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@charisu I just finished beating Shin Mega Ten 1, the GBA version though as it has a couple quality of life improvements over the original. It's really a grind, but definitely fascinating mythology-wise and I definitely love the soundtrack as well. Have you played any other SMTs? SMTV was my first, although I've played a couple of the Personas (3&4).

@anarchaeopteryx I have! I completed the law route when the translation available was the snes version but also have a PS1 playthrough paused right at the start of Ginza. I think it has the bonus content from the GBA ver too? But I've never found any of the items to access the extra stories, so perhaps not.
I loved SMTV! It sits as my favorite currently. Strange Journey I think is the only mainline I haven't beaten, I should really fix that someday. For spinoffs, I like Devil Survivor best!

@charisu I have a PS Vita modded to play ROMs and there is a GBA version with an updated translation patch based on the iOS re-release so that's what I went with. I ended up playing Chaos but used a walkthrough so I'm vaguely aware of how the other storylines go. I know SMT2 is a direct sequel so I do plan to play it someday but SMT1 felt like a lot of work so not right now. Did you pick up the III remake and did you like it?

@anarchaeopteryx the Vita still hard at work as ever! I would wait for any updated version of SMT2 because -whew- at the very least the map marking holes fallen through would make a cave section a lot less frustrating. It's a good game to get lost in, aside that (fortune tellers in it are useless, just always go to bars)
I tried a bit of HD remaster and the selectable skill inheritance makes it miles above the original. Some audio stuff make me sad though: Daisoujo's bell doesn't ring anymore!

@charisu that's good to know, there's no way I would have gotten through the final area of SMT1 without online maps, which I saved to my phone and marked up. teleport tiles!! *shakes fist* I also def would have put the game down in frustration without having the ability to soft save

I believe in the SNES version you couldn't select which skill a demon uses in battle either? That would add so much difficulty. But the original SNES soundtrack is definitely better than the GBA one too

@anarchaeopteryx teleport tiles there's def something to suffering these old janky dungeons and overcoming them, otherwise I wouldn't keep coming back to them. Without save states it would be utterly ruthless.
It's strange, I find the randomness of shuffling skills way more agitating than having no say at all. Your demons have a role to play, even temporarily. When they can't level up, you end up thinking whether they're more useful as fusion fodder or finding out what their niche is.

@charisu My favourite video games are the Etrian Odyssey series and playing the final Basilica area made me think this is what they got inspiration for some of their dungeons from. But in those games you get to draw your own map on the screen! That makes walking through stepping on every single tile in the dungeon much more satisfying somehow.

There are times in the Persona games where I got a "lucky" random fusion that wasn't what I was trying to get so I am in the habit of saving beforehand.

@anarchaeopteryx I loved drawing in my own map! Only played EOIV up to recruiting Wufan but I liked it from what I remember. Actually drawing maps on graph paper irl... well, I've never tried it but maybe that's what was intended for the older games' original releases.

I remember Soul Hackers had a neat gimmick of making the Hero race locked entirely behind fusion accident. I don't think I've ever had a positive fusion accident result though lol