Fun Club Mainline SMT series is an incredibly underappreciated franchise that Jrpgs fans should give a chance

[AquaWateria]

So I wanna talk about how mainline SMT has always been a series that's been incredibly niche and has been overshadowed by its brethren Persona. I can see why, but to me, it's still crazy considering how long this franchise has been around. The first game in the mainline series started October 30, 1992, on the Super Famicom so the series has definitely had a long history on Nintendo platforms.

These games are unlike any other I have played when it comes to Jrpgs. The atmosphere, music, environment art design, and gameplay are out of this world. Here are a few good examples of some of the games that show how great they look.

Nocturne's art design and the atmosphere is incredible and the world itself gives you little details of what has transpired rather than dumping lots of exposition. It just feels out of this world especially for a game that was on the PS2.

Then there's SMT 4 which was on the 3DS and looks fantastic for a 3DS game. In fact, I would go as far as to say it's one of the best looking games on the system. The world itself has a strong urban post-apocalyptic world to it and the art design goes a long way in selling it. It really makes the world incredibly brutal and atmospheric.

However, what's a strong art design if you don't have strong music that helps elevate it. Well lucky for everyone the SMT series has fantastic music that really sets the tone of the games.









Now lastly the gameplay is the best part of the series and to me, it has the best turn-based system of any Jrpg game I have played. The Press Turn system is just that good. Not only can your enemies abuse the system, but so can you. And it creates this war of attribution with both parties.

This guy will clearly show you how to effectively use the system and how fun and rewarding the system can be when you use it correctly.

This is where the meme was born. Buffs and debuffs are incredibly vital compared to other Jrpgs where they aren't as important to use. Like if you don't use buffs and debuffs then the enemy will destroy you lol. They will end up stacking buffs or debuff and kill you in one turn if you aren't careful, but what's great is that you can do the same as well. It's why battles can either end up being short or long depending on how you effectively use the system.

With the release of SMT V, I hope newer players can get introduced to the series because it's unlike any other Jrpg I have played.

 

[KC Hazel]

I gotta say the style of this franchise is really off-putting to me, I'm contemplating trying the new one for Switch as I think it looks a good deal nicer. I have no idea what I'm in for though.

 

[AquaWateria]

I gotta say the style of this franchise is really off-putting to me, I'm contemplating trying the new one for Switch as I think it looks a good deal nicer. I have no idea what I'm in for though.

The easiest way I can describe is that darker version of Pokemon with a more atmospheric and brutal world. Think of Demons as Pokemons where they are basically a part of your party. Although it can be serious it also has a lot of goofy elements in it. It's no different than any other Jrpg game in that if you know how to play turn-base games you should be good. They also mentioned they will add different difficulty levels so it can be accessible to newer players.

It's also a game that has multiple routes in the game meaning it can have different endings depending on what you choose. Different routes have heavy effects on the narrative.

 

[Beard]

I'm playing Nocturne for the first time right now and I'm kicking myself for not checking out this series sooner. It's really damn good, with a really unsettling atmosphere, a great set of RPG mechanics, and fantastic music.

Day 1 for SMT V, no question. Really looking forward to it now.

 

[Phendrift]

Everything about it looks appealing except the difficulty and I’ve read the dungeons are obtuse.

I’ve never thought JRPGs did dungeons that well so I’m scared to play it.

I know there will be easy mode but…. I feel insecure playing it through that like I’m missing something

 

[Pavolink]

I’ve to finish III HD, and while I’m liking so far, still prefer IV.

IV is one of my favorite 3DS games.

 

[AquaWateria]

I'm playing Nocturne for the first time right now and I'm kicking myself for not checking out this series sooner. It's really damn good, with a really unsettling atmosphere, a great set of RPG mechanics, and fantastic music.

Day 1 for SMT V, no question. Really looking forward to it now.

Yup, it's a unique series that's different than most Jrpgs.

I really hope they remaster SMT 4 on Switch so lots of people could get the chance to play the game as well.

 

[Beard]

Everything about it looks appealing except the difficulty and I’ve read the dungeons are obtuse.

I’ve never thought JRPGs did dungeons that well so I’m scared to play it.

I know there will be easy mode but…. I feel insecure playing it through that like I’m missing something

I'm sure Nocturne will get more challenging as I progress, but I kind of feel the difficulty is a bit....overstated? I mean, it's more challenging than your standard Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, but this doesn't feel insurmountable or anything of the sort. One big plus is there seems to be a save room and a healing room before any major event/boss.

 

[KC Hazel]

The easiest way I can describe is that darker version of Pokemon with a more atmospheric and brutal world. Think of Demons as Pokemons where they are basically a part of your party. Although it can be serious it also has a lot of goofy elements in it. It's no different than any other Jrpg game in that if you know how to play turn-base games you should be good. They also mentioned they will add different difficulty levels so it can be accessible to newer players.

It's also a game that has multiple routes in the game meaning it can have different endings depending on what you choose. Different routes have heavy effects on the narrative.

Thanks for the explanation. I think I'll try the new one out. Don't have much to lose but potentially a lot to gain if I really like it.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Everything about it looks appealing except the difficulty and I’ve read the dungeons are obtuse.

I’ve never thought JRPGs did dungeons that well so I’m scared to play it.

I know there will be easy mode but…. I feel insecure playing it through that like I’m missing something

The dungeons in SMT IV (the only one I've played) were fine, definitely not that obtuse, and the game isn't that much more difficult than say, Octopath Traveler or BD2.

The dungeons in V will probably be more complex but I doubt they'll be full-on obtuse

 

[AquaWateria]

Everything about it looks appealing except the difficulty and I’ve read the dungeons are obtuse.

I’ve never thought JRPGs did dungeons that well so I’m scared to play it.

I know there will be easy mode but…. I feel insecure playing it through that like I’m missing something

If you have played any Jrpg you should be fine trust me. People oversell the difficulty in SMT and the only reason why it got its name for it is that SMT Nocturne had random encounters and not many difficulty options. Recent installments have added lots of Qol additions and with the newer game in the series SMT V, it should be a lot more accessible as well. As long as you utilize buffs and debuffs you should be fine.

 

[Pascal]

Strange Journey is the secret best entry. It's so damn oppressive and gruelling and it's is incredible. One of my favorite games ever.

 

[Pascal]

I'm sure Nocturne will get more challenging as I progress, but I kind of feel the difficulty is a bit....overstated? I mean, it's more challenging than your standard Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, but this doesn't feel insurmountable or anything of the sort. One big plus is there seems to be a save room and a healing room before any major event/boss.

It definitely is a bit overstated as far as Nocturne is concerned. I think some of the reputation comes from the fact the buffs/debuffs are pretty essential for boss battles and the game doesn't exactly telegraph that from what I remember. So a lot of folks just tried to play it as a standard JRPG and they would get steamrolled by the early bosses. Once you work buffs/debuffs into your battles, it becomes much more manageable.

 

[Beard]

It definitely is a bit overstated as far as Nocturne is concerned. I think some of the reputation comes from the fact the buffs/debuffs are pretty essential for boss battles and the game doesn't exactly telegraph that from what I remember. So a lot of folks just tried to play it as a standard JRPG and they would get steamrolled by the early bosses. Once you work buffs/debuffs into your battles, it becomes much more manageable.

Thank you for the tip! Should help me moving forward in my playthrough.

 

[Waluijob]

I have Nocturne for Switch, which will be my first SMT game, and I have V preordered. Very excited to finally get into this legendary franchise!

 

[Oregano]

It's going to blow up with SMT V, you've just got to believe.

...and not listen to concern trolls

 

[Cantaim]

Such a fantastic series that I absolutely love. SMT 3, SMT 4, and even SMT 4:A are some great JRPG’s that are so beyond what other JRPG’s offer it’s not even funny.

 

[rickyson33]

if I play a JRPG i'm primarily doing it for the character interactions which is where the series turns me off since it doesn't really seem like it has much of that sort of stuff at all(i've never actually played one but from what I can tell the "party" is just different types of demons that don't really have dialogue and there isn't a ton in the way of NPCs to interact with either)

 

[AquaWateria]

if I play a JRPG i'm primarily doing it for the character interactions which is where the series turns me off since it doesn't really seem like it has much of that sort of stuff at all

SMT 4 has character interactions and 5 will likely as well considering they have shown off many characters already.

Nocturne is the only series in the franchise that was devoid of much character interactions as well as a narrative because it was the mostly a one off experimental title. This is why going from 3 to 4 feels different.

 

[AquaWateria]

It's going to blow up with SMT V, you've just got to believe.

...and not listen to concern trolls

I hope so because it's definitely a big jump for the series.

 

[Oregano]

Hot Take time: Nocturne is the Dragon Quest VIII of the series.

It's a good game in a series full of good games that is elevated mostly because it was the one everyone played as a teenager on the PS2.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I tried Nocturne two times and both times I stopped when I realized the "You never have to grind in SMT, it's all about the strategy!" is false, at least partially so. Both times I got to Matador I was only level 11-12, which is like 6 levels lower than the recommended Demons for that fight, and considering how little XP you get for normal enemies I would have to go out of my way to level up. Doesn't help that the fanbases memes are pretty poorly stated - "just debuff bro" uhh, Matador actually punishes debuffs .... (I get what they mean because you can null his attacks, but its so poorly worded and from what I remember thats not even called a debuff in the game). I feel like I would have beat Matador, finished the game and loved the journey if there wasn't a level cap to fusions. Demons are already hard to catch, placing a cap so that you can't get demons above your level is absolutely insane when you already have to work hard to get/fuse them. The irony is that from what I remember NG+ actually allows you to/has an option to fuse demons regardless of level cap.

I tried some of Digital Devil Saga and the opposite problem was the case. Game was super easy, story was pretty cheesy, etc. Really the only similarity to Nocturne was the cool designs and the cool atmosphere, with both having great music, but honestly I preferred what I played of Nocturne quite a bit.

I'd still like to play and beat Nocturne some day, Matador doesn't seem too challenging if you know what to do, but I'm just not interested in spending a lot of time leveling up. Especially in SMT. I'd like to beat it before getting SMTV, though.

 

[Delio]

Really hope people give it a chance. I'm expecting V to be a breakout hit for the series!

 

[AquaWateria]

I tried Nocturne two times and both times I stopped when I realized the "You never have to grind in SMT, it's all about the strategy!" is false, at least partially so. Both times I got to Matador I was only level 11-12, which is like 6 levels lower than the recommended Demons for that fight, and considering how little XP you get for normal enemies I would have to go out of my way to level up. Doesn't help that the fanbases memes are pretty poorly stated - "just debuff bro" uhh, Matador actually punishes debuffs .... (I get what they mean because you can null his attacks, but its so poorly worded and from what I remember thats not even called a debuff in the game). I feel like I would have beat Matador, finished the game and loved the journey if there wasn't a level cap to fusions. Demons are already hard to catch, placing a cap so that you can't get demons above your level is absolutely insane when you already have to work hard to get/fuse them. The irony is that from what I remember NG+ actually allows you to/has an option to fuse demons regardless of level cap.

I tried some of Digital Devil Saga and the opposite problem was the case. Game was super easy, story was pretty cheesy, etc. Really the only similarity to Nocturne was the cool designs and the cool atmosphere, with both having great music, but honestly I preferred what I played of Nocturne quite a bit.

I'd still like to play and beat Nocturne some day, Matador doesn't seem too challenging if you know what to do, but I'm just not interested in spending a lot of time leveling up. Especially in SMT. I'd like to beat it before getting SMTV, though.

Trust me I can see what you are saying, but if you have Ame-no-Uzume in your party it will make the battle easier. I had the same issues as well when I played Nocturne for the first time until I realized bosses aren't always meant to be defeated on first try because understanding their weakness is vital. Once you know their weaknesses then you can start fusing demons that you need. For me, Ame-no-Uzume was incredibly important for my survival in the Matador boss battle because not only was she immune to his attacks but she also provided good buffs and healing options.

Sure you do need to grind a little at times, but it's not the most vital thing in these games like say other Jrpgs. Why I say that is that you could be at a higher level than the boss and it can still wipe you out if you don't effectively use the battle system.

 

[randomengine]

SMT has been around about as long as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. It is a classic RPG franchise.

Personally, I would rate SMT higher than Final Fantasy in terms of consistency. Final Fantasy was always a series that felt like it was never happy with itself in the early days (given its current structure). It hated its childhood, despite it being so good. It wanted to move away from the farm and join the big city and it lost its identity in the process. Good Final Fantasy gameplay is no longer a guarantee and with its complete rejection of turn-based gameplay, I have no more loyalty to that series.

Conversely, SMT has remained true to its turn-based RPG roots. Each title is different, but consistently good and if you bring in the Persona series - some of the best RPGs being made.

I think it should stand tall with the classic FF games and the Dragon Quest series contemporaneously as one of the last RPG series standing that remained true to themselves.

 

[Future Boy Nemo]

I started SMT IV a few years ago but lost interest and stopped. Since then I've become obsessed with Devil Survivor, so I'll definitely be giving 4 another chance the next time I feel like playing a JRPG.

 

[7threst]

I'm playing Nocturne for the first time right now and I'm kicking myself for not checking out this series sooner. It's really damn good, with a really unsettling atmosphere, a great set of RPG mechanics, and fantastic music.

Day 1 for SMT V, no question. Really looking forward to it now.

Kind of jealous. Wish I could play Nocturne for the first time too haha! It blew me away back then and it still does. The atmosphere is so eerie and unsettling but also intrigueing. Couple that with addictive gameplay and you have a must-play.

 

[Sadist]

S T R A N G E J O U R N E Y

 

[Rika]

I started SMT IV a few years ago but lost interest and stopped. Since then I've become obsessed with Devil Survivor, so I'll definitely be giving 4 another chance the next time I feel like playing a JRPG.

I ended up playing a bit of SMT IV, and just quit too. I ended up watching someone play it online instead.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

But SMT is more Anime and generic than Persona tho /s

For real tho, honestly, SMT IV made me a fan. It's definitely different than your standard JRPG but I feel like a lot of the differences work to its benefit. There are a few things I'd like more of, like character interactions and more direction and what not, but the games still do it for me. Hyped as I can be for SMT V and maybe I should one day go back to SMT III HD

Also whenever anyone talks about the series being overshadowed, I can't help but this of this

 

[Seven]

Man, I love the MegaTen franchise; I got into the series through the original Devil Survivor on the DS and then following that got into the mainline series with Strange Journey. It also helps that from that time up to now the majority of MegaTen games released were on handhelds which are my preferred way of playing games.

 

[Kingo]

I really loved 3 and 4, as well as all the spinoff games (I think Soul Hackers is my absolute favourite). Wish we could get 1 and 2 translated. I tried playing the first game on the SFC app, but it was a bit over my head, lol.

 

[Leo]

It's my favorite RPG series. Sometimes it's crazy to think about the abysm between it's quality and recognition, cause I feel so many RPG franchises that are very popular can't even touch SMT's quality.

Although I wish it sold better and got more recognition, there are somethings nice about it being niche too, I think the fandom is one of the nicest ones around, everyone feels like underdogs so it has a strong sense of community lol And Atlus themselves know it's niche but that hasn't stopped them from giving it a lot of love, they know their fans are loyal and always reward them. They also seem to understand exactly what makes SMT good and what is its place, so they iterate on its strong points rather than trying to make it something else to broad its appeal.

It's a really special franchise. I'm rooting for SMTV to get a lot of attention and reach new heights.

 

[Leo]

I'm sure Nocturne will get more challenging as I progress, but I kind of feel the difficulty is a bit....overstated? I mean, it's more challenging than your standard Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, but this doesn't feel insurmountable or anything of the sort. One big plus is there seems to be a save room and a healing room before any major event/boss.

It's definitely overstated, yeah. Like other infamously difficult games like Dark Souls, SMT gives you plenty of options and resources to overcome its difficulty, it's never unfair or cheap. It just doesn't give you a free pass, it expects you to engage with its systems, which is part of why it's so great.

Other RPGs have a lot of great mechanics that never really shine because you only really need to use a normal attack every turn.

 

[Pascal]

SMT IV has one of the best video game soundtracks ever. It is insane how good it is.

 

[Deleted member 701]

The only SMT I played is TMS#FE Encore and I'm ready for V.

 

[Sadist]

Serious post

I got into SMT due to one bloke nagging my ears off (you know who you are @7threst) how cool it was. My start point was Devil Survivor 2 and after that I really got into it. DS 2 was a fine game, but it wasn’t until Devil Survivor Overclocked that got me hooked. One of the best strategy RPG’s ever.

But the first “proper” SMT game I played was Strange Journey. Yeah it’s technically a spin-off, but damn it’s so good and weird. Very oppressive vibe, dungeon mapping, interesting characters and quite difficult. DS classic in my opinion and in my top 10 favourite games on the system.

IV and Apocalypse were my first mainline games which I enjoyed immensely. When that Minotaur smirks…

I completed SMT III a few weeks back, it was awesome.

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

My first SMT was Strange Journey on DS and i've stuck with the franchise ever since. SJ DS was such a high quality game(No wonder it was SMT 4) that it kinda standout from the usual DS JRPG crop.

 

[AquaWateria]

The only SMT I played is TMS#FE Encore and I'm ready for V.

Great game

 

[Leo]

By the way, all the SMT games are on sale and super cheap right now on the 3DS eShop.

 

[Mediking]

SMTIV on 3DS was a wild ride. I’m interested in V and it’s a day one purchase for me

 

[Ramune]

Everything about it looks appealing except the difficulty and I’ve read the dungeons are obtuse.

I’ve never thought JRPGs did dungeons that well so I’m scared to play it.

I know there will be easy mode but…. I feel insecure playing it through that like I’m missing something

As others have said, the difficulty isn’t actually that bad. SMT’s bosses usually just require a good set of skills on your team to mitigate damage and out-damage the boss or exploit weaknesses. When you die, it’s usually clear what you need to adjust to progress, not the case that you need to grind.

There’s also usually total cheese demons too.

I’d really like to see 1&2 localised and ported to current platforms. I also think the time is nigh to reboot Raidou.

 

[GamerJM]

The only one I've played is SMT4, years after release in like 2018. I enjoyed it but that map was a slog and the game felt severely held back by a crappy difficulty curve and being on the 3DS. It still has really fun combat though and there were moments where I felt like a genius for coming up with a certain team. I tried to get into Apocalypse, and will probably go back soon, but I got kinda bored a few hours in despite objectively improving upon like half of my issues with 4.

 

[Randinva]

I have only played 20 hours of SMT IV, I plan on getting back to it someday, but even after having played persona 2, 3, 4 and 5 (so I had an understanding of the battle system). The game difficulty is hard, its fun, but you have a battle system where you can die in a single turn without being able to do anything sometimes, though you can also do the same to the enemy which is cool.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Gonna add my voice to the chorus of Nocturne not being that hard, especially compared to SMT I&II, as long as you have a balanced party and understand the battle system.
In a lot of ways the battle system feels somewhere between old CRPGs like Wizardry and Bards Tale and more streamlined games like Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy.

 

[carlosfilho]

V is going to be my first SMT game. It looks awesome, can't wait to play it.

 

[Beard]

"Nocturne's difficulty is overstated", I said

Matador: "hello there, friend"

Christ almighty, that guy was tough. But I defeated him on my fourth attempt, thankfully. Three of my party members being immune to Force certainly helped a lot! Also having the demon that can heal your entire party was a lifesaver.

 

[AquaWateria]

"Nocturne's difficulty is overstated", I said

Matador: "hello there, friend"

Christ almighty, that guy was tough. But I defeated him on my fourth attempt, thankfully. Three of my party members being immune to Force certainly helped a lot! Also having the demon that can heal your entire party was a lifesaver.

Trust me that boss is hard if you don't know how to effectively use the battle system. If you don't know his weakness and use demons that are weak to force yea it can be difficult. Organizing the right demons is definitely vital in this game. It's the first boss that weeds you out.

Ame-no-Uzume was the demon that carried me hard for that battle.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Yeah, I don't know, I beat Matador my first attempt and was surprised when I learned he had a reputation for being a difficult boss.

 

[Suiseiseki]

Fun fact: the Nocturne the west got was a rebalanced version of the original vanilla version (aside from the extra content).

The original Nocturne is well known in Japan as completely against you in every way possible.