I didn't expect a game this gritty on the 3ds!
I have a long history with jrpgs. I started out with Final Fantasy VIII and was immediately hooked. I came late to the Shin Megami Tensei series, first playing the persona games in 2012. When I saw there was a new game for the 3ds I was intrigued, but I'd not played the predecessor, Nocturne. When the Fire Emblem/SMT promotion came out I had a new 3ds and decided to go for it.
Let me tell you straight out - I love this game. It's nearly perfect as far as RPGs go. It improves in every way on the SMT formula. You can even choose what skills your demons inherit!
I don't want to spoil the game, but suffice to say the plotline is great, with several twists that I did not expect. I've seen reviews saying the plot was thin, and I guess that it was compared to Persona. But for an RPG without social links it's pretty good. I was compelled to play it to the end. I have also seen reviews complaining about the price, and I agree that $50 would ordinarily be steep for a 3ds game. But I put over 70 hours into this game, so I cannot complain at all. It was absolutely worth it!
I do have a few minor criticisms. Macca (the currency of the game) is in short supply. I ended up buying the money making DLC because it was the only way I could fuse new demons to my heart's content. I do not regret the purchase, as for me half the fun is the time spent creating new demons and seeing their artwork. The beginning of the game is very difficult, and you will die often. After the initial dungeon it gets much easier. Keep in mind that if you die twice and go to Charon you unlock the option to switch to an easier difficulty. Easy isn't exactly easy for other games, but it might be helpful for newcomers to SMT terminology and systems. My biggest criticism is the overworld map, which is hard to navigate. It's hard to tell what paths are passable, and the encounter rate on the map is very high.
Those are minor complaints though. This game is highly recommended for fans of turn based RPGs or gritty plotlines. Some endings are pretty dark, but they are all interesting. There are 4 total endings to the game, and while it isn't necessary to play them all, none of them provides a complete story without the others. I plan to go back and play SMT III (Nocturne) on my PS2, and I look forward to the next installment in the series!
