the dynamic of these two losers

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blweebuniverse · 5 years ago

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How does this just happen?! If he had just continued to trip normally he would’ve fallen with his head in the crook of her shoulder at most.

Anyway, just started this anime! Seems promising, I hope it’s good!

I should really finish the 6 anime I am currently watching first though...

(This video does not belong to me by any means, it is a clip from the anime Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)

#hoshizora e kakaru hashi #anime #new anime #how #loop hole #animes #weeb #tumblr #funny #comedy #lol post #hoshino kazuma #nakatsugawa ui #starting anime

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evor20 · 8 years ago

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#ui nakatsugawa #kazuma hoshino #hoshizora e kakaru hashi #a bridge to the starry skies #my screenshots

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bongaboi · 4 years ago

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ISML 2021: Right On The Money - Mikoto Wins Sapphire Necklace

Yuuta Togashi Also Cashes In, Wins Sapphire Pendant

By Jo-Ryan Salazar

The Bedlam On Baltic Avenue

November 5, 2021

A 1-9 first choice, Mikoto Misaka outslugged Mai Sakurajima 4524-3103 to win the 2021 International Saimoe League Sapphire Necklace. Elaina was third with 1990 votes, Yui Yuigahama was fourth with 1213 votes, Asuna Yuuki was fifth with 1059 votes, Rikka Takanashi was sixth with 943 votes, Chika Fujiwara was seventh with 837 votes and Utaha Kasumigaoka was last with 683 votes.

Also a favorite, this time at even money, Yuuta Togashi broke Touma Kamijou 3052-2670 to win the Sapphire Pendant, Kazuto Kirigaya was third with 1834 votes, Nasa Yuzaki was fourth with 1501 votes, Levi was fifth with 1238 votes, Kazuma Satou was sixth with 1017 votes, Archer was seventh with 873 votes and Tomoya Okazaki was last with 665 votes.

Nanami Aoyama prevailed over Tooru 3075-2875 to win the Sapphire Bracelet. Aqua was third with 1825 votes, Yui Hirasawa was fourth with 1603 votes, Tamako Kitashirakawa was fifth with 1253 votes, Kaede Azusagawa was sixth with 1090 votes, Tohka Yatogami was seventh with 948 votes and Origami Tobiichi was last with 643 votes.

Shouya Ishida got past Shidou Itsuka to win the Sapphire Ring, 2517-2208. Gintoki Sakata was third with 1717 votes, Ryuuju Takasu was fourth with 1370 votes, Joutarou Kuujou was fifth with 1137 votes, Kyoujurou Rengoku was sixth with 1012 votes, Edward Elric was seventh with 820 votes and Ainz Ooal Gown was last with 631 votes.

Violet Evergarden became Saimoe Leader of the Free World with a 57399.7-55963.1 win over Yukino Yukinoshita in the Tournament of Champions' Women's Final. In the Men's Final, Houtarou Oreki became Deputy Saimoe Leader after overcoming Hachiman Hikigaya 51340.5-47458.9.

The field has been set for the Summer Seasonal. Making the cut were Alice (1688), Catarina Claes (1928), Celia Claire (1591), Ilulu (2051), Jahy (1107), Madoka Kaname (2810), Eiko Kawasegawa (1295), Milim Nava (2091), Nagisa Minase (1513), Kukuru Misakino (1213), Fuuka Miyazawa (1388), Nagisa Natsunagi (1736), Saki Saki (1480), Miyuki Shiba (1962), Kanon Shibuya (1862), Aki Shino (1882), Siesta (3002) and Keke Tang (3463). Tang has been tipped by the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue to win the Diadem over Siesta.

In the Wild Card Round, advancing to the next portion of the season were Index Prohibitorum (3619), Misaki Shokuhou (3333), Ruiko Saten (2912), Megumin (3084), Rin Tohsaka (3504), Kei Shirogane (3467), Taiga Aisaka (2869) and Kurisu Makise (3658). This means that even though Aoyama has won the Bracelet, this consolation prize will be her going-away present as she has been eliminated from the tournament proper. Also in the Wild Card Round, advancing from the Male Division were Rintarou Okabe (3260), Shouya Ishida (2515), Kyoujurou Rengoku (2139), Lelouch Lamperouge (2513), Kousei Arima (2174), Satoshi Fukube (2195), Joutarou Kuujou (2272) and Edward Elric (2136).

Finally, the Virtual YouTube tournament continued. Diana defeated Ui Shigure 3063-2799, Nana Kagura rolled past Lize Helesta 3342-1958. Saku Sasaki prevailed over Suisei Hoshimachi 2696-2345, Akari Mirai won the closest race of the roung, a 2650-2633 thriller over Eileen, Rushia Uruha overcame Bella 2834-2752, Mito Tsukino won a 2330-2258 barnburner over Kokoro Amamiya 2330-2258, Nanami routed Coco Kiryuu 3589-2198 and Mea Kagura thumped Toko Inui 3038-1787.

Match Day 1 of the 2021 International Saimoe League Emerald Period is coming up and is scheduled for November 8, 2021. Vote for your favorite characters at InternationalSaimoe.com and join the ongoing debate. And keep it right here on the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue for continuing coverage of the International Saimoe League, the world's premier anime character competition!

#2021 #isml #international saimoe league #saimoe

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cynthiaandsamus · 4 years ago

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Custom Toonami Block Week 74 Rundown

Code Geass: So we’ve got another one of those “wacky bullshit student activities” episodes, though this one seems to ride the hardest on “shit is going down, the world is ending but haha Shirley romance drama” though admittedly it does have a nice character arc for Milly so that’s cool. Lelouch is worried that the Knights of the Round are here to investigate him until he realizes both of them only have one braincell between them so it’s fine. Cornelia’s also murdering her way through religious fanatics so that’s cool. And last but not least we have Shirley and Lelouch finally getting together right before Jeremiah Geass Cancels her amnesia so she knows Lelouch is Zero and killed her dad and presumably the other stuff that Charles put in the whole school’s brain somehow. I’m sure this will end well and their romance will survive in a way that isn’t insanely tragic.

Inuyasha: We’re still in fillertown and it’s another SangoxMiroku episode. Man we get a lot of these in filler huh? I kinda don’t remember which Sango/Miroku moments are canon at this point. I’d kinda laugh if it was just all filler and some manga-only fans were bewildered when they ended up together in the end. Anyway, Feudal Lord has a thing for Sango because he has great taste and Kagome ships Sango/Miroku so she doesn’t want her to go, Miroku’s like “Hey it’s her choice, she’s been through enough, she can choose her own life, I’m not gonna get involved” which is pretty mature but the girls still hate on him for it. Sango’s just like “Dude even if I wanted to stay I still have this Naraku-slaying quest to go on and I’m not about to sit around all day and be royalty while my friends go kick Naraku’s ass for me.” Which is how most love confessions in this series go. Also Sango suplexes a demon bear the size of a building with her bare hands and it’s pretty great. In the end the lord doesn’t give up going after Sango but they finish the bear stuff and are on their way. I like how they don’t go out of their way to demonize this guy in the end to prop Miroku up, he’s still a good guy, Sango’s just got shit to do and is more the type to like a warrior who’s got her back. There’s some really cute shipping shenanigans here and all in all it’s fun filler.

Yu Yu Hakusho: We’ve got a three for one deal here as Yusuke and Kuwabara assblast their way through the Dark Triad in one episode, continuing their power play of beating villains with little effort while the boss man bets that they’ll completely wreck his guards which is still a pretty interesting dynamic. We’ve got cringey 90s trans commentary, an invisible dude that gets blindsided easily and a hostage ogre that gets beaten by Botan taking off her coat. Honestly for these guys being supposedly minibosses they kind of went down easier than some of the grunts. But now Kuwabara’s in contact with Yukina because his bullshit power of love connection actually works for some reason and they’re in on the final fight with the Toguro brothers. With this many people betting the GDP of countries on the fight there’s no way this isn’t rigged. I really like how YYH basically makes shonen fights just part of stupid black market deals for a large part of it, just like in real life everything’s decided by some old rich guy.

Fate Zero: Kayneth’s still fucked up and has Rock Lee syndrome and can’t use jutsu anymore so his wife’s like “Yo buddy you can’t give Lancer the magic cummies anymore anyway, lemme take control of your hunky knight manslave or I swear to god I’ll rip your arm off and jerk him off with it” which since she asked so nicely he just kind of does. With Lancer still kinda being uppity about Kayneth having dibs on his soul and Sola-Ui being weirdly horny and increasingly yandere for him I’m sure this’ll end well. Saber and Kiritsugu are still pissy with each other because Saber wants to go after Caster to stop the child murders which is fair but she’s also injured and shit and she’s mad at Kiritsugu for not teaming up with Kayneth to just take down Caster right there and I mean I don’t think he really had time to suggest a truce while getting attacked with Terminator 2 goo, he’s not really the asshole here. Meanwhile and more importantly, ISKANDAR HAS PANTS! Nothing can stop him now and they crash Caster’s child murder party and are jumped by Assassin’s Forty Thieves (they aren’t named yet but I’mma just assume) and Iskander’s just like “Yeah no I’m not fighting five ninjas knee deep in child guts.” And they just burn the whole place down.

Konosuba: So in a bizarre Interspecies Reviewers/Food Wars crossover, Kazuma goes to a succubus house and instead of just getting sex they do dreams and shit which seems more complicated but I guess it’s less morally gray. Anyway, naked Darkness and contrived hentai plots ensue. They sprinkle in some good character stuff for Kazuma which is nice, it’s always kind of hard to pin down where his principles lie. Like he’s generally a scumbag and will take the easy way out of anything but he’s not evil and will give Darkness an out on their encounter if she wants and will get his ass kicked to protect his local sex worker. The Principled Scumbag approach is kind of neat for him, I wish a few more of these moments didn’t feel the need to immediately undercut themselves with a joke but that’s the nature of the series. I feel like one or two more genuinely sincere moments throughout a couple episodes would do wonders but either way it’s still amusing.

Sailor Moon Crystal: We pick up right where we left off with Tuxedo Mask throwing himself in front of the Kamehameha for Usagi and then she goes Super Saiyan and cries pokemon tears to bring him back to life. But the bad guys are somehow like ‘yoink’ and steal him from her lap through a barrier somehow (that still kinda pisses me off) and for some reason the crystal that booped its way into his chest isn’t there anymore and Usagi still has and and Usagi’s going through a lot of shit right now between processing the trauma of a millennia-old kingdom falling that’s partially her fault, working through her romantic feelings and having a Steven Universe identity crisis about how to process her identity as a reincarnation of someone a lot cooler than she is, so most of this episode is Usagi crying, as most episodes are, but at least she has a good reason. Then we get a Girl Squad Roll Out montage because fuck it we’re going to the moon somehow.

Durarara!!: Apparently everyone knows about where Celty’s head is but her because she visits Izaya’s office where the head is just kinda behind some books on his bookshelf and she doesn’t know but Shinra’s dad has enough time to mug Namie after telling Shinra and Celty off for their weird interspecies relationship and tell Izaya to have fun fucking around with the head. Also people have shifted from being worried about the Dollars to being worried about Saika and ALSO being worried about the Dollars maybe being at war with the Yellow Scarves. Celty’s looking into it and Shinra shows some character development in just coming out with it that Saika was the sword that severed her connection with her head… I don’t know how you cut the soul of a head that’s already cut off but okay, at least Shinra’s not hiding shit from here anymore. Also Saika’s about to seriously chop up Anri and Masaomi comes to visit his girl in the hospital finally.

#ooc #Toonami #Custom Toonami Block #Code Geass #Inuyasha #Yu Yu Hakusho #Fate Zero #Konosuba #Sailor Moon Crystal #Durarara!!

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crazyasianlove · 6 years ago

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Ui Rabu (JM, 2018) (Sub. Esp.)

DESCARGAR O VER ONLINE AQUÍ

Título: Ui Rabu También conocida como: "You, I Love" "We Love" País: Japón Género: Adolescente, romance Duración: 100 min. Fecha de estreno: 9 de noviembre, 2018 Dirección: Sato Yuichi Guion: Hoshimori Yukimo (manga), Takahashi Natsuko Producción: Hashimoto Fumi, Tanabe Keigo SINOPSIS Rin, Yuu, Koyomi y Keita son amigos del instituto. Viven todos en el mismo complejo de apartamentos. Rin y Yuu se gustan, pero no se confiesan sus sentimientos. Para ocultar sus sentimientos por Yuu, Rin le hace a menudo comentarios mordaces. Yuu no sabe que a Rin le gusta y no tiene la suficiente confianza para confesarle sus sentimientos. Kazuma aparece entonces frente a ellos. CAST Sakurai Hinako como Yuu Hirano Sho como Rin Tamashiro Tina como Koyomi Isomura Hayato como Keita Ito Kentaro como Kazuma Sakurada Hiyori como Mika

TRÁILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJBwsdRFaY

#ui rabu #we love #you i love #jmovie #hirano sho #sakurai hinako #tamashiro tina #isomura hayato #ito kentaro #sakurada hiyori #película #proyectos terminados #sub. español

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megatentious · 7 years ago

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Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne is still incredible

I just finished a replay of Shin Megami Tensei 3 for the first time in a decade, so I felt compelled to write a big long unstructured essay about it where I’m going to sound like an overwrought crazy person. That’s okay though. There’s just something about this game that really speaks to those of us who find our way in. When you sound like a hyperbolic cultist writing soaring prose to try to meet the game at its level, it’s not a unique reaction. We’ve all been spellbound in the same way, the game is designed to do it. How is it designed to do this? Basically, in every conceivable way! The music and sound composition, the moment-to-moment battling, the environmental art and location choices, the progression systems for both the protagonist and demon fusions, the scope and method of storytelling, the density and depth of the mythological references, everything fits together like a symphony to inspire these feelings. Tension, immersion (lol), and utter absorption. Nocturne is a clinic in how to structure every aspect of your game around a unified vision (finding the strength to survive in a cruel and barren land) without hugely compromising ambition. That this level of design can be sustained over the course of 50 hours for the average playthrough and 70 for those of us determined to reach the lowest depths of the game’s enormous optional (!) Amala dungeon is insanely remarkable. Some of the more adolescent fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series and the broader Megaten franchise lionize this one in particular as being the most “dark” but that’s a kind of stupid and narrow way of looking at it. If you’re a cool person you don’t love Nocturne because it’s “dark” you love it because the game makes you feel like you’re hallucinating. SMT3 is unconcerned with providing detailed exposition and light-hearted character moments, but it’s a game that is overrun with “story” at every turn. And not just in the environmental, piece-it-together Souls series storytelling sense people love to talk about, there are actually a bunch more NPCs around straight up delivering dialogue for you than you’d think! Pair that up with the demon chatting, the compendium entries, the audiovisual cues and the gorgeously directed cutscenes, and the common complaint that SMT3 has no story just seems like nonsense to me. The game isn’t necessarily just dour or unambiguously somber either. Megami Tensei’s roots are in the pulpy trash of 80s light novels, and you see this in some of the humorous demon-focused crassness, the bits of comedic negotiation dialogue, and the seeming mish-mash of myth as aesthetic influences. But the funny paradox of SMT3 is that it’s a game built on a punk-rock foundation of rebelling against what’s proper and mainstream (see any interview with the creators) that is also simultaneously downright austere by today’s standards. Grand and lonely and visionary in tone, careful, measured and meticulous in its design, without an ounce of bloat, nothing wasted or incoherent, it’s just so impressive on every level (I promise I’ll get more specific with my gushing soon). There’s an attitude among some Megaten fans that Nocturne is the one that doesn’t fit in the series, that it’s too different from previous Shin Megami Tensei games, but I don’t think that’s right. To me there’s a very clear throughline, it’s just Nocturne’s antecedents aren’t necessarily found in its immediate numbered predecessor. When it comes to the main and numbered games in this series, you can very easily see the path from Megami Tensei 2 -> Shin Megami Tensei 2 -> Shin Megami Tensei 4, all of which begin years after the apocalypse has occurred and concern themselves with how society persists and political factions collide decades and even centuries into the aftermath. They are the three most readily described as “cyberpunk”, they’re chattier, they’re a bit more clichéd in their own ways (amnesiac gladiator and military academy recruit openings for SMT2 and SMT4 respectively), they let you use guns and their general sensibilities are similar.

SMT3’s lineage is, I feel, more directly traced from two other games. SMT1 and (hear me out!) Revelations: Persona. I think it’s easy to link these three games together for several reasons. In all three you begin in relative peace in a current day city, in all three the inciting incident is an occultist ritual, and interestingly in all three the hospital is your first dungeon, deliberately chosen for its uncanny familiarity to create an immediate sense of unease (and also the pretty obvious birth/death location symbolism). These are games centered around the immediacy of disaster and apocalypse, and take modern day locations that are meant to be familiar and subvert them to make them unnerving. Atmosphere is a word I see frequently used to praise all three games (yes there are at least 1 dozens of us, [dozens!] who like Persona 1) and the dream-like, surreal atmosphere in these three games can be strikingly similar.

So yeah, good lord, Nocturne’s atmosphere. This game is simply filled with astonishing imagery at every point. The art directors managed to make each scene feel somehow weighty and mesmerizing, with aesthetic choices made throughout that are just so thoughtful and cultured. Angels and demons look terrifying and awesome, in that they inspire terror and awe. Gods and goddesses appear benevolent, their facial expressions neutral and lacking in human emotion. Jack Frost remains the best mascot in videogames. There’s well-researched details in the animations and all aspects of appearance (see here for a bit on Baphomet’s posing). The vocal and sonic choices are perfect, like that unsettling blaring soundblast when the statue of Gozu-Tennoh speaks, as if a great and mighty terror is deigning to communicate across worlds.

There are posts that dissect the spiral imagery of the vortex world that repeats over the course of the game. There are entire sites devoted to breaking down the wide range of inspirations for the game's transcendental demon design. Random tumblr people compare the cutscene direction to Ingmar Bergman films, and it’s interesting to see how the cutscenes are frequently in first person or otherwise hide the protagonist, which not only hearkens back to series roots (while saving budget $$$) but also conveys solitude and makes the scenes with multiple demons and figures appear that much more spectacular. On any given day you’ll find a tweet or two or three of people overwhelmed by the game’s aesthetic choices, its virtuoso game over sequence, or title sequence, or pretty much any sequence. It’s the purest expression of a world class artist’s singular vision and is the reason why all of us sound so annoying whining for Kazuma Kaneko to return from his flower field exile.

There’s also a very ingenious way SMT3 supports its themes and that is through the combat. Nocturne is a game about stealing turns. It’s the fundamental principle of the battling, it’s why everyone tells you to keep the skill Fog Breath, and it’s a carryover from the simpler system in SMT1 where the method of stealing turns was using charm bullets or casting Zio to paralyze the enemy before they even have a chance to act. The battle system has a famous Engrish name called “Press Turn,” which is distinct and not to be confused with the One More system from newer Persona games or the alignment based combat bonuses of Strange Journey.

In SMT3, any given press turn encounter depends upon the party composition choices you’ve made, not only the resistances and repels/drains you enter with (two very different things in terms of battle consequences!) but also the moment to moment decision-making of turn management, weighing how to strategically pass to maximize damage output over the course of the fight. Every battle is an opportunity to demonstrate your efficiency and mastery of the systems, and the goal of each encounter is to use foresight and preparation to demolish your foes before they have the chance to even act. Steal turns and survive in a barren land of death upon death, this is the elegance of Press Turn. You’ll hear endless discussion around this game’s difficulty, and encounters generally have teeth to them yeah, but there is a very principled fairness to the battling where combat swings do not occur as dramatically as they do in say, SMT4. SMT3 is balanced perfectly by virtue of its lack of save anywhere option, providing you with tension at all times but also most importantly the tools to mitigate disaster over the long term, which is a deeply deeply rewarding way to survive.

Press Turn’s UI really adds to this rewarding feeling. How terrifying is it when a boss casts Beast or Dragon Eye, and suddenly a string of new turn icons appear? How satisfying is it to see a row of flashing turns, knowing that you’ve fully exploited your enemy? The enemy composition really accentuates this as well, with encounters often designed to avoid easy spam of single elements or physical skills to mindlessly coast to victory. SMT3 doesn’t want you taking any shortcuts, if you want to take advantage of a given demon or magatama’s skillset, you need to pair your choices to mitigate the corresponding weakness, or the enemy’s AI will press their advantage in the exact way you would. It’s a really satisfying symmetry.

There are also other paths to battle that are just as viable. Exploiting weaknesses with a multipurpose magic build is another way to steal turns. Building battlers around skills that maximize critical hits is another way. And if you are terrified of the infamous one-shot deaths that people like to say are the franchise trademark? Equip null-death magatama in between level ups. Raise your luck. Resolve battles before enemies even have the chance to use the spell against you. Raise your speed so enemies don’t get the chance to go first. Get endure as soon as possible. The tools for success are all right there for you! Nocturne tasks you with growing strong enough in this world to ascend to creation, and it provides you with multiple paths to reach this goal.

So, about these multiple paths, let me talk to you a bit about SMT3’s famously unique alignment system. Other games are lauded for their ultimately fairly stupid morality systems but Nocturne breezily operates on a completely different level. Instead of RESCUE and HARVEST in dumb giant gothic font or literally color-coded paragon and renegade meters, in SMT3 you align yourself naturally through story progression with factions concerned with stillness, power, solitude, freedom, or rebellion. Instead of the grand binary moral choice being telegraphed through hideous-looking “Little Sisters” (god I hated that stupid name haha) there’s a rough analogue in the actually sympathetic but far more complex unsettling-looking Manikins, whose character motif is described by the creators as representing those who lose themselves to the strength of numbers. There’s unfortunately a tiny amount of material in the game to support extremely tedious “canon” discussion, but the game actually works best and most purely as an abstract, impressionistic vision of grand universal themes. Playing through any one of SMT3’s six endings makes the universe feel vast and overwhelming, and asks you to contend with a broader suite of philosophies than ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ and that’s ultimately what I think the developers were most interested in going for.

Something about the prose in Nocturne is also special in a way that is extremely difficult to accurately describe. Like everything else in this game it feels elegant and detached, gods and goddesses are appropriately otherworldly without sounding like haughty stereotypes, lower demons are funny and crass in a way that’s not so on-the-nose. Again it’s very difficult to pinpoint but something has been lost in the writing of the newer games, even a bit as small as how angels and demons in the game actually never name anything directly as God, but instead refer obliquely to a Lord, an Absolute, or a Great Will, Nocturne just gets all the little details right.

As I run out of steam from this braindump, I notice there’s still an essay’s worth of observations in so many other topics that deserve to be discussed. The Tokyo-focused but somehow universal theming of the game’s alignment principles and locale visuals. The insanely expansive but unfortunately compressed soundtrack (see over three hours of unreleased material alone here), where dungeon music regularly evolves to indicate progression, and battle and boss music quantity is generously varied both between and within song. The extremely rewarding fusion system can be plumbed to frankly insane depths, with a demon bestiary that is reasonable to 100%, and the lack of “use it or lose it” demon quality that hits other SMT series games contributing to a better feeling of progression and customization opportunities. The demon negotiation, which rewards your knowledge of mythological connections among pantheons with unique one-time only dialogue. The dungeons, the DUNGEONS. With the exception of an early set of sewers, an apparent shitty dungeon theme RPG tradition, each of these are little masterpieces of aesthetics and design, with their own thoughtfully introduced and iterated gimmick, planned wonderfully for both third and first person, often wrapping in and around themselves in spirals in that very Shin Megami Tensei-specific way.

Even if you think a game like Nocturne seems too dense or impenetrable or boring or random-encounter filled or whatever, it’s worth giving it a real shot for yourself to see if it manages to grab you. We’re no longer in those days in the late 2000s where the game cost exorbitant amounts of money to get, a digital version can be found on PS3 for $10 (with only rare emulation issues in certain dungeon sections), and the disc itself was reprinted and can be found brand new on Amazon if you have a PS2 or want to emulate on PCSX2, where the game looks even more breathtaking. Either way, find a way to treat yourself to an RPG where it is actually appropriate to throw around the term masterpiece. I didn’t really write any of this text no one’s going to read to make a persuasive case to anyone, but sometimes games will inspire you and it feels good to ramble about them. Games like this one are nearly impossible to make nowadays, and SMT3 is something worth cherishing.

#smt3 #nocturne #smt nocturne #unparalleled #why doesn't that last gif work here oh well

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