There's nothing else to do in #UnicornOverlord I did everything, did the last battle two times (we can do it as many times as we want) all quests, everything, and now I don't feel like playing anything 😔 Maybe continue my 2nd playthrough of #TriangleStrategy So, in case I need some more #Vanillaware in my life, which one of these games would you recommend me to play first? #videogames#atlus#jrpg#rpg#shareyourgames
I got these 2 games from the 2ndhand market. Blue Reflection was an impulse buy, but there's so few people selling #jrpgs here that I decided to grab it. It has terrible reviews! I haven't even once seen a good review of it, but I like to collect #koeitecmo games. Tokyo Mirage is an exclusive and a crossover of #shinmegamitensei and #fireemblem. Couldn't pass the opportunity to get it, but I haven't seen a lot of love for it either. #videogames#nintendoswitch#atlus
Adding in the other pictures of what's included inside the box of Unicorn Overlord. These ones show off the Music Album, the artbook, and the box for the card game. Very interested to give the card game itself a try. #UnicornOverlord#NintendoSwitch#Atlus#ShareYourGames
The first time I played Soul Hackers 2 must have been about two years ago and I found the game to be very strange. It maybe wasn’t the best game to get into the Megami Tensei universe due to the wave of critique it got (it’s a bit hard to unsee that) and the first dungeons and areas weren’t inviting enough from the perspective of a new player (i.e., my perspective exactly.) The whole thing didn’t go very well. I loved Ringo and the art, but it was as far as I got. For some reason, I didn’t pay attention to the music. I played it on Xbox Game Pass and these things tend to happen when we try a new game for “free.” If we don’t get immediately captivated by the gameplay and environment, we can move on to something more palatable, so there’s little effort involved. Also, we need to account for the lack of context because everything in megaten games has a continuous set of references that can and will be lost on someone unfamiliar with the universe.
https://swordofseiros.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/20240210213128_1.jpg?w=1024Let’s admit, Ringo is awesomeAnd then there’s this thing I can describe as “it’s not you, it’s me.” I react strongly against new experiences and it’s a constant struggle to counteract that. Even in the real world, if things aren’t predictable and constant, I panic. So, when I manage to get into new things it’s like a miracle and I treat those experiences like so. If I manage to overcome a challenge, I relegate it to the realm of the unbelievable. My biggest life challenge was moving to another country to work and learn another language in adult age. From my perspective this is unbelievable, a miracle. Of course, I had the help of an angel and short thereafter, the help of an army of angels, however I managed to overcome my anxieties and step into new ground making it my own to the best of my ability. This doesn’t digress too much on a micro level from experiencing a new game that’s completely detached from what I am familiar with, or a movie, or a book, or traveling.
https://swordofseiros.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/2024021623155100_s.jpg?w=1024An army of angels – Shin Megami Tensei VBack to Soul Hackers 2 we have to fast forward a bit when I landed on my post-Persona 3 Reload situation, which was a very different one. With Persona 3 Reload I finally paid attention to the demons (the personas) and during my hesitant attempts at Shin Megami Tensei V I started comparing them just for fun. They are very similar and sometimes have different names but are instantly recognizable. They’re a joy to look at! Then the battle systems of exploring weaknesses and fusing powerful demons with a variety of skills could have been (and still are) a bit overwhelming but I adapted to it and now I’m not afraid to mess up. The games provide mechanics to correct many mistakes, at least the newer ones.
I started enjoying dungeon crawling with the new Tartarus and now the old Tartarus from Portable doesn’t bother me that much. The same happened with the dungeons from SH2. At first, they can seem barren and very boring, however when we enter the Soul Matrix and progress a little more in the story, the dungeons also develop into a puzzle of sorts and an invitation to test our spatial awareness skills. They can be very laborious in the sense that they’re long, therefore I need to clear them in the same gaming session in order to keep track of where I was and study when I should backtrack to gain access to other areas. I plan my sessions accordingly while completing all the Soul Matrix quests in the process to spare time. I only progress the main story when I don’t have anything else to do inside the Soul Matrix and when I’ve cleared all jobs given by Madame Ginko at Club Cretaceous. I enjoy this loop.
https://swordofseiros.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/20240303001232_1.jpg?w=1024Saizo sector 3F inside the Soul Matrix is a bit crazyIn order to unlock gates in the Soul Matrix we have to increase our soul level with Arrow, Milady and Saizo by engaging into a number of activities and hangouts. By exploring the dungeons thoroughly, we gain access to objects picked up by the demons doing reconnaissance which in turn are used to unlock more hangouts. When the soul level reaches a certain threshold the gates inside the Soul Matrix can be unlocked. The Matrix also expands through main story progression. The game flow feels very natural and the story, although not as dark as Persona 3 Reload, is well told through the experiences of an older cast of characters way past high school age. It’s a breath of fresh air and I’m glad that I’m finally able to enjoy this game.
I finally arrived at the end. We people who spend a lot of time playing video games are familiar with the feeling of emptiness after finishing a long game. In my case it was a mix of emptiness, satisfaction, loss, and bliss. Spending more than 90 hours immersed in a crumbling world on a mission to save it alongside my character-friends was exhausting but very, very rewarding in the end. I admit, it wasn’t easy to move on, and I still haven’t, but no immersion lasts forever and the idea of replaying the game right after the first playthrough is not feasible for now. I want to, but I prefer to let this feeling last. I started playing Persona 3 Portable in the meantime, but I don’t see myself able to complete it yet. As I wrote in my last post, even I am on a mission to play a good portion of games this year and we only have so much time to indulge in this hobby many see as a waste of time.
Now, let’s talk about Elizabeth. To those who have played the game countless times, the fact that she’s a secret boss comes as no surprise. I was perfectly convinced that her 100th request – to kill the Reaper – was the last one. I gathered a team with many buffs and debuffs, nothing fancy, just the usual decrease enemy attack/defense/accuracy/evasion and increase those very same elements for my team before performing strong magical and physical attacks. Aigis was, as usual, a godsend, but every team member had something to contribute to the fight. In the end I had to use them all to level up anyway. The first time I killed the Reaper I was overcome with a feeling of immense satisfaction. It wasn’t an easy fight, and I was one-shot a couple of times. With the right items I raised them from the dead and managed to have my team in great condition.
When I went back to Elizabeth to reap my reward, she came up with another request – to take out the ultimate adversary. At first, I thought she meant Nyx. He’s the ultimate adversary, no? No, no, no, what is this? The last Monad door had a locked door at the end of the stairs. The request specifically told me to come alone and try that door. So I went, with some very strong Personas up my sleeve, completely clueless about what I would find. To my amazement it was Elizabeth herself! She wanted to dance with me. I could think about many things we could do together, but not this, this face-to-face, this duel of titans, except there was only one titan and the other was a rabbit. I performed quite well on my first try. I may have been able to do about 650 damage. No. I managed to survive some turns. I died. Then I was asked if I wanted to change to Peaceful difficulty so I could raise from the dead and try the fight from where I lost. What a good idea, of course! Then, the unthinkable happened. Elizabeth summoned a Pixie and unleashed Megidolaon on me for a modicum of 9999 damage! Do you want to retry? Yes, of course. I attacked her – Megidolaon. I decreased her attack and accuracy – Megidolaon. I increased my evasion – Megidolaon. I guarded – Megidolaon. I knew there was no point, it was an Almighty attack, but I was desperate! I went on YouTube.
The fight follows a very specific script and involves a lot of preparations and very specific Personas with very specific skills that can only be unleashed at specific times, and the use of a calculator can be very helpful to know when to unleash a specific ultimate attack and defeat her for good. To be perfectly honest I don’t need this. In a different context, were I more knowledgeable about the game and experienced almost every aspect of it, yes, I would’ve accepted the challenge. As I am today, I don’t think I would get much satisfaction from preparing for the fight and from spending more hours at the Velvet Room than those I’ve already spent so far. I decided to leave Elizabeth at the Monad door, and maybe someday, I’ll defeat her. By the way, there’s an achievement to create a Pixie with Megidolaon in Soul Hackers 2. Funny, right?
I decided to continue with the story, and in the last two in-game weeks, I finished Aigis social link and didn’t manage to finish Fuuka’s. I know why this happened. In order to max out other social links I’d already started, I left Fuuka hanging and then this happened. Some mistakes were made in early game when I spend too much time in other activities that didn’t involve the right social links. I honestly don’t know what I’m talking about or where I failed, but since it’s possible to max out all social links in one playthrough I must have done something wrong somewhere. I just didn’t feel the need to use a guide because using one is exhausting and completely destroys the immersion. I know it from experience. I don’t regret having prioritized Aigis over Fuuka on my first playthrough. Aigis is my protector, she’s canon, she’s the holy knight, for her sword are guns, her body eternal, her memories untouched. I watched her friend route and her lover route. Since I was already taken, I decided to be with her as a friend, although at the end of the game something more seemed to be going on and I gladly accepted the outcome. It was meant to be.
On the 31st of January we would enter Tartarus and would only be able to leave after finishing all battles therein. It was the end. The remaining of the Strega were guarding Nyx, so they had to be defeated as well. It came to Junpei’s knowledge that Chidori was alive and well. The white flowers worked out well in the end! We were able to witness a nice convo between the two at the hospital, however things weren’t exactly the same as the last time they were together. Even confronted with these major changes, Junpei was happy, and it was a good conclusion to his love story. Jin and Takaya were still clinging to their nihilistic ways with pure fervor – Jin for Takaya and Takaya for the end of times – maybe as some sort of revenge for the injustice brought upon them. After all, how much would they last, their worldview already shattered?
You know that in all jrpgs there’s the power of friendship, that if we stick together, we can overcome anything, even the end of the world. I hope the same goes for climate change or war. We aren’t together actually, are we? But video games continue doing the work with diligence. It’s the little things. Finally, we stand before Nyx, everybody a bit surprised by the familiar figure. I wasn’t surprised at all. I was eager to kill him and very curious about what he had to say. Technically, Nyx was pretty much indestructible by normal means. He himself was a creation of shattered hopes, fears, shortcomings, anxieties, frustrations, the devastation of everything that holds together the very fabric of a living, thriving human being with meaningful connections to others. My Lucifer was brimming with desire from inside my sleeve. “Oh yes,” he said, “this I can feed from.” I told him to calm down, for we still had to defeat the twelve Arcana summoned by the winged beast Nyx, his mask holding a faint smile, the surrender of any will to live. The Fallen Angel retreated for a bit, still entertaining the thought of annihilating the beast that would dethrone him from his station, one only threatened by one adversary, the one waning for ages now. “This is not what’s happening right now,” I said, and proceeded with the fight. “Everyone knows that God doesn’t have many friends,” Lucifer stubbornly answered. Messiah shrugged.
The fight that followed was much more beautiful and creative than what I’d imagined. Yes, there are many other excellent final boss fights in many games, but there’s something special about finishing a long game as this, where the entire 90+ hours are not filled with banter, where the story is heavy, mature, dark, and oppressive, and where many questions about life, death, future, fear, are explored and dissected at the sound of first-class music. During this time there’s attachment to extremely well written characters, all of them with their unique stories and all of them visibly maturing while using their powers to fight an unknown entity, ready to give their lives for any chance at a future.
After defeating the twelve summoned Arcana and surviving Nyx’s attacks, it was finally time to defeat Nyx as a regular boss. I had another little trick up my sleeve, something I’ve learned with Elizabeth, an ultimate to end all ultimates. I could either fight Nyx normally and prolong the fight with my tanking capabilities and many items at hand or I could wait for my Theurgy to charge and unleash my true power over the Death God. I did the later, a cheat code much in the likeness of the one that was used against me inside that Monad door. 9999. Done. The Universe as we knew it was no more. The power of my social links gleaming in the minds of those who loved me and to whom their thoughts were aimed at a moment of need, just like a prayer.
“Blessings to the believer.” It worked. Nyx was sealed, as were our memories. After ending the Dark Hour slowly but steadily we started to forget everything prior to acquiring the power of our Personas. Everyone but Aigis, the protector, the record keeper, the one keeping our memories alive even after our passing, the one who will not know death, only reboot. Even our romantic interest wasn’t able to forget our still young love story, making plans to include us in her life and to introduce us to her family. Yukari asked for help with her mother, showing that our friendship would go a long way in the future. The boys were a bit forgetful but still wondering about our connection. Until something triggered their memories, at least what was left of them still lingering in their hearts, and we were able to meet again, to fulfill a promise.
I’ve been having the best journey I could possibly have with Persona 3 Reload. It has been a surge of story twists and side-stories to remember in the future. It’s a game that leaves a lasting impression on us, a rarity, a little gem, a precious treasure, a work of art, a pleasure through and through. I’m so glad I can play this now among many other good games. Atlus is on a spree and the year is only at the start. I believe I’ll be playing Atlus games for the remainder of 2024 but I’ll try to take some breaks with other games in between. Usually, I play one long game and one short game at the same time. When I finish a long game, I play another short game, and then start a new long-running game. However, this time, from all the games I’ve installed on pc or started on Switch, it’s always something in the order of 100+ hours.
When I wrote about Trails of Cold Steel, I thought “how am I going to play this now?” and I really, really want to, but I think it will have to wait a bit. I intend to play Soul Hackers 2 after finishing Persona 3 Reload. On the Switch I’m playing Shin Megami Tensei V and now we have the Vengeance variation coming. Should I finish my version or start the new one? Do I even have time and health for any of this? Why am I even thinking about this? Since my brain is glitching, I need to do two things. Enjoy the games that I’m currently playing and maybe read the internet a little less often. Being on top of things happening this year is exhausting. We already knew this would happen at the start of 2024 with jrpgs. I will buy the Switch games I want, and they will rest comfortably on my display until I have time to play them. And then a new console will come. There’s no point in being on top of things.
Persona 3 Reload deserves all the time I could put into it and after the events of the first part, where we all thought we would defeat the last Shadow and end the Dark Hour, there was a twist. We were betrayed by the one who guided our steps. It isn’t unheard of, but it hurts nonetheless. When I started Persona 3 Portable on the Switch just to take a peek and compare the character portraits (and I admit, it was also an excuse to hear Tara Platt as Mitsuru again) he showed up and I dreaded him. And what about all the cameras in our rooms? Are they only for my entertainment or was he also spying on us? Everyone seems to be oblivious to those, and I, as a silent character, have no will of my own.
Something bad happened to Mitsuru so she had to take a break to take care of her business at the Kirijo Group. Right after the conclusion of special events and interactions, a text box shows with a few words about what our character’s thinking in reaction to those events. After what happened to Mitsuru our main character showed his highschooler empathy by thinking that Mitsuru cried like a child. You know, as one does with the loss of a dear family member. One cries like a child. Throw in a tantrum for good measure while we’re at it. “I hope you put more effort in when you try romancing her,” I thought. All went well in the end, and our main character behaved more like himself, maturing along with his lover and friends, in the dawn of a catastrophic Fall.
The story with Elizabeth happened a bit before my romance with Mitsuru. I got an invitation that I decided to accept. After all, I wasn’t yet committed with anyone, all my social links were in friendly terms and Elizabeth had some curiosity about what one does in a gentleman’s room. I boldly accepted her request, only to hear that she cherished every moment with me, but she couldn’t abandon her important station. After the initial grief, I came to terms with it, that her help was invaluable to fight the Fall and abandoning ourselves to love would only mean said love would be very short living. She had her Master, and I had the contract I signed taking full responsibility for my actions. In P3P that contract gave me access to the Velvet Room. If there’s any relation between the contract, the Velvet Room and Pharos I’m none the wiser.
Speaking of, we got a new transfer student right at the end of the semester. It was strange to see Ryoji so grown up all of a sudden. At the time I didn’t know what to think, and my main character didn’t seem to notice the likeness of an old friend. Aigis reacted strongly against him and I, being as I am on Aigis side at all times, detested his honey voice and his advances on other girls and on myself. I know how much of a hunting ground a high school can be. Put Junpei and Ryoji in the same room and you see what’s the intended audience for this game. I bet Ryoji would have been a success on the beach setting, a setting so familiar to a person who had to witness it from the other side. It was there that Aigis came to us, and that event saved the setting for me, because everything else wasn’t from a world I would like to belong to, although unfortunately I still have to.
Elizabeth’s requests are almost fulfilled. Yesterday I accidentally killed the last boss inside the Monad door that fulfilled the last request she had in store for me before the 100th one, which is to kill the Reaper. I tried it once, but his damage output was too much for my tanking capabilities and for the buffs I had at the time. Once I learn how to trigger his arrival in Tartarus, I’ll bring a team that can deal with him. Having Personas with severe and massive magical damage is a game-changer, especially when they hit weaknesses and debuffed enemies. I love to use Concentrate, prepare a sequence of debuffs, and then finish enemies with my Satan. It doesn’t work every time but when it does it’s a sight to behold.
I made sure to give Junpei the white flowers for Chidori. I was reading a random guide about gifts and stumbled upon it by chance. The time window to give him the white flowers is short, but I had a save from before the tour to Kyoto. I reloaded it and gave him the flowers. After our tour, the flowers showed at her room when she was visited by the Strega. We still had to fight her, but I think she’s now transmogrified rather that dead. I’m still unsure if the flowers had any effect or if it’s something only featured in P3P. We didn’t kill Chidori. It was an unfortunate circumstance that made her lose her life-force. It was for a good reason, though, and it made for a beautiful part of the story. The post-event thoughts of our character matched the mood, and nobody cried like a child this time.
Then came the revelation of doom, but not before Aigis engaged on a solo mission after finally realizing who a certain mysterious individual was. After running through her long-term memories and connecting the dots (maybe with the invaluable help of Koromaru) she decided to deal with unfinished business from ten years ago by her lonesome. I appreciate the romantic nature of this enemy, the fragility of his docile appearance in contrast with his immense power. After all, death flirts with us during our entire lives. Whether we like it or not, our bodies will ultimately fall into its embrace. However, what I like even more is the machine protector, the one that goes to great lengths to save our lives and does so with stoic disposition. Aigis is one of the best characters in the game.
I’m happy to have her back. We had to wait a few weeks while she was under repairs. She came to us even better than before, more human and knowledgeable of human ways, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. From that convo at the command room between Ryoji and the rest of the group I sensed danger. My lack of sympathy for him remained even though he’s meaningful in relation to the Arcana he represents. “I’m here and I’m your friend, I love you but my arrival means you’re dead. Could you please kill me now in order to forget everything so that you can get killed later and live the remaining of your lives in blissful ignorance?” What about Aigis? I saw she didn’t forget, however she sided with Ryoji’s opinion about his annihilation. The protector would run out of something to protect, their purpose gone and mankind with them.
This is more or less where I’m at. In terms of social links there wasn’t anything substantial happening before and after the ultimate decision. I maxed more social links than I think I could, but after a certain point I had to prioritize. We had a free week at the start of January, so I used that time for dates during the day and exploring Tartarus at night. My new social link is upgraded but I don’t feel I’ll be able to fuse Messiah on this playthrough. I’m in unknown territory now. Nyx, the Mother of Shadows, is supposed to reveal herself at the top level of Tartarus, and I’ve already reached the point where I can’t proceed yet. Now it’s a waiting game. I see that I’ve still some months left in the game, so I believe that at the end of January I won’t be defeating the last boss. I haven’t started Aigis’ social link yet and some previous dialogue seemed to hint at some future interaction. I may be wrong. My heart may be taken but she’s still my protector so far.
Have you ever bought a game because you like the cover artwork? I did it this time! I confess I also did it with some visual novels that I later found were otomes, but I digress. #CatherineFullbody on #NintendoSwitch is a remake of Catherine (classic) as it's called on #Steam. I opted for Fullbody for more content and better gameplay. Also, I needed the artwork in physical format.
What's with all the rams anyway? #videogames#atlus
Found #SoulHackers2 on a #Steam sale and, even though I've played it on #gamepass and abandoned it, I decided to add it to my collection on PC. I miss Ringo! I'll give it another try one of these days. #Persona5Tactica is also on sale, but I have a bunch of #strategygames to play, and I don't think it's a good idea to play it before I complete #Persona5Royal which is a time investment. #videogames#atlus#Sega
This time the beloved cast and world tackles the tactical role-playing genre, fusing grid-based gameplay with the expected charm while riding the gap between major releases.
SEGA is bringing the Phantom Thief experience to the Philippines with a special collaboration café for Persona 5 Tactica! Check out all the details for the Persona 5 Tactica collaboration cafe here....
Persona 5 Series Hits 10 Million Sales - PlayStation LifeStyle (www.playstationlifestyle.net)
Atlus has revealed that the Persona 5 series of games has passed a collective 10 million copies sold....
Persona 5 Tactica Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features (bleacherreport.com)
This time the beloved cast and world tackles the tactical role-playing genre, fusing grid-based gameplay with the expected charm while riding the gap between major releases.
SEGA Is Organizing a Persona 5 Tactica Collaboration Cafe! (clutchpoints.com)
SEGA is bringing the Phantom Thief experience to the Philippines with a special collaboration café for Persona 5 Tactica! Check out all the details for the Persona 5 Tactica collaboration cafe here....
ATLUS has released a new trailer for Persona 5 Tactica introducing day one downloadable content “Repaint Your Heart” character Kasumi Yoshizawa (voiced by Sora Amamiya). (twitter.com)
#P5T will be available November 17th