Random thoughts on whatever JRPG you're currently playing?

[CyberModuled]

Finished Xenogears after pushing it back for a while and found it well worth playing through. Story subject and excellent execution of it all feels weird to see from a new IP at the time and from the PS1 era. I was so hooked by it that I didn't even mind that Disc 2 ended up getting screwed over mid development since the dev team had the decency to make sure and put the most time and budget into the important story bits so the most important twists and plot beats wouldn't be undermined. Great use of character sprites and 3D environments to make each area you go to around the world look distinct from one another. Gameplay systems via deathblows and fuel management were quite fun even if a lot of bosses felt like push overs normally (really appreciate how much of the actual gameplay did involve the Gears since I thought it'd be just a gimmick at best). Honesty makes me bitter that we never got any "Chapters" after the first game. Absolutely intrigued with what could've been done but oh well, guess I'll read Perfect Works eventually to get an idea on what they would've done. Absolutely, fuck Square for deciding to throw retard money at garbage like Chrono Cross and FF post VII/Spirits Within and not Xenogears just because it didn't reach the 1 million sales goal despite being extremely close to it.

Decided to start playing Troubleshooter after because of how shilled it is here. Still early into the game but it is fun with the character customization and general turn based combat so far. Presentation of the story with the art style and music is very charming as well.

 

[spekkio]

So, my idea of having "elemental-focused" teams went out of the window. I mean there's not point, when you can just go crazy with the Cathedral:

Currently I'm gradually switching resistances from Anti- to Null- for all my demons.

powergame and choose demons with long-ranged attacks, lots of resistances and OPness overall. I'm not sure how is this meant to be completed without doing some random encounters but people here say it's possible, somehow.

It sure is:

Verdict: fantastic game.

In before decline in the final part (Almighty, here you come!).

 

[lightbane]

It sure is:

Using cheat editors and the like to acquire OP demons early and/or bypass the level limit is cheating.
I had to do this the hard way for DeSu1. Not sure if I should bother with the 2nd game yet, I'm not feeling like playing SMT games lately.

 

[Puukko]

Started my replay of Digital Devil Saga and was a bit surprised to find out it keeps your learned skills on a NG+. My first thought was that I wasn't really a fan since the game is already on the easier side, but then I realized I could just restrain myself and only use appropriate level skills while unlocking more elements to diversify my party with. One of the game's biggest weaknesses is how you have to work your way up each individual skill tree which makes getting even two elements on a character a lot of extra work. They greatly improved this in 2 with the grid system. This also means you may want to focus on four of the five party members since macca is a shared resource - in 2, relying too much on single characters will bite you in the ass.

A difficulty mod that reduced the encounter rate while making each battle more meaningful would turn this from an 8+ game into a 9+ one, no exaggeration.

 

[spekkio]

A difficulty mod that reduced the encounter rate [...]

You are using the cheats that do that, I hope?

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/streamlining-megami-tensei-ps2-games.111194/

 

[Puukko]

A difficulty mod that reduced the encounter rate [...]

You are using the cheats that do that, I hope?

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/streamlining-megami-tensei-ps2-games.111194/

I used those cheats the last time, but they didn't play nice with bosses and rare encounters, giving far too much EXP.

 

[Lincolnberry]

I am playing SMT Strange Journey for the first time. Playing the 3DS remake version as that's the hardware I own and my personal interest in fighting the emulator battle is limited.

I've played several other SMT games at this point (SMT 4, 4A, Persona 4G) and this is by far the hardest. Playing on expert mode (hardest available, not sure if there's higher in a newgame+ mode).

There are two things that make the game much harder than the others I've played: 1) Lack of easy ability heritability - for the most part, you're going to be limited to the base abilities of the demons you summon or recruit, though the "source" system opens things up a little bit; 2) blobber style exploration, with difficulty tuned very high. The latter is the bigger issue for me - huge maps, tons of traps, teleports, hidden walls with progression not always guaranteed (game wants you to come back with multiple levels of door unlock, for example). Areas of levels where you are in the dark.

It's fun but it is very hard. Contributes with the music to a very oppressive atmosphere, which while I like, can be a little exhausting.

I'm currently in the 5th sector and the story hasn't gone too far off the rails yet. I've heard this is one of the best SMT stories and those are typically back end loaded in my experience, so excited to see what's still on the come if I can push through the enormous amount of obtuse mapping and backtracking and keep my party alive. I've more than once had to pull out a guide/map to figure out a puzzle now - no idea how this would be fun (never mind at max difficulty) if I didn't have that as a crutch if needed.

 

[Poseidon00]

Devil Survivor is great. Gives me SMT1 vibes with its story. The second one is really good too.

 

[spekkio]

A difficulty mod that reduced the encounter rate [...]

You are using the cheats that do that, I hope?

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/streamlining-megami-tensei-ps2-games.111194/

I used those cheats the last time, but they didn't play nice with bosses and rare encounters, giving far too much EXP.

RTFM, I've disabled EXP cheat for a reason.

Enable only encounters /2 & Atma gain x2. Makes the games 3x better.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

I'm playing Xenoblade 1 Definitive Edition.
So far , it's good game. Best part is combat and the story. I'm sucker for good old fight against destiny and so far , it's pretty darn good. It has a good tone , right amount of silly comedy and serious really good dramatic/serious moments. The OST is freaking good and helps alot in scenes.
While the combat is simple , yet really adcting. The quest are mostly fetch quest but i don't mind that much because the combat is really fun.

The characters aren't the best , but there's some highlights like Shulk , Melia and Dunban. All three go beyond their tropes, aren't one note (like Reyn and Sharla) and seems to have some devemploment. Shulk is by far my favorite. His design is slick , his goal and motives clear and while he still a bit ''goody two shoes'' , i really like when he goes angry against a mechon , it's really fucking hype. XE: DE is not the best JRPG that i played but it's good enough to make me consider picking up Xenoblade 2.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

I finished Bloodborne yet again on the ps4, it's probably in my top ten games of all time, i really want a pc port so it doesn't get stuck on the ps4.I love everything about the game, yes even the infamous chalice dungeons (which i do every time, so much unique bosses and enemies there) the weapons are all interesting and feels more like a monster hunter game than a traditional souls about how they are handled.The game design always reminds me of old games, with all it's secret areas, weapons etc something that has been clearly forgotten (Why make secret areas that most players will miss?) the dlc closes the game with a beautifull red ribbon, i can not recommend it enough, funny thing is that the first time i played this game i dropped almost at the middle of it.

Same day i finished my last playthrough of Bloodborne i finished my last route of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.My last route was SS (Silver Snow, not related to Straight Shota) the route itself is very similar to Verdant Wind except it's last map, so i absolutely not recommend playing them back to back.What really stuck with me about this route is it's final map, from music to design.The music is not an upbeat one like in the other routes, there's not epicness because what is happening is a tragedy, is about you putting down your beloved dog that has gone mad and the music perfectly reflects it.Difficulty wise it was the hardest for me too, being Azure Moon the easiest.This game was not developed internally by Inteligent Systems (except the dlc, that reminds a lot of Conquest maps) and it shows, for good and bad, i'm anxious to see what the next installment will be like but seeing as how succesfull Three Houses was, the games will be more like Birthright than Conquest, map wise with a heavier emphasis in the "castle" phase.

 

[spekkio]

BROs, it's done!

Yuzu doesn't like it from behind.

One of the easiest boss battles IMO.

Onward to victory!

:midoribestgirl:

Final setup:

And after some blatant cheating (fuck bosses with "entire map -range" attacks + infinitely respawning enemies), we're victorious!

Sadly, I had to go with the "power of music" ending, 'cuz I accidentaly screwed myself over the "Demon king" ending at the end of Day 6.

Don't worry, BRO Naoya, we're gonna go full satanic in next playthrough.

Post-game titles:

And rewards (can be unlocked in New Game+):

Anyway, over 50 hours is enough for now. One ending unlocked, at least another decent one (demon god) to go:

Verdict:

Pros:

• great tactical gameplay, combining japtactical concept and press-turn system in an interesting way,
• almost zero filler, you're either tacticooling, fusing demons or screwing yourself over via dialog choices in the VN part,
• great and very fun "regular" (non-Bel) encounters; even an abundance of "escort" missions isn't IMO irritating with proper skills like switch, teleport or ultramove,
• addicting as crack,

Cons:

• Survival requires either hex-editing (at least macca to fuse demons easily) or insane amount of grinding. "Clever" demon / skill setup won't help you, if your demons are shit or you weren't able to crack decent skills.
• Some boss battles (mostly against Bels) are simply insane and not in the slightests fun (inifinite reinforcements, ultra-long range attacks, HP/MP recovery or drain and "surprise mutherfucker!" events, entirely changing the situation). This shit is retarded, esp. compared to regular battles, which can be demanding, but never unjust.
• Most characters are fucking useless (low MA, low move, you get them too late in the game).

And now for something completely different...

After all, I've played all Castlevania games (at least the "modern" ones), all Metroid games and all Ys games. So, the only decent Japanese thing left is Megaten and Fire Emblem.

 

[flyingjohn]

After all, I've played all Castlevania games (at least the "modern" ones), all Metroid games and all Ys games. So, the only decent Japanese thing left is Megaten and Fire Emblem.

A couple of notes about path of radiance.
It is piss easy.The japanese version has the maniax mode difficulty(more tedious then hard) while the western releases have maniax removed and get easy mode.

If you start finding the game boring i would suggest jumping straight into the sequel.It is much harder.

 

[spekkio]

Thanks. But after the awesome Snes & GBA Fire Emblems, the only thing I expect from POR, RD & NDS / 3DS games is...

 

[InD_ImaginE]

After all, I've played all Castlevania games (at least the "modern" ones), all Metroid games and all Ys games. So, the only decent Japanese thing left is Megaten and Fire Emblem.

A couple of notes about path of radiance.
It is piss easy.The japanese version has the maniax mode difficulty(more tedious then hard) while the western releases have maniax removed and get easy mode.

If you start finding the game boring i would suggest jumping straight into the sequel.It is much harder.

If you look for some website where you can download ROM there are people who translated the JP version using the official script which has the Maniax difficulty. You can play that instead

 

[spekkio]

Quality Gaming Resource claims that this mode is shit. :/

 

[CarbonCarousel]

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the best game of 2020.

 

[Endemic]

Thanks. But after the awesome Snes & GBA Fire Emblems, the only thing I expect from POR, RD & NDS / 3DS games is...

If there's a specific criticism I have of the Tellius Fire Emblems, it's the very inconsistent scenario design (most rout maps are terrible, for example) and juggernauting (fliers say hi) being a recurring problem. The DS remakes of FE1 and 3 might be simple in mechanics, but they do a better job of avoiding those pitfalls (on harder difficulties where tools like Warp are limited or non-existent). Obviously they're not completely immune to balancing issues, the avatar in New Mystery is arguably overpowered and Nosferatu allows a degree of juggernauting for mages.

 

[flyingjohn]

Can anybody recommend a jrpg/srpg that has a pretty hefty length but doesn't get boring midway?
Looking for something to play on the phone for half hour to a hour for the coming months..All the free shit on android requires a internet connection so that is a big no.

 

[GhostCow]

Can anybody recommend a jrpg/srpg that has a pretty hefty length but doesn't get boring midway?
Looking for something to play on the phone for half hour to a hour for the coming months..All the free shit on android requires a internet connection so that is a big no.

For android? Not really. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions has a port but last I checked it didn't work on newer versions of android and I'd guess you've probably played that one to death

 

[CarbonCarousel]

Can anybody recommend a jrpg/srpg that has a pretty hefty length but doesn't get boring midway?
Looking for something to play on the phone for half hour to a hour for the coming months..All the free shit on android requires a internet connection so that is a big no.

There are plenty of emulators for Android.

 

[Nutmeg]

Survival requires either hex-editing (at least macca to fuse demons easily) or insane amount of grinding.

Filtered

 

[Nutmeg]

Can anybody recommend a jrpg/srpg that has a pretty hefty length but doesn't get boring midway?
Looking for something to play on the phone for half hour to a hour for the coming months..All the free shit on android requires a internet connection so that is a big no.

Get a PSP emulator and play Gungnir.

 

[lightbane]

And after some blatant cheating (fuck bosses with "entire map -range" attacks + infinitely respawning enemies), we're victorious!

FAIL! You call yourself a codexer if you cannot play properly?

Sadly, I had to go with the "power of music" ending, 'cuz I accidentaly screwed myself over the "Demon king" ending at the end of Day 6.

Lol, despite having savestates and shit, you still fail.

Anyway, over 50 hours is enough for now. One ending unlocked, at least another decent one (demon god) to go:

50 hours for the first playthrough? Either you're slow, or it is longer than I remember. Is this the OG game or the expansion?

insane amount of grinding

So much for being able to complete the game without random battles.

u weren't able to crack decent skills.

If you do that, you have half of the game over. Protip: Do random encounters only to crack certain skills (or grab the floating item that's usually money), then retreat. It's not grinding that way.

 

[d1r]

Might as well give some thoughts about Busin0 Wizardry Alternative Neo (sequel to Wizardry Tales of the Forsaken Land), now that I have played quite a lot of it.

It's a straight upgrade from Forsaken Land, in every possible aspect, but companions, but more on that later.

Gameplay-wise, nothing much has changed from Forsaken Land, or any other DRPG really. You traverse through the labyrinth, kill stuff, find stuff, sell stuff, synthesize magic, and go back into the dungeon again. One big improvement over Forsaken Land though is that the game's general speed has been increased, though it still feels pretty slow compared to other DRPGs. I really have no idea what the developers were thinking by doing so, but speeding up the game by 33-50% is still the way to go. Thanks emulators!

A new addition in Busin0 is the ability to upgrade the shop, and create your own little imperium, which, when you reach a certain shop level, allows you to build up a shop in the labyrinth, and get special events at certain days in a month (one reason for having the date indicator at the game screen now). The grind is pretty hefty if you want to max out the shop. Shop orders are the best way to level up the shop. They involve you finding certain amount of items in the labyrinth within a set amount of days. Not only do they give you a lot of experience points, but also, for the most time, a straight upgrade of the items you were looking for.

Other than that, Allied Attacks, a combination attack between either the team, or some parts of the team, are back. There are more AA's now, and they can be found either in the labyrinth, or under certain battle conditions (Rush AA for example can be acquired when all six party members of the group are doing Single Attacks on an enemy group, that is larger than four enemies). There are also some variations of AAs that trigger when you have either reached a certain Trust level, or when you have specific classes in your party. Talking about classes, while Forsaken Land only had eight classes, Busin 0 has 17 classes! That's even more than Wiz8 has. One of the classes also comes with a pretty hefty gimmick, which involves even more grinding to strenghten it! You, as a main character, however are not able to play as this class. You got your basic lineup that is Fighter, Thief, Magician, Priest, Bishop, Samurai, Knight, Ninja, Alchemist, Noble Thief, Monk, Paladin, Dark Knight, Omnitsu, Shogun, High Thief, and ???. Like in the other Wizardry games, these classes are alignment and attribute restricted. Companions/Characters in Busin0 also have personality traits now, that can cause disharmony in the group. Hot-blooded men for example do not like to travel together with Women that have the Maidens-Heart personality. Thus, the trust rank of these characters in the party (needed to learn certains AA's, and increase the amount of AA's you can set) will increase very very slowly, not at all, or decrease even faster.

The overall presentation of the game respresents the peak of the Wizardry series in the east, with only decline to follow in the later years. The dungeons all have their distinctive themes with all kinds of neat looking 3d graphics, the artwork was done Katsuya Terada, a famous japanese artist, and the music is absolutely top notch. Like in Forsaken Land, Busin0 comes with a lot of catchy, but also very melancholic tunes, that fit perfectly with the game's rather gloomy atmosphere.

The story is nothing too grand to write about, though the mystery about the main villain still keeps one motivated to go on. There is only one ending, and your choices hardly matter in everything. But then again, this is pretty much a given when it comes to JRPG's. Other than in Forsaken Land, the game gives you five story companions, that come with story interjections, while all the other companions in the game, even though they have their little side quests, do not comment about the main story at all, which is a huge bummer (since some of these side characters are pretty interesting). The game overall comes with eleven unique looking dungeons that are not randomized, and gives you, as a post-game dungeon, another 50 floors huge randomized death trap of hell that still looks better than all the dungeons combined in Elminage! There is A LOT OF STUFF to find in the game, and you probably will be spending more than 150 hours to 100% it.

This game gets a fat 5/5, while Forsaken Land was a (and that is pretty generous considering that the game loves watching you take step by step)

Also, 300 pages of english translation done so far!