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How 'kind' is the Shin Megami Tensei (and it's sub-series) to people with weak stomachs and who are scared/freaked out easily?


Konnor97
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I'm thinking of getting into the SMT stuff, but I want to know if my stomach and heart/mind can take it. To put it into perspective, anything coming close to what can kinda, vaguely, be called a jump scare scares me at least a little. I get scared really easily, and my mind keeps on going back to even slightly disturbing things, even after a few days. I mean, for Pete's sake, the mummy/ghost/Ramses thing from Courage the Cowardly Dog still freaks me out.

I guess this is mainly for the DS/3DS ones, but it could extend to any PS2 ones if I can get my old PS2 working. And yes, I know about Mara before it is brought up, and it does kinda rub me the wrong way. (no pun intended)

Edited by Konnor97
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Uh... The one for the PSP (has aigis) is the only one I played and I got close to the end, but I do not really much of it being scary. I suppose there are plenty of places that are rather eerie and creepy. To be fair, the Courage the Cowardly still creeps me out.

There is the whole plot point in that game I played in (which you see early on anyway) is using an evoker to release your persona powers. The characters pretty much have to point it at their head and pull a trigger to do so. Not sure if that would be disturbing to you all.

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Well, from what I've heard, it's got stuff like Incubus monsters with what looks like a big....thing on their abdomen, at least according to Spoony. So I'm not sure.

EDIT: I think that was in Nocturne?

Edited by FionordeQuester
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Personas are relatively light

Heres a sample dialogue from a game in the series which I considered one of the darkest(Strange Journey - DS)

Uh.... if you can stand this, you can stand the rest of the series, particularly those from the DS

Its not extremely spoilerific, no worry. Although don't read this while eating

so, we opened up the one on top of the human, apparently called head. From there, theres a pink substance coming out of it. Apparently they called it blood. Their skin changed in color. In curiousity, we tear off something from his head. It is said to be used for thinking, something called brain. However, the subject in question stopped responding. What an interesting being

Yeah >_> more or less like that

Edited by JSND
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There aren't really any shock scares in the series but there is a lot of content of a disturbing sexual nature. Certain monsters, like the incubus, has a giant phallic horn sticking out from the front of his pelvis, but it can be as extreme as Satan with 6 exposed breasts (not featured and/or censored in most versions though). The most extreme visual is probably Mara, who is literally a giant green penis monster riding a spiky chariot.

As far as non-demon visuals are concerned, some areas can have blood stains, and depending on the game you may have some sensitive subject matter in the text. SMT: Strange Journey on the DS has some vivid descriptions of body horror early on in the game that is deeply unsettling, but it does not show what is being described in text (see post above if you really want to know...). That is pretty much the worst the series has to offer. Across all games, generally the text might hint at something worse but from memory I can't think of any on-screen gore.

With the less-intense Persona series, you might have brief scary moments, but nothing extreme. Persona 3 is probably the most unsettling when your support character says "Death is approaching!" as in, an enemy who is literally the Grim Reaper decked out in chains with dual pistols. You'll hear the jangling of chains and for most of the game you stand no chance against him, but he'll only chase after you if you linger too long on a floor and you'll have an idea if he'll show up sooner than normal. When you change floors or exit the dungeon you'll be safe. However, the presentation of the game's story makes it fairly tame and easy to handle.

I'm also not big on horror but SMT games are easy for me to take due to their low-key presentation. Redeads in Ocarina of Time will forever scare me more than anything SMT has to offer.

Edited by Samias
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ehh that one is particularly notable because the next body horror stuff..... takes a long time to reach in-game, and is.... a sudden hit to the crotch to say the least.

Safe to say, if you read the one that I post, and then the next part, it become pretty ironic >_>

pjja6o95.jpg

Looks like you forgot something.

W1n

Edited by JSND
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Yeah, as people have said, the series disturbing nature comes from what it incenuates and its controversial topics rather than from straight up gore.

It does however have some graphic content. As stated by others ther is some very bizzare creatures and some sexual material (though it's not like there are two people goin at it in a car or something). There is some gore in some games of the series. Aside from the picture above (lol BTW), I remember in Nocturne one of the characters kills a bunch of "manikins" (basically artificial humans). Theres a lot of blood and dead bodies and you see the character literally crush ones head in their hand.

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I remember the show Courage, but didn't remember Ramses (one google later).... Whoa... do you really scare/are disturbed that easily?

Well, if you get into SMTs, like it and stick with it, you might get a bit de-sensitized

But yes, mainly, the DS SMTs are graphic in the text descriptions of death (see Strange Journey)

so, we opened up the one on top of the human, apparently called head. From there, theres a pink substance coming out of it. Apparently they called it blood. Their skin changed in color. In curiousity, we tear off something from his head. It is said to be used for thinking, something called brain. However, the subject in question stopped responding. What an interesting being

^Even though this is the most disturbing, that entire room is disturbing, my brother is an SMT vet and this room disturbed him quite a bit

And the visual graphics go to PS2: namely, Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga 2

Edited by Soledai
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The entire area is disturbing, mostly because of the stuff that happened there, the atmosphere, the image, and the fact that the game basically drops in difficulty after that point(lets not forget that the next sector is grade A Humor), until you reach the dreaded Eridanus and.... two or three sectors after that, which is basically

What happened in Bootes, except replace Humans with Demons, which is just as disturbing as that text

Bonus point for the fact that the group of human that caused the events is the same group that make Eridanus so damn annoying

Edited by I have a Dragon Boner
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Strange Journey was disturbing? Well, I can see how it would be, but I obviousl didn't find it to be disturbing. But some of the demon designs made me laugh though, like Tiamat.
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  • 2 months later...

Digital Devil Saga had to deal with everyone getting Cannibalism Superpowers, horrific consequences of ignoring the cost of said powers and dealing with it.

Devil Survivor takes all the tropes that Pokemon codified and brutally deconstructs said tropes. Basically everyone suddenly getting the ability to summon mons and use spells will lead to mass amounts of chaos, destruction and death.

Edited by Kitty of Fala
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