globogim

Very fun game, took me about 7 hours to get 99%. Gorgeous, unique visuals (that can get a bit repetitive but remain readable and appealing). Encountered a small bug where I got stuck in some bumpers by running too fast. Would be nice to be able to retry rooms, but running back after death wasn't a deal breaker. Would like to give it an 8.5, but it deserves the props for being so unique

It's a simplified fighter with impressive depth, GGPO netcode, effective tutorials and more. It even has frame data and hitboxes in training mode. The style is unique and clean, with plenty of homages to classic fighting game characters. You can turn off the scanlines entirely if you don't like them. This is perfect for the Switch in particular thanks to the simple controls, great for jumping into for a couple rounds. For the price, I can't see any fighting game fan not liking this

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Finished this seconds ago after over 70 hours, beating the game on War (Hard) difficulty for the first time. I had high hopes for this game, SMT IV being possibly my favourite RPG of all time. I picked that game up and immediately threw 50 hours of my time at it, loving every second. This not only met all my expectations but exceeded them. Presentation/Graphics: The presentation is basically identical to SMT IV, as are the graphics. However, worth noting is the improved artwork quality. SMT IV had some really awesome demon designs, but many of them were busy and clashed with pre-existing demons. This has been resolved with some re-drawn demons that look fabulous, as well as several new ones which are welcome additions to the roster. Character art all seems spot-on too, retaining that SMT IV awkward charm (think Walter's **** eating grin). Story: As for the story, it's probably the only thing that will prove subjective. SMT IV had such a heavy atmosphere because of the situation you were put in, wandering into a vast, unknown landscape with little support. This is not that, and not SMT IV, but what it is fits this game's story well and is done interestingly. You have a real party of individuals from different walks of life, and while it's a bit close to a typical RPG party, I enjoyed all of the characters involved (even if you seem to learn very little about one of them). A prominent theme in the story is banding together and avoiding easy outs to bad situations, and I think the party suits this well. I liked the story, and I think the true ending here is more satisfying than that of SMT IV. Gameplay: The combat is just bliss. Every little problem in SMT IV was re-evaluated and changed into a valuable system here. This is a monumental accomplishment, as partners, smirks, status effects and other elements now all feel genuinely impactful, making for an incredibly deep and satisfying combat system. Once you get good at it, the game is also very good at letting you handle repetitive tasks with ease, simply because it knows they are bound to happen eventually. It just nails everything, and I deeply hope that SMT V takes this system and runs with it. Demon Fusion is just as good as ever, and with the skill +/- modifiers on demon skills, choices are even more important. The boss fights for me on War were tense and difficult on many occasions, while still feeling fair. The true final boss in particular was an amazing experience; a heart-pounder the likes of which I hadn't experienced since P3:FES. By the way, the map is quite similar to the original, but unlike in SMT IV I never found myself struggling to find a path. If I had to list negatives, I'd be scrounging for them. Grinding might be necessary occasionally, though demon fusion is almost always a better solution. The only real issue I noticed was how difficult it was to generate money throughout the game. It can be important, and there are points where enemies will flat-out steal large chunks from you so be wary. By most people's rationale, this game shouldn't exist. There's better ways to make money than this, certainly. This is a passion project from the devs of SMT IV, setting out to do something almost nobody does: refine a flawed but great game into a spectacular one. Please, if you're even giving thought to buying this, just do it and play it through ASAP. It'll be worth your time, and it's worth supporting good devs.