SMT4 REVIEW

this is what i have been playing instead of finishing tales of zestiria


file 1 was when the game was released
- magic build
- chaos route
- spent most app points on myself, reason is that the only other smt games i have completed prior were persona 3+4
- 60 hours

still excellent the 2nd run through
- went a dex/luck build
- law route
- spent more app points on demons rather than mc
- did tons more sidequest than original playthrough
- currently 48 hours but pretty much done

likes
- personal stat allocation // its a little harsh at first because you have no skills but towards mid-game, you get to expand your options and whatever you choose will be easier to work with
- most bosses were generally difficult enough to reset a couple times
- battle system is good, i really do like the weakness/extra turn stuff. it can be kinda broken but the enemies also abuse the hell out of it
- demon fusing
- story wasn't half bad, first time i thought it was a little weak but i think i enjoyed it much more this time
- most areas were fun to explore, sometimes you run into a trap (stuck in place for like 5 seconds) and i dont understand why there are even traps
- character cast. anyone that was significant to the story is pretty good, sometimes they can seem one-sided but i think that's fair since it's heaven/hell type deal
- voice acting

dislikes
- world map, i freaking wish there was something to indicate what region you were in. instead you get a little name that changes at the very top as you move around so if you have bad memory, you're gonna be lost
- music? most zones were ambient and i generally don't care for that sort, battle/boss music is ok
- sometimes when you're exploring a city, there are certain areas where a monster suddenly jumps out and i cri evrytiem

inbetween
- side-quests. i dont know how to feel about these, sometimes they are fun because they're generally right beside the area you're in, sometimes you complete future side-quests without knowing by exploring, and sometimes you'll just miss out on some because you didn't backtrack or talk to certain demons at certain times. overall, it's whatever, they have you fetch/kill something in whatever area you're in or will be in. the boss fights are good though.

- demon negotiation. its not as bad as some people say/think. at first, it will be difficult, you don't know how to answer or don't have the resources to give but demons have a pattern based on their typing (genma, vile, tyrant, etc). you eventually get a feel for what they want or how they will act, but that doesn't mean you'll always get them 100% by following the same steps. it will come down to luck sometimes and that's why i feel like it's good and bad. there are also apps that try to make demon negotiation not so tedious.

overall
- could be one of my favourite rpgs, hard to decide with so many other rpgs i've played
- i would highly recommend this game to anyone that has played a rpg in their life. i think its been price cut to $20 and has been on sale a million times
- this is the first mainline smt i have played, if the previous installments were as good as this i will most likely play them
- out of the 3 companions you get, 1. Isabeau 2. Walter 3. Jonathan who's a little ***

I gave this game 9/10 on release, it's more like a 9.2332556547457. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end.