Hiku said:
Well I too have been going from demon to stronger demon throughout the SMT games. That's been part of the fun, yeah. Especially since some of the new demons you can make are part of that particular story arc. And because there were so many demons, I always found ones that appealed to me in every level range. So I've been playing using the demons I like, while constantly upgrading them to new ones. I've done so in in about five other SMT games so far. So naturally it's something I expected out of this one as well.
However, this new system mechanic only limits the monsters that are viable to use (unless you want to risk getting wiped out, or feeling compelled to save an aweful lot). Why have so many monsters available, only to make so few of them viable? "See all those cool monsters? Well you can pick them and constantly worry about getting wiped out if you miss the enemy strike by a single frame or pixel. Or you can pick these specific ones instead. Don't like them? Well too bad."
And for what exactly? A mechanic that, as you say (because I see it that way too), is simply there to ensure that you attack first, which is generally the default state anyway in other games. And the alternative can be devastating. This would have been fine, if the actual premptive strike mechanic had been made in a more interesting way considering the effect it has on your game. Something that you for example could improve as the game progresses in various ways, something that rewards thinking or strategy, or something that interacts with the environment, etc. But it's none of those things. It's a very simple one, and probably one of the less well designed ones I've experienced to be honest.
I'm not annoyed by the small bonus you get from striking first. I was just pointing out why I find the mechanic near useless.
If they had put some more thought and effort into its design, then it could have felt warranted. But for this, I don't agree.
Limiting the Persona you can use far outweighs whatever positive this mechanic may bring to the table. Because the monsters/Persona have always been one of the main appeals with the SMT series. Well, apparently not so much in this one as you're encouraged to play the game "right", which cuts out a big part of what made the rest of the STM series what it is and what's made it popular. We've always been given the chance to make the Persona we want to use viable.
If playing the game "right" is being forced to use a gorilla, a ball of meshed faces, and a penis (Mara), then I'm going to opt to play it the wrong way, unfortunately.
And I can blame the game designers for going with this idea. Cutting out a large amount of the Persona that are viable, encouraging you to use a certain few to avoid high risk of major frustration, and in return we get that simple preemptive strike mechanic. It doesn't even out for me, not even close. And it doesn't feel like an interesting challenge either.
An interesting challenge would be like when I faced three very powerful bosses at once who had devastating physical attacks and no elemental or physical weaknesses. Even with Marakukaja, you got destroyed almost instantly. The key was to charm one of them, so it would turn on the others, and take them out much faster than you ever could. And figuring that out, and coming to that realization, was fun.
Another example is when fighting a tough boss who split into several fake versions, along with the real one real. You had to guess which one was real, and they kept shuffling. But if you fight him during the full moon phase, which makes him stronger, the real one casts a shadow. So in return for fighting stronger versions of him, you'll always be able to identify the real one.
Those were fun, creative and interesting challenges, and alternate ways to go about beating them.
This is not. It's pretty simplistic design. Especially for something with such a big impact on the game. Whoever playtested it could not have noticed that enemies can spawn right on top of you when going through doors or tunnels, because that just doesn't make sense to me.
Walking through a door and having an enemy already standing there, attacking you before you can even swing your blade, and wiping out your team, is not a fun challenge. Swinging your blade at an enemy and see it pass right through them and then get attacked, is questionable design. (I've noticed that your hurtbox extends forward before your hitbox even appears when using a lance weapon, which further increases the risk of getting attacked if misstimed.)
That mechanic isn't something like in a fighting game, where one frame or pixel difference can mean the difference between life or death/devastation, and it feels justified. Because it's not that well made of a mechanic. I feel it's one of the least developed versions of this mechanic I've seen. And yet with the deadliest of reprecussions. And that's a bit ironic.
I can definitely understand if some else doesn't care about which Persona they use to the same degree as me. But for me it's simply always been an important aspect of the game.
Regarding the bosses though, I'm a bit surprised that every single one has had an elemental weakness so far. And I've fought about 10 or so thus far.
Hopefully that's just because I'm at the beginning of the game, and that it doesn't have to do with why people are saying it's easier than other SMT games.
As for the apps, the Demon Enhancer didn't seem very useful to me either, unless those bonus stats actually carry over, which I doubt. Perhaps for the endgame, if I have some app points left over, it could be useful for my final demons.
Fusion Booster is something I was thinking of, but up until now there have been other apps popping up that have taken priority, so I still haven't gotten to it yet. I'll probably expand my skill slots with the main character and my monsters first.
Regarding Auto-Pinpoint, if I cast Bufu on an enemy who is not weak to it, will this skill redirect the spell to a monster (if available) who is weak to Bufu? And does this work even before you've discovered an enemy's weakness?
As for money, I haven't bought much gear yet, but saving up instead. Guess I'll be continuing with that trend then.
Are there any different ways of obtaining relics to sell later? For example, send one of your monsters out to farm them in a quest?
And don't worry, I appreciate any insight I may get about the game. You've played through it, and that's good enough for me.
By the way, do Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael and Michael look like this, even when you summon them as allies?
A bit creepy in that case. I prefer the old design, so maybe I'll skip Gabriel and Uriel this time.
I hope Metatron still looks cool if he's in the game. Too afraid to look now. lol
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