Let's Play! Shin Megami Tensei Part 1

[tentacular]

 

 

Hello and welcome to my Let's Play of Shin Megami Tensei! Unfortunately I don't have Megami Tensei to work with, so we're starting a little late here.

 

 

	I hope you like non-descript hallways! There's a lot of them in this game. This haunting place is never named in the game but serves as the introduction to three of the main characters. You're on autopilot here, so there's no use worrying about the many, many doors you walk past. The red floor must be a conveyer belt. Just let it carry you until-
	AH! Flickering talking head on a wall! This is already getting strange! ...why am I only allowed to pass if I state my name? Can anyone pass if they state their name?
	I debated calling him something stupid for this, but decided against it. As fun as it would be, that's for another run.
	The Japanese name 'Tsukiya' means "moon" and "to be". -random trivia
	GASP. He does?
	...and here comes the initial base-stats setting.
	Base stats are highly important in this game. But don't worry too much about setting them up. Magic is useless for this guy; he can't use it, so it only counts for magic defence - which might sound useful until you realise that speed increases his evade and stamina increases his defence and health anyway. However, the most important base stat for the main character is intelligence. This is used for negotiation.
	Yes?
	AKA: the Holy Tossers.
	AKA: A bunch of psychopaths. ...and me, in my first run on nearly all the games.
	FORESHADOWING! And yes, mild spoilers here, but this is a hint towards the "true" ending of this game. Taking the Neutral Route leads directly into Shin Megami Tensei II! After this, the wall disappears and we proceed on through the red halls until...
	OH SHIT IT'S JESUS
	...and he keeps flickering out of existence!
	But no. Actually, this is one of your companions! Now to call the name of the amazing flickering man and awaken him to our side! I hope he's a morning person.
	Ritsuka! This name means "good law".
	Iiiiit's that time again, folks! Also why is the mysterious holy man actually helping this guy? Why can't I question these weird people popping up out of nowhere?
	You can probably tell from the screenshot, but Ritsuka is going to be one hell of a magic user. Usually I'd put all of his stats into magic, because he can kill almost anything in one hit in the early stages, but survival is important too! Besides, using magic outside of bosses is an awful thing to do until you get MP recovery items.
	Don't worry, I ask myself this every morning. But then again I don't wake up on a cross in the middle of a bright red hallway. Sorry, dude. At least the Messenger of God untied you while I was working on your stats?
	...well you're not going to be very helpful, are you? Who just forgets what they were doing and winds up asleep on a cross?
	Woah! Invisible man again. But yes. Yes I did. Well, actually I just named you. The Messenger of God untied you while I was checking you out.
	... I'm not your Remembrall, kid. When did this turn into the Sixth Sense? ...oh shit he's a ghost, right?!
	...so now I have a flickering naked man travelling with me. ... AWESOME!
	Hoorayyyyy. Note the size of the character screen, by the way. While in all other SMT games after 2 you get three or four characters on your side in each battle, in SMT1 and 2 you get an entire six! Sometimes, however, people - like this - will take the place of demons there. There are a total of three humans who may come along with you. You're going to meet the next one...
	...right down this hall. Oops. Looks like we were too late. And ohhh, so the flickering guys are souls.
	...demon, if you're trying to eat someone, you don't wake them up.
	Jeez. Pushy.
	Kana is actually the name of a demigod! ...no, really, that's the only meaning I could find for it.
	Or he will if you stop squatting on his back. That can't be comfortable.
	Kana is... not really very useful. He gets some spells later, but of all of them, he's the most likely to benefit from a balanced stat distribution.
	Awwww, he's so grouchy when he's woken up. Definitely not a morning person.
	It involved a pony.
	Wow. Now I'm travelling with two naked men. This is the best journey ever!
	Whoo! My party of Level 1 Naked Men is going just-
	WOAH NAKED LADY. Please join my naked team.
	Uhhh... I wasn't looking at your ass, I promise! Not that it's not a fine ass! I mean, not that I would know!
	Oh shit, she's onto me!
	"Yuriko" means "lily child!". At least, that's the definition I could find. I don't know the kanji, sadly.
	...hot naked chick wants to be with me forever. ...damn. This has gotta be-
	A dream. Goddammit.