When I was playing the iOS version of SMT1, nobody could drink. If you tried, there was an extra line of dialogue where the bartender says something like, "Aren't you a little young?" and gives you juice instead. I don't know if it's just an international release thing, if it was added in the GBA or PSX port, or what. Felt a bit like they were trying to weasel out of a 'representing minors consuming alcohol' offense.
I always thought the Heroine was in her twenties by the present, but since she's the rebel leader and everyone's after her, she never shows anyone her ID.
Enforcing drinking laws might have made sense in the present, but after Tokyo is destroyed, why do the bartenders care? And how would they know that these random travelers are under twenty, if IDs aren't produced anymore?
I think it makes more sense if nobody cared about underage drinking laws by the time you reach bars. If memory serves, Kichijoji only has a cafe, and you only get bars once you reach Shinjuku. By then, things have gotten so bad that bars might start selling to anyone who can pay.
But really, we all know that if anyone's irresponsible, it's the bars of SMT2, for serving alcohol to two-year-old Aleph.
Hah I was very much suspecting it was a retcon. And that's because MT2/SMT2 already had an euphemism for beer which was Magical Fizz.Â
So I'm guessing they gave up on trying to be subtle and removed the lore of the protagonist having alcohol altogether for later rereleases? So teenager drinking bad but using guns and killing people still good?
Anyway since weâre at it, letâs compare the 8/16-bit era of mainline games chronologically on the drinking aspect:
In the SNES version of Megami Tensei, while they donât specify what kind of drink youâre having, from Nakajimaâs reaction it seemed very satisfying. The name of the shop is even âPoison Barâ, for goodnessâs sake.Â
That being said, considering the game is a completely different (and far simpler) take on the story from the original novel, we can easily label Nakajima doing underage drinking and frickin gambling in the Underworld as non-canon.Â
ACTUALLY, I skimmed through its NES version and I donât think any of those features were supposed to exist in the first place. Which means MT2 was where bars started being a thing:
NES and SNES for comparison. Yeah, the exact same English words are written in the Japanese text for the drinks.
You know, something I canât help but get awfully curious for is that while in later SNES titles the main character freely drinks liquor, in the game where this feature made its debut heâs literally the one who canât have it.
No booze allowed for the MT2 protagonist. Only soft drinks. Even though both of his partners can have beer. Itâs never commented why. If there are age differences, itâs not apparent. And they live in devastated version of Tokyo so rules would be far more lax.
Itâs funny because this is the same game where the protagonist can go to a drugstore to get high from herbal medicine. Yeah you read it right.
And he can keep going for a LONG time.
...and overdose to the point of falling on the floor paralyzed and unable to do anything, much to the heroineâs chagrin.
On that note, thereâs a single instance in the entire game where the MC finally is offered actual liquor. From... a guy that was Satan's disguise.
Paralyzed AGAIN, Takuma? And imagine getting roofied by goddamn Satan.Â
Maybe the reason bartenders donât serve him specifically is because people that are familiar with him know heâs a danger to himself. Considering that [redacted] happens in a point of the game... yeah.
You better stop and just fucking listen to what Asuka says to you, boy.
SMT1 is where the protagonist finally can join the fun with his companions. Everyone drinks the same thing. Equality baby! And no euphemisms!
They could drink in bars both when Tokyo was normal and after it got destroyed by the missiles, so I donât think the excuse of âoh, the apocalypse made people stop caringâ work, at least with the same weight as in MT2.
...AND THEN the sequel brought Magical Fizz back. Probably because SMT2 took cues from MT2 and/or they thought the word was still hilarious (I also do, ngl).
This little dialogue of the barman not letting you drink any more doesnât show up in other games with the bar feature. Makes you wonder if Aleph is a lightweight since [redacted] or if other bartenders are just... irresponsible as fuck. And yes Iâm also counting you on this, crazy MT2 drugstore girl.
One of the big highlights of SMT2 is getting Aleph shitfaced so he can temporarily get enough MAG to win the dance contest. Look at this madlad. Aleph must be great at parties.
You know which other infamous drink makes a comeback?
SUPER MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILK
Fairly enough, itâs exclusive to the Centerâs bar. You know... the place where the Law side is located. No sinning next to angels, Aleph.
SMT:If is the game where some surprise factor indeed reaches the player since it happens inside a high school (and yet somehow our first-year protagonists can have liquor bottles stored in their pocket to either offer to demons or chug them down themselves).Â
Letâs be honest, this would be an unusual thing to keep around even for adult staff! Itâs a school goddamnit. Unless they got it somewhere else like... perhaps the Underworld since Hazama connected both places together.
Actually, such âis this allowed?â age aspect is even commented by a NPC but for the gambling feature:
Considering the type of people you partner up with in SMT:If (and subsenquently the P1/P2 cast to some degree), the protagonists displaying delinquent behavior might very well be what they went for compared to the more ambiguous âleft-to-the-playerâ interpretations for MT2/SMT1/SMT2.
With the exception of our good glasses girl, look at the rest of these hooligans!
Anyway I stick with my interpretation of the main cast of SMT1/2 being on their twenties (or looking as such like Aleph) while the rest are just teens playing with their luck.
