(Nowhere to go but here.)

: What’s sad is that this isn’t even the most predictable thing that’s happened today.

The man seems to be staring at your COMP.

: Generation Y represent.

: Or maybe Z.  It’s kinda up in the air at this point.

: …I see.  Well, there isn’t much else to do.

: Not until the looting starts, at least.

: I’m Yasuyuki Honda.  Since we’re all locked up together, why don’t we try to help each other out?  If we run into each other again, let’s share what we’ve found out.

The man calling himself Honda walked off…

: You know, I don’t think that guy actually makes cars.

: I’m just glad we didn’t have to walk all the way up there ourselves.

: Looks like we’ll have to try somewhere else.  What other ways out could there be…?

: That’s not funny.  I’d rather go around asking people than do that.

: Hey, Atsuro, you’re people.  Is there a way out?

: Nope.

: So much for that plan, then.

Tokyo: Hiba Park

Shibuya: Yuzu (); Kaido & Honda (&)

Shiba Park: Tokyo Tower

(…I don’t know why this wasn’t just part of the last update.  It’s probably ’cause I haven’t met my ‘making myself look like a stupid asshole’ quota yet.  Anyway, vote for where you want to go next and let’s try to get this back on track.)

: Hey, do you know this guy?

: No, but he’s kinda freakin’ me out.

: Tell me about it.  Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear him.

: Huh?  What do you want?

: I probably should have seen that one coming.

: Do you kids know Haru?

: Oh, great, it’s one of those guys.

: Uh, well…  We’ve talked to her a few times.  Who are you?

: Hey, Yuzu, do you think we could maybe not oblige the creepy stalker?

: Well, I saw her street show yesterday, and I must say, it was deeply moving.  Even through that pocket amp, her singing was breathtaking!  I work for a record label, and I’d really like to speak with her.  Could you introduce me?

: What kind of idiot-

: Do you really have to ask?

: No way…!  Haru’s going to hit the big time!?

: Oh, for fuck’s sake.

: I called my boss, and he said he definitely wants her to sign.  I just need to find her.

: Just because Yuzu’s an idiot doesn’t mean all of us are.

: Wh-What did you say, you little…!?  What makes you think I’m lying!?

: Gladly.  You say you saw Haru’s show and then called your boss?

: S-So what!?

: This is a clear contradiction, Your Honor!

: Alright, cut it out.  No Phoenix Wright jokes this time.

: Fine, go ahead, stomp all over my dreams.

: Anyway, the point here is that the phone lines aren’t working.

: You expect us to believe you used your cell phone in the lockdown?

: …!  No… that’s… that’s right!  I got the date wrong!

: …She was using her pocket amp because the power was out.  But keep trying.

: Ngh… I-I’ll remember this, you little brats!  I’m outta here!

: What a loser.

: Simmer down, Yuzu.  He’s not worth the trouble.

: Grr…!  Who WAS that guy!?  What did he want with Haru!?

: Dunno.  I guess even indie artists get stalked by creepy weirdos.

: If he shows up again, we’ll kick his ass.

: We should probably tell Haru to watch her back, though.

(The only options left are this and the Highway Offramp, so we’re headed to Kannagi-cho in accordance with the “not what Yuzu wants to do” policy.)

: Asshole.

: Hypocrite.

You look inside the container and see piles of rations and relief goods…

According to other people, and SDF helicopter dropped this container here and flew away.

You and Atsuro hurried over to get food…

: Oh, boy.  Water and… uh… whatever the hell this thing is.

: It’s a protein bar.

: I dunno, is it?  “Rations” is hella vague.

: This is weird, though.  Don’t they usually hand this stuff out themselves?

: This is like throwing a handful of food into an animal’s cage!

: Assuming this disturbingly nondescript block is actually edible, that is.

: Well, that’s true, but…

: I dunno, this seems really off.  We already know we can’t trust the government, but now they won’t even come in to distribute rations?  Is there something they know that we don’t?

: Maybe we’ve got demon plague or something.

: I’m just worried about what’s gonna happen once people figure out nobody’s coming to save us.

: No way…  What’s going to happen to us, then…?

: –and soon everyone else will, too.  It’ll be like Bioshock for nihilists.

: Nah, it’s probably just gonna be a lot of rioting.

: …

: But enough about that.  Let’s keep moving.

(Well, there’s no more putting it off.  Next time we’re doing what Yuzu wants.)

: Should we say hi?

: Nah, let’s just eavesdrop.

: It’s really amazing.  I just happened to find it.

: So, this is that thing…?  Then what that one customer left behind must also be…

: Uh.

: Oh.  I guess that’s not so bad, then.

: Gin…?  What’s the matter?

: …Never mind.  It’s nothing.

: I can’t wait to hear about Gin’s personal problems.

: Okay…  Well, I’m meeting up with the guys in the Daemons, so excuse me.

Omotesando: Omotesando

Shinjuku: Kannagi-cho

(So uh this is a really bad place to pick back up, seeing how that lasted all of five text boxes.  I’m going to try and get a bunch of updates out over the next few days, so vote for where you want to go next.)

Voice: The cause behind the explosion that occurred two days ago at around 19:00 in Aoyama Cemetery has been confirmed to be a spark caused by power cables coming into contact and igniting a poison gas that had seeped out into the area.  The gas outbreak has been seen in several different areas.  We are currently identifying the cause of the gas and are attempting to identify it.  We ask for your continued understanding and cooperation during this time of crisis.

: I spent the last day fighting monsters using a magical DS, and that’s still the least plausible story I’ve ever heard.

: I dunno, it could explain a lot.  Maybe the demons were actually a shared hallucination brought about by the poison gas.

: I take that back.

: A poison gas caught fire, huh…?

: Yeah, you’d have to be a moron to buy into that.  It’s a painfully transparent cover-up.  We can’t trust the government, but we already knew that.

: Well, it’s not like they can just come out and say “hey everybody, you’re all going to get horribly murdered by demons!”

: …Hey, do you think the government really doesn’t know that demons exist?

: And what, they barricaded a huge chunk of the city just for kicks?  Don’t be stupid.

Beep.

: Looks like the Laplace Mail is in.

GooD moRninG.

Here iS today’s NEWS.

1. A monster will appear in Minato-ku Shiba at 17:00.  Thanks to the Shomonkai, no people will be killed by it.

2. At 18:00 in Toyoshima-ku Ikebukuro over 50 people will be killed by a monster.

3. Throughout the day, sightings of monsters known as demons will be reported.

Havvvvve ■ nicE DAy.

: Why’d they farm this out to an Insane demon?

(There’s also an email about Auto Skills.  In addition to their three actives and three passives, human characters also get a slot for a single Auto Skill.  Auto Skills activate immediately at the start of every first-person combat round.  They’re pretty much all buffs.  For demons, the Auto slot is taken up by their racial passive, which means you can only crack Auto Skills from human enemies.)

: An unknown monster in Ikebukuro, 50 casualties… it has to be a demon, right?

: It could always be an unrelated Godzilla attack.

: Hey, Trielo.  How many days do we have left?

: But really it’s six.  Seven in the remake.

: If it still says that, then we’re not going to die if we get involved in Ikebukuro…

: Well, I mean, you’re wrong about the death clock, but we’re still not gonna die if we get involved on account of how awesome we are.

: We have to be careful.  We’ve already proven that the number can go up, and that means it can go down, too.

: Ugh, that’s right…

: We’re still totally gonna kick some ass, though.

: There’s still a lot we don’t know about demons.  We can’t get cocky fighting them.

: There may be a lot that you don’t know about fighting demons, but I, on the other hand, have played a video game before.

: Fighting demons isn’t a game!  If we lose…

: Hahaha, okay, I can’t say that with a straight face.

: Hey…  Are we really going to find a way out by tomorrow?  I’m sick of all this…

: Nope!  We’re just gonna have to stay alive the old-fashioned way: magic.

: So long as we’re prepared, we can take on any demons we want to.

: Atsuro!  Stop assuming that we have to fight!  Let’s focus on getting home, first!  If we can get outside the Yamanote circle, we’ll be safe and we won’t have to fight!

: You just keep telling yourself that.

: So… what are we going to do from here?  Walk around all over the place again?

: Higher than what?  You mean, above ground level?  Did those helicopters get you thinking?

: All I’m saying is, if we can’t just walk out, maybe we can get our parkour on and climb over the barricades.  Or we could build a whining-propelled jetpack and you can fly us over.

: …If we really could fly, we could hop over the lockdown barriers that way.

: Hm… hop over the lockdown…

: Oh, hey!  What about the highway?  We could get up on top of one of those big raised roads and go over the barrierrs!

: You’re not serious, are you?

: Maybe…!  The highway runs right past Shibuya Station.

: Dammit guys, I was joking!

: Talk about perfect timing!

: Timing?  What are you- oh to hell with it.

: Yeah!  It’s better than sitting here doing nothing!

Omotesando: Gin & Kaido (&); Omotesando

Shinjuku: Kannagi-cho

(Every day ends at 7 PM, and nighttime means lots of talking.)

: Right now, we should focus on finding a place to spend the night.  It’s probably not a good idea to fight in the dark.

: Demons still aren’t vampires.

: Yeah, but we can’t see, so let’s hurry and find shelter.  You guys have any friends in the Yamanote circle?

: And he’s not really a “friend” either.

: Same here.  All of my best friends live outside the area.  If I could just use my cell, I bet one of my friends could hook us up…

: I know what you mean.  If I could get online, I’d probably find us a place in no time.

: That has “bad idea” written all over it.

: Whatever, I’m not gonna argue the point.  We should probably stop worrying about things we can’t do.

: You mean like  not getting mauled by demons in our sleep?

: Ah, we’ll be fine.  We just have to camp out again.

: Lovely.

: Well…  I’m pretty tired of walking, so I don’t really care where we crash.  I just want to get away from the demons for a while and wipe off all this sweat…

: Ew.

: Let’s try the park.  There should be people and water there.

: What about food?  We only had bread for lunch…  If nothing comes in, does that mean we’ll go hungry?

: Don’t worry, I bet the writers will completely forget about the food thing after this scene.

: It’ll work out…?  I didn’t know you were the optimistic type, Trielo…

: Not really.  I just play too many video games.

: Anyway, let’s go over everything that happened today.

: Aw, c’mon, do-

: Yes.  And you better take notes.

: It’s an email and it tells the future and, uh… I think that’s about it.

: Yep.

: It looks like demons have been around for a while, and we didn’t even know it…

: Just like the reptillians.

: Yeah, just- wait, no.  Shut up.

: We’re fighting against the demons that appeared, right?

: No, Yuzu, don’t you understand?  They were already here.

: Maybe, but even so… the only way to beat them is to summon other demons… I dunno, I don’t like it.

: Look, I’m not really sure what -ism applies to demons, but you’re gonna have to get over your bigotry if you want to live.

: I guess…

: It fuses demons together to make a new demon, right…?  Sheez, that’s weird…

: “Sheez?”

: Actually, it really is kinda freaky when you think about it.  Like, if you two merged together and became me…

: Well, maybe, but- wait, what?

: Wh-what!?  Joined together!?  Leave us out of your nightmare fantasies, okay!?

: Seriously, what the hell?

: Calm down!  It’s just an example.

: Well, they inherit abilities, so it sounds like they have the previous demons’ minds…

: So you think I’d have both your memories and Trielo’s?

: I mean, I guess it’s some kind of weird- wait why the hell am I still thinking about this?

: And where does the ‘fusion as demon-sex’ metaphor fit in here?

: I hate you.

: We’ve already spent enough time talking about nothing.

: I guess we’ll have to get better with our COMPs… but how long will this go on?

: We’ve still got a while to go.  I mean, we just finished the tutorial.

: Why’d it take so damn long to get fusion and stuff, anyway?

: Naoya’s just easing us into the mechanics.

: You mean Atlus.

: Let’s call it both.

: Not cool!  There’s no reason for Naoya to drag us into this!

: Nah, he’s got his reasons.

: Oh yeah?  Like what?

: Probably something bad.

: I’m sure we’ll run into him eventually.  You can ask him then.

: You’re right…  Sorry.  Yeah, let’s do that.

: Maybe if I don’t say anything, they won’t make me-

: And we should take turns sleeping, right…?

: Dammit Yuzu.

: …I wanna go home…

the entire system to become unstable.

: Give him billions of dollars to build infrastructure, and he can’t even keep the mail up during the day?  That’s capitalism for ya.

As a precaution, I’ve restricted email usage during the day to the server’s automated functions and to the administrator, me.  Sorry, but you’ll only be able to use the COMP’s email at night.  Bear with me here.

You can only do so much by yourself.  Be sure to communicate.

: Yuzu would use stupid anime smiley faces.

get out really bugs me.  I’m okay with you guys during the day but at night I’m like OH NOEZ!

: I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that she thinks I’m gonna try to sleep with her or the fact that she said “OH NOEZ!”

If I could use my cel phone to call home i wouldn’t be so worried.

Maaaaaaaan… If only i could get a hot shower id feel a little refreshed.  I wish i knew someone who lived around here…

: If I could type more than a single sentence, I’d probably throw in “stop writing like a goddamn four year old.”

because he knew the world would be filled with demons?  Or is he the one to causing them to appear in the first place?  Insufficient data… I just can’t figure it out.

I stopped talking about it because we can’t get an answer, but I really wonder what Naoya’s goals are here.

The mail said the lockdown will stay for a while, but I doubt it’ll stay like this.  Things are getting worse by the minute.  What’s going to happen?

I really wish I had more information…

: Other than “something evil,” I mean.

: She’s right… I can sense a bunch of them nearby.

: Wait, when did you guys turn psychic?

: Demons, huh…?  What should we do?

: Simple.  If fighting is sure to result in victory, then we must fight!

: You seem pretty confident.

: Hey, we’re not slated to die for another two days.

: But we just proved that doesn’t actually mean anything.

: Oh well, it’s too late now.

: My money’s on “warp zone.”

: Called it.

: No you didn’t.

: This must be why there are so many demons here…

: Yeah…  We have to do something about it, or they’ll keep coming!

: Just try not to get telefragged, okay?

(This fight’s basically just here to introduce the ‘demon spawn point’ mechanic, so I’m using the same party as last time.)

(This time around, we’ve got two passive abilities to pick up.  + skills give physical attacks a chance to inflict a status effect.  They’re somewhat useful, but by the end you’ve got much better passives for your physical characters.  Mana Bonus gives a slight boost to the character’s MP pool, which is good since you will run out of MP in longer fights, even early on.)

(There’s not a whole lot of variety in placements, but I still managed to make a bad decision here.)

: How should I know?

(Rogue COMPs appear as red-and-yellow squares on the map.  They’ll spawn a new team of demons every couple of turns until you walk over and pick them up.  This isn’t the last time we’ll see them, but they’re not terribly common.)

(This one’s a gimme.  You can easily take care of it before it spawns any demons.)

: Oh boy, I smell a mini-

The miasma disappeared when the COMP was stopped.

: Nevermind.

: Yesssss!  We have to stop the other COMP now!

(This is where I messed up the positions.  Atsuro has a Moh Shuvuu, whose racial ability lets you move an extra space.  If I had put him on the right-hand side, or given Trielo the Moh Shuvuu, I could have taken the initiative and attacked on the first turn.)

(Anyway, about ten minutes and a couple of close calls later, I cleared out the last of the demons without making it over to the other COMP.)

: You’re getting used to beating up demons?  That’s either psychotic or awesome.

: Or both!  Anyway, let’s pick up that other COMP and get out of here.

(You don’t need to actually clear out the COMPs, so long as you get rid of all the demons.)

: Now… how could demons have come out of the COMP on their own?

: What I want to know is, why’s there a COMP on the ground here?

: And by dropped, I mean…

: Yeah.  Someone got an altered COMP, fired it up… and then the demons came.

: Demons drive me crazy.

: Huh… so whoever it was…

: Yep.

: Hope it wasn’t anybody we know.

: …

: Oh.  I guess the demons we summon come from somewhere, huh?  You think there’s a world of demons on the other side of the COMP?

: Well, anything’s possible…

: Well, if there is a world of demons, then that means the COMP is transporting them here, right?  So then, technically, that makes the COMPs…

: No.  No it doesn’t.

: Anyway, this COMP might come in handy later.  Let’s take it with us.

: Fine, but you have to carry it.

: Oh, I figured that out.

: Wait, when’d you do that?

: I’ve had plenty of time.  As it turns out, the Demon Summoning Program is a client.

: Client…?  Can you explain that in regular-people words?

: God dammit Yuzu.

: Alright, I don’t feel like explaining this twice, so pay attention.  Programs come in two types: Standalone software and networked software.  The networked kind are made up of a host and a client.

: P2P doesn’t count.  That’s for pirates.

(I just thought Yuzu’s expression changing was funny.)

: Seriously you don’t have to explain this shit.

: Urgh, I still don’t get it…  You’re gonna have to explain this some more.

: God dammit Yuzu what did I just say?

: [Sigh.]

: All the client does is send a request to the server and receive the results.  The server does all the actual processing, so even a low-end machine can run the client.  These COMPs aren’t particularly powerful, but they have good networking routines and can just pull data from the server.

: So… basically… these COMPs don’t actually do much.  All the real work is done on the server, and the COMP just uses the results from there?

: Whoa, you got it!

: Praise the Lord.

: So… where’s this server thing?

: That’s a good question.

: Wow, two miracles in a row.

: It really is, though.  I have no idea where the server is, and I don’t have any way to look for it right now.  I could try and trace it, but not with a normal PC…

: Would that actually do anything for us?

: If we can find the server, we can monkey with it all we want.  In theory, we could summon and dismiss demons at will.

: I’m down with near-omnipotence.

: I know, right?  It’d be a blast!

: Uh… I think it’s more important to find a way out first!

: Personally, I’d rather become unto God than go home.

: No, Degrassi’s set in Canada, not Japan.  Don’t worry, I get them mixed up all the time too.

: No, not that kind.  It’s… internet withdrawal!  A really bad case, too… I haven’t logged on in days!

: …Seriously?

: No, you don’t get it!  I’m missing so much!  It’ll take me hours to catch up to the pony thread!

: Uh.

: Don’t you judge me!

: …Anyway, speaking of the ‘net, a girl in the class next to ours had her bike stolen.

: Wait, how does that-

: Well, see, she made a pissed-off post about it on her blog, asking her readers for info…

: Oh, okay.  I get it now.

: And what do you know, some guy out there had seen the bike abandoned on the street!  Pretty amazing, huh?  Even a stranger might be a friend on the Internet!

: Besides, I question the friendliness of guys who read high school girls’ blogs.

: I guess you could see it that way, but… if she hadn’t posted, she’d never have gotten it back.  I dunno, I think it’s cool.

: You know… with all this walking we’ve been doing, a bike would be pretty handy.  Maybe I can just “borrow” one…

: Think again, Atsuwrong!

: You’ve got a real mean streak sometimes, you know that?

: Keep this up and I might just tolerate you.

(Next time, we’ll end day 1.)

(Gin won unanimously.)

You see Gin in a residential area a short distance from Shinagawa Station, alone…

He seems to be standing before a Shomonkai facility.

: This would be the perfect time to turn into a giant octopus or something.

: Nah, we’d need to find a sushi place first.

: Why am I here?  Oh, no real reason…  Just taking a walk.

Gin left…

: It didn’t look like Gin was here for no reason.  Why was he staring at the Shomonkai place…?

: I simply cannot fathom why one might be interested in this boring cult.

Aoyama: Cemetery

(Okay, let’s jump to the runner-up.)

Gin won unanimously.

(Whoops!)

(Looks like there’s a damsel in distress.  Get used to it.)

(When we enter Bugeikan, the instrumental version of Reset is playing again.)

: What’s wrong, Trielo?  Is something going on over at Bugeikan?

: Huh?  What?

: I thought I heard something too.  Is that… singing?

: Do you guys even know what “instrumental” means?

: Hey…  That’s one of Haru’s songs!  Let’s go check it out!

: Aya…

: I could go for a beef bowl, too.

: Guess she’s doomed.  Oh well!

: It’s too dangerous!  Run!

: Yeah!  Come over here!

: What are you saying!?  That would be even more dangerous!

: It’s either towards us or not towards us, and she’s cut off both ways.

: Man, you guys are gettin’ way too worked up about this.

: See?  She’s taking it pretty well.

: Hey, stupid, stop mumbling to yourself and help us save her!

: Geeze, Yuzu.  When’d you grow a backbone?

: No, it’s all right…  I can protect myself…

(Haru starts pressing buttons.)

: …Hmm?  I guess it’s out of batteries…  Haha…

: Talk about an anticlimax.

: Uh-oh.  This could be bad, Aya…

: Why isn’t she running!?

: Low Ag?

: …To hell with it, let’s just kill the demons.

: Well, if you insist.

: Let’s go!

: Look, if  you’re gonna complain about fighting, at least be consistent with it.

(Expect to see “NPC defeated” in a lot of loss conditions from here on out.  This game has a lot of NPC defense/escort missions, and they can get pretty nasty if you don’t make sure to bring demons with movement-enhancing abilities.  They also tend to be one of the main complaints about the game.)

(I’ve been doing a lot of auctioning and fusing, so this is my party for the fight.  I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I fused away my Waira, which was kind of a mistake- Waira is a Wilder demon, so it has the extremely useful Devil Speed ability, which gives you a pretty big movement boost.  Not having one makes this a little harder, but it’s still doable.)

(Hairy Jack is a decent demon.  Because he’s got a high level, he’s one of my main damage dealers right now.  More importantly, he’s got Animal Leg, which is going to help me reach Haru before she dies.)

(Bilwis is another relatively high-level demon.  Between him, Hairy Jack, and Trielo, I can kill pretty much anything in one round.  His normal attacks do good damage, which is fortunate because  he’s only got enough MP for a single spell.)

(Kikimora is a pretty good caster and makes it easy for Atsuro to clean up anything that’s not directly between the start of the map and Haru.)

(These are the only two skills we can crack right now.  Anger Hit is our first physical skill.  It works a lot like the magic skills, but it uses HP instead of MP.  However, it kinda sucks- it’s a guaranteed crit, but it’s got a 50% miss chance.  Race-D is a passive that increases defense against members of the same race.  It’s also useless, since we’re not fighting humans.)

(The start tiles are all over here.)

(Haru is all the way over here.)

: Alright, let’s-

: Okay, fine, let’s talk some more.

: …!?

: Relinquish your powers to my master…

: My… powers…?

: I hope we get to have an epic battle over the power of rock.

: These demons are everywhere I go…  I just want to be left alone…

(I set Yuzu to crack Race-D from this guy, so I send her to deal with him.  However, I forgot that she has almost no offensive capabilities at the moment, since she has low strength, only healing spells, and fairly weak demons.  She wins, but it takes her pretty much the entire battle.)

(There used to be a demon here, but I zerged the group’s leader and took it out immediately.  Normally you want to kill the flankers first, but if you’re strong enough to take the leader out and need to get somewhere fast it’s best to just get it over with.)

(Killing it also gives us our first Skill Set Bonus.  The process is pretty simple: choose a demon, choose an active skill slot, and select any active skill you’ve cracked.  There are stat requirements to equip skills on human characters, but they don’t matter for demons.  This lets you get some pretty ridiculously powerful demons, but because of the restrictions and how unpredictable getting a bonus is you usually won’t be in a position to make good use of it.)

(Animal Leg means we can get over here on the same turn.  That Waira is the main threat to Haru, and I should be able to take it out next time I move.)

(Just kidding.)

: Haru, if you get your ass killed, I’ll reload the save and do it myself.

: Aaaahh!  Haru!

(Whenever a computer-controlled ally gets in a fight, this UI pops up and gives you a summary of HP lost and gained.  Haru can’t actually do any damage, but later allies can.)

: Huh?  I’m not… dead…

: Try to keep it that way.

: It looks like the Harmonizer affects everyone in its range, even if they’re not the owner of the COMP.

: I’m pretty sure that doesn’t make sense, but nothing else about this does so let’s just roll with it.

(Atsuro probably could have killed this Moh Shuvuu, but I had him leave it standing so I could use Animal Leg and get an extra space closer to Haru.)

(I was a little worried at this point- I’m not exactly sure how the game handles battles between NPCs, but I remember Haru dying in two hits on an earlier playthrough because the Waira got a crit.)

(Fortunately, she survives.)

: You guys…  You should leave me here and run away.

: There’s still Exp here!

: Um… thanks.  But don’t kill yourselves in the process, okay?

(If you let this guy get all the way to Haru, she’s probably already dead.)

(Atsuro cracks Anger Hit off of it.  Since he’s going to be our physical guy for most of the game, he’ll probably keep this for a little bit until some better skills show up.)

(Haru is finally free to run from the Waira.  If you’re too slow getting here, she’ll just get ganked by the Bilwis and Moh Shuvuu.)

(If you don’t kill it quick, it might run back and kill Haru, so I just wipe it out.)

(The Bilwis can’t reach Haru, so it just commits suicide-by-protagonist.)

(Yuzu managed to tickle that other guy to death at some point, so the battle’s over.)

: Haru, you’re okay!

: Yeah…  Thanks to you guys.  So you can summon demons, too?

: U-Um, yeah…  But that’s not as surprising as seeing you here!

: No, I’m pretty sure the demon thing is more surprising.

: You were surrounded by all those demons and never so much as screamed…

: Yuzu could learn a lot from you.

: I’d have been fine by myself if my sequencer hadn’t run out of batteries.

: I am a stand-in for the player and, much like the person I represent, could not put 2 and 2 together if I got hit by a golf ball.

: I summon my demons by singing in sync with the sequencer.

: Huh!?  You can summon demons too, Haru?

: Thank God for Yuzu.  If she wasn’t so slow on the uptake, who knows how many unnecessary explanations would be unemployed?

: Did Naoya make your sequencer, too?

: Naoya?  Who?  No, I borrowed this from someone over six months ago.

: Yeah.  Aya, the old band leader of D-Va, lent it to me…  The batteries are dead, so for now, it’s just a useless hunk of junk.  But I still like to have it close by…

: (No I don’t.)

: Haha!  Guess we’re on the same page, then.

: Here, let me take a look at it.

: Hm?  Uh, sure…?

: I thought we might be able to use the hand charger to juice it back up.

: Well, thanks anyway.  Were you worried about me…?  Don’t worry.  Even if it’s not working, this is still like a security blanket for me…

: The only song recorded on it was Linus and Lucy.

: Still, it’s not really the sequencer that summons demons, is it?  Can’t you just sing, or maybe find another sequencer and put-

: Haha!  Don’t overthink it.

: Uh… okay?

: Anyway, you first summoned a demon over sixth months ago, right?  Man, you’re way ahead of us!

: No, the first time it happened was about a month and a half back.

: Hey, that still beats us by like… a month and a half.

: You just started?  You’ve come a long way, then…  Amazing.  That reminds me.  Hey.  You there.

Haru motions for Bill to come over.

: Uh… what?

: Yeah, I thought so.  You’ve got this dangerous smell to you.

: Hey, you try spending two days out in the sun with no showers and let’s see if you come out smelling like roses.  Oh, that’s right, you didn’t.

: *chuckle*  But I kind of like that about you.

: Now you’re just messing with me.

Haru speaks in a low voice so the other two don’t hear…

: Well, thanks again.  I’m gonna get going, but I hope we run into each other again.

: …Why’d she lower her voice for that?

: I guess demons aren’t a science experiment gone horribly awry this time.

: Yeah… looks like.  The guys in Shomonkai seem to have been using demons from way back.

: I’m starting to hate the word “Shomonkai.”  I can barely spell it, let alone pronounce it.

: Wait, Trielo!  Did you check Haru’s death clock!?  It said 0 last time, right?

: Same as us again.  I’m starting to think somebody here used Destiny Bond.

: Woo-ha!  We really did it!  We saved Haru’s life!

: And if we saved Haru, we can save everyone!  This is great!

: Of course it is!  Right, Trielo?

: We can be like vigilantes or something.  It’s gonna be awesome.

: But where will we find trench coats at this time of day?

: You’ve got a point…  Come to think of it, I don’t think Japan ever invented the fedora, either.

: So much for that plan.

: There you go, overthinking things again!  Who cares about that right now?

: We saved Haru’s life!  That’s good enough for me!

: Even so…  I’m a little worried that she didn’t seem too thrilled about it.  I hope it’s just that cool, disaffected rock star attitude they all have…

: Hold on a moment while I turn on my cool, disaffected JRPG protagonist attitude.

: By the way, Trielo…  What did Haru say to you?

: …Like, I don’t even know.  Something about a dangerous smell?  It was weird, man.

: A dangerous smell?  You?  Ohh, reaaallllly now?

: Isn’t she, like, twenty-something?  That’s kinda creepy, dude.

Aoyama: Cemetery

Shinagawa: Gin ()

(Where to now?)

(Democracy has worked its magic, and so we’re visiting Ikebukuro first.  As we’ll see later, this decision is actually totally irrelevant.  Just like real life!)

: This is going bad places and nothing good will come of it.

: Aww… how am I supposed to get back home nowww!?

: What’s up with her?  Is she cosplaying or something…?

: Any situation that gives you a reason to use the word ‘cosplay’ is something I want to stay the hell out of.

: Hey… you were staring at me just now, weren’t you?

: Too late, man.  When a chick dressed like an anime says you’ve been staring at her, nothing will stop you from sounding creepy.

: I’m sure I’ll think of someth-

: I hate myself.

: You know, I think I would feel less slimy if you just got upset.

: Though to be honest, I’m really wearing it because there was an event yesterday.

: You should really bring a change of clothes when you’re going places in that ridiculous get-up.

: Please stop.

: I didn’t think I’d get stuck here like this!

: Besides, I didn’t REALLY go all out!  It just looks like extra-cool everyday clothes!

: No.  No it doesn’t.

: ANYways, do you guys know how to get home from here?  I walked all the way from Shinjuku…

: Sorry, but how could we?  Random strangers don’t know where you live.  And it’s best not to tell them.

: I know you think that shouldn’t make this seem sleazier, but it does.

: You guys haven’t found a way out yet, have you?

: This again?

: Huhhhh?  What’s that supposed to mean?

: I swear it’s like you people are living on a different plane of reality or something.

: Ohhh well.  If you happen to find a way out, let me know!

Midori runs off…

: I feel as though a million showers will never make me clean.

: Man, that was certainly… something.  Only in Japan, eh?

: What, you didn’t realize?  I thought you of all people would figure it out, Atsuro.

: Oh?  What’s that s’posed to mean?

: Wasn’t she that famous camgirl?  I think her name’s Dolly or something…

: And just when you think things can’t get any creepier…

: I heard she’s popular even among girls, ’cause she’s not all stuck up.

: Oh, right, sure, you “heard” it-

: Wait what am I doing?

: Famous camgirl, huh?  Maybe I should have gotten an autograph to sell to some desperate nerd.  Easy ten bucks.

: Ugh, I knew mentioning it around Otakuro would be a bad idea…

: Uh, what…?

: Are you sure?  If you put your trust in Shomonkai, everything will be taken care of…

: Did Haru always sound like a man?

: Learn when to quit already.  I’m telling you, I’ll be fine.  Are those ears for show…?

: …I see.  Well, I’ll leave you be for today.  But should you run into trouble, don’t hesitate to rely on us.

: I never thought I’d meet anybody as shifty as Naoya, but here we are.

: My name is Azuma.  It’s been a pleasure meeting you.

After telling Haru his name, the man leaves…

: Who the hell’d rely on you…?

: A particularly gullible goldfish.  Maybe.

: Hmm?  You’re the kids who came to my street show this morning…

: Whoa!  Do you remember every fan who comes to see you?

: Or just the ones with earphones?

: I’m not trying to be rude, it’s just… well, I’m not even sure these things come off.

: Nah, it’s just a coincidence.  Though I’ve seen you in the crowd pretty often, huh…?  You’re usually the only one cheering, but you brought a couple of friends with you today.

: We’re right here, you know.

: Though one of them didn’t seem to into my songs…  Hahaha!

: Come on, Trielo!  A chance to see a free Haru show doesn’t come every day!

: It’s okay.  Everyone has their own tastes, right…?

: …To these ridiculous headphones.

: Trust me, it’s cool.  I don’t mind at all.

: Oh…  By the way, Haru, wasn’t that man just now someone from the Shomonkai?

: What, him?  Whatever…  He came by and said, “we’ll help you if you’re ever in trouble.”

: That’s creepy as hell.  I kind of feel better about myself now.

: If he wants to help, he’ll do something about this blackout.  I can’t write like this…

: You mean in broad daylight?

: Ahaha…  I’m looking forward to hearing what you come up with!

After the introductions, you part with Haru…

(This is the last event that isn’t “look at Yamanote line.”)

: Woah.  It’s like I’m in that painting where everything’s made of dots.

: But it looks like Shiba Park is one of the bigger refugee shelters around…  There sure are a lot of people here.

: It’s placed well for it.  Shiba Park was built to completely surround Zojoji.

: There’s no way that’s a real thing.

: Huh.  I guess it doesn’t hurt that it’s accessible from Tokyo Tower…

: Look at all these people…  There’s nothing any one person can do, so they just hope for the lockdown to lift.  Guess we’re not the only ones having a hard time of things…

: So bad things are bad?  Glad we’re on the same page.

Shomonkai cultists are making a speech before the masses gathered in Shiba Park…

: Man once attempted to create a gargantuan tower in order to become closer to God…  Their arrogance was punished with an ordeal by which their language was divided.

: Short, sweet, and to the point.  We should get this guy to rewrite the whole Bible.

: But through knowledge and technology, man has overcome these linguistic barriers.

: Bilingualism: could it be hurting your 401k?

: The Internet we have today is the embodiment of this triumph!  But now…  Man has again become arrogant, and God has sent us another ordeal!

: God gives the worst birthday presents.

: To withstand this ordeal, we must join hands with one another and stand united!  I implore you all… stand with the Shomonkai and withstand God’s ordeal!

: Whatever.

: You know, this guy’s nuts, but what if he’s on to something?  Another ordeal’s coming down the pike… it wasn’t the demons at Aoyama, was it…?

: God’s ordeals are usually a little more doomsday-flavored than a couple of demons in a graveyard.

: You’re probably right…

: Hm?  Look… that girl…

: You’re creepin’ me out.

: I’m not sure, but I think wearing a miniskirt is kind of missing the point.

She seems to be going around and speaking to some of the refugees…

: Let us stay calm and wait.  Give generously of your effort and assistance…

: That’s the girl from last night!  She seemed weird then, but she’s kinda cute, huh?

: I mean, look at her hat… thing.  She’s like Daisy-Head Mayzie’s older sister or something.

:

: Please don’t do that.

One of the Shomonkai members notices you and approaches…

: As you know, advances in technology have created new forms of mass communication.  As these forms take hold, it is vital that we not lose sight of human contact.  We of the Shomonkai aim to reaffirm the miracle of human contact in the modern day.

: I see.  That is a shame…  Please reconsider, if you would.  Our Shomonkai is…

: I wish we didn’t have text boxes so these headphones could drown you out.

As the Shomonkai member begins her spiel, a familiar woman interrupts the conversation…

: Oh!  Lady Amane…!

: Wow, she must have really botched the evangelizing.

: It’s like she’s such a bad salesperson that the supervisor has to take over and salvage the call.

: I am Amane Kuzuryu, a maiden of the Shomonkai.

: I didn’t know maidens were allowed to show leg.

: Yes, well…  As a maiden, I am she through whom divine voices both good and evil speak.  Man has, as of old, distinguished between supportive gods and rapacious demons…

: Rapacious?  That’s a good word.

: However, the distinction is academic.  At root, gods and demons are both otherworldly.

: So your platform is “bilingualism and outsiders will make God angry at us?”

: It’s not Japan without xenophobia.

: You can hear their voices…  Behold their presence…  Can’t you?

: You wield a COMP, yet you do not sense their existences…?

: Well, everyone else is ignoring the obvious.  I just kinda figured it was time to go with the flow.

: I have a question for you three.  Where did you acquire those COMPs?

: I ain’t no snitch, but I kinda want to see the cultists and Naoya fight to the death.

: Naoya?  He gave these to you?  I see…  I thought that might have been the case.  It was we in the Shomonkai who requested that he create the program…

: …Wait, why’re-

: In any event, I believe we will see one another again.  If you’ll excuse me, Bill Eever…  Farewell for now.

: You hear that, Trielo?

: And more importantly, what’s with the plot bomb out of goddamn nowhere?

: I wondered that myself.

: And why’d she leave right after?  I mean, when you tell someone that you asked their acquaintance to write a program that summons demons, you’ve gotta figure they want a little more explanation, right?

: Yeah.  Like, why’d they want to summon demons in the first place?

: It’s just politics.  Create a fake demon invasion to scare the populace, then take over and start persecutin’.

: I, uh… don’t think they’re Hitler…

: Are you sure?

(I told you about trains, man.)

: Oh, look, another dead end!  Color me shocked.

: It’s so hot!  My feet are killing me!

: Yeah, it’s amazing how much bigger this place gets when the trains are down.

: I want air conditioning!  When’s the electricity gonna come back ooooooon!?

: And I’m hungry!  Atsuro, go buy me something!  I can’t walk another step!

: Did you seriously just say “Atsuro, go buy me something?”

: I’ll be glad to get you something if it stops your bitching.  What do you want?

: I don’t care.  We passed a convenience store earlier.  Just get me something!

: Fine, then.  I’ll be right back.

: Hurry up.  I wanna get this wild goose chase over with so we can all move on with our lives.

: Whaaaa!?  So, you…

: Calm down.  I managed to snag some bread they had left.

: Wow!  Thanks, Atsuro!

: It’s pretty scary if you think about it, though.  We can only get food and water because other places send it into the city, and we’re already running out after just one day…

: I thought video game characters didn’t have to eat.

: How many more useless dead ends do we have to check?

: I’m thirsty.  Let’s go get something to drink…

: We probably should.  I’m really starting to regret wearing long sleeves.

: Let’s see if we can find a park or something.  I’m getting tired of all this walking…

: Even if there’s a blackout, why can’t the buses and taxis be running…?

: The roads are covered with smashed-up cars and rubble, remember?

: Too bad we can’t actually see the roads.  Why show debris when you can just remind us it’s there in a conversation?

: Ugh!  Stupid lockdown!

: Hey, this is your meaningless escapade.

: There.  We’ve finally crossed the whole goddamn city.

: We really are trapped in the Yamanote loop…

: What’s this?  Yuzu finally touches base with reality?  Whaddya know, the crazy cultists were right, there is a God!

: What are we supposed to do?

: Naturally.  Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, you gotta wait through it.

: We can’t just stand around, though!  We have to keep looking!

: God’s a dick.

: It’ll be tough if it’s just us, but I’m sure we can share info with others to help…

: God I’m tired.

(Six events and six slots of time, followed by an unavoidable battle.  By now, you’re probably wondering where all the meaningful decisions are.  So am I.)

(This is it, the last mandatory event for… uh… like maybe ten minutes of normal gameplay?  Yeah…)

: Looks like we can’t get out this way, either…

: The whole line’s been shut down.  This is part of the line.  Ergo, we can’t get out here.

: What?  Do you mean that the entire Yamanote line has been shut down?

: Yes, all of it.

: So you’re saying that maybe we should find something more productive to do?

: What?  No!  Perish the thought!  I simply couldn’t live without running around the entire goddamn city and listening to Yuzu bitch about nothing for hours.

: You guys are mean.

: Yeah, pretty much.

: Anyway, we should probably find a charger.

: Seriously?  There’s not a single open shop?

: Maybe Electric Town isn’t the place to be during a blackout.

: Wait a sec, is that… Keisuke!?

: We’re looking for something…

: Oh?  What’ve you got there…?

: It’s a hand crank.  How in the hell is it ‘high-capacity’?

: Out with it, Keisuke!  Where can we get one?

: …You’re looking for one that’s COMP-compatible, aren’t you…?

: Yeah!  We’re screwed if we can’t get these things charged.

: It’s true.  The last time he went more than five hours without playing a video game, he broke out in hives.

: I see… all right, I’ll take you there.  This way…

You follow Keisuke to a back-alley store where you obtain a charger…

: You really can find anything on the black market!

: Yeah, if you’re willing to wade through all of the creepy porn.

: That’s… what you needed, right?

: Now I will never again be faced with the monotony of not turning a handle.

: I’m glad I could help…

: Ah, don’t worry about him.  He’s always like that.  We really are grateful.

: You people really are amazing…  I’ve never seen anyone like you.

: About damn time someone noticed.

: Your death clock…  It used to say 0, but now it’s 2.  You changed your fate…

: This is my surprised face.

: Yes… I, too, have a COMP.  It’s likely the same modded version as yours…

: …!  The nerve of you, running away when you saw our death clocks!

: Shut up, Yuzu.

: No, it’s all right.  It’s true…  I ran away from you all…

: Who wouldn’t?

: By way of apology, I’ll tell you this.  Did you meet anyone on the way here…?

: Nobody with a name.

: As of now, no one within the Yamanote circle has more than six days to live.  At least no one that I’ve seen…

: Wait, what?

: No one who will live longer than six days…?  What’re you saying?

: …No, seriously, what?  You can’t just pull that outta nowhere.  Engine limitations be damned, the fact that every single person has a floating number over their head isn’t something you just overlook.

: I’m saying something is going to happen after those six days…

: Yeah, “everybody dies” is a pretty big something.

: It’s clear that some kind of catastrophe is going to occur.  Everyone in the lockdown… will die.

: Well, I guess that’s one way out.

: What if it’s just a bug in the death clock or something?

: I know it’s not.  Almost none of the SDF guards have any death clock readings at all.

: Are you serious?  Th-that’d mean…

: And, of course, that the government’s probably gonna kill us.  Then again, who ever heard of untrustworthy authority figures in a JRPG?

: This really sucks.

: Now do you understand?  I’m sorry…  I have to go.

Keisuke is about to leave…

: I don’t know…  I thought that since you three were able to change your own fate…  I thought you might be able to avert whatever catastrophe is coming in six days, too…

: Oh, so you do know.

: Even if we survive the next two days, we’ll all die if the coming disaster isn’t stopped.  And if we can’t… the only way to survive will be to get out of the Yamanote circle.

: He’s gone…

: You know, that guy’s kind of a downer.

: I feel kind of bad for making him say all of that…

: I feel kind of bad for not knowing about it sooner.

: I think that’s just how he is.  Something happened to change him, but he’s still looking out for the little guy.

: Yeah…  Although… I wonder if what he said was true…

: Can’t we just check ourselves?

: No can do.  Apparently plot-irrelevant people are invisible.

: But…  What could happen that would kill everyone inside the Yamanote circle?

: Let’s not worry about it for now.  I’m sure we’ll stumble across a solution completely by accident.

: Yeah…  If we do find a way out, let’s not keep it to ourselves, okay?

: Oh, what, you’re just going to leave thousands of people to die?  Or do you intend to let everyone know the way out?  You think the army’s not gonna notice that their lockdown is empty?

: No matter how you slice it, escaping is an extremely flimsy solution, not to mention selfish.

: You monster.

Beep!

existed for many years for the purpose of fusing demons together in order to create new demons.  This program allows you to remotely access the Cathedral of Shadows network and fuse the demons currently registered in your COMP.  Use this to create more powerful demons.

[Rules about fusion.]

(Now we have access to the last option on the menu, Fusion.  It’s the same basic concept as in other SMT games; put two demons in, and out pops a new one.  Just like usual, the result is based on the race and base level of the demons used.  Demons pass on their skills after being fused, and fusion can get you demons not available in the Devil Auction and/or with skills they usually don’t know.  However, there are a couple of things that make fusion in this game different.  For the most part, they’re geared toward simplifying and streamlining the process; I’m a fan of it, but not everyone is.)

-There are only double fusions.

-There is no compendium.  Instead, you get the extremely useful Search function, which lets you find out all the possible fusions needed to make a certain demon.

-When you fuse a demon, you get to choose what 3 active and passive skills you want.  It makes getting absurdly powerful demons a lot easier, but at the same time it’s far preferable to spending half an hour rerolling to get the right skills.

(Also, the Cathedral has its own background music, “Demoniac Fusion.”  It’s a good track for a place called the Cathedral of Shadows, but it’s not one I’d really listen to.)

: So we stick demons together and get a new demon.  How does that even work?

: I’m just glad we didn’t have to watch a documentary on demon mating habits.

: I don’t get this!  Everything that seemed like common sense is falling apart!  I guess ordinary rules just don’t apply to demons…

: You probably should have stopped expecting common sense around the time mythological creatures jumped out of your DS.

: Seriously.  I mean, demons.

: Besides, we’d be dead now if it weren’t for them.  Show a little respect.

: Sure, but it’s the same demons that might kill us, right?  I’m not really sure how I feel about that!

: Uh, no?  The ones that want to kill us aren’t the ones helping us.

: Common sense may not apply anymore, but racism is still bad, Yuzu.

: Is Naoya just toying with us?

: I mean, dude’s kind of an asshole.

: Yeah, but I don’t think that’s quite it.  He probably cooked up this fusion function to help us fight.

: “You have to create strong demons, or you won’t be able to stay alive!”  …That’s what he means, right?

: RPG mechanics.  Gotta love ‘em.

: *sigh* We’ll have to work on mastering our COMPs, huh…?

: So, um… yeah, we do.

: Yikes.  I don’t think I’m ready for that.  Let’s work even harder to find a way out!

: Talk about your one-track minds…

Ueno: Look at Yamanote line

Tokyo: Look at Yamanote line

Roppongi: Haru & ??? (&)

Shiba Park: ??? ()
Shinigawa: Look at Yamanote line

(The game actually opens up for real after the next update, but we’ll still be seeing time slots with only one event from time to time.)

: No one’s here…  It’s usually really crowded.

: The city’s in lockdown and there are demons running around.  Why the hell are we going to an amusement park?

: I hope we get to run the coaster.

: Hey, Trielo, what’s your favorite ride?

: What…!?  It’s not scary for you?  I always get this feeling like I’m going to fall off…

: What does this conversation have to do with… um, anything, exactly?

: We’re just establishing the setting, man.  Like, for example, this place is called Korakuen, located in Bunkyo-ku.  It’s famous for the theme park and baseball field.

: Why does that strange, indecipherable string of Japanese syllables sound so familiar?

: Anyway, is it just me, or is it a little chilly in here?

: Yeah, now that you mention it.  Is it air conditioned?  Maybe it has its own generator…?

: Well, maybe, but- wait.  What time is it?

: I think it’s around 1-

: Oh.

: Well, that explains why I’m getting so hungry.

: That’s really not important right now.

: Atsuro?  What’s wrong?

: This is the place the email mentioned… and now is about the right time.

: Uh… what?

: Dammit, Yuzu, pay attention!  Remember what the Laplace Mail said?  Three people murdered by a snowman…

: Oh, no!  Three victims… and the death clock says 0 for us three…!

: The one place we know to avoid at all costs and we blunder into it completely by accident?  And how were we even supposed to know that Tokyo Dome was actually an unrelated set of indecipherable moonspeak?  I’m tellin’ ya, this is contrived as-

: Hey, look!

: I’ve found you!  You’re all mine now!

: Is that… the snowman thing from yesterday?

: Yeah, what gives?  I wanted to be killed by Jack Frost, dammit!

: What a gyp!

: It’s so hot here… but I’ll kill you all anyway!

: Y’know what?  To hell with that.  I’m not gettin’ done in by some second-rate Jack wannabe.  You don’t even look like a snowman!

: Yeah, you’re right!  We control our own destiny!  Death clock, my ass.

: Did you have to have an existential crisis right goddamn now?

: I ran away from things I could fail at, because I was afraid of looking bad if I did!

: But this time… if we fail, it’s over, isn’t it?  …I’ll do it!  I don’t want to die, so I won’t run away!  So, please, guys!  Stay alive!

: Yeah, that’s nice.  Can we start now?

(This is the first really challenging fight in the game.  It’s not too bad with a little bit of preparation, but I kind of botched that and made things harder than they needed to be.  I’ll explain in a little bit.)

(Here’s the big boss himself.  He’s level 17, a good 8-10 levels above anything on our party.  He’s also got some Moh Shuvuu backing him up.)

(There are a couple of enemies on the other side of the starting area.  They’re not too difficult, but it’s best to send someone over here to take care of them so they can’t gang up on you with Wendigo.)

(Lastly, there are two enemy groups way in the back.  Even though Wendigo has enough HP that they’ll reach you before you can kill him, they’re not terribly threatening.  The Pixie will heal him, but it’s fairly easy to block it off and kill it before it hurts you too much.)

(Now let’s talk about Skill Crack.  This is the only way to get new skills for your human characters or to use with a Skill Set Bonus.  First, you choose a character.)

(Next, you get a screen showing all the skills owned by enemies on the field that you don’t already have.  These are all good to have- Ice Dance is basically a bunch of Bufus on random enemies, Anti-Ice gives you resistance to ice attacks, and Hero Aid increases crit rate.  However, we can’t get both Ice Dance and Anti-Ice quite yet.)

(After choosing a skill, you have to select an enemy to crack it from.  Once the battle starts, the enemy you choose here must be killed by the team cracking the skill in order to learn it.  If a different team kills the enemy, or if you kill the leader of its team instead of the enemy itself, you won’t get the skill.  This is why we can’t get both Ice Dance and Anti-Ice.  Both of those only appear on Wendigo, and you can’t kill him twice.)

(This is just to show that you have to kill a specific enemy.  This group is a team of three Wairas, and they all know Hero Aid; however, you can only crack the skill from one of them.  You can set multiple teams to crack the same skill, and you can have multiple cracks on the same enemy.  There are a couple of times when you really want to take advantage of this, but for now it’s largely redundant.)

(Here’s our full set of cracks.  I probably should have gone for Anti-Ice instead of Ice Dance (Ice Dance’s high MP cost makes it impractical, and by the time you can use it more than once or twice before running out of juice you probably have better ice spells).  It’s not a big deal, though.)

(Here’s our team for this fight.  This is where preparation becomes really important.  You see, the damage calculations for this game are highly based on levels.  However, for demons, the damage isn’t based on their current level; it’s based on their starting level.  At first, it seems like a good idea to load your main Wendigo fighting character with Kabusos, since they’ve got good magic and know Agi.  However, this is a good way to get yourself killed, as they’ll probably be wiped out in a single Ice Dance, leaving you wide open.  Instead, you want to put all of your highest base level demons on one character and let them handle the snowman.)

(I forgot to get screens of the characters beforehand, so the stats/levels are off and Atsuro knows Hero Aid.  That’s not important, though; the point is just to show that I picked up Zan, Bufu, and Amrita in a Free Battle before coming here.  The important one is Zan- Bufu and Amrita are pretty much useless in this fight, but Wendigo’s flankers are weak to Force.  Agi/Zan gives us good coverage.)

(Positions are easy for this one.  I’m having Trielo fight Wendigo with Yuzu for healing.  Meanwhile, Atsuro will take care of the enemies off to the right.)

(This seems like a good time for some battle music.  Battle Beat plays when you go into a first-person combat round.  Much like the map background music, it’s a little weird but it grows on you.)

(Things didn’t go so well for me.  For one thing, my main damage dealer got frozen on the first turn.  Freezing isn’t that big a deal- it only lasts until the end of the combat round- but I have to spend more time dealing with the Moh Shuvuus because of it.)

(Atsuro cracks Hero Aid, but his Pixie dies so I have to bring in another demon from the stock.)

(This kind of sucks, because it means I can only heal one person per turn.  I don’t bother tagging anybody in here; my only other available demon is a damage dealer, which Yuzu doesn’t really need.)

(Things turn out pretty well for Atsuro, even though he lost a demon.)

(Remember when I said I kind of made this harder than it had to be?  This is what I meant.  Normally, when I do that Free Battle before coming here, I end up with a level 9 main character and a new level 9 demon to recruit.  Since it’s a higher level, that demon is much better at both taking and dealing damage to Wendigo.  However, this time, I didn’t get the level-up or the demon.  The result is that my team as a whole is fairly squishy and chips away at him even more slowly.)

(Before too long, the cavalry shows up.  I move Yuzu over here to make sure that the Pixie can’t get next to Wendigo and use Dia.)

(It can still use Charm, but that heals a little bit less than one Agi’s worth of damage, so it’s not a catastrophe.)

(Atsuro is now free to move in and fight the boss.  Because Ice Dance costs so much MP, Wendigo actually becomes much weaker after the first couple of turns.  He’s only able to kill one of the Kabusos, and Atsuro’s party does a fair deal of damage.  I need to be careful, though, because I won’t get any skills if they kill him.)

: Alright, we can do this!  Let’s drop these guys!

(At this point, Wendigo starts running away from us.  There’s no way for him to escape the map, though.)

(Yuzu’s keeping the Pixie busy.  If it’s healing its own party, it can’t heal the boss.)

(I cut things a bit closer than usual, but the outcome was never really in doubt.)

(When you kill him, Wendigo turns into an ice sculpture and shatters.)

: Why would a dead snowman turn into ice?  Shouldn’t he melt or something?

: Who cares?  We survived!

: So this game has devils and surviving?  That title really is a hell of a spoiler.

: There’re still demons to take care of!  I’ve gotta focus!

: Are you sure you’re Yuzu?

: No, really.  You’re all alone and you’ve got 12 HP left.  I think you might be dead already.

: …

: I’ve got no reason to put my life on the line here!

: Yeah, that was probably a good move.

(If you choose “Bring it on, weaklings!” the Pixie stays.  That Kobold sticks around no matter what, but it dies pretty fast.)

: Yeah, we kicked that snowman’s tail!  We’ll be okay now, right…?

: We were supposed to die, and we didn’t.  Let’s just be happy with that for now.

: Quick, Trielo!  What does the death clock say now?

: Well, it’s 2.  I don’t- like, okay, I get that we have 2 days, but… uh, what was the joke supposed to be there?

: Y’know, I’m not really sure.

: Well, 2 days is better than 0.  Let’s use those two days to find a way out of the Yamanote Circle!  (Or maybe not.)

: At least, there would be, if it weren’t for the fact that we ain’t leavin’.

: Well, yeah.

: Don’t be like that!  If we can change our fate, I’m sure we can find a way out!

: I wonder what it’s like inside Yuzu’s head.  Probably not pretty.

: Oh, one thing, though…  I forgot to tell you guys!

: Wh-what…!?  Quit scaring me like that!

: Sorry, but I only realized it a moment ago.  We’ve got a problem…

: Oh, what now?

: We’re forgetting something important.  We need these COMPs to fight, right?

: Huh?  Uh, yeah…?

: The COMPs run on rechargeable batteries.  But there’s a blackout right now…

: Huh.  I figured the battery icon was just some useless UI fluff.  Neat.

: Yeah.  We’re bound to run out of juice any time now.

: What’re we gonna do!?  Hey, Trielo!

: C’mon, use your head.  Round peg, round hole.

: Let’s try looking in Akihabara.

: I’m never going to remember what these places are called.

(That was pretty long, huh?  I think this is a good place to stop.  Next time we’ll finally have choices!)

(The game opens up soon, I promise!)

As you move forward, you see someone resembling Naoya duck into a side street…

: (I’m really not in the mood for painfully vague foreshadowing, so Naoya can go straight to hell for all I care.  I’ll just pretend I didn’t see-)

: Hey, Trielo!  Wasn’t that Naoya?

: Dammit, Atsuro.

: Yep.  Sure was.  Well, let’s move on then, shall we?

: Look, I don’t particularly want to chase him down, either, but we don’t have a choice.

: Bugger.

: Well, looks like he’s not here.  What a shame.

: He’s over there!

: Dammit, Yuzu.

: Then we’ll go that way.

: Do we have to?

: Damn.  I thought the camera looked different…

: See what happens when you people don’t listen to me?

: They’re demons, Yuzu.  Not vampires.

: We still have some dignity.

: Anyway, that’s not really our biggest concern right now.  What’s the plan, Trielo?

: I’m stickin’ to my guns on this one.

: Yeah, it’d be hard to find Naoya if we were fighting the whole time…

If the last party member on the map is defeated, the game will end.  Use caution when escaping.

(Because I chose to escape, we get a different victory condition.  However, it doesn’t affect the story, and I’m just going to kill all the demons anyway- escaping only deprives us of experience and macca.)

(The enemies aren’t anything too tough- a Kobold in the north, two Pixies in the west, and Moh Shuvuus- a new enemy- in the east and south.  They all have Kobolds and/or Ogres flanking them.)

(Here’s what our party looks like for this fight.)

(There are only four spots where we can place party members- the one that’s not filled is next to Atsuro- so somebody has to start over to the side.  It doesn’t really matter who you put there, but it probably shouldn’t be Yuzu.)

(Once the fight starts, the game throws a bunch of tutorials at you.  The only important thing is the Macca bonus.  Basically, you get more money for stealing extra turns, not taking any damage, killing all enemies at once, neutralizing attacks, and so on.  You get less money if somebody dies, if you lose extra turns, or if you hit an enemy with something they’re strong to.)

(I spend the first turn moving towards the exit.  Even though I don’t intend to use it, the edge of the area here is a fairly defensible position- the railing can serve as kind of a chokepoint (although it doesn’t really come into play for this fight), and on the off-chance that things go south I can escape.)

(The Ogres flanking this Pixie are Jaki-race demons, which means they can use the racial skill Bind.  Bind reduces your target’s movement speed to 1 for the next turn; a minor nuisance at the moment, but it can really screw you over later on.)

(Bind is cast from HP, so the Pixie uses Charm to heal its team.)

(The Pixie picks a peck of pickled peppers.  It doesn’t work out.)

(The next Pixie heals the first group and attacks.)

(The party that initiates the fight is more likely to get extra turns, but it doesn’t help them much.)

(Now that we’ve hit 10 strength, it’s time to start pumping points into magic.)

: I’m… I’m not scared… I have to keep telling myself that…

: Don’t worry, it only eats guys’ brains.  I think.

(Yuzu fares well enough.  Next turn, I bring Atsuro around and kill it.)

(Atsuro’s Kabuso has the racial skill Animal Leg, a passive ability that lets you move after a combat round, even if you’ve already moved that turn.)

(Yuzu’s slow even when not Bound, so I couldn’t have put her anywhere useful.  Still, it would’ve been nice to have her a bit further in, since she’s relatively squishy.)

(I finish off the Pixie on Trielo’s next turn, which causes a new enemy to spawn in.)

: They’re demons.  I don’t think they’re afraid of sinning, if you catch my drift.

(Moh Shuvuu’s racial is Flight.  It’s a passive ability which gives +1 movement and lets you ignore obstacles when moving.)

(The extra speed means it can reach Yuzu.  Attacks can always be done through barriers, though.)

(Yuzu’s Kabuso goes down, which means she’s basically out of offensive options.  Neither Yuzu nor the Kolbold has offensive magic, and their physicals aren’t doing much damage.)

(Fortunately, it’s pretty easily dispatched once I get some characters with decent offense on it.)

(The newcomer, Waira, has a racial skill called Devil Speed.)

(The extra speed means it actually reaches us before the Kobold.)

(It’s easily the most powerful enemy on the map, but that doesn’t mean much.  You’ll notice that I’m out of MP here; most of the time you’ve got just enough to get you through the map, especially if you’re bad at conserving it like I am.)

(The Waira goes down without much trouble, which means there’s only one enemy left.)

(He gives a hell of a fight, though. This is a good example of how Aggravate can really hurt you, depending on how the AI uses it.  I got lucky here- the guaranteed crits meant that they had a full round of extra turns, and Yuzu only survived because they decided to attack the Kobold instead of her.  It wouldn’t have made a difference if she had died, but what kind of idiot loses a character on the third map?)

(Atsuro makes short work of it on the next turn.)

: What are we supposed to do without Naoya’s vague non-answers?

: It’s not the best plan,  but this is all we’ve got for now.

: I’d like to give him a piece of my mind, too!  It’s his fault we’re in trouble!

: Hey, if hunting down Naoya will get your mind off of-

: Oh, but we shouldn’t forget to look for a way out while we’re at it!

: Spoke too soon.

: Nope.  Too easy.

: Fine, then.  I’ll just stare knowingly at the camera.

: *Sigh* I guess everyone lives for something.

: Yeah, well… shut up.

: Hey, Trielo, does the death clock still say 0?  It hasn’t gone up, has it…?

: Figures.

: We’ll probably have to wait for a boss battle or something.

: Oh, yeah.  That.

(I already covered the macca bonus, so let’s talk about the skill set bonus.  Basically, you’ll occasionally get an opportunity to give one of your demons a new skill.  The better you fight, the more often it happens.  There’s a bunch of rules and limitations and so on, but it’ll make more sense if I explain it once it happens.)

: Okay, so we fight well and then we get stuff.  Simple.

: If we’re gonna fight demons, we might as well do a good job of it.

: You know, it just occurred to me… who’s sending these emails?

: You think so?  It sounds like someone completely different to me…

: How many other people could be the administrator of a magical demon-summoning DS?

: It probably sounds different because it’s a tutorial.  You’ve gotta be impersonal and technical when you’re writing an instruction manual, right?  You have to take the end-user into account… which means this Demon Summoning Program was always meant for third-party use.

: Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?  You think it was meant for us three…?

: Nah, he knows us.  If we were the only audience, he wouldn’t have bothered with the clean explanations.  There’s gotta be more of these things floating around, and that means we’ll probably be fighting rogue summoners at some point.

: You’re just saying that ’cause you want to punch people.

: Hell yeah.

(The Waira and Moh Shuvuu are up for auction now.  I only have enough for one demon at the moment, so I pick up a Waira.)

: It’s almost as if “we locked down the whole area, nobody can get out” means they locked down the whole area and nobody can get out.

: I’m getting tired from all this walking… I can feel the sweat pooling in my shoes.

: Better sweaty than dead.

: What the…!  You don’t have to say it like that!

: You don’t gotta whine about it.

: Look, whatever.  Let’s just decide what we’re going to do from here.

: Wait, you mean we really have just been wandering around aimlessly for the last three hours?  I knew it!

: Hey… are we really trapped in the Yamanote Circle area?  Are we going to die just like that email said…?

: And then maybe a magical unicorn will give everybody free candy.

: It’s not funny!  We’re going to die today!  We can’t just sit around and wait!

: You’re right.  How about we keep looking for an exit then, huh?  Or are you getting tired of slamming your head against a brick wall?

: We don’t know if it’s sealed everywhere!  We could check the east side, or, or-

: Simmer down, you two.

but if the root cause of the events described don’t change, it’s highly likely that the results will end up the same.   …That’s fate.

I’ve updated your COMP with a new function attached to this message so you can face fate and cut your own path.  You should get an email describing the “skill crack” function soon.

I look forward to seeing you again.  Keep surviving.

(Skill Cracking is how we obtain new skills for our human party members.  Basically, if there’s an enemy on the field with a skill you don’t have, you can set one of your characters to ‘crack’ it.  Again, there are a bunch of rules, but it’ll make more sense if I explain them in combat.)

: He got us into this mess, but he’s still doing everything he can to help us…

: If he cares that much, he shoulda made sure we weren’t in the lockdown to begin with…

: He doesn’t care.  He’s using us for some grand scheme.  Kinda like, you know, everybody.

: Yeah, that’s for sure.

: Still, so long as he’s helping us stay alive, it doesn’t really matter what his plan is.  We’ll worry about it when the time comes.

: In that case, let’s hurry up and get some new skills.  We’ll look stupid if we keep running around with nothing but weak-ass spells.

: That Skill Crack thing?  Only someone who knew about demons could program that in…

: …What, the goddamn Demon Summoning Program was too subtle for you?

: I wonder just how much Naoya knows about demons.

: I’m guessing it’s somewhere between “more than a smidge” and “everything.”

: If you really need to know, you could always just ask him.

: Though we have to do something about the number on the death clock first…

: How astute.  I’m sure those smarts will come in handy.

: They better.  If we’re gonna survive, we’ll have to use all of our strength, intelligence, and cunning.

(Next time: a sterling example of plot-mandated stupidity.)

(To hell with the Yamanote line.)

(After entering Roppongi, we hear an instrumental version of the game’s theme song, “Reset.”)

: Huh?  Hey, I know that song…!

: Stop that.  You’re not allowed to break the fourth wall.

: Here’s hoping my songs get you all out of those Blackout Blues!

: Omigosh, it’s Haru!

: It’s amazing how she can sing, talk, play guitar, and drum all at the same time.

: Nah, it’s just amazing how she can be a singer while playing an instrumental.

: Awesome!  This is just what I needed to cheer me up!

: Looks like I’ve got a fan in the crowd!  I’m about warmed up now so- so here’s one for you!

: She’s no Margaret Moonlight.

Yuzu continues to cheer until the street performance ends…

: Of all the places to see a show from Haru…!  That was so cool!

: She’s not bad, but is she actually, y’know… relevant?

: She’s got a unique sprite and a name.

: Culturally, I mean.

: Yeah!  Uh, in the indie scene.  She’s the same Haru I told you about earlier.

: Glad you clarified.  There’s been an outbreak of indie singer-songwriters named Haru.

: Can’t go down to the 7-11 for a Coke without bumpin’ into half a dozen of ‘em.

: She used to be in a band called D-Va, but now she’s gone solo.

: Yeah?  Why’s that?

: I don’t really know much about when she was in the band…  I just heard that they split up when Aya, one of their members, quit to study music.

: So her name’s Haru, huh?  I’ll have to remember that.  I think you can count me as a fan, too!

: Whaaaaaat!?  No way!  You just have to open your ears, Trielo!  Give her stuff a chance, okay?

: It has less to do with Haru and more to do with you.

: Being mean to Yuzu aside, we’ve probably wasted enough time here.  We should get going.

: Yeah.  We should be focused on surviving.

: Actually, now that you mention it…

: Hm?  What’s the matter, Trielo?

: I would’ve said something sooner, but at this point I’ve tuned out the damn thing.

: That’s what the death clock readout on Haru was…!?  We have to tell her!

: Cool it.

: What now!?

: Stop and think for a second.

: You do know you’re talking to Yuzu, right?

: You can’t just go around telling people that the magical floating numbers your friend sees say they’re gonna die today.  They’d think your crazy.

: Ugh… You’re probably right.

: Besides, we’re at 0 too, remember?

: Gotta look out for number one.

: All I’m saying is we can’t save anyone if we’re dead.

: Yeah… good call.  There’s no use worrying about that until we have a solution to this whole mess.

: You’re a lot more reasonable when it comes to not doing things.

(This is probably what being a train conductor feels like.)

: I wish the demons would show up just to remind you that we have bigger problems.

: Is Atsuro still not back yet?

: Wait, he left?  When?

: Was there ever any doubt?

: It’s just like they said.  Everything inside the Yamanote line is locked down.

: By which I mean we’re most definitely trapped.

: Yeah, sounds about right.

: Don’t be silly, this isn’t Persona 4.

: See?  That’s clearly not a Yosuke.

: I thought I recognized you, Keisuke!  Long time no see!

: …Wait, how do you two know each other?

: Keisuke helped me out big time in middle school.  I wouldn’t be here without this guy!

: I-I wouldn’t go that far…

: Your friend’s kind of… mopey.

: Atsuro…!  No, all of you!  Your number…!

: Wait, what’d-

: N-Never mind!  I have to get going!

: Huh.  Well, that was weird.  What’s up with him?

: Although I could probably come up with something more insulting than “flaky” if I really tried.

: I’m sure you could.  It’s strange, though- he wasn’t like this before.

: He always used to stand up for the weaker kids, so they really depended on him.

: I see where this is going.

: Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.  Point is, he saved my ass a couple of times.

: Weird… he seemed pretty shy himself just now.

: Yeah, I have no idea.  I lost all contact with him after we got into high school.  By the way, Trielo…  Did you remember to check his death clock readout?

: We should probably have this conversation before they leave, or else I’m gonna start forgetting.

: To be fair, all we ever learn is “they’re gonna die soon, but probably not before us.”

(Hope you like cliffhangers!)

: Are you gonna whine about wanting to hang out with the cool kids again?

: I could never have imagined something like this when I came out here yesterday.

: Hey, look…!

: Yes, I’m Yuzu Tanikawa.  I’m surprised you remembered me, Gin!

: Hell, at this point I’m surprised I remember you.

: Heh.  A man in my line of work has to have a good memory for names and faces.

: Ahaha!  Sounds like a tough job.  Oh, um…

: I’m too lazy to go rewatch the opening.

: Oh, there’s this indie singer I really like named Haru.  Gin’s kind of Haru’s guardian.  I met him at a show, and we’ve spoken a couple times since.

: Gin’s always watching out for people, so everyone tends to consider him a big brother.

: You flatter me, Yuzu.  So are these two your friends?  We haven’t met, right?

: Oh, sorry!  Feel free to introduce yourselves, guys.

: Oh, good.  I was waiting on your permission.

: My name’s Atsuro Kihara.  I’m basically not in this scene.

: Wha…?

: Cut that out!  What’re you saying,  Trielo!?  That’s not…!

: Hahaha.

: U-uh, Gin, this is Bill Eever.  Arrrgh…!

: Heh.  Don’t worry, I get it.  Take it easy, Yuzu.

: The words “take it easy” and “Yuzu” don’t belong in the same sentence.

: The name’s Eiji, but everyone calls me Gin.  I run a bar over that way.

: I’m in a real fix.  Everything from the ice to the fruits in the fridge are wiped out.

: Well, no sense crying over spoiled milk.  Just gotta wait for the power to come back.  You been here long?  Bet you’ve been out since the blackout…  Heh.  What a sorry situation.  Hurry home and let your folks know you’re safe, okay?

: I have folks?

: Uh, about that…

Yuzu explains to Gin what you saw at Shibuya Station.

: What?  The station’s locked down and no one’s getting through?  Are you pulling my leg…?  Hm… the bar TV’s busted and my cell’s dead, too.  Looks like we’re all in the dark…

: Only once the sun goes down.

: Man… what’s going on?

: Your cell doesn’t work either!?  That’s been a huge problem for us, too!

: Correction: That’s been a huge problem for you.

: Well… sitting around here won’t get us home, so we’re looking for a way out.

: Sounds like a big deal.  But if the government’s on the job, this should blow over soon.

: I hope you’re right…

: Just you watch.  It’ll be over by nightfall.

: You’d think a bartender’d be a little less naive.

: I’m going to catch some Zs at the bar…  If you need help with anything, just give me a holler.

: Okay!  Thanks a lot, Gin!

: It said 6.

: 6!?  Why!?  I-Is Gin going to die in six days…!?

: That is what that would mean, yes.

: But this is… this is insane!

: I’m sensing a pattern here.  Damn… I was hoping we’d find someone without a high number, but…

: I get it…  People without a number are likely to live for a while.  They might help us.

: ‘Cause I’d guess the opposite.

: And what’s with the quick response?  Normally we’d have to explain that twice.

Shinjuku: Look at Yamanote Line

(Another easy choice, but I figured I’d leave it to a vote anyway.)

(Oh, and one last quick thing about the Devil Auction:)

(After winning an auction, you get the option of paying or defaulting.  If you default, the demon tells you to piss off and your ranking drops.  The only time you’d want to do it is if you don’t have enough Macca, and since it’s an auction there’s no reason to bid higher than you can pay.)

Met Yuzu, who is one of Haru’s fans, at a concert.

(Let’s talk to this angry-looking man.  I’m sure he is kindly and will give us free candy.)

: When the hell’re you gonna let us out!?

: We’ll lift the lockdown once we can confirm the area is safe.  Please wait until then.

: Yeah, yeah, you said that already!  I’m asking when that’s gonna happen!

: No matter how often you ask, the answer is the same.  Now go back to the safe zone!

: What!?  You wanna say that again!?

: Fight!  Fight!  Fi-

: Aw…

: Huh!?  Who the hell said-

: ……!  K-Kaido…!  I-I’m sorry, man!

: …Hmph.

: You know him, Atsuro…?  Ugh… more “daemons”…

: That’s the absolute last thing I want to hear about now…

: Ignoring them isn’t gonna make them go away.

: Thick as ever, eh, Yuzu?  They’re not demons, they’re daemons.  It’s like a kind of guardian spirit.

: At least until a crazy dead guy starts to kill people with ‘em.

: The Shibuya Daemons are one of the more charismatic punk gangs.  Kaido’s their leader.

: Look at you, all plugged into the local culture.

: What can I say?  They’re pretty famous around Shibuya.

: Hey, good idea!  You’re really on the ball, Trielo!

: …About what?

: We should see if he knows a way out!

: Well, Kaido is known for treating his people well…

: I don’t think we qualify as “his people.”

: Yeah, but if he tells us there aren’t any exits, Yuzu might finally shut up.

(You can’t tell it in screenshots, but the 0s in our party’s death clocks fade in and out, while Kaido’s 6 is solid.)

: Okay seriously if you’re not giving me a choice it doesn’t have to be a menu.

: Cool.  I’m Kaido.  You guys need somethin’?

: When there’s a chance you might piss off a gang leader, let someone else do it!  That’s just my style!

: Wh- c’mon!  Why me!?

: Yuzu’d probably screw up and get all of our asses kicked.

: Look, you’re the ones who stopped me.  Quit freakin’ out over every little thing.  It gets on my nerves…

: Okay, okay!  Uh… we had something we wanted to ask you…

: Yeah?  It better be simple.

: Yeah, uh, sure.  We just wanted to see if you knew a way out of the lockdown.

: If I did, I’da used it already.  We’re havin’ trouble gettin’ through the central ward.

: That’s about what we figured.

: Everyone’s in the same boat here.  If that’s all, I’m gonna get going.

: He seems like a shady, underworld type.

: Huh?  Naoya?  Who’s he?

: My cousin.  We can’t find him, and he’s keeping important plot details from us.

: Well… things are pretty bad around here, so I’ll help you look.  Got a photo or anything?

: And here I thought photos on your contact list were just a useless gimmick.

: Cool, got it.  Alright, once the cells come back on, I’ll spread it around my crew.  Be seein’ ya.

Exit Kaido.

: By the way, did you catch his death clock?

: Oh, right.  I keep forgetting you guys can’t see it.

: Kind of arbitrary if you ask me.

: Six days!?  I-it was that short?  That means he has less than a week, right…!?

: To be honest, that’s pretty low on the list of things I’m worried about at the moment.

: We’re supposed to die today, remember?

: Y-yeah, but…

: If we can change our future, we can change his.

: But the first one’s a little more important.

: …You’re right.  Let’s go, Trielo!

: I’m sure this’ll be fascinatin’.

From: Naoya
Subject: New Function

How are you doing, Bill?  I’ve written a new application for your COMP, so I’m sending it to you.

Once you read this email, the option for the Devil Auction should be available in the COMP menu.

You know about Macca, the currency of the Netherworld, right?

: Wait, I thought that was HL.

You get it when you defeat demons.  You need Macca to bid in the auctions.  Money makes the Netherworld go ’round, too.

Please keep surviving.  I look forward to seeing you again.

From: DA Registrar
Subject: Welcome!

Welcome to the Devil Auction!

We are a member-based auction site that helps you with the bothersome task of forming contracts with demons to use on your behalf.

Demons will make themselves available as merchandise to be bid upon by Devil Auction members.  The winner will be able to make a contract with the demon, and will have a powerful new ally.

Please spend your wages of sin at the Devil Auction!

: What, Naoya couldn’t be bothered to make a spam filter for this thing?

: Yuzu, when things go back to normal, I’mma teach your ass how to read.

: You know what this means, right?

: What?

: The demon thing ain’t new.  People have been summoning ‘em for a while now.

: I hate being behind the curb.

: H-How can you be so sure?

: An auction needs buyers and sellers.  It takes time to build up a reputation and get enough people involved.  There’s no way this sprang up just yesterday.

: Uh-huh… I get it.

: Still, it’s kind of a shock.  We were living here but we knew nothing at all…

: That just may be the least shocking thing we’ve learned.

: Exactly.

: Well, I don’t get it!  I don’t get anything!

: And that’s your character in a nutshell.

: The Auction’s an opportunity to get more powerful demons.  If we’ve got strong enough allies, we can kick the crap out of whatever’s supposed to kill us.

: Actually, I meant it was an opportunity for Yuzu to bitch.

: So you’re saying that we have to get demons so we can fight even more demons?

: I’ve had enough of this!  Why do we have to fight!?

: Goddammit do you ever stop whining?

: Urgh… that’s true, but…  Let’s try to avoid as much of this bad stuff as we can, huh?

: Oh, yeah, great idea.  Let’s just leave the demons alone!  Sure, we may let hundreds of people to die, but who cares?  Yuzu doesn’t wanna get her hands dirty.

: Look, we’ve got no choice here.  We have to use the auction and become as strong as we can, or else we’re dead.

(Alright, so.  Devil Auction.)

Welcome to the Devil Auction!

(This is how we get new demons, whether for fighting or for fusion fodder (spoilers: this game has fusion).  It’s got its own background music: “Cool Jam.”)

(First off, you get a list of demons:)

(Right now, there are only 3 demons in the auction.  As the game goes on and we encounter different enemies, we’ll be able to buy more.  The stars next to the demon indicate its quality- 3 stars is a ‘stock’ demon, with its base stats and skills.  Demons with fewer stars are cheaper, but have lower stats, and ones with a higher rank are more expensive but have have higher stats and may already be able to use skills acquired through leveling.  The price under the demon’s rank is its starting bid.  The bar at the bottom shows our current Macca, the number of demons we have in our stock, and our rating.  As far as I know, rating only decides when we have access to higher tiers (although even if we buy a ton of demons and get our rating really high we won’t be able to buy stronger ones before the game wants us to).  So long as you’re regularly updating your demons, you shouldn’t have to worry about it.)

(I’m buyin’ this Ogre.  Under the rank and level, we see the starting bid, the increments you can raise the bid in, and the Buy It Now price.  I almost always use Buy It Now, since it’s usually ends up only a little bit more expensive than actually bidding and there’s no risk of someone else winning instead (although it’s entirely possible that I just suck at auctions).  Speaking of which, the competition are references to other SMT games.  For example, these are all characters from Soul Hackers.)

Ogre was contracted.

Your rating went up by 1.

(I’m pretty sure the rating increase is based on how much you spend.  Anyway, Ogre’s actually a pretty crappy demon:)

(No commands other than Attack, and absolutely terrible weaknesses.  However, at this point in the game, it’s the hardest hitter available to us, so there ya go.)

(Even though I usually don’t use it, I might as well show off actually bidding.)

(Pressing A lets you raise the bid.  Auctions last five seconds, but the time freezes for a bit whenever somebody makes a bid, and it doesn’t count down while you’re setting your price.  You can drop out  at any time.)

(At the end of five seconds, anybody still in the auction goes into Final Bid.  You get one last chance to put in your offer, and the person with the highest one wins.  Ideally you want to try and come up with a number that’s just barely higher than anyone else’s.)

(I’m not very good at it.  And, yeah, I’m pretty sure Final Bid makes the first five seconds pointless.)

(After this I went and did a Free Battle for some extra cash and bought that other Pixie.)

(Once a demon is won, by you or by someone else, it’s gone for good.  I’m pretty sure the list refills itself every half an hour (one event).)

(Anyway, our options now are the same as before, but without Kaido.  Atsuro had the second most votes, so here we go.)

: My parents are engineers.  They work in Silicon Valley.

: So while the other kids’ dads were taking them fishing, yours took you on trips to the wonderful world of Counter-Strike?

: Nope.  They spend most of their time overseas.  They always ask if I want to come, but my English is too bad so I stay here.

: Wait, what?

: I don’t know either.  Anyway, all the other kids were in cram school and my parents weren’t around, so I basically grew up on the internet.  Thanks to the magic of anonymity, even a grade schooler could be on the same level as everyone else.  Most of the people I knew were adults.

: So basically you had the worst childhood ever.

: Hey, it was better than the cram school kids’.

(Only one option.)

: Huh!?  We can’t go through here, either!?

: Gee, it’s almost like when they said they closed off the entire line, they actually closed off the entire line!

The SDF members don’t have death clocks.  It seems they’ll live longer than ten days…

: If only our cell phones worked.  I could call my mom and tell her I can’t come home…

: I’m pretty sure she knows they’ve locked us in.  It’s not exactly hard to miss.

: Then again, she is related to Yuzu…

: Oh!  That reminds me!  The COMP’s email works, right?  Can’t we contact the outside?

: Well, we might as well try.

: …Or not.

: What’s wrong?

: It says “Cannot connect to the specified server.”

: It’s not connecting?  …What’s that mean?

: Quick, what’s a synonym for “connecting” that’s less than 10 letters?

: Alright, alright, I get it.  It didn’t work.  Let’s go check someplace else…

Shinjuku: Look at Yamanote line

(New options!  Something tells me I know where we’re going next.  Oh, and here’s some words about Kaido:)

(For music today, we’ve got “Disquiet,” which gets used in a lot of cutscenes.  I’m fond of the discordant acoustic guitar.)

: I’m proud to say I slept right through guard duty.

: Then we’re lucky that Amane’s barrier worked.  Some demons passed by, but they didn’t notice us.

: Yeah… I saw ‘em too.  But now that the sun’s up, we can get out of here, right!?

: They’re demons, not vampires.

: Ugh…  Why do you have to go and say stuff like that, you idiot!?

: ‘Cause I’m a dick.

: Anyway, let’s just hope that we can find someplace better to sleep in the future.  The sun’s out now, but so’s the power.

: Yeah, I still don’t have any cell phone reception…  So… none of that was a dream…

Beep.

: G-guess we should read it…

From: Naoya
Subject: Death Clock

Bill, you’re still alive, aren’t you?  I’ll explain the function of the Death Clock to you.

The Death Clock displays the number of days a person has left to live.
The details are:
- The Death Clock is only available to the party leader.
-A single digit (0-9) is displayed.
-If a person has 10 or more days left before death, nothing is displayed.

Finally, the Death Clock is just a value calculated by the Laplace system.  A person’s actions can cause the value to change, so be careful.

: Oh, that’s pleasant.  “Are you still with us, cousin?  Not for much longer, I think!”

From: The Observer
Subject: Laplace Mail

Good morning.
Here is today’s NEWS.

1. Power outages will continue in all parts of Tokyo within the Yamanote loop through the day.  It is unknown when power will be restored.

2. Poisonous gas is suspected to have escaped from underground pockets.  Train service is cancelled across all lines.  All exits from within the Yamanote loop will be closed.

3. At 13:00 in Chiyoda-ku Bunkyo, a localized blizzard will occur.  Three victims will be murdered by a snowman.

HaVE a nICE daY.

: Yeah, I would get myself killed by Jack Frost.

: Well, to be accurate, I can.

: Hey, Trielo…  Didn’t you say before that you could see a number over our heads…?

: There it is.  Right there.

: Well…?  What was it?  Hey!  How many days do I have!?

: …Zero.

: What!?

Yesterday, you said it was 1, which means… our number right now… it’s 0, isn’t it?

: …Good morning, by the way.

: You know there’s nothing I love more than waking up to impending doom.

: That’s it, I’ve had enough!  This stupid conversation is over!

: Ignoring the problem’s not gonna make it go away.

: C’mon, let’s go.  This is all some big hoax…  Let’s hurry back home!

: Just because we’ve summoned demons doesn’t mean we’ve mastered other ancient, arcane arts like ‘walking long distances.’

: …!  Wh-what do you mean?

: Didn’t you read the other email?  The trains are shut down.

: B-but…!  How can we know for sure unless we go?  The email might be wrong about that!

: Maybe then you’ll stop whining about it.

: The email’s not gonna be wrong unless we make it wrong.  If this’ll help you realize that, I say we should go.

: God, please let Shibuya Station be open…!

: Hey, you guys!  Look…!

: Yuzu, I swear to god, if your next sentence includes the phrase “cutest outfit-”

: …Oh.

: What the hell happened here?

: What a mess…  Did all this happen just because we had a blackout one night…?

: Three words: drinking and driving.

: Huh?  What do you mean?

: Think about it.  Why would a blackout affect headlights?  They’re not connected to the power grid.

: Then… it really is because demons are in Tokyo…?

: Maybe it was just a spontaneous demolition derby.

: Let’s hurry… we’re almost to Shibuya.

You can see Self-Defense Force vehicles and a barricade past the crowd…

: All lines, including private rails, are affected.  Remain calm until the problem is solved!  Police blockades are in effect throughout the Yamanote line, including overpasses.

: Hey, what’s going on here!?  I demand a full explanation for this!

: The cause is currently under investigation.  Until then, please obey our instructions!  To ensure everyone’s safety, we ask for your understanding and cooperation!  We’re also looking into the explosion that occured in Aoyama Cemetery last night.  If you have any information, please inform a disaster relief worker immediately!

The angry mob slowly quiets down upon hearing the SDF officer’s repeated message…  Eventually, the gathered crowd begins to disperse, as if they are giving up…

: People are buyin’ into this?

: Was that stuff about the gas leak true?  You think this is because of the demons, too…?

: We can’t jump to any conclusions.  All we can say for sure is that they’re lying- as far as cover-ups go, this one’s pretty damn obvious.

: Huh?

: What, you think they managed to close off the entire line overnight?

: And what kind of flimsy cover story is “poison gas leak?”  They didn’t even bother coming up with a kind of poison.

: W-wait, you mean…

: Yep.  There’s no way in hell they’re telling the truth.

: We don’t have the whole story.  Not even close.  But it’s safe to say that there’s more to it than just demons.

: …Damn!  Everything the email said is coming true.  At this rate, we’re gonna…!

: The future’s not set in stone.  If we wanna live, we’re just gonna have to change it.

: You mean change how long we have on the death clock…?  Good idea, Trielo!

: But of course.

: Naoya’s email said the number changes based on what we do!  So let’s do something about all this!  That Laplace Mail stuff about not escaping the Yamanote area and us going to die today…  Let’s prove it wrong!

: Heheh… good answer.  Glad to see we can finally agree on something.

: It’s about time you took action instead of bitching until we make you do it anyway.

: If I’m reading Naoya’s email right, the Laplace mail and the death clocks run by the same process.

: Data goes in, predictions go out.

: Pretty much, yeah.  The thing is, whatever algorithm it’s running on would have to be pretty complicated.  It’s got a lot of moving parts, so to speak.

: H-hey, slow down, whiz kid.  You’re getting ahead of us non-eggheads.

: Keep up, Yuzu.  You’re falling behind us non-idiots.

: Look, this is important, so just pay attention.  When you’re dealing with calculations as complex as what the Laplace system would have to use, everything becomes really delicate.

: Mess up some of the data, and the whole thing goes up in smoke.

: …!  Does that mean… we don’t have to die today?

: So we have a chance!

: That’s the long and short of it.   If we make sure we stay alive, the prediction becomes wrong and the death clock changes.

: …Wait.  Our plan to avoid dying… is not dying?

: …Maybe this isn’t gonna be as easy as we thought.

: …Uh… is this really possible?

: You already agreed.  Don’t back out on us now.

: Huh?  But… I didn’t know all that stuff you were talking about…!

: Hey, it’s either change the clock or roll over and die, and I know which option I like better.

: …You’re right!  C’mon, let’s go!  Even if the area inside the Yamanote line is locked down, there must be a secret exit!

: …Well, maybe.  If there is one, though, it’s probably guarded- and that’s a problem.  We’ve got to steer clear of the police and the Self-Defense Force.

: Huh?  Why…?

: The fuzz is notorious for their love of video games.

: If they have any reason to get suspicious and interrogate us, they’ll take away our COMPs.  It’s best to just avoid them.

: Oh yeah…  Okay, then.  We’ll be extra careful.

(Alright, decision time.  Here are your options:)

Ebisu: Look at Yamanote Line

(Now that we’re on day 1, the game finally starts to open up.  Free battles are optional encounters you can use for grinding.  They just give you a bunch of enemies to kill for money (that we can’t use yet) and experience (that we don’t need yet).  They’re always simple brawls with demons you’ve fought before, so there’s no point showing them off.)

(Oh, and since this was a bit shorter than the last few, here’re the character profiles from the menu:)

through online programming forums before meeting Bill.

Striving to become a programmer.  Calls himself “Naoya’s #1 apprentice.”

Still friends with Bill now that they’re in high school together.

Atsuro likes to call her “Yoohoo.”

until a few years ago.  Like a brother to Bill.

A genius programmer who lives alone in an apartment in Aoyama.

The COMP you received from him has numerous mysterious functions.

Why did he give them to you…?

: Looks like we’re not gettin’ in here.

: Hey!  Over there!

: Isn’t that Naoya’s mailbox?

: Looks like he hasn’t been around.

: Nah, you’re jumping to conclusions.  Nobody uses snail mail anymore.

: No, really, why even make this a menu?

From: Naoya
Subject: Congratulations

It seems you’ve used the COMP.  Well done.  I figured that the general confusion would be dying down by now.

I gave you three the COMPs because you will need the power of the demons.  If you want to survive, you’ll have to learn how to use them.

I don’t have much time right now.  Head to Aoyama Cemetery.  You will meet someone who will affect your future activities there.

: He probably spent more time being as vague as possible than he would have used being upfront.

From: DS Admin
Subject: READ ME

Congratulations!  You have earned the qualifications to be a demon tamer.

You can now summon a demon at any time as an ally and command it.

Please note that “contracting” with the demons only occurs during the initial booting of this program.  Defeating demons summoned by other COMPs does not apply, either.

Also, a tutorial function has been added to assist you in battle.  Please make use of it.

Have a safe and pleasant experience in your new life as a demon tamer.

: Not really.  Naoya’s good at guessing what people are thinking.

: And even if he wasn’t, “you probably have questions about the monsters from another dimension that just jumped out of your game console” isn’t exactly assuming much.

: Anyway… did you guys read the other email?

: I’m still not sure if I liked or hated that season.

: Either way, it looks like we’re allied with those weak-ass demons from the tutorial.

: Wait a sec!  Gah, I can’t keep up with this… it’s all so unreal…!

: At this point, you should just take the hint and roll with it.

: It’s not gonna get any better if you keep whining.

: Um, so, basically…

: The demons we fought can now be summoned from the COMPs?  And they’ll be our allies?

: Yeah, there ya go.  You’ve got it.

: I don’t know why you keep complaining if you understand the situation.

: Naoya gave us these COMPs so we could fight demons with them.  Simple enough, no?

: Geez!  If that’s what he wanted all along, he could have just told us!

: I think he was born without the ability to be say things straight.

: Besides, it’s not like you would have taken them if he told you they were for summoning demons.

: …Anyway, we’ve probably gotta go check out that cemetery now.

: Naoya said we’d meet someone there… who do you think it’ll be?

: Sounds like someone we’re destined to meet… do you even think it’ll be human?

: Who knows?  It’s suspicious as hell either way.

: I mean, we are talking about Naoya, the Most Trustworthy Man on Earth.

: Haha… well, no matter what it might be, we don’t have many options.

: Fine…

: I guess I’ve got no choice!  If you two are going, I’m coming too!  Let’s go!

: I hope this means we’re making some progress with you.

(We’re going to the cemetery, but first we’ve got some menus to look at.)

(This is the COMP menu.  Right now, all we need to worry about is Teams; Profiles just has background information on the characters (we might take a look at that a bit later I guess), and the game makes you read any new emails as soon as you get them, so Mail is only if you want to go back and check them again.)

(You party is made of up to four teams of 3: one leader (only story characters can be leaders, so we only have three teams at the moment) and two demons.  The main character is locked as the leader of party 1.  You can shuffle your teams any way you like, but humans have to be leaders- we couldn’t, say, put Yuzu in Atsuro’s team.)

(Every character can have up to 7 skills in addition to the basic Attack: 3 Command skills, 3 passives, and 1 Racial (for demons) or Auto (for humans) skill.  We’ll see more on Racial and Auto skills later.  Demons have set skills (if they’re grayed-out, it means they’ll be learned after a few level-ups), but we can swap out our humans’ skills.  At the moment, though, our only skills are Agi (fire magic), Zio (lightning magic), and Dia (healing), so we’ll leave them as they are.)

(However, I switched around Kobold and Pixie, since having two healers on one team is kind of redundant.)

(Now, where were we?)

: I dunno, maybe a gho-

: Don’t tell me it’s a ghost… I feel like there’s something out there… all those graves…!

: God dammit Yuzu.

: Hang on a second… Aoyama Cemetery… that rings a bell…

: You can’t expect me to remember every weird Japanese word I come across.

: …Ah, crap.

: That can’t be good.

: An explosion in Aoyama Cemetery at 19:00… sound familiar?

: I’m still not- oh, yeah, that email thing.  Guess we probably should’ve seen this comin’, huh?

: Something’s coming!

: Something something spirals.

: Gwahaha!  Fools!  You’re nothing like that woman!  Do you puny things really think you can stop me?

: Okay, so we’re basically screwed without the Harmonizer.  Good to know.

: For once, I’m with Yuzu.  His corpse just up and vanished!  That ain’t right.

: Hmm?  You humans are pests!  Kill one, and another takes its place!  I’ll kill you all!

: Not sure how you plan to kill us once you’re d-

: I think I’ve finally found the one piece of headwear more ridiculous than my own.

: Grah…!  So the wench thinks she can catch up to me!

: She kinda already did.

: Forget them!  We need to run away before we die, too!

: This is why we don’t let Yuzu make decisions.

(Every battle has victory and defeat conditions.  The most common one is simply “defeat all demons; don’t die,” but we’ll be seeing a lot of variations further down the line.  Some fights also require that you use certain characters, but that doesn’t matter much because there’s usually no reason not to.)

(Every fight begins with an opportunity to look over the battlefield to find enemy stats and placements.  Edit Team takes us to the Team menu I showed you earlier.  It’s important to get your team set up for the specific scenario before dispatching- you can’t change your skills once you start, and while you can change out your demons mid-battle, you can only summon one per turn and you can’t summon demons that are already in someone else’s party.)

(Before starting the fight, you have to go into the Positions menu and place your party members on the field.  You can only place them within a limited area- for this battle, it’s a four-square space in the middle of the road.)

(This fight is simple, so it doesn’t really matter where you put them.  That said, this isn’t actually a very smart placement- Yuzu’s a healer and can’t really kill anything very well.  It would have been smarter to swap Trielo and Yuzu’s positions, since then Trielo could reach an enemy on his first turn.  Either way, now that everyone’s in place, we can Dispatch and start the mission.)

(Now seems like a good time for a musical interlude.  This is the first time we hear “Pinch Battle,” which is basically the boss theme.  This is another one I’m fond of- it makes me feel like a Big Damn Hero.)

: That’s your battle cry?

: …Shut up!

: It’s a bit late for that!

: …I guess I have no choice.  I’ll cooperate with you.  But Wendigo is far too powerful a foe right now.  …Leave him to me!  I will follow your orders.  Direct me as you please.

The priestess joined your party!

(I’m pretty sure this is the only time in the entire game this happens.  Whenever you have non-party allies after this, they’re AI-controlled.  Oh, and you usually lose if they die.)

: I hope this isn’t one of those tutorials where they don’t actually let you play…  Hey, Trielo!  Are there any functions on your COMP you can’t use anymore?

: It’s actually a little strange that they’re gone.  I kinda got used to ‘em.

: …That’s it?  How weird.  Tutorials usually- oh, wait, there’s more.

(Normally, demon races are mainly used for fusion (which is another thing we won’t be seeing until later).  However, in this game, every race has a unique ability.  Some of these are passive boosts- for example, Beast demons (like Kabuso) have a racial called Animal Leg, which lets you move before and after you Attack an enemy (normally it’s one or the other).  Others, such as the Fairy race’s Charm, are active skills that you can use on the field.)

: So if we want to win, we’ve got to have the right demons.  Seems simple enough.

: I… guess we have no choice.  I’m glad we have demons on our side and all, but still…

: Is there anything that won’t make you complain?

(This is the menu you get each turn.  Move, Attack, and End are basic enough.  Selecting a character’s name opens up a sub-menu:)

(Where you can choose to use certain skills (for example, healing spells like Dia can be used here, but attack spells like Agi or Zio cannot), Summon a demon from your stock (for humans), or Return a demon to the stock (for demons).  Since we only have the three demons at the moment, we can’t summon anything, and there’s no reason to return any of them.)

(As you attack enemies, you get a variety of tutorials, some of which I’m skipping because I covered them last update.)

(Basically, each unit on the field (usually) represents a team of three, on leader and two flankers.  While the flankers are alive, the leader takes less damage; however, if the leader dies, the flankers go down with them.  However, you get less money and experience from flankers who are still alive when you kill the leader, so if you can afford to it’s better to take out the support first.)

(Now, the Priestess is only on the field to kill Wendigo.  If you manage to beat him with one of your party members, you get a ton of experience and like five levels.  However, this is impossible unless you’re on a New Game +.)

: Aw.  I was kind of hoping the freaky cultists used supernatural powers or something.

(Your guys only do like 5-10 damage to Wendigo and die in one hit, so Priestess is the way to go.)

(Somehow, he gets away with 1 HP and heads for the hills.  This is also the reason it’s impossible to just whittle him down with Priestess and land the kill with one of your characters- he also does this if his health gets too low.  Learning that is why I positioned so poorly.)

: I can’t just let him go!  I can catch him if I go now.  Please excuse me.

: Yeah, sure.  It’s not like there are four other demons here trying to kill us.

(Anyway, there’s no real strategy for the rest of this fight.  Most of the enemies are weak to fire, so it’s a good idea to leave the main character with Agi and have Kabuso on Atsuro’s team.  Other than that it’s a very simple slugfest, and before too long…)

: What we just went through…  A… A person was killed…

: Yeah, sucks to be that guy.  Now get over it.  Bitching’s not gonna make the demons go away.

: …

: Hey, the animal that attacked the person in that apartment… it was a demon, wasn’t it?

: This is Tokyo, after all.  The place is overflowing with carnivorous beasts.

: You know… it would be less scary to believe it really was some animal…

: Demons and vicious animals that eat people is less scary than just demons?

: But what really gets me is those cultists.  I mean, I could see them using mystical powers or something, but why COMPs?

: They seemed like they knew what they were doing, too.  They’re way ahead of us on this demon thing.

: That means… the demons have been around for a long time, right?  What are the Shomonkai?

: Evangelical superheroes.  And that’s the worst kind.

: Either way, that Priestess chick was pretty damn strong.  She was doin’, like, 10 times our damage.  Could she be the person Naoya mentioned in the email?

: I mean, the way I see it, it was either her or the dead guy.

: I wonder, too.  She seemed really strong, and I got this feeling from her…

: Either way, it’s been a hell of a day.

: The intro’s always a bit of a drag.

: I just hope nothing else happens-

: Damn it, Matador!  You win again!

: What’s going on!?

: The damn thing’s three for three.  Too bad we didn’t actually do anything about it.

: Well, maybe not.  It’s possible that the blackout didn’t hit all of Tokyo…  I doubt it, though.

: And so Yuzu’s life comes to a screeching halt.

: Is this because of the blackout?

: The phone centers have their own backup power, so a blackout shouldn’t affect your cell…

: Then it’s not a normal blackout.

: It’s pitch-black… I never thought Tokyo would be so dark at night…

: Just let your eyes adjust.  You could probably read by the light pollution if you really wanted to.

: Hey,what are we going to do now…?

: Wait- someone’s coming!

: And to test that theory, you left us alone with half a dozen demons?  How thoughtful.

: I am Amane Kuzuryu, maiden of the Shomonkai.  It’s nice to meet you…

: Wait, “Amane?”

: I’m just gonna go ahead and guess there’s a Crying Game twist.

: Uh… r-right.  I’m Yuzu Tanikawa, and he’s Atsuro Kihara.

: It’s a pleasure.  Oh, and you are…?

(The game attributes that line to Yuzu for some reason.)

: Hey, Trielo!  This is no time for jokes!

: Every time is time for jokes.

: Get with the program here!

: I’m still not sure I get it, but there’s probably a horrible pun in there somewhere.

: Kihara, Tanikawa, and… Eever.

: It does kind of stick out.

: I shall remember your names.  The Wendigo seems to have released his minions into this cemetery.

: Then I guess we’d better get out of-

: I have set a simple barrier around this place tonight.  It’s best if you stayed here.

: Spend the night in a demon-infested graveyard?  Sounds like a dream come true.

: It’s better than dying.  Wait here until dawn, then head for the station.  Now, I must go.

: …Yeah, didn’t think that would work.

: She said to stay here until the sun comes up…  Wh-what should we do…?

: Yeah, even I have to admit this is dumb.  Fight through a demon-infested graveyard?  Sure.  But sleep in one?  That’s just asking for trouble.

: We don’t really have a choice here.  Who knows how many enemies are out there?  We’re not strong enough to fight through more than a few at a time just yet.

: B-but… this is a graveyard…

: Are we going to be okay?

: If a demon comes, we kick its ass.

: Y… yeah…  I don’t think I can go far anyway… My legs are like jelly…

: Seems like we’re stuck here.  We’ll just have to turns keeping watch and hope morning comes soon.

From: Naoya
Subject: Laplace Mail

I’m sure you’ve noticed the Laplace Mail by now.

Bill, everything in this world has causes and effects.

If some intelligence could record and analyze every event simultaneously, the future would no longer be a mystery to us.

Ultimately, nothing created by man can ever be truly perfect, but you can use these messages to guide you from now on.

: “If some intelligence could record and analyze every event simultaneously…?”  Oh, joy.  I love omnipresent computer hivemind nonsense.

From: AT-LOW
Subject: Testing

Hey, it’s Atsuro.

I was messing with my COMP and saw that the email app’s still working, even in the blackout.  If you know someone’s COMP address, you can send an email directly to them.  Plus, it looks like two COMPs will automatically learn each other’s addresses when they get close to each other.  It takes a while, though.  I’m going to teach Yuzu how to use this function.

Too much stuff happened today.  I’m so tired.  I just want it to be morning…

: He’d better.  The last thing I want to hear is her bitching about how she doesn’t understand computers.  Again.

(Still only one place to go.  In case you couldn’t tell, the exclamation point means that there’s a battle in this event.)

: Yo, what took you guys so long?  How far away did you go when you were killing time?

: When a magic email tells you “Hey, some guy’s gonna get eaten!” you don’t really have a choice but to see if some guy gets eaten.

: Guess I can dig that.  Did Naoya tell you anything we don’t already know?

: Oh, yeah.  Well…

Yuzu tells Atsuro about what happened in Aoyama.  She also mentioned how what happened matched the email you received, and what Naoya said.

: So that’s a no, then.

: It was a productive hour.

: You should have called me.  I might have been able to pry some actual information out of him.

: Sorry.  So much was going on that we kind of forgot you.

: Ouch.

: Damn, Yuzu.  You’re kind of a jerk.

: And you’re not?

: Anyway, I’m gonna throw out a stupid theory here: what if Naoya’s just a dick-

: Not much of a stretch.

: -and this is all some kind of convoluted prank?

: But someone really did get killed!  The police were there!

: I can’t believe they’d be part of his joke!

: Alright, alright, I’ll give you that.  But- and this is just a suggestion- what if it’s all just a coincidence?

: Alright, c’mon, that’s just dumb.  There’s no way you believe that.

: ‘Course not.  I just wanted to mess with Yuzu.

: What…?  But…

: Anyway, enough about that.  Let’s crack open these COMPs.

: …Oh, fine.  I’m still not convinced, but tell us what you’ve figured out for now.  You did figure something out, right, Atsuro?

: …Well, if you consider learning that I can’t do anything an accomplishment, my hour was almost as productive as yours.

: Wait.  I thought you said you had this figured out.

: Welll, yeah, kind of.  Turns out I can’t do anything without all of our COMPs together.

: If they’re not in range, certain parameters are set so that-

: Argh, my head…

: Seems she can’t handle 10-letter words.

Enough with the explanation, just hurry up and do it!

: What an annoying- look, whatever, I’m just gonna do this thing.

: COMPs on, everyone.

While waiting for Atsuro to finish, you look up and see someone who looks like Naoya.

: I’m sure it’s just some random evil-looking man wearing a long, green cloak in the middle of the summer.  Japan’s famous for ‘em, y’know.

His handsome face is expressionless, but gives off a cold feeling…

: Weird.  From where I’m standing, it just looks like a pink-ish, pixellated blob.

: Okay, done!  I’m restarting the COMPs!

(This is the menu screen you get by pressing X on the map.)

Decryption confirmed.  Booting program.

DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM ready to boot.

Booting DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM.

: Woah, when did I get legs?

: That can’t be good.

: Looks like a tutorial fight to me.

: See, it’s the little things like that that make me feel kind of bad for horribly mistreating them the entire rest of the game.

: So this is the human world?  Hm.  Then these humans must be the ones who summoned me.

: That’s right.  Now get back in the box before I-

: We will fight, then!  If I win, I will have my freedom!  Let’s go!

: …Guess it’s never that easy.

(Welcome to the first fight of the game.  This one, being a tutorial, is short, boring, and wordy, so I’m not gonna bother with video.  Once we reach a proper fight, I’ll get some footage of the gameplay in action.  However, I will give you the random battle theme: “Aggressive Tune.” It’s a bit weird at first, but after listening to it for a while I’ve grown quite fond of it- it sounds like battle music, but it’s laid-back about it, which is perfect for a strategy RPG.)

: Hehehe!  Get ready!  I’m not gonna let you guys go!  You have to die so I can go free!  Hehehe!

: Big words for a glorified bug.

: Aaahh!  Don’t come any closer!

(At its very core, this is your basic grid-based SRPG. The icons at the top of the screen show the order of turns (notice that all of the enemies get to go before we do).  Once it’s your turn, you move to an enemy and you attack it.    The twist is what happens next:)

(When you attack an enemy (or one of your characters is attacked), you go into a first-person, turn-based battle similar to the original SMT games (and Strange Journey).)

(At the moment, all we have is the basic physical attack and Guard.  For this fight, we only need Attack.)

(Choose a command, then choose your target.)

(Smackin’ a Pixie.)

(Pixie smackin’ back.)

(Extra Turns are yet another variant on Nocturne’s Press Turn system.  When starting a fight, members your team and the enemy’s will randomly get Extra Turns based on stats, which side started the battle, how far you moved, and a bunch of other factors.  You never really need to worry too much about controlling those.  In-battle, hitting an enemy with a critical hit or an affinity that they’re weak too can take away their Extra Turn and/or give you an Extra Turn.  However, they can do the same to you.  As you’d expect from SMT, controlling Extra Turns is often a vital component of winning a fight.)

(…Not this one, though.)

(Everybody on both sides gets one turn and up to one Extra Turn.  Once you’re all done, you go back to the map.)

: Ah, calm down.  That thing’s got like half your hit points.

: W-Wow!  You’re pretty tough… for a human, anyway!

(Certain skills can be used on the map in addition to/instead of in a fight.  Each member of a team gets one out-of-battle action each turn, although they won’t necessarily be able to do anything with it.  The Pixie uses Charm…)

(…which is, for our purposes at the moment, basically just a healing spell.  More on this once it becomes relevant.)

Pixie ends its turn.

: In China, it’s the other way around!

After the Kabuso attacks:

: Gyaaaarh!  Why do the human’s attacks hurt?  Nobody said anything about this…

: Maybe you’re just a crappy demon.

: This is weird!  Humans are supposed to be soft and chewy, not hard!

Kabuso ends its turn.

(Before attacking, the Kobold uses a skill called Aggravate, which costs you some health but guarantees that every party member’s first physical hit will be a critical.)

: Sorry, but no matter how hard you try, level 3 just isn’t very scary.

After the Kobold attacks:

: GRARR!  YOU STRONG!  THIS… FUN!  FIGHT SOME MORE!

: Figures I’d get the crazy one.