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Final Fantasy is a title that most people with knowledge of games will recognise, and I've yet to meet someone who isn't aware of Pokémon. But, further down the rabbit hole, there are games that - while outstanding in quality - don't get anywhere near as much exposure as Cloud Strife and Pikachu.
The Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) series is actually a long-standing RPG series, around for almost as long as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest; and is famous among enthusiasts for its bizarre premise - a cataclysmic event occurs that summons demons to the real world, and when the ability to control demons gets into the wrong hands, how all hell (literally) breaks loose. They're also known for being soul-crushingly difficult, and this PS2 incarnation is no different.
Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (Nocturne if you're American or Japanese) is the third 'main' SMT game - though there's a ton of spin-offs, including the fairly well-known Persona series - and one of the first to get any real exposure in Europe. And damn, does it leave an impression. Within the opening half-hour you go from being an ordinary teenager in Tokyo to watching the entire region being demolished and warped in the 'Conception'. With the exception of you and your friends, every single human has been killed, and now roams the landscape as a ghost.
Aesthetically, the main draw of the game is just how helpless you are. Early on, you are separated from your friends, lost amongst the deserts and ruins that are all that's left of your hometown. Even as you learn how to befriend the demons that roam the landscape, it takes some cautious planning and steady progress to take out the larger horrors that are waiting for you. The course of the game tracks your progress from a nobody to the great Demi-Fiend - a force so powerful that even gods will bend to your will, once you beat them senseless.
The game plays like a more technical Pokémon - the demons must be haggled with to have them join you, strengthened through battles, and used to counter the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. The game heavily rewards tactical play, something which I definitely respect. With games like Final Fantasy XIII, which are seem to be designed to be played on near-autopilot, Lucifer's Call is also a Wake Up Call. Going into battle with a team that's weak to whatever you’re fighting, and the game will happily smear you against the wall in minutes. Going in with nothing but brute force rarely works, so winning a battle that's initially stacked against you is a wonderful feeling.
And at the same time, I can see the difficulty turning a lot of people away. The game stops pulling punches as soon as the second boss, and if you're not willing to learn via defeat, the experience can get a little disheartening. But for those who find the modern JRPG unchallenging, those who have an 80-Hour hole in their free time, or those who're just fans of the Modern Sci-Fi genre, you can't go wrong with this.
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