Shin Megami Tensei If… is one of those weird, moody RPGs where your high school suddenly turns into a demon-infested nightmare. You start off just trying to survive, but before long you're negotiating with monsters to join your party—some of them are shockingly chill once you talk it out.

The combat's got that classic SMT feel—brutal if you rush in, but satisfying when you figure out enemy weaknesses. I remember getting wrecked by some early bosses until I realized buffs and debuffs aren't optional here. The school setting makes exploration tense in a way dungeons usually aren't; turning a corner and finding your homeroom teacher mutated into a demon hits different.

What really sticks with me is how your choices quietly snowball. Helping one NPC might lock you out of an entire route later, and the alignment system doesn't telegraph where you're headed. It's rough around the edges compared to later SMT games, but there's something raw and experimental about it that still works.

Just don't expect Persona-style social links—this is 90s Megaten at its most unapologetic.