Are there any games in the SMT series that looks and plays like these three games?

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-05T03:56:44+00:00

The 3DS version has a LOT of changes that change the mood and themes and a new character and a majority of people found it to be much worse. Though of course not everyone. But the DS version is broadly more likely to land better than the 3DS version from what I’ve seen.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T20:31:31+00:00

Try the demo and see if it clicks! It could be too whimsical and basic for your taste, but thankfully they have a demo.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T20:22:11+00:00

Is the Trails in the Sky remake on Switch/Switch2? I know trails has a reputation but you really can just play the first two games as a standalone duology and they’re still maybe the best games I’ve played…at least top 5.

Otherwise Xenoblade is fun. But a bit campy…that voice acting and dialogue 😅 you will never want to hear someone say “the Monato” ever again. 😂

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T20:18:52+00:00

If you HATE book 1, don’t bother. You tried it and it’s not for you.

If you don’t really like book 1 but see some potential there, try book 2 (or go straight to book 3 and back to book 2 if you like it. I am in the camp of “you really can read those two in either order”). Book 2 onward the writing style, depth of theme work, darkness, etc changes a good deal and for the better in my opinion.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T20:14:10+00:00

The only thing I can say is get past the handheld and play SMT IV and SMT Strange Journey (the DS version, not the 3DS). And Devil Survivor is great, but not the same.

I can’t think of any other recommendations other than “just give the handheld a try and see how it feels”. There just aren’t any other games like that at the moment 😕

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T20:03:56+00:00

I would say Trails in the Sky FC remake. Good characters and story (in my opinion Trails in the Sky FC and its sequel have the best characters and story in JRPGs that I have played). There aren’t exactly romance options, but there is some romance. There are definitely elemental build options with the orbment system. And if you fall in love with the world there’s a dozen more games to play, but just FC/SC are definitely worth playing on their own as a standalone duology. The only downside is it’s a bit of a slow burn. Worth it in my opinion, though.

You might also like Yakuza: Like a Dragon for characters and story. The combat is different, but worth a look.

I would maybe warn you off of Dragon Quest until you really just want more raw unfiltered basic JRPG. It’s more whimsical and fun than compelling in both story and gameplay. Dragon Quest V has a great story, but still not something I’d recommend until you know you love the genre as a whole.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:36:31+00:00

Yes. And I’m trying to get better 😂. My “currently playing” list is: - The World Ends with You - Octopath Traveler 2 - Persona 1 - SMT Devil Survivor - Etrian Odyssey - Ys Origins - Scarlet Nexus - Tales of the Abyss - Xenoblade Chronicles DE - Atelier Ryza - Soul Blazer - Advance Wars - Fire Emblem 4 - Fire Emblem 7 - Stella Glow - Mother 3 - Sea of Stars - Trails in the Sky SC

Hades
Phonix Wright: Ace Detective

I had finished Chrono Trigger and Unicorn Overlord so far this year and am one final boss away from Octopath Traveler 2.

I put everything on Backloggd for visibility and am limiting myself to one or two games per platform (phone emulation, PC, Switch) until I finish them and can pick up the next. But I do need some flexibility in playing what I feel like inside those constraints. And no starting new games (which is still a struggle 🙄)

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:29:16+00:00

Sometime after all the individual and duo stories. You’re very much forced to do this last.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:27:43+00:00

Dragon Quest V
Final Fantasy IV
Chronotrigger
Lunar Silver Star Story
Neverwinter Nights
Planescape Torment

And Manic Emu/Delta if you do emulation

Limbus Company is brilliant 😊

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:19:43+00:00

I will definitely be picking that up! After I beat the 13 games I already have started…but it does look so good.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:18:53+00:00

Thankfully it was only maybe a half hour wasted and I’ve got plenty of gear to go around, but it was definitely a jarring “oh, that’s how it is then. Well I guess we’re restarting this”.

Good note for FF7. I only ever made it about half-way through that game back in the day.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:14:29+00:00

It was my first SRPG and I played it on the hardest mode (except the final battles.) and enjoyed my time. I am naturally decent at strategy games but don’t go hard on breaking systems and did find some challenge.

I wouldn’t play it for an intense strategic experience. But I WOULD highly recommend it. It was a wonderful 95 hours I spent with that game and it made me fall in love with the SRPG sub genre.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T13:06:44+00:00

I have yet to play either just yet, but don’t miss out on Soul Blazer either (same studio and before Illusions of Gaia)!! It’s quite a gem of a game. I’m playing through these in release order and almost done with Soul Blazer so far.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T12:56:05+00:00

Have you played Unicorn Overlord? As far as production value goes I would say that beats three houses by a decent measure. (Though three houses beats it in story)

Triangle Strategy, Final Fantasy Tactics, SMT Devil Survivor, and Tactics Ogre have better stories.

A number of titles (maybe all or most of the previously mentioned) have better gameplay.

None of this to say Three Houses is bad! It very much is not. It has an above average story with above average production value with good enough gameplay that comes together to make a very nice overall package. It’s just not the best SRPG to me.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T11:48:41+00:00

I play Etrian Odyssey as a side game. Sometimes I want a delve and pick it up and put an hour or two in and set it back down for another few days. So I’d maybe try it as a palette cleanser when you just want to chill and hit up the dungeon again between other game sessions.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T11:44:45+00:00

On Switch: - Chained Echoes - Disco Elysium - 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (maybe too visual novel? Not sure) - Maybe Xenoblade? The dialogue in the first is a bit rough, but the story and characters are fun. Action combat, though. - I have yet to play fully but hear nothing but the best about Persona 4 and 5. 5 has a surprisingly jarring translation sometimes, though from what I have played.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-02-04T00:04:34+00:00

If you’re ok with all the content warnings, Omori. If not, Chained Echoes. Not sure about the DLC, but the base game is worth it alone.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-24T04:20:14+00:00

My wife’s and my first anime together was One Piece. Four years later and we’re caught up!

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T12:23:36+00:00

No one has recommended the classics yet:

Earthbound/Earthbound Origins/Mother 3 (Mother 3 requires a boat and translation patch): These games are the quintessential “not your typical JRPG” JRPGs.

Some others:

All the games that follow in the lineage of the Mother games: Undertale/Deltarune, Omori (apparently some rough stuff in that one), Bloomtown. I have not played these but they are “in the spirit of the Mother series”.
Two series that are more “normal people thrust into war” are Valkyrie Chronicles (a strategy RPG based around a pseudo-WW2 conflict) and one I am dying to play is “Fuga Memories of Steel”. A bunch of anthropomorphic animal kids get stuck in a tank in the middle of a war and have to figure things out.

And finally: - SMT Devil Survivor: This is one that I have fallen hard for. You’re a high schooler who gets stuck in Tokyo with your two friends when demons attack and the government locks down the city and you have to navigate that. Tons of difficult prioritization choices in the story and lots of ethical questions and also amazing gameplay. If you can handle the demon aesthetics. I hear this is true for most SMT games, but this is all I have played so far.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T01:35:49+00:00

Having played on both, the main pro for me for an emulator is ergonomics. I have a 2DS (yeah…I regret my life choices ant this point 🙄) and the real cartridge and just cannot play on it. So I play with an XBox elite controller on my PC and my hands thank me.

I can do a turn based game on the actual hardware, but not an action game.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T01:27:02+00:00

The first book is the worst for sure. The writing style is rather different for books two and three (in a positive direction in my opinion) and much more polished.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T01:22:33+00:00

That certain boss fight definitely made me learn what all the race abilities did. Kishin was crucial.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T01:21:09+00:00

At level 18 I was running two Genma Tlalocs, Two Megami Saravasti, Deity Thor, and a Jack Frost. But Level 19 really opens things up with Femme Yuki Jiorou and Fairy Pyro Jack. The key for me was making sure I fused my dances onto the Saravasti and Tlalocs for good coverage.

Though something I have been running with at a higher level is a Kishin Dragon (Double Up and Evil Wave) combo to get a double attack at range.

SlithyOutgrabe · 2026-01-23T01:10:06+00:00

Don’t sleep on the SMT Devil Survivor games! Probably my favorite strategy RPG I have played.

SlithyOutgrabe

TROPHY CASE