Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Part #16

Part 16: Underground

That was enough exposition. Let us advance a bit. And then more goddamn tutorial dialog.

Demon fusion is now ACTIVE.

No special fusions are possible, though. We only have the Pixie.

And the result of Pixie and Knocker is useless at the moment. Maybe later.

"They just keep coming one after the other. Well, let's try 'em out one at a time and head for the underground."

Blue seals can be opened now.

Excellent.

Strike Team: "There might be some forma in spots we've already covered. Let's turn over every last rock and take 'em back to Irving."

And forma respawns every time you change floors as well.

Now, a succesful demon recruiting.

Tangata Manu: "That is, if I go with you, you will take me to the exit? I understand. I will go with you. I am Flight Tangata Manu. It is nice to meet you. "

Tangata Manu, our very first Law demon. That beak looks kind of sharp. Also, gun attacks, and Bufu. Needle Rush will serve well against enemies that are weak against guns... Such as Tangata Manu himself.

"island and fetch a bird egg. The first to return is given the title of Tangata Manu ("bird man") and great authority."

Wikilink

Well, let's explore the area further, now that some of the doors are unlocked.

Demon: "You really shouldn't. .. Even the demons around here rarely go down there. There's a lot of tough demons. You could get wiped out in one shot... I'll bet you 50 Macca you don't last 10 minutes. Er, well, not that I have 50 Macca on me..."

And after that demon tries to establish a bet he can't honor, there is a usable item that will be saved for when it is convenient to use a very strong Fire attack. Useful!

And here to the north is our first set of stairs down.

Oh my, there is something in distress! What could it be?

It is a Pixie! And not one that is aggressive either!

Pixie: "Well, that's not important now. Hi there. I'm Pixie. I was just attacked by a bunch of no-good demons. Really, those demons were... demonic! I managed to fend them off, but I used up all my magic doing it. I'm beat. I'm hurt pretty bad, too... I can't even move. "

Subquest time!
Demons can give quests as well in the field. Generally worth doing them.

>A new EX Mission has been added to the mission log: The little injured faerie.

Pixie: "I'm counting on you!"
>Missions you receive from demons are known as EX Missions. Unlike the Main Missions that Arthur assigns you, you may decide whether or not to accept them. If you complete these requests, you will be rewarded with items and/or information. Complete them when you can to gain an advantage.

Pushy, isn't she? Well no beads have been yet acquired. Not a single one. Conversation will have to be done for that.

>"Data extracted. This update allows the user to change a Demonica's sub apps when linked to a terminal."

So yeah, now sub apps can be hotswapped at Terminal areas. That is very convenient, if one decides that the current loadout is not ideal for the current situation.

And after a bit of exploration, it is time to go back to the ship to recharge batteries/heal/whatever.

"Listen. Don't be in too much of a rush to get things done. I mean, you'd know that, being an elite soldier... But you won't get much done if you're dead. "

"Hopefully there'll be a situation in the future where I can be of more use... Anyway, let's focus no on getting out of this sector."

And then to the lab for a fuckton of tutorial text.

"Analyzin' the forma you bring in, then analyzin' this world itself... It all leads to a great harvest! Demonica Sub Apps are ready for mass production! "

I can't help but to read Irving in the Engineer's voice. There are no spies at the moment, though.

"It's missin' somethin' but it sure has potential. "

"I'm showin' her how to get her hands dirty, and she's showin' me how she teaches. You could learn a lot from Chen here. 'Specially 'bout forma... They're tricky. Better study hard."

"But I'm really good at teaching! Just ask any of the appretices at my lab back home!"

Yeah, why not? Is there anything better to be done at the moment?

Aaagh, submenus. Menus and menus and menus.

"When you pick up base forma, your Demonica automatically analyzes it and gives it a name. This name contains two pieces of information: The forma's intended usage and its rank. I'll explain the "intended usage" part first. Base forma come in classifications like "AT" or "DF". These classifications describe how the forma is used, or what type of item can be made from the forma. "

Thus, that is Attack Forma. Making shit with those will be a way to improve the weapon loadout.

Pretty self-explanatory, I'd say.

"Finally, base forma classified as "Cores" can be used to create recovey items. The effect of these recovery items can be predicted from the name of the forma. For example, a Detox Core will yield an item that cures poison. It can create other things too, though, so you'll need to think flexibly to predict everything. A unique characteristic of "core" forma is that they yield items even without assist forma. They're also interesting in that you can find them anywhere in the Schwarzwelt. Recovery items are literally lifesavers so these Core forma will be very useful. Next, I'll talk about ranks. This applies to all base forma except Cores. Some forma, used for the same things, found in the same sector, will make better items than others."

"X cores are world-glass. They're not just number one of their kind, they're the best of the best. "

That makes it sound like finding X-class forma is a very desirable occasion.
I guess that having a Christmas birthday would yield a lesser bounty than having them in separate days.

"But since X-ranked forma are so special, maybe some Core forma have those too. Keep an eye out. I have a simple chart to help you out. If you can remember this, you'll be unstoppable!"

"Assist forma are forma which come from a demon's body parts or belongings. There's a wide variety of these... As many as there are demons. But what matters is that you can't do anything with them on their own. As the name suggests, assist forma augments the base forma in creating new items. They are only useful in development when paired with base forma."

"Naturally, you get them from demons. By fighting them. I'll send the information about that to your Demonica."

And now we can make new shit. Let's see what is available, what is not, and what is required to make it so.

New items, but no beads. So we can't help the Pixie with the items that can be manufactured here.

These sub-apps only require macca to be developed. Hyakutaro is also the dude in Metal Slug that can shoot homing hadokens, I think.
Hiroemon increases the odds of obtaining an item after battle and uses two sub app slots. Lunatic allows one to converse with demons during the full moon, and uses one slot. Relax Spray is very expensive , uses five slots, but allows to smooth over one mistake during conversations.