Looking to get a JRPG for 3DS, what should I get?

[kelsoanim]

I have only played through a couple of JRPGs so I'm still pretty new to the genre. I am planning on getting Bravely Default when it comes out next month but I want something to tide me over until then. I've narrowed my options down a bit but I don't know enough to decide between these options. Can you give me some advice on what you think I would enjoy the most? It's hard for me to guess what I will like most as they all seem pretty different from each other. Let me know if you really think I should consider something else too.

Shin Megami Tensei IV
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl
Tales of the Abyss

[sosoyo180]

If you want a classic insanely difficult JRPG experience, go for Shin Megani Tensei IV, that game will rip you a new one.

Etrian Odyssey IV is a dungeon crawler that isn't as 'hardcore difficult' as Shin Megamt Tensei IV.

and that's pretty much all i know about those

[BoneSnapDeez]

You know that the 3DS plays DS games, right? That really opens the JRPG floodgates.

As far as 3DS games go - I'd recommend both Etrian Odyssey titles. Incredibly addictive dungeon crawlers.

[kelsoanim]

Hmm, didn't know SMT IV was super hard. Maybe I should stay away from that one. I do have a DS, I was just thinking it would be nice to get a 3DS RPG cause newer things are fun too and I like playing my 3DS XL. If I did go for a DS game I was thinking about Radiant Historia, one of the Dragon Quest games or maybe FF III or IV. So many choices, so little time...

[noiseredux]

don't let SMT IV intimidate you. You can drop the difficulty if you find it too tough. It's such an awesome game though!

[kelsoanim]

Hmm, maybe I'll give it go then after all. I like the kind of cyber-punky vibe the SMT games seem to have. On a side note, I stumbled across the soundtrack on youtube and man is it good! I love the retro synth sound of it. Good music is important to me in a game, helps get me engaged and immersed.

[sosoyo180]

You mentioned FFIV DS, and that is a personal favourite of mine. I don't know if you've played the Snes version, but either way it is an amazing JRPG with great graphics, music and a surprising amount of replayability.

That's my highest recommendation and you can usually get it for pretty cheap!

[Zing]

Based on impressions from players in other regions, Bravely Default seems the obvious answer. Can you wait a few weeks?

[kelsoanim]

Don't worry, I'll be getting Bravely Default when it comes out. I just needed something to satiate me while I wait.

So I ended up giving SMT IV a try and I think I'm hooked. It's funny, I'm usually put off by mixed aesthetics but for some reason I'm totally cool with the presentation in the game. Even with the mix of styles, 2D and 3D and animated and still elements the game's world is engrossing enough to get sucked in.

The game totally kicked me in the gut in the first 15 minutes of gameplay, but I think it was necessary to teach me the rules of the game. I kept dying on the first mini-boss until I realized that I wasn't paying attention to weaknesses and I didn't have any healers on my team yet. 20 more minutes of grinding and I knocked the mini-boss out easy and it's been much more smooth since. I'm about 5 hours in and have been unintentionally grinding just to try and recruit all of the demons and level them up to unlock abilities. Nice gameplay loop there, makes it hard to put down.

[skyknight]

the SMT series has been underrated, it doesn't have the complex Social Link system in Persona. But the battle system requires you to pay attention to elemental weakness, and then there is the Law/Order, Chaos, and Neutral alignment that your MC chooses, which does extend gameplay.

and I am also waiting for Bravely Defaut.