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Did You Lean More Toward the Law or Chaos Sides of Shin Megami Tensei IV?

Joined
Aug 25, 2012
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Indiana, USA
Shin Megami Tensei IV strikes me as more of a niche kind of game, so perhaps the response to this thread won't be overwhelming.

SMT IV, like other games in the series (so I've heard), uses a decision-based Law vs. Chaos system that determines how the story plays out. While avoiding as many spoilers as you can, which ending (Law, Chaos, Neutral, Nothing) did you get on your first playthrough of the game? Beyond that, who did you find yourself agreeing with more, Jonathan (Law) or Walter (Chaos)?

My playthrough was a bit contradictory: I found myself agreeing with most of what Walter said, but somehow wound up with the Law ending (I'm guessing not by much). I do treasure the ability to reap what you sow and be free to succeed or fail, like Walter, though I disagreed that the strong should rule so firmly over the weak. I believe the physically weak (i.e. low combat skills) should pay great respect to the strong, but that doesn't mean the strong always know what's best.

And yeah, I did feel like a total scumbag by the end of the game. From what I've heard, only the Neutral ending really makes sense, and even the description of it left a sour taste in my mouth. Still, better than what you're forced to do in the Law and Chaos endings.

I may make another thread or post related to that one hall where you're supposed to answer the moral questions (you know what I mean, right?), but it's getting late, and I'd rather hear these answers first. So which ending did you get, and who did you personally agree with more if you could only pick between Walter and Jonathan?
 

selicyc

i never knew daylight could be so violent.
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Gimme a second, I... I didn't think anyone else on these boards were playing Shin Megami Tensei IV. ;A; Oh, and to answer your question: yes, the series uses decision based questions to help determine your alignment, and ultimately the ending you receive.

I was aiming for the Neutral ending on my first playthrough, but I messed up during The Face of True Evil quest and got locked into the Law Path. God, I felt so bloody miserable doing what I did, especially during one particular battle.

I didn't really agree with Walter's idealogy, and Jonathan's was abominable, so... going to have to go Neutral.
 
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Joined
Jul 22, 2011
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'Murica
I struggled to try and get neutral, but I ended getting Chaos.

Anyways, for the most part Walter had it right, Mikado was really sketchy and conservative. On the other hand, Infernal Tokyo looks like a god-awful place to live.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Location
Indiana, USA
I was aiming for the Neutral ending on my first playthrough, and but I messed up during The Face of True Evil quest and got locked into the Law Path. God, I felt so bloody miserable doing what I did, especially during one particular battle.

I'm pretty sure I know which boss fight you're referring to. I felt horrible doing it, too, and to make matters worse, I kept picking the questions that made the boss angrier. To both its discredit and benefit, SMT IV shows you that total law and total chaos will both result in misery, though it gives you little say in how you want things to proceed. Your only shot at having a soul is that minuscule 16-point margin that gives you a Neutral ending.

I struggled to try and get neutral, but I ended getting Chaos.

Anyways, for the most part Walter had it right, Mikado was really sketchy and conservative. On the other hand, Infernal Tokyo looks like a god-awful place to live.

Yeah, in truth, I'd probably prefer living in Blasted Tokyo over Infernal Tokyo, though it'd still suck. Blasted Tokyo actually struck me as being a little more chaos-based than law, but that's probably not the effect they were going for.
 

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