@@Fermin-hw5pd Bayo 3 Bayonetta would look pretty damn sick for SMT V actually, imagine a Gomorrah Unique Almighty/Dark that ignores resistance or smth
When i first bought it, i thought it was gonna be “watered down” compared to nocturne. A lot of jrpgs on NDS felt that way with the exception of games like dragon quest, pokemon, and etc. But what we actually got is a really polished game and a full on SMT experience. I actually like the alignment reps in this game more than the reasons rep in nocturne. SJ is a very good continuation in the series after nocturne. In my eyes, it’s a masterpiece
Working with you was immensely fun man, and Im super satisfied with how it all turned out Crazy how we met 7-8 years ago and now we have both collaborated in our own channels. Thanks for all man, would love to do it again someday
@@abaque24 I totally understand where you’re coming from, even though my view is completely the opposite. I got into SMT through finding Kaneko’s art after playing every Castlevania game I could get my hands on. I fell in love with Ayami Kojima’s art style, and Kaneko’s is in the same vein in my eyes. Although it was devastating to me at first, I don’t dislike Doi’s art style even though it’s got a different vibe. I totally get why the art of the older games aren’t that appealing to you.
Me, an intellectual, liking both artstyles. I genuinely Can't understand why anyone would hate either. Then again, I didn't care for Doi's Demeter. Like, didn't they make her that young to make her look even less threatening? That sounds logical to me, bit everyone's gotta go "SHE IS A MOTHER" Nobody complains about how Buddah's tempter, Mara, is d¡ck shaped though.
I never knew Strange Journey Redux had an art style change until people on the Internet wouldn't stop crying about it. I see the comparisons and can barely tell the difference. I get the feeling that newer people coming into Redux won't notice or care about the art style at all. I find that fans of the original romanticize that older look way too much.
And get this, Persona 2 ALSO had an artist change with the PSP rereleases, from Kaneko to, -well, I think the new art is Doi's, but I'm not sure- Soejima, it's Soejima, I have no idea why I thought it was Doi, I'm not even sure if he was involved in MegaTen at the time
Truth is that most of the heavy criticism towards SJR is way too subjective (art, difficulty, options), since its a very loyal remake of the game itself. Also, I loved Zelenin- to me she was super well written and very well rounded, and her descent into order was very 'real.' Then again, that's just my opinion XD
I don't understand the difficulty complaint honestly when the og SJ is already easy(besides mem aleph of course),if one day I play the redux it would be just because of the harder difficulty options honestly,besides the new dungeron
Honestly I personally even think Gore is the only character that looks worse with the new art. I think Jiminez looks a lot better in Redux, and the MC and Zelenin look pretty much the same, not really better or worse.
@@Firestar0513 i dunno,zelenin and Jiminez(as like the other characters)looks flat and lacking details on redux, probably a syndrome of the more sanitized and clean "anime style"
Yeah I couldn't disagree more with what they said about the cast. They're the best alignment heroes in the series, and you do see how they develop over time esp compared to Chiaki/Isamu or Jonathan/Walter/Isabeau. Even Gore, who is absent for most of the game, inexplicably becomes a Nietzschean superman, then leaves again, has a very powerful presence during the moments he is there.
I feel, in a way, that the fact that none of the characters are particularly complex and multidimensional adds to the ever present feeling of the insignificance of the humans when compared the the actual best "character" in the game, the Schwartzvelt itself. We are all insignificant humans and the game doesn't try to make any one human seem more fleshed out or complex or important than any other. It brings the main cast and supporting cast more naturally on the same level. The only thing that makes anyone matter in the Schwartzvelt is accepting some kind of power from it. Zelenin is transformed into an Angel within the depths of it by Mastema, an angel YHWH assumingly sent there for a specific reason. Jimenez when acquiring demonic powers as well as a true companion and a cemented belief that the demons are not only no different than humanity, but in many ways superior and destined to survive due to humanity being at fault for the appearance of the Schwartzvelt. Gore is revived as the Ubergestalt, wandering and wondering why the Schwartzvelt would revive him so quietly and callously, just to leave him wandering. And Space Marine who, regardless of route or alignment, accepts the powers of demons without hesitation and due to it becomes a force within the Schwartzvelt through its many residents, while the other crew members would have never had a chance on their own, just as the humans they are. I 1000% agree that the main cast needed more development and time to grow, but them not being incredibly complex or deep characters themselves I feel lets the Schwartzvelt shine through as the centerpiece of everything, almost like the Spiral in Uzumaki in a way. An unknown, immutable force twisting the world around it and a group of people who can do nothing but follow its lead. Great video as always! (haven't played through Redux so don't know how the Alex stuff alters that reading of the game, did all three routes on original between launch and a few months ago. I do ultimately prefer the original but the biggest factor was that I still have my original DS copy, but traded in Redux not long after buying it when it never really clicked with me the same way.)
You guys really dug into the artstyle change; as an artist myself, this contention from fans is so overblown. I didn't know people got this angry over eyelashes being removed. Sure, Airbrushed Jimenez is a bit sad to see; but the rest of the cast looks fine. If such miniscule changes are that distracting I don't know what to tell you. (Also, wow, this vid was uploaded on my birthday. Crazy good coincidence)
21:18 "Sector Eridanus isn't that bad, the teleporter maze isn't that bad. There's way more annoying sections in the game." Me: THANK YOU, MACCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tbh the Lucifer side quest section of the Empyrian made me repeatedly bash my skull in. I actually forced my way through without a guide but gods that was the most ruthless dungeon crawling experience I've ever had. Eridanus is nothing compared to the hours long torture that was. I will do it again.
I recently started playing SJR and to be honest the transition from Soul Hackers is smooth. There is a lot of differences that I miss or loved but enjoying none the less. Also I had a hard time naming my character and I ended up naming him "Ross Fletcher". Only to realize this sounds like a 90s Japanese developer attempt with a Western name.
You've mentioned Etrian Odyssey and showed me that Strange Journey has strong similarities with its dungeon mapping. I am now sold. Time to get it before the eShop closes
About the art , I like both of them , yes Kaneko is "the Artist" on this series, like Yoshitaka amano was for Final Fantasy , but the new art style it is pretty good , I like his work in SMT IV too.
Nocturne, Strange Journey, and Digital Devil Saga are my Holy Trinity of SMT games. The Raidou games, SMT 4, and of course Persona, are all great as well. SMT is just such a great series in general, really.
Nice you've tackled one my all time favorite SMT, Strange Journey. I wonder when will Devil Survivor 1 and 2 be next because those two (yes, I grouped them but the first is still better than the second only a bit higher though) are my second favorite out of all the series.
While I've seen some people show dislike to SJR. The one thing that I really like about SJR is that it does what not many SMT games do: It shows you the consequences of the choices you made in the ending. A lot of the time, you're just left with some vague idea of a possible problem that could happen. SJR actually straight out tells you what happened, and I think that in itself is worth giving some recognition. Heck, you could say that the game is in a sequeal actually in a way.
@@aaronsound If you like a franchise and want it to succeed emulation is not ideal. The 3ds store hasn't been shut down yet. Also your financial situation doesn't matter. If you have time to play long jrpgs then it must not be that serious. Also atlus makes a bunch of money, I don't have a 3ds, or your just a kid are not acceptable excuses. Atlus is not a triple a company and they makes niche jrpgs. If you want them to continue doing that I suggest you consider purchasing your games from now on. No hard feelings just keep that in mind. If you appreciate a certain franchise it makes sense to support them.
@@souptranssonis Glad to hear that. I personally just got into the franchise from nocturne. I'm planning on buying and trying out all the smt games on the 3ds eshop. Hopefully they'll port them to the switch eventually. I can't wait for smt V.
@@aaronsound I hope it was made clear that my comment wasn't a personal attack or call out. If you enjoy smt please support it. Also don't recommend to others to emulate rather than buying it. Even if it only available on certain platforms. 3ds prices are definitely inconsistent. Regardless 3ds aren't rare and plenty of models were sold and exist. If the 3ds eshop was close down and there was no other way then that be a different story. Since that's not the case I recommend anyone who's a fan of smt/persona/atlus to purchase the games when possible.
Eridanus is not that bad?! I dont mind when ppl say that SMTIV apocalypse is "better", I care not if you think that persona is the main franchise, hell I dont even mind when someone says that the "new"(generic) art is better...but WHAT THE FUCK MATE! Eridanus is physically painful, not even Mara in all its glorious girth can soak up all the penetrating damage that place is able to inflict to your soul the first time you go into, its a shithole...
Ah Strange Journey, the DS version was my first non Persona SMT game I ever got and finished. Once I played Nocturne on the PS2 Classics one PS3 I never looked back. Then I got Stranger Journey Redux and fell in love all over again. Alex really caught me off guard when I first ran into her, and you will too if you played the DS original. The quality of life updates and Womb of Grief may have made things a bit too easy thanks to the extra grinding that making though that place entails but the challenge of the new final boss was totally worth it. Though if you are planing on getting all 6 endings on your save file here's a tip, get the original Chaos ending first and ignore the Womb of Grief, then Law and still ignore the Womb and then for the Neutral, complete the Womb and then keep on the original path. This is necessary to unlock those route specific demons. Then go nuts with the three new Endings, enjoy!
Kanekos art really does match the tone of the series better than Dois. Dois stuff is good, it just looks way too similar to literally every other JRPG series. SMT is a completely unique series heavily reliant on it's tone and atmosphere mixed with ideological self reflection. Dois character designs just don't match this tone at all.
I marathoned Redux when it came out over the course of a week and wrote a mission log on the MegaTen amino and it's still one of my favorite smt experiences of all time
SMT Strange Journey Redux does something amazing narratively, because it is actually a sequel to the OG Strange Journey. In the OG SJ's neutral ending you and your team kill Milf Aleph (who makes a guest appearance in the background of SMT IV) and the Schwarzwelt gets closed. And the story ends there right? Wrong. Humanity's desire for greed and self destruction caused the Schwarzwelt to come back and this time no one stops it. So in a last ditch effort to save the world Alex gets sent back in time to kill the Schwarzwelt. And her going back creates a new timeline. The Redux timeline. The reason why she kills you is because she is angry at your failure to stop the Schwarzwelt from reappearing. But your death causes Demeter to heal you and take you to her realm, the Womb of Grief. If you get all of the seeds by going deeper and deeper into the Womb of Grief you will find the True boss of SMT Strange Journey Redux. Shekinah is the embodiment of the Three Wise Men combined. She is also a female incarnation of YHVH. Like Louisa Ferre is Lucifer she is a female incarnation of him. In order to get the True Neutral ending of SMT Strange Journey Redux you must in addition to beating the base game you must at the same time beat the Womb of Grief, follow the teachings of the Honorable Commander Gore, and you must also convince Alex that the Schwarzwelt's reemergence wasn't your fault then she becomes your ally. Once you do all of that you realize what you must do you get all of the Seeds in the Womb of Grief but Demeter betrays you delivering all of them to the Three Wise Men who become Shekinah. After killing Shekinah you obtain the Cosmic Egg giving you infinite power akin to the Doom Slayer. Knowing that humanity is self destructive you essentially become God and lose your humanity to save humanity. You live on the Moon with Arthur watching over the Earth like a protector deity and you keep bailing out the Earth as humanity continues to self destruct. It is a painful truth about us. It is pessimistic but we have a safety net who will continue to save us until we learn to change our wicked ways. Also the International Savior Schwarzwelt Squad aka your team and the Anarcho Capitalist Squad in black that you find halfway through the game weren't the first people to go into the Schwarzwelt. The save stations and the heal stations were there from the civilization that preceded humanity. They failed. That is just another layer of subtle environmental storytelling the game has to offer. So in conclusion I haven't yet played the OG SJ. SMT SJ Redux was my first game in the series and I beat the game on hard somehow. The game beat the hell outta me. I think it is a fantastic yet frustrating game on hard and you really have to know what you are doing. But I enjoyed the games' philosophical concepts, characters, locations, music, and the feeling of satisfaction when I got through the gauntlet. SMT Strange Journey Redux is a masterpiece and a must play for SMT fans and a good trial by fire game for those who wanna be a hardcore RPG player. So take care and let's all do our part to stop the Schwarzwelt aka Climate Change. Peace.
the atmosphere itself sold me on this game. Like damn, group of soldiers trapped in the middle of nowhere with almost everything and everyone is a threat, unsure if they still even has the chance to live in the next hour, an environment so toxic it's basically a dead end if your suit malfunctions, badass shit where they fight with only science, guns and swords against malicious beings equal of that of the god. You can legit create a thriller action horror film based on this settings Edit: regarding character developments, I think the best way for this series is by having a spin-off novel or manga which shows the thoughts for each characters since you can actually see 'something happened' to them off-screen, but because it was off-screen, we don't know much about it, making it feel so sudden.
The old art style still look anime it's just a bit more grounded I say,I mean they still have big eyes I just don't get the whole western look you guy's say because those characters design's wouldn't look out of place in a manga to me.
Yeah this is where I ultimately prefer redux. Reduce completes Jimenez and zelenin's characters by having Alex point out their hypocritical actions so that they can create worlds more in line with their characters New neutral even shows that humanity constantly repeating its mistakes has a downside, but it's still worth it to allow people to live their own lives And I think people greatly exaggerate how much the difficulty is nerfed. Normal is definitely easier but higher difficulties are unlocked from the start
Got the game, can confirm, Eridanus isn’t that bad macca is right stop whining, tower of Kagutsuchi is literally the same thing but harder with a different look and a more engaging puzzle
Why the fuck does no one like dimitr or however you spell her name. She's a god of harvest. Sure it's also "fertility" but fertility as in fertile ground. Not fertile as in live birth.
HAL9000 was also 100% on humanity’s side btw. Conflicts in programming caused by flawed humans doesn’t mean evil or deliberate antagonism on HAL’s side.
Eh, that's a bit of a stretch imo lol. Sure, the programming errors were a result of human flaws, but HAL was very deliberately attempting to murder the entire crew. I'd hardly call that "100% on humanity's side," whatever the reason.
On the other hand if you want a game that went overboard on "quality of life" features that would be Persona 3 Portable. Direct Command is over-powered and doesn't actually improve the gameplay experience.
I'll be honest, I genuinely prefer the new art style in Redux. I do wish it had a toggle for the old art, though. I just was never a fan of Kaneko's human designs. His demons are great, but the humans after his early SNES era always looked really... Bland and same facey to me. The tone of SJ felt still really strong if not stronger with the new art for me in Redux, if mostly because of the expressiveness of characters.
i played redux some time ago. kinda boring tbf, it picked up after sector b but got boring at late game. and from what i know about the original endings, they weren't really that good. the ost was amazing tho.
I’m really sorry to say, that I have just dropped strange journey redux. Not because of difficulty or anything, but because I hate the maze-like etrian odyssey dungeon style. I get lost too often, and it gives me a massive headache. Sorry guys😓💔
You don't gotta sell me on Strange Journey but I watched this anyway. More people really should play it but version not on a 3DS/DS will lose a lot trying to make the map as always accessible but not in the way as on those systems. It's a little bit of a shame since Nocturne and SMT V are/will be on Switch and potentially will expand the fan base. I will also totally agree that the last boss is a helluva thing. Felt great to eventually take it down after, like, 45 minutes. I even actually used a huge chunk of the "I'll save these in case I ever need them but never end up using them" items.
As a first timer to SJ through Redux, I get the complaints from fans of the original, but I love the hell out of this thing. Every time I step into a new area, I'm scared as shit as I start exploring and as I complete my map of the first floor, I grow more and more confident as I kick ass. I love that feeling. Also the designs aren't that terrible, I guess. Meh.
Antarctica in real life is a unanimously agreed demilitarized zone by all countries and no country technically has claim to Antarctica. You cannot even use something like a large drone that could handle the Antarctic winds as it is classified as a military vehicle/device, even when explicitly not itself. There a no human settlements in Antarctica, only indefinitely set up camps. In addition, the window for arriving and leaving Antarctica is tight and strict due to weather during most of the year being hazardous for both planes and ships. Lastly, some geology trivia. Antarctica, the continent, used to be located in a much warmer location on Earth and large amount of its landmass is hidden underneath ice now. However, it is unable to move away much from Earth's south pole due to being locked in place by the tectonic plates surrounding the continent.
I don't get the difficulty complaint. It was the only SMT game (persona 4/5/5s excluded) where i felt no need to grind and felt comfortably (with an smt flavor of being in constant danger, of course) right until Mem Aleph. Mem Aleph is the worst boss of all of the games i have ever played. Good luck beating her on level 55. Good luck grinding 15+ levels to not get oneshotted by it only to get 2-shotted.
I've name my character John Stalvern because : "I wanna be on the spaceships daddy." "NO! YOU WILL BE KILLED BY DEMONS!" Doub't too many people wpuld get this 😂
I think I've played too many older smt games. I can't stand the corridor crawling anymore. I also think the complaints on art style to be nitpicking, I see it as hd enhanced. The music is good but the fact it's a 30 second loop is really annoying.
I ended up getting Redux off of the Eshop before it shut down because it was cheaper than buying the DS version. So far I’ve been enjoying it. I’m only an hour into the game.
I personally take no issues with health bars, and honestly it does not make much of a difference because the cursor turns red if an enemy's HP is critical anyways. This complaint doesn't really make sense to me.
Ok this is the best and most comprehensive review of Strange Journey on youtube but if I have to hear one more person complain about the "change in art style" I'm gonna lose my fucking mind. Look, I'm not an artist and I can't draw for shit, so maybe I'm missing something subtle here, but they look exactly the fucking same. Like, EXACTLY the fucking same. At first I thought you were joking because you kept putting them side by side and the only difference was like, the color contrast and the Redux versions are wearing less eye-liner. This "art style difference" argument was so stupid and overblown it was distracting from an otherwise excellent review. And to be clear, I'm not just some Redux Stan. I 100% agree that the mechanical and balancing differences are substantial enough to give the original equal or greater value than Redux to some players. But the art style? Really? I don't know, if you want the Redux content but turn it down because "the art style," you're an idiot, I'm sorry. It's. Literally. The. Same. Not just the character portraits. The art style. It's just a LITTLE recolored. I don't mean to talk in circles, but that's what this video did every time it complained about the """""change""""" in art style.
