{"id":1899,"date":"2024-01-15T23:00:55","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T04:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/?p=1899"},"modified":"2024-01-15T23:00:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T04:00:56","slug":"game-ramblings-182-shin-megami-tensei-3-nocturne-hd-remaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/?p=1899","title":{"rendered":"Game Ramblings #182 &#8211; Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlus.com\/smt3\/\">More Info from Atlus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Genre<\/strong>: JRPG<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Platform<\/strong>: PS4<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Also Available On<\/strong>: Windows, Switch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Originally On<\/strong>: PS2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Normally this would probably be a <em>How&#8217;d It Age<\/em>, but honestly I don&#8217;t really want to talk about the game here &#8211; at least not specifically.  The game under normal circumstances would have ramblings specifically matching my shelving of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/?p=1459\">Shin Megami Tensei V<\/a>.  What I am instead going to talk about is specifically the Merciful DLC that they added to the remaster and why it&#8217;s the best thing that Atlus may have done for their core JRPG gameplay in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8543-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster_20240112192935<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At its core Merciful is an easy mode, and it definitely is easy.  However, it can be turned on and off at will, so I generally ended up using it for making the trash grind more mindless.  Trash has never been <em>difficult<\/em> per-se in SMT.  Once you learn the weaknesses of the enemies in the general area, it&#8217;s butter.  Being on easy just meant that I could concentrate on the story and bosses.  However, easy mode also came with three numbers I want to focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Encounter rate &#8211; Approx 1\/2<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experience &#8211; Approx 4x<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the most important one is 18:36.  That was my time to completion, +\/- a bit of untracked time to deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8541-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster_20240111162119<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Judging by <a href=\"https:\/\/howlongtobeat.com\/game\/8425\">How Long to Beat<\/a>, I shaved on average about 30 hours or about 60% of the average run.  To me, that sits about where these games should be.  These should never be 50 hour games with a ton of useless trash fights, because that isn&#8217;t the fun part of the game.  They should be relatively quick and fast leveling so you can crank through a bunch of different party setups and summon as many demons as possible and have them be immediately powerful and useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest problems I had when I shelved <em>SMT5<\/em> was that it was taking me 25-30 fights to get a single level.  It was such an absurd level of grind that it sucked all of the fun out of what is an inherently very good turn-based combat system.  In merciful mode, I was getting levels every 5 or 6 battles, if not quicker.  It was such an incredible change to the flow of the game that it makes me want this XP rate in standard difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8540-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster_20240112195934<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The other part that I really noticed was improved was the overall dungeon flow, thanks to an overall reduction in trips back to town.  In SMT4 it always felt like a slog getting further in a dungeon.  You&#8217;d slowly make your way through a dungeon getting stronger, generally getting to a point where you could comfortably make it one save point further before needing to teleport back.  Frankly, the <em>Persona<\/em> subseries is the same way in that regard.  It&#8217;s just such a time sink having to retread the same ground over and over purely because there&#8217;s so much combat and the XP rate is so slow.  On Merciful though?  I could get through dungeons in one go without losing all my items, so I was able to be prepared to go back up to normal for boss fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I get why this might come across as a negative change, and honestly I don&#8217;t necessarily disagree.  I guess where I fall with this is that I want the overall dungeon mechanic to change.  Rather than mid-dungeon save points being a way to get <em>back <\/em>to town, I would rather they be permanent fast travel points across the board.  Allow players to continue their progress at any point where they get to a safe spot, reducing overall retread churn and increasing the pace of play as a positive.  Combine this with the increased XP rate to really tighten up the game as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_8542-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster_20240109210314<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Shin Megami Tensei<\/em> series is the perfect example of a JRPG that is long for the sake of being long, and it&#8217;s one of the few series that hasn&#8217;t really adapted to a tighter modern gameplay loop.  Merciful mode may not be exactly the solution, but I think there&#8217;s ideas here they can pull from.  These games have never had the pure content amount to support being a 50 hour experience and cranking through this one in sub-20 proves that to me.  This is a series that would benefit from keeping its difficulty but modernizing to be a faster experience, because even this little experimental DLC feels like such a huge improvement.  Combine the quick XP rate and reduced encounter rate with a better overall travel system to reduce retread, and I think <em>SMT6<\/em> could feel surprisingly modern without having to lose its soul.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More Info from Atlus Normally this would probably be a How&#8217;d It Age, but honestly I don&#8217;t really want to talk about the game here &#8211; at least not specifically. The game under normal circumstances would have ramblings specifically matching my shelving of Shin Megami Tensei V. What I am instead going to talk about &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/?p=1899\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Game Ramblings #182 &#8211; Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[58,5,29,265],"class_list":["post-1899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jrpg","category-ps4","tag-atlus","tag-jrpg","tag-ps4","tag-shin-megami-tensei"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1905,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899\/revisions\/1905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.dwgames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}