I get by with a little help from my Fiends! Let's Play SMT: Nocturne (blind)!

I had a dream, a long, long time ago...

A dream of destruction...

A dream of resurrection...

Of a world where man had perished...

And demons wandered free...

A dream of something wicked...

And the ultimate freedom...

Where you were dead...

And so was everyone else.

Are you sure you're ready? To hear about my dream?

Good.

Because...

It wasn't a dream.

Video: Title Loop 1

Welcome, Fiends and friends of Fiends, to this Let's Play! of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. This is going to be a very special LP, as it's no only my very first time playing through the game, but it's also widely considered the deepest, most involving, and most soul-crushing game in the Megaten franchise. It's a game where there are no havens, no inns, no home bases, where healing spots charge exorbitant prices and the slightest oversight in a random battle can prove fatal. This will be fun!



Of course, I won't be alone in this. Just like Megaten heroes have hundreds of subjugated demons to assist them, I'll be counting on YOU to guide me through this world of suffering and despair. You see, there are forces at work in this world, forces which would reshape it into their own image. In other words, SMT Nocturne follows the Megaten tradition of multiple endings according to one's choices and perspectives. Will we usher in a kingdom of endless peace? Or will we thrive in chaos and bloodshed? It's up to you!

But that's not the extent of your participation. Being a mainline Megaten game, Nocturne also provides the chance to negotiate with and recruit demons, as well as fuse them into stronger forms. Every so often, I will give you the chance to choose which demons to specifically seek out and fuse. Being the mythology nut that I am, if I see something I'd really like to have in my party I won't hesitate to get it, but you can also make your own suggestions. Want to force me to face a Rider with a party of Fairies? Sure! But surely no one would be so cruel... right?

We WILL be seeing all the endings, and we WILL strive to fill out 100% of the Demon Compendium. The order in which the endings occur will also be subject to your votes. And, depending on whether we can spot the points of no return in advance, this can also mean New Game+ playthroughs or simply going back to earlier saves. It's your call!

But enough stalling. The world's end is nigh!



Video: Title Loop 2



I do have an earlier save. It's only three hours in, however, so whatever progress I made is pretty much negligible.



♫ Maniacs Soundtrack Extra Version: TALK ♫

There are rumors of a legendary, third difficulty level. That's because, in reality, what we're playing is what Japan knew as Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax, and what's called Shin Megami Tensei Lucifer's Call in Europe. This brings several major differences, not the least of which is a whole new subplot and its corresponding ending. We also get a crossover guest star from Capcom! This was considered the definitive version of the game until recently, when the release of SMT: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon brought with it a rerelease of the Maniax version named Chronicles, replacing the sly-tongued demon hunter for Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th. We've yet to see a similar rerelease...

For the purposes of this playthrough, we will delve into the mysteries of Normal difficulty. No need to die at the tutorial battle just yet.



Let us begin...

My head feels light.

It's as if I've been sleeping for a long time.

I can't even tell if I'm still dreaming...

♫ Apocalypse ♫

A dense mist spreads everywhere before me, shining with the glare of an unknown light.

My eyes steadily adjust, and I can just barely make out the shape of a person...

?????:
A world that loses its power will fade away into nothingness.
If such is the fate of this world, then I shall return it to its mother's womb.
The world must first die, for it to be born again...
That is the only way to salvation, as recorded in an ancient prophecy.

I don't understand. The death of the world? Her words have no meaning to me, though there's something very familiar about her...

?????:
The world will fall for its sins, and humans will all disappear...
But, I don't want you to meet the same fate.
I want to help you hold on to your life.
To do so, I need to know your name.

My name...?

My mind is abuzz with anxiety and confusion, I can hardly remember who I am.

She spoke so calmly about ending the world. A part of me is suspicious, maybe even afraid, but I can't help but feel at ease around her. Something deep inside tells me that she really is trying to help me. It begs at me to listen to her, to trust her.

I try to focus, and part the mist from my head to remember who I am. Simply concentrating on her presence makes it easy, and slowly my mind begins to clear...

I remember. Yes. This is me. I... I'm a high-school student in Tokyo. M-my friends are waiting for me, and I'm supposed to meet up with them soon.

I need to get there, those two are always fighting, and somehow I always end up having to mediate between them. If I'm not there soon, then... I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. They... they even joke about it, you know. About how I'm always butting into their arguments. About how I'm the soccer club but like to play referee. Or how I'm always the moderator for the debate team. I can't help it, I'd rather see everyone get along than be forced to take sides. They call it "wishy-washy," even when I'm only looking out for them.

I wish they would just stop fighting. But then I remember, if they hadn't been fighting back then, we probably would've never even met.

That's... right. My name. She asked for my name.

It's Hanji, Hanji Matsuro.

Only a few people call me that, though. Just my family and my closest friends. And a couple of teachers, I guess. Everyone else calls me a different name. I never really liked it, but I'm so used to it by now... I guess now it defines me just as much as my real name does.

Do you want to hear it? That's fine, just don't spread it around. If you must know, everybody calls me...

What does everyone call him, Talking Time? What nefarious appellation has been thrust upon our silent protagonist?

Believe it or not, Pants is not only allowed but downright fitting. And so are Shoes, Spike, Tats, and Gonzalo. In my original save, I named him "Runner."

Call him Scout (because Runner reminds me of Gang Garrison 2 and it amuses me).

Also, I'd like to see a bunch of Fallen-class demons, if you can manage it.

Goodness, we should call him Shirt, because that way he'll have one.

I say go with Pants, because that way he'd have some.

Bah- shirt and pants?
Lets try something new and go with Shoes

I say we call him FunnyJoke, because that way we'd have one.

Let's call him something that isn't an article of clothing. I'm rather fond of Gannon, but that's just me. Looking forward to this, Zef.

I was looking forward to this! Maybe I'll actually finish my own save, where I'm sitting at the start of the final dungeon.

Call him... Percy. I can think of no other entity fit to tame the forces of hell itself.

Tattooya.

YESSSSSSS

Call him Dead, because that's what he'll be a lot of the time.

But no, you should call him Picard. Or Steven. Or something. Just, hopefully not Tats or Pants or something.

Call him Blind.

Call him Detlef... or Horst.

I think you should call him SugarLips.

- Eddie

Boldly go!

People tend to oversell the difficulty of this game. If you've played a Megaten game before and know how to build a good team, it's really not that hard.

Anyways, I cast my vote for Tron.

Name's Ash. Housewares.

RedShirt

If you've stabbed yourself in the chest already, the chest and arm isn't that bad.

How about Parrie, Eat-Man, or Cumulus?
That last one is a reference to one of the games better ablities. Fog Breath is something we might see a lot of during the LP.

Oh shit, this is a real thing?

LOL, you should name him Hitoshura to stay True To The Japanese Version. Shit, not enough characters. What a disgrace to how the character was intended. Maybe HitoSURE (as in sure, dude) as a compromise.

play on hard!

Tattooya is good, but I'll vote for a shorter Tats.

I vote we name him Prome Theus.

I'll second that. Or third it, as the case may be.

Request away! Just remember to tell me where to recruit it/how to fuse it if I happen to miss it during my own playthrough.

This seems to be the clear winner so far! It'll be set in stone tomorrow afternoon, so vote or contribute quick!

I forgot to mention: The reason I picked my own name but left the nickname up for grabs is that, as much as this is an audience-driven LP, it's also my first real time through the game. I'll allow myself the luxury of my own name, at least

I like this.

Oh, we're just choosing the nickname?

How 'bout Amirani, then?

The head-spike thingy kind of makes me think of Astroboy.

And I rather think Astroboy should be able to tame every mythological figure ever.