-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
If you wanna introduce Persona or SMT games to someone, what would you recommend to play first?
- Thread starter Ostinatto
- Start date
OP
OP
Persona 5 Royal does seem like the best first introduction. It's slick as hell, full of QoL features, the initial premise is timely and a heck of a strong hook. It is a bit jarring to back to P4 after all of the awesome post-battle animations and wild-styling of the menu text.
It falters here and there, but late enough in that you're either willing accept the faults and continue on, or you're already out.
It falters here and there, but late enough in that you're either willing accept the faults and continue on, or you're already out.
For Persona? Persona 4 Golden. It was the first one I played and I fell in love with it and eventually the rest of the series. Can't say about SMT though, only played a bit of Nocturne.
P5/P5R are great but people aren't considering how ridiculously long those games are. IMO Devil Survivor and Strange Journey are both excellent entry points to the series even if they change things up from the traditional SMT formula. Both games also play much quicker than Persona 5.
Depends on where they're coming from. If they're already into JRPGs and never tried any of these games before I might recommend Digital Devil Saga due to its more traditional JRPG gameplay. If its someone who's never played any of these games before and isn't really into JRPGs, Persona 5 Royal is probably the best place. And if they just wanna see what SMT is like? SMT Nocturne is the way to go.
So basically either Digital Devil Saga, SMT Nocturne, or Persona 5 Royal
I say this as someone who's first introduction to the series was Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon lol. Great game btw.
So basically either Digital Devil Saga, SMT Nocturne, or Persona 5 Royal
I say this as someone who's first introduction to the series was Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon lol. Great game btw.
Persona 3, 4 or 5. 3 is a bit contentious since it's base game doesn't have direct control over the party while the PSP version doesn't have cutscenes, but is presented as a visual novel.
4 and 5 are much easier to get into for the Persona series. While the original 3 games, P1 P2EP and P2IS are their own beast.
I'm not sure about SMT as I've only played IV
4 and 5 are much easier to get into for the Persona series. While the original 3 games, P1 P2EP and P2IS are their own beast.
I'm not sure about SMT as I've only played IV
Shin Megami Tensei IV. It's a great first game in the series.
I also think you can't go wrong with Nocturne HD, but some will disagree with me on that.
I also think you can't go wrong with Nocturne HD, but some will disagree with me on that.
OP
OP
the person has played some FF games and Chrono trigger before.
Persona 4 Golden on PC (or Vita if you should be so lucky to own the GOAT portable).
When you have played P4G you have played the best. Then you can start working through all the other good games while basking in the soft, eternal light that P4G has put in your soul to warm you for the rest of your enlightened existence.
When you have played P4G you have played the best. Then you can start working through all the other good games while basking in the soft, eternal light that P4G has put in your soul to warm you for the rest of your enlightened existence.
Digital Devil Saga then. No contest. Why? It has a traditional party system (you don't collect demons/personas, you just have a set party) and is more adventure-y and has more traditional dungeons while being fairly plot focused. The game has a lot of voice acted cutscenes the way something like FFX/FFXII has.
Persona 4 Golden because it's much shorter than P5R. If they're fine with long games then P5R.
For SMT either SMTIV or Nocturne HD because they have the ability to be made more accessible
For SMT either SMTIV or Nocturne HD because they have the ability to be made more accessible
Persona 5 was mine and why I want to play SMTV this November so I'll say that. Or you can just wait and rent SMTV if ya want.
The newest mainline games in each series, not including sequels/remakes. They add QoL stuff to make them more accessible. Then just go backwards if you want more. Same as always.
Any are fine. I personally did not connect with P5 at all so I'd place P4G above it. Wish there was a more definitive version of P3 since that's still my favorite of the modern Personas. Overall I enjoy SMT more and IV and Nocturne Remaster are both excellent games. They also have the advantage of not taking as ridiculous the amount of time to complete, which could certainly prove to be a barrier for a lot of people who get turned off at the idea of an 80-120 hour long game.
I guess the logical answer would be P4G or P5R.
In my heart, though, the answer is actually Devil Survivor Overclocked.
In my heart, though, the answer is actually Devil Survivor Overclocked.
Depends on what they like. If like like time management, social simmy stuff, a more accessible experience and a stylish UI, Persona 5 or 4 depending on what setting they prefer and if random dungeons is a turn off. Persona 5 for QoL, Persona 4 for generally more likeable characters and a chiller vibe.
If they like gritty, oppressive atmospheres, if they have the heart of a lion and are willing to stare into the face of fear itself, SMT Nocturne HD or preferably SMT IV (or tbh SMTV) all seem like very good starting points. The series are different enough that a player who loves one might hate the other. My personal pick here would be SMTIV because it's not too challenging and the environment and worldbuilding of Tokyo/Mikado I think is more realized than Nocturne, and there are more QoL features.
If they seek death and frustration and have questionable taste, Strange Journey.
If they like gritty, oppressive atmospheres, if they have the heart of a lion and are willing to stare into the face of fear itself, SMT Nocturne HD or preferably SMT IV (or tbh SMTV) all seem like very good starting points. The series are different enough that a player who loves one might hate the other. My personal pick here would be SMTIV because it's not too challenging and the environment and worldbuilding of Tokyo/Mikado I think is more realized than Nocturne, and there are more QoL features.
If they seek death and frustration and have questionable taste, Strange Journey.
Depends on what genre this person likes the most. If they like fighting or dancing/rhythm games, then I can introduce the rpgs last.
I started with P5 vanilla and loved it, then P4G and loved it, then P3P and just couldn't get stuck into it. I think I missed the QoL stuff from later entries.
So I think I would start with P4G, then maybe go with Nocturne so that you don't feel the lack of QoL as much. I'm currently about 30 hours into Nocturne as my first SMT, and I am digging it, but I do miss some of the QoL stuff from later entries (e.g. things like auto-targeting enemy weakness with a button press).
So I think I would start with P4G, then maybe go with Nocturne so that you don't feel the lack of QoL as much. I'm currently about 30 hours into Nocturne as my first SMT, and I am digging it, but I do miss some of the QoL stuff from later entries (e.g. things like auto-targeting enemy weakness with a button press).
Agree with the peeps saying P4G, if they won't be turned off by the somewhat dated aesthetic (some parts look great, but I'd forgotten how PS2-y the out and about in the world stuff looks). P5R is more modern, playable and upon replaying it probably my fave, but it's both the biggest time commitment and makes it hard to go back to older titles
If the person in question has experience playing JRPG's, then I would recommend checking out Persona 4: Golden, as it's a good gateway into the Persona series and you can adjust the difficulty modifiers to your own choosing in-game (such as how much/little EXP you gain or how tough the enemies are). It also helps that it isn't that long of a game and the bloat is kept to a minimum.
As for Shin Megami Tensei, the Digital Devil Saga games are perfect, as the basic premise for that series is "Final Fantasy, but it takes place in purgatory." There's also SMT: IV for the 3DS (and the upcomign SMT: V for the Nintendo Switch) if you want to play something for the mainline series.
As for Shin Megami Tensei, the Digital Devil Saga games are perfect, as the basic premise for that series is "Final Fantasy, but it takes place in purgatory." There's also SMT: IV for the 3DS (and the upcomign SMT: V for the Nintendo Switch) if you want to play something for the mainline series.
For SMT I would recommend 4 before Nocturne only because the former has a lot more accessibility options that SMT V will probably have. As much as I love Nocturne I don't feel it would be the best to recommend for somebody that's new especially since it has a random encounter. Although the best option will probably be to wait for SMT V to release in November.
As for Persona, Golden is a great place to start.
As for Persona, Golden is a great place to start.
Given the background, I'd say SMTIV. Then Persona 4G or SMT III Nocture.
4 or 5 obviously, or SMTV given it comes out in a couple months, depending on how it turns out.
I'd hesistate to outrght recommend SMTs to average/ casual JRPG fans simply because they are often story -light, or when they do have more in depth stories it tends to be of the weirder/ more obtuse variety, with barely any characters to really latch on to. Persona games start slow but they at least have the more common elements (party focused, personality driven, etc) that a lot of other JRPGs have as well.
Don't fall into the trap of "slog through the harder to approach games for 60 hours because they'll be hard to go back to" approach some will suggest (some suggest similar for Yakuza, by suggesting Kiwami 1 first). It's just not practical, with how large these games are.
I'd hesistate to outrght recommend SMTs to average/ casual JRPG fans simply because they are often story -light, or when they do have more in depth stories it tends to be of the weirder/ more obtuse variety, with barely any characters to really latch on to. Persona games start slow but they at least have the more common elements (party focused, personality driven, etc) that a lot of other JRPGs have as well.
Don't fall into the trap of "slog through the harder to approach games for 60 hours because they'll be hard to go back to" approach some will suggest (some suggest similar for Yakuza, by suggesting Kiwami 1 first). It's just not practical, with how large these games are.
Last edited:
if you want them to eventually play persona 3 then i would say to play that first. only because p4 and (especially) p5 introduce qol updates that may make it hard to go back to p3.
I would just wait for SMTV if they were interested in that. Feel like that'll be an easier spot for many rather than going back especially older than IV.
Persona 5 (Meant P5R) or SMT IV
The older titles aren't the way to go for someone totally new. If I didn't already play the above, I'd have stopped Nocturne real early on. P5 can maaaaaybe be substituted with P4G, but I'm not sure there either. Think that's just my nostalgia for the game, with it being my introduction to SMT gameplay.
The older titles aren't the way to go for someone totally new. If I didn't already play the above, I'd have stopped Nocturne real early on. P5 can maaaaaybe be substituted with P4G, but I'm not sure there either. Think that's just my nostalgia for the game, with it being my introduction to SMT gameplay.
Last edited:
