As the game begins, we are introduced to our protagonist, a young man with the default name of Flynn (though you can change this) and his childhood friend, Issachar. These young men have finally reached that age where they can travel to the castle in the center of the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and participate in the Gauntlet Rite, a trial in which the youth of the kingdom may become samurai. Along the way, you discover that there is a class system within Mikado, with the rich, noble Luxurors, and the poor peasantry of the Casaulry.
Eventually, Flynn becomes a samurai alongside four other youths: A young man who upholds order, named Johnathan, a young man who lives by his own merits, named Walter, a snooty Luxuror, named Navarre , and young Isabeau, the only female Samurai prentice. After your first gathering, you and your fellow prentices are thrust into the depths of Naraku, a large dungeon where demons dwell and you are introduced to the gameplay mechanics.
Exploration is presented with 3D models, which look very well done... were there more than you seeing only your main character. The dungeon environments are for the most part varied, though often times I sighed as I was subjected to similar textures in certain environments. A nice touch that I always enjoy in RPGs are when you equip a new piece of armor and it changes your character's appearance.That appears in this game, though there isn't a great variation in how armor looks, besides coloring and every once in a while, you'll find different looking armor.
Hearkening back to the SNES days, battles are presented as primarily sprite-based, and you can't see your characters a la Dragon Warrior/Quest.The press turn system, introduced in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, makes a return, making learning your enemies' weaknesses paramount. And you'll want to, because this game is HARD. On my first playthrough, I died to the second enemy encounter I came across. It's fun to discover all the different ways you can destroy an opponent, but mostly it comes down to what magic you can cast and the demon's affinity.
If you're familiar with Shin Megami Tensei, especially the flagship titles, Strange Journey, and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, then you know that you can talk to demons in order to collect 'em all. It's like Pokemon from hell. But, demons being what they are, greedily want gifts before they'll join you. This can be anything from the macca (Currency) you have, to an item, your HP or MP, or the lives of one of your demons. Somethings negotiations break down, and suddenly your enemies get free attacks on you. Sometimes they leave, having begged you for almost everything you own. But other times, they will join you, and you can bolster your party with a varied number of demons, most of which can evolve and become other, stronger demons. This is not the only way to get demons, however.
Early on, you are introduced to the Cathedral of Shadows, through an app called Mido on your gauntlet. Using Mido allows you to fuse your demons together to create stronger demons. There are hundreds of demons in the game, some that you can only unlock through special fusions that you unlock through fusing other demons or by battling bosses. All demons you have can be registered into the Demon Compendium, and through the compendium, you can get demons back that you've fused together, or through a rather confusing but robust search system, you can choose demons from the compendium to fuse with demons in your party to get the demon you want. Later on, you can get an app that allows for quick fusions in battle, allowing you to perhaps get that demon you need to get an edge over your enemies.
When you level up, you have control over which stats get increases, allowing you to build Flynn up as you please. Demons also level up, though you have no control over stat increases. Occasionally, demons will learn a new skill. When they've learned all the skills they are able to learn, you can choose skills to be taught to Flynn. These skills can be stacked, allowing the skills to be more powerful than they would be otherwise.
Stats for Flynn aren't just controlled through leveling up. Various armor adds to your HP (there is no defense stat), Strength, Dexterity, Magic, Agility, and Luck stats. Different armors have different resistances and stat gains (sometimes there's a small loss).
Besides the main quest, there are a plethora of side quests. Everything from killing certain monsters to fetch quests are available, with rewards ranging from healing items or macca to armor or weapons. These quests can also be expanded upon through DLC.
The game world is easy to get lost in, especially once you extend your reaches beyond Naraku. On the world map, you're little more than an arrow traveling through a maze of streets. When you get to a place you can explore, it shifts to the aforementioned 3D models. A handy map is available on the bottom screen, though it is still easy to get lost.
If you're looking for the high school drama and friendship building experienced in Persona 3 and 4, you won't find it here. Tonally, this game is very dark, and touches on a post-apocalyptic setting. There's not a lot of happiness to be found in this game, outside of some very humorous dialog with demons.
If you enjoy playing your 3DS in 3D mode, rejoice! It adds some real depth when exploring and makes spell effects, which look bland otherwise, exciting.
The game gives you a ton of choices, and as I said before, this changes lend to how you end the game. There are four endings to obtain. The choices you make are sometimes morally gray, and it can be hard to tell if you're doing the right thing.
Graphics: 3.5/5
The 3D exploration graphics are awesome, but you'll run into a lot of the same textures. Likewise, the sprite art is fantastic, but it's baffling as to why they chose on 2D sprites when the 3DS is more than capable of rendering the demons and characters in 3D.
Sound: 4.5/5
This should be one of the reasons you play the game. The music is phenomenal, though some tunes are forgettable, others are energetic and powerful. The sounds in battle are clear, and you can tell what's going on through the sound. Voice work is sparse, but well done.
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Gameplay is solid and accessible, especially if you've played a JRPG before. Demon fusing is addictive, and gaining skills for the protagonist is entertaining and worth the work. There are some odd design flaws (look down then press A to crawl through an opening or jump down or look up and press A to climb a ladder), but it doesn't detract from looking for artifacts or fighting demons.
Replayability: 4/5
This is a LONG game. However, there are four different endings to work towards, and a very nice New Game + option that allows you to keep your gear, level, and Demon Compendium as it was when you completed the game. You can also choose to start fresh, though some items stay intact.
Overall, I haven't had this much fun with a 3DS title since Fire Emblem: Awakening, which is hands down my favorite title on the system. If you're wondering if you should play this, I totally recommend it. It's fun, and you might just discover something about yourself in the process. I know I did.
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