Complete tangent here, but honestly, I think this musical score is better than the score of Metaphor Refantazio for me. Not that Metaphor has a bad soundtrack, I just feel that the composition of Strange Journey is next level. Something about the creative use of the chants, and orchestral instruments is really well done in Strange Journey. Music in Strange Journey really gives gravitas to events in game. There's more I could mention, such as the complete contrast between law and chaos themes in this game to the rest of the music, but this comment is already long enough as is
You know what, I completely agree with this! Metaphor's soundtrack is good, but Stange Journey is really on a different level. I think it blends really well the atmosphere and what the game is trying to accomplish. Everything feels much more grand and dire at the same time. Gravitas is a great way to describe it!
@@macemaster5295 for real dude, I can’t vibe with metaphor soundtrack because it feels like something I already hear and Is a downgrade to SJ soundtrack ( the battle themes are extremely similar)
I absolutely love Strange Journey. It was the first Shin Megami Tensei game I ever played, and at the time, I found it incredibly challenging. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had unknowingly started with what many fans consider the hardest game in the series. That said, my only issue with the original Strange Journey is how the endings are handled. The law and chaos endings feel far too extreme, which, in my opinion, nudges most players toward the neutral ending since it offers a more hopeful outlook for humanity's future. This, unfortunately, undermines the impact and appeal of the other two endings. I would fix this by replacing the original neutral ending with Redux's version, which reveals that humanity never truly learns, and the Schwarzwelt cycle continues. This approach would make players confront the possibility of real, lasting change and force them to consider all three options. I think this creates a more meaningful narrative conclusion that reflects the name sake of SMT. ❤
Starting with Strange Journey is ambitious and probably made the other game easier for you! And I agree with your take on Redux's neutral ending. I will say though that the themes discussed with the villains throughout the game allude to everything that you're saying. I felt everything you described after playing the original game once or twice! Regardless, I don't think Redux is as AWFUL as some people seem to believe. Thanks for comment and sticking around the channel!
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sticking around the channel. This video was definitely a bit loaded, but Strange Journey really tackles a LOT. Next Atlus video will be on Metaphor, which I'm (hopefully) finishing up soon!
Amazing video and discussion!! Can't believe I saw it so soon after the posting. I am a HUGE fan of Strange Journey (original, not redux as much) and it is tied with P5R as my favorite Megaten game in general. I completely agree with the narrative being near if not the peak of SMT writing and think it is especially poignant in today's world. Personally the neutral ending always hit me the hardest, because it doesn't even leave you with a happy feeling, just kind of like you got done with a tough, long day at work and have to go home. Chaos has always been my favorite though because of how much I love Jimenez's character and I think it is a logical conclusion to reach given the experiences in the Shwarzwelt. You play as the premier member of the strike team, and witnessing the flaws of humanity and the more human side of demons seems to fit well with the chaos philosophy in this game. Thanks for the great watch, keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed the video! It was a month-long project and I'm happy it came out well. Strange Journey really tackles a ton of themes and interesting subject matter that I haven't heard other creators dive into. It's one of those games I'll try to play every year because it's so engaging! And I agree with Jimenez's approach after seeing what he's seen and been through. Given his experiences, it's hard to feel anything other than frustration for mankind. I think Strange Journey's narrative will only become more relatable and disturbing as time passes! Again, I'm happy you enjoyed and that you're stick around the channel! I know I upload a lot of random stuff!
I know it’s a fairly neutral take but my playthrough of the original version of this game might be my most fond SMT memories. I need to get around to trying redux one day. The pure dungeon crawling and exploring the maps while slowly getting more and more powerful was just such a great experience. The DS games in general are all so solid and are slowly being lost to time because the format of the console is so unique.
Playing strange journey on the DS must have been crazy! And yeah, Nintendo, in particular, is awful at preserving their stuff. It's a shame we have to pray for remakes because the DS and 3DS libraries are some gaming's best
I'm one of the few who enjoyed Redux a lot more, WoG had some wild design choices with teleporter shenanigans that rivaled Eridanus, which I actually loved a lot. New bosses, especially Shekinah who is probably my favorite design in the series, were super enjoyable. Shoving the super-human power into the demonica instead of the actual character worked really well considering the setting of a highly advanced human culture that abuses the planet for power. Before playing SJ I was super sceptical of the tile-based dungeoncrawling design as I didn't really enjoy the crawling in the 90s Atlus games. But it's probably one of the most immersive games I've ever played with a ton of exploration and secret paths hidden all around. The vision upgrades and Phase Shift gave me a lot of Metroid vibes. While you actually had more contact to other humans in SJ compared to other SMT titles but the oppressive atmosphere definitely rivaled the desolate explorative feel stuck in a horrifying world much like the early metroid titles. Considering the tech limitations I'm still in awe how immersive both SJ and SJR are to me. The even more dissonant menu sounds in og SJ made the atmosphere even more horrifying accompanied by the more muted colors and lack of voice acting. The lack of the field save also helped this constant feel of terror. While the other SMT definitely got more grim visuals (organic megastructures like the cosmic egg in SMT4a for example), SJ and SJR feel much more like an RPG-infused survival horror.
Redux was my first SMT game (picked diet chaos) and honestly I just remember how much research I had to do to finish the game (it’s THAT dungeon that got me crying out of frustration) It’s a great time. *wipes tears as I pour over another teleporter map* I honestly did attempt other dungeon game but I couldn’t get it because my next dungeon crawler didn’t have side buttons and felt much slower
24:43 Once you get to play devil survivor 1, you might change this opinion. That game's writing and "worldbuilding" is peak. Sj has atmosphere while DeSu1 sells you the descend into madness of a lockdown.
If it's anywhere near I'll happily change my opinion! The nuanced exploration of humanity is really why I love Strange Journey. I'm so happy I could finally make this video!
SMT: Strange journey was my first SMT game and honestly i feel it was a mistake since SMTIV really felt like 3 steps back where everyone was writen for the alignment. Also beside EO 1 and 2 i think this is one of the few ATLUS games where items are ungodly powerful and by endgame you are relying more on the MC than the demons for everything. Also Trying to do a full law demon only playthrough is suffering. I understand that there are neutral demons that cover most law demons lack of utility but i want my co-op attack damnit. I really should go complete redux. I donno why but it just doesnt hook me as much as the DS SJ.
Strange Journey as your first MegaTen game seems like an easy way to disappoint yourself. Other MegaTen games are great as well but starting at the top of the mountain and then going down must be hard. SMT4, despite its minor problems, is a really solid modern entry though! And yeah, a law playthrough is pain and suffering especially in the end game!
Also on your point of all the best demons being chaos alignment, I feel that is partially because the bosses are all chaos. I understand why, but it always seemed more fitting for them to be neutral since they are reflections of humanity. but eh, what are you gonna do
Those law demons are some trash cans I'm not going to lie, and, yeah, it makes sense why Chaos gets all the good demons. The game is mostly balanced well all around though!
The chaos aligment just being better is legit. Atlus certainly though so too because Redux focused on adding neutral and law demons to the game to offset that. I'm constantly flip floping between strange journey, nocturne and devil survivor as the best smt game (SMT 4 is a bit below those 3 for me because of a few low points in the game). One can only hope atlus will eventually port these games to PC and newer consoles. The only thing I felt missing here was a discussion of the new endings introduced in redux, yes you can ignore them but still when ppl complain about that game that's usually their biggest argument. I for one prefer the new endings because they all focus on holding on to at least some hope for humanity and are a bit less extreme with some more nuance.
You're right, I have no idea how I forgot about the endings. They're a solid suite of new endings, but they didn't induce much emotion out of me. They're good though, I don't have any major problems with them.
@@DogmasDomain Im fine with being different but theres no depth at all, also let me correct myself, "If I could transfer SMT IV Apocalypse battle system", its my favourite of all time!
Great video. I think you should play DeSu, I just finished it recently and that game does a great job of building what's going on within the lockdown zone. It has some fantastic characters and a lot of routes that are good in their own right. Personally, I am not a fan of the upscaling used on the game/footage in this video, the text and assets look smeared and ugly.
Glad you enjoyed the video and I'll have to check out Desu! Regarding the upscaling and textures, no one complained about it with the SMT4 video so I thought why not. I'll stop using mods and upscaling going forward. Thanks for the feedback!
I think it was Marsh that made a vid on Strange Journey and Redux and I'll repeat what I said there about Redux. I never played OG SJ, only Redux, and I did find the combat was a little trivialized, but still required strategy because of how stringent demon abilities were even if the Commander abilities added a lot. Also I find SJ's music is better than Metaphor's, it's more bombastic and fits the tone very well. People have problems with the new endings, but I love them because of how much work it takes to get them. You drag yourself over broken glass for 3 really harsh decisions. You drag yourself through magma to get a good ending you deserve in Redux. Womb of Grief, even if you trivialized combat, is hell as a dungeon. Especially the final area when going after Shekinah. Sometimes hard work, effort and time Does pay off. Sometimes you Can change a person's convictions. Sometimes, rarely, one in a million, your hard work pays off and you can change the world. Also the ideas of how they tweak each ending to make the Neutral Good, Chaotic Good and Lawful Good endings I feel really fit with their associated character's convictions.. CG - Reminding Jimenez that the human in him is what Bugaboo was drawn to and that humans and demons can compliment each other. LG - Showing Zelenin that her wish to protect mankind means nothing if there's no mankind to protect and that she's being used to rob people of free will by a higher power when the core desire she wanted was safety. And lastly that Neutral Good ending, which I can barely call Good, hurts a lot. Whoever came up with that idea as an ending deserves an award on their own. If mankind can't change, at least you can, and if one person cherishes people that much they'd sacrifice everything of themselves to keep the world safe, they'll do it. Eternal vigilance. The only reason the world lives on today is because a small group of people or even one person sacrificed nearly everything they had against a mountain of opposition to keep it going. (Also lot of Madoka Magica vibes)
Completely opposite view on Redux's gameplay changes. In my opinion, allowing for all sub-apps to be on simultaneously remove an enormous amount of tedium related to capturing demons and finding formas as you can do all of those at the same time instead of grinding each separately and artificially inflating the play time. The random Commander skills helps counter the the poor balancing done on bosses and random battles by the original dev team.
I agree the revamped app system helps cuts the tedium, but this change causes players to never engage with it after turning everything on. While it does add to the run time, it's a funny edition to dungeon crawling that really enhances the old school dungeon crawling design. Also, outside of Mem Aleph, I disagree with bosses being badly designed. They're much better than Nocturne's and 4s bosses. The commander skills drastically shift the game in your favor, randomly activate (meaning we can't plan around them), and clashes with the atmosphere. It's funny because despite these issues, I still prefer Redux
Fun video of one of my favorite games. That being said, how do people still have trouble with demon conversation. There is an easy trick to it. Just use the demons personality when you pick answers, not alignment. Kid like to learn and play games, older man/woman like respectful answers, wilders are more instincts and primal answers, Etc. Its not that hard. Sure, some demons are just dickheads and steal your macca and flee, but this method will up your chances of succes by 60%. This counts for all SMT demon negotiations. Have fun recruiting yall.
@@DogmasDomain upscaling wouldn't add that smoothing. It's either the type of AA your emulator used (which can be changed) or a filter. Hey, if that's what you like then that's fine. Personally I think it's off-putting.
I played Redux and absolutely hated the voice acting. Listening to characters who are canonically speaking English have their lines read in Japanese was incredibly immersion-breaking. Thank god the game lets you turn it off.
I will exchange my soul and accept an afterlife of suffering if we can get HD Remakes of Strange Journey, IV and SMT 1
This might be the realest comment on RUclips ngl
Complete tangent here, but honestly, I think this musical score is better than the score of Metaphor Refantazio for me. Not that Metaphor has a bad soundtrack, I just feel that the composition of Strange Journey is next level. Something about the creative use of the chants, and orchestral instruments is really well done in Strange Journey. Music in Strange Journey really gives gravitas to events in game. There's more I could mention, such as the complete contrast between law and chaos themes in this game to the rest of the music, but this comment is already long enough as is
You know what, I completely agree with this! Metaphor's soundtrack is good, but Stange Journey is really on a different level. I think it blends really well the atmosphere and what the game is trying to accomplish. Everything feels much more grand and dire at the same time. Gravitas is a great way to describe it!
@@macemaster5295 for real dude, I can’t vibe with metaphor soundtrack because it feels like something I already hear and Is a downgrade to SJ soundtrack ( the battle themes are extremely similar)
@@macemaster5295 Metaphor OST is shit.
I absolutely love Strange Journey. It was the first Shin Megami Tensei game I ever played, and at the time, I found it incredibly challenging. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had unknowingly started with what many fans consider the hardest game in the series.
That said, my only issue with the original Strange Journey is how the endings are handled. The law and chaos endings feel far too extreme, which, in my opinion, nudges most players toward the neutral ending since it offers a more hopeful outlook for humanity's future. This, unfortunately, undermines the impact and appeal of the other two endings.
I would fix this by replacing the original neutral ending with Redux's version, which reveals that humanity never truly learns, and the Schwarzwelt cycle continues. This approach would make players confront the possibility of real, lasting change and force them to consider all three options. I think this creates a more meaningful narrative conclusion that reflects the name sake of SMT. ❤
Starting with Strange Journey is ambitious and probably made the other game easier for you! And I agree with your take on Redux's neutral ending. I will say though that the themes discussed with the villains throughout the game allude to everything that you're saying. I felt everything you described after playing the original game once or twice! Regardless, I don't think Redux is as AWFUL as some people seem to believe. Thanks for comment and sticking around the channel!
Amazing video, very well put on how strange journey stands out in the shin megami tensei series.
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sticking around the channel. This video was definitely a bit loaded, but Strange Journey really tackles a LOT. Next Atlus video will be on Metaphor, which I'm (hopefully) finishing up soon!
Amazing video and discussion!! Can't believe I saw it so soon after the posting. I am a HUGE fan of Strange Journey (original, not redux as much) and it is tied with P5R as my favorite Megaten game in general. I completely agree with the narrative being near if not the peak of SMT writing and think it is especially poignant in today's world. Personally the neutral ending always hit me the hardest, because it doesn't even leave you with a happy feeling, just kind of like you got done with a tough, long day at work and have to go home. Chaos has always been my favorite though because of how much I love Jimenez's character and I think it is a logical conclusion to reach given the experiences in the Shwarzwelt. You play as the premier member of the strike team, and witnessing the flaws of humanity and the more human side of demons seems to fit well with the chaos philosophy in this game. Thanks for the great watch, keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed the video! It was a month-long project and I'm happy it came out well. Strange Journey really tackles a ton of themes and interesting subject matter that I haven't heard other creators dive into. It's one of those games I'll try to play every year because it's so engaging! And I agree with Jimenez's approach after seeing what he's seen and been through. Given his experiences, it's hard to feel anything other than frustration for mankind. I think Strange Journey's narrative will only become more relatable and disturbing as time passes! Again, I'm happy you enjoyed and that you're stick around the channel! I know I upload a lot of random stuff!
I know it’s a fairly neutral take but my playthrough of the original version of this game might be my most fond SMT memories. I need to get around to trying redux one day. The pure dungeon crawling and exploring the maps while slowly getting more and more powerful was just such a great experience.
The DS games in general are all so solid and are slowly being lost to time because the format of the console is so unique.
Playing strange journey on the DS must have been crazy! And yeah, Nintendo, in particular, is awful at preserving their stuff. It's a shame we have to pray for remakes because the DS and 3DS libraries are some gaming's best
Strange Journey is the game that comes to mind when I think a Live Action movie (3 parts perhaps) could adapt well to the medium
The manga was great, but an anime or adaptation done right would win awards
I'm one of the few who enjoyed Redux a lot more, WoG had some wild design choices with teleporter shenanigans that rivaled Eridanus, which I actually loved a lot. New bosses, especially Shekinah who is probably my favorite design in the series, were super enjoyable.
Shoving the super-human power into the demonica instead of the actual character worked really well considering the setting of a highly advanced human culture that abuses the planet for power.
Before playing SJ I was super sceptical of the tile-based dungeoncrawling design as I didn't really enjoy the crawling in the 90s Atlus games. But it's probably one of the most immersive games I've ever played with a ton of exploration and secret paths hidden all around. The vision upgrades and Phase Shift gave me a lot of Metroid vibes.
While you actually had more contact to other humans in SJ compared to other SMT titles but the oppressive atmosphere definitely rivaled the desolate explorative feel stuck in a horrifying world much like the early metroid titles.
Considering the tech limitations I'm still in awe how immersive both SJ and SJR are to me. The even more dissonant menu sounds in og SJ made the atmosphere even more horrifying accompanied by the more muted colors and lack of voice acting.
The lack of the field save also helped this constant feel of terror. While the other SMT definitely got more grim visuals (organic megastructures like the cosmic egg in SMT4a for example), SJ and SJR feel much more like an RPG-infused survival horror.
Amazing vid
Glad you enjoyed my 3 weeks of labor 😂
Redux was my first SMT game (picked diet chaos) and honestly I just remember how much research I had to do to finish the game (it’s THAT dungeon that got me crying out of frustration)
It’s a great time. *wipes tears as I pour over another teleporter map*
I honestly did attempt other dungeon game but I couldn’t get it because my next dungeon crawler didn’t have side buttons and felt much slower
Sounds like we had the same experience haha. What other dungeon crawlers did you play? I'm thinking of trying more!
Another banger! Don't really have much to say cause I haven't played strange journey.
I'm glad you enjoyed and hopefully it was worth the wait. This game is so special
Hell yeah I was just looking for a new long SJ video but I had watched them all haha perfect timing. Should reinstall the ol' emulator
LOVE to hear it! Did you enjoy the video?
@@DogmasDomain i did! i am running it back in-fact lol.
@@MrTreespace Let's go! 3 weeks well spent!
24:43 Once you get to play devil survivor 1, you might change this opinion. That game's writing and "worldbuilding" is peak. Sj has atmosphere while DeSu1 sells you the descend into madness of a lockdown.
If it's anywhere near I'll happily change my opinion! The nuanced exploration of humanity is really why I love Strange Journey. I'm so happy I could finally make this video!
BGs with a 100% 1000%
16:55 Was that a editing error? That seems like unintentional repetition.
Probably just bad writing, my bad.
SMT: Strange journey was my first SMT game and honestly i feel it was a mistake since SMTIV really felt like 3 steps back where everyone was writen for the alignment.
Also beside EO 1 and 2 i think this is one of the few ATLUS games where items are ungodly powerful and by endgame you are relying more on the MC than the demons for everything.
Also Trying to do a full law demon only playthrough is suffering. I understand that there are neutral demons that cover most law demons lack of utility but i want my co-op attack damnit.
I really should go complete redux. I donno why but it just doesnt hook me as much as the DS SJ.
Strange Journey as your first MegaTen game seems like an easy way to disappoint yourself. Other MegaTen games are great as well but starting at the top of the mountain and then going down must be hard. SMT4, despite its minor problems, is a really solid modern entry though! And yeah, a law playthrough is pain and suffering especially in the end game!
Also on your point of all the best demons being chaos alignment, I feel that is partially because the bosses are all chaos. I understand why, but it always seemed more fitting for them to be neutral since they are reflections of humanity. but eh, what are you gonna do
Those law demons are some trash cans I'm not going to lie, and, yeah, it makes sense why Chaos gets all the good demons. The game is mostly balanced well all around though!
The chaos aligment just being better is legit. Atlus certainly though so too because Redux focused on adding neutral and law demons to the game to offset that. I'm constantly flip floping between strange journey, nocturne and devil survivor as the best smt game (SMT 4 is a bit below those 3 for me because of a few low points in the game). One can only hope atlus will eventually port these games to PC and newer consoles.
The only thing I felt missing here was a discussion of the new endings introduced in redux, yes you can ignore them but still when ppl complain about that game that's usually their biggest argument. I for one prefer the new endings because they all focus on holding on to at least some hope for humanity and are a bit less extreme with some more nuance.
You're right, I have no idea how I forgot about the endings. They're a solid suite of new endings, but they didn't induce much emotion out of me. They're good though, I don't have any major problems with them.
I'd have liked to hear about the redux endings.
You know what's funny? I looked at them and didn't feel much for them. They were fine, nothing's wrong with them!
If I could transfer SMT IV Edit:Apocalypse battle system to Strange Journey it would be my fav SMT game.
The game would be better with press turn, but I respect them for trying something different! Press turn is so good though
@@DogmasDomain Im fine with being different but theres no depth at all, also let me correct myself, "If I could transfer SMT IV Apocalypse battle system", its my favourite of all time!
@@vinigmoura we'd probably celebrate the system if it wasn't part of SMT lol
I donno SMIRK is the most unbalanced version of presstun leading to bosses turn 0 killing you
I feel SMTV Magatsuhi system to be a better compromise
@@llysender in SMT Iv yes but I really meant SMT IV Apocalypse
Love this game
Quite possibly the best MegaTen game
Great video. I think you should play DeSu, I just finished it recently and that game does a great job of building what's going on within the lockdown zone. It has some fantastic characters and a lot of routes that are good in their own right.
Personally, I am not a fan of the upscaling used on the game/footage in this video, the text and assets look smeared and ugly.
Glad you enjoyed the video and I'll have to check out Desu! Regarding the upscaling and textures, no one complained about it with the SMT4 video so I thought why not. I'll stop using mods and upscaling going forward. Thanks for the feedback!
I still think smt4A did the combat system the best, despite all the flaws in the story
I need to play apocalypse...
I think it was Marsh that made a vid on Strange Journey and Redux and I'll repeat what I said there about Redux. I never played OG SJ, only Redux, and I did find the combat was a little trivialized, but still required strategy because of how stringent demon abilities were even if the Commander abilities added a lot. Also I find SJ's music is better than Metaphor's, it's more bombastic and fits the tone very well.
People have problems with the new endings, but I love them because of how much work it takes to get them. You drag yourself over broken glass for 3 really harsh decisions. You drag yourself through magma to get a good ending you deserve in Redux. Womb of Grief, even if you trivialized combat, is hell as a dungeon. Especially the final area when going after Shekinah. Sometimes hard work, effort and time Does pay off. Sometimes you Can change a person's convictions. Sometimes, rarely, one in a million, your hard work pays off and you can change the world.
Also the ideas of how they tweak each ending to make the Neutral Good, Chaotic Good and Lawful Good endings I feel really fit with their associated character's convictions.. CG - Reminding Jimenez that the human in him is what Bugaboo was drawn to and that humans and demons can compliment each other. LG - Showing Zelenin that her wish to protect mankind means nothing if there's no mankind to protect and that she's being used to rob people of free will by a higher power when the core desire she wanted was safety. And lastly that Neutral Good ending, which I can barely call Good, hurts a lot. Whoever came up with that idea as an ending deserves an award on their own. If mankind can't change, at least you can, and if one person cherishes people that much they'd sacrifice everything of themselves to keep the world safe, they'll do it. Eternal vigilance. The only reason the world lives on today is because a small group of people or even one person sacrificed nearly everything they had against a mountain of opposition to keep it going. (Also lot of Madoka Magica vibes)
Completely opposite view on Redux's gameplay changes. In my opinion, allowing for all sub-apps to be on simultaneously remove an enormous amount of tedium related to capturing demons and finding formas as you can do all of those at the same time instead of grinding each separately and artificially inflating the play time. The random Commander skills helps counter the the poor balancing done on bosses and random battles by the original dev team.
I agree the revamped app system helps cuts the tedium, but this change causes players to never engage with it after turning everything on. While it does add to the run time, it's a funny edition to dungeon crawling that really enhances the old school dungeon crawling design. Also, outside of Mem Aleph, I disagree with bosses being badly designed. They're much better than Nocturne's and 4s bosses. The commander skills drastically shift the game in your favor, randomly activate (meaning we can't plan around them), and clashes with the atmosphere. It's funny because despite these issues, I still prefer Redux
Fun video of one of my favorite games.
That being said, how do people still have trouble with demon conversation. There is an easy trick to it.
Just use the demons personality when you pick answers, not alignment.
Kid like to learn and play games, older man/woman like respectful answers, wilders are more instincts and primal answers, Etc. Its not that hard. Sure, some demons are just dickheads and steal your macca and flee, but this method will up your chances of succes by 60%. This counts for all SMT demon negotiations. Have fun recruiting yall.
Hey, I'm happy you enjoyed! And a 60% success rate is still a coin toss lol
Why do you play with that godawful filter?
Which one?
@@DogmasDomain whatever's smeared all over the SJ gameplay.
@@doublezeta2025 It's upscaled?
@@DogmasDomain upscaling wouldn't add that smoothing. It's either the type of AA your emulator used (which can be changed) or a filter.
Hey, if that's what you like then that's fine. Personally I think it's off-putting.
I played Redux and absolutely hated the voice acting. Listening to characters who are canonically speaking English have their lines read in Japanese was incredibly immersion-breaking. Thank god the game lets you turn it off.