Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remasterdelivers exactly what its mouthful of a name implies, a prettied-up high-definition version of ATLUS' classic and best-selling 2003 RPG. No less, and a little more. For fans of the franchise title who want to experience the hours (and hours and hours) of post-apocalyptic demon-fusing drama all over again, just on modern consoles and PCs,SMT3NHDRis an easy recommendation. And for those of you who have only heard about the fan-favoriteMegami Tenseifranchise but have yet to play any titles in it (or have only played through thePersonaspinoffs), the new remaster makes for a fantastic introduction, thanks in part to its newly added Merciful difficulty mode. But if you prefer your RPGs on the faster-paced side of things with a focus on action over tactics and planning,SMT3NHDRmight not be the best fit for you.Spoilersahead.
I wrote a fair amount about the new ATLUS/Sega release a little earlier this year thanks to a preview of the game. That write-up took me from the game’s rather pedestrian beginnings, up to its apocalyptic incident, and to the post-apocalyptic Tokyo that acts as the main setting for the rest of your playthrough, including the otherworldly grid of magical energy known as the Amala Network. That was all a promising start but just an appetizer for the massive feast of fusions and fights that was to come.
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SinceShin Megami Tensei III Nocturnehas been a beloved classic for the better part of 20 years, it suffices to say here that the story beats have not been touched. You can pretty much use a walkthrough from 2003 to guide you through the modern remaster if you are so inclined. Whathasbeen updated, however are the 3D character models and backgrounds, the addition of both Japanese and English voiceover tracks, and first-time subtitles for French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Additionally, you can choose between a playthrough that features the standard Japanese character Raidou or theDevil May Crycrossover character Dante (if you get the Maniax DLC). One quality-of-life add-on is a Suspend feature, which acts as a handy save point in between Amala shrines. But perhaps the biggest change in the remaster is the addition of the Merciful difficulty, ie Easy Mode. And it should come as no surprise that that’s exactly what I played on for my first-ever playthrough.
So why introduce a much easier mode when the game itself has already been around for nearly 20 years?SMT3was notoriously difficult for a lot of players back in the day and ever since, especially for those who were just dipping a toe into the franchise. The game doesn’t take it easy on you early on, and it only rewards those who have either lucked into certain tactics and strategies (or figured it out on a follow-up playthrough) by confirming through hard-won victory that, “Yes, that is the intended strat for this particular boss.” As an example, most bosses and even some overworld creatures throughout the game are strong against certain attacks and weak against others; taking it a step further, some attack types can be nullified or negated, while others actuallyhealthe target. Most of the time, you won’t know these strengths and weaknesses on a first battle, even with an Analyze skill to suss it out. That means that even your on-level characters can be wiped out relatively easily by bad RNG and a combo of debuffs and targeted attacks. Certain strategies, like searching for and recruiting specific overworld demons into your party before taking on specific bosses, are essential to your survival. Merciful Mode pacifies all of this.
As its name implies, this difficulty mode reduces the rate of encounters, especially early on, and reduces the amount of damage you’ll take. (I believe it also eases up the RNG of the Magatama curses that might afflict your character while leveling up.) This is a great way to go through the game for your first time since it cuts down on the time spent grinding, repeating battles due to strategic flaws or disadvantageous loadouts, and because it chops tanky bosses down to size. However, it also means you’re missing out on a huge part of what makes theSMTfranchise worth playing, and that’s the inherent strategic approach to almost every single battle you take on. I’d still recommend Merciful mode for new players, at least until you’re comfortable with the mechanics and have a grasp of what the game is asking of you; after that, dive in on harder difficulties if you really want a test.
For the most part, there’s a lot to recommend aboutSMT3NHDRand it’s mostly the same as what made the game great to begin with. The demon fusion system is a blast and adds a sort of gacha / catch ‘em all mechanic to the gameplay; you’ll need to recruit some of these demons to optimize your strategy and/or fuse them into other demons to complete your compendium. I could honestly focus all my time and attention doing that (the character models are lovingly remastered, by the way, so your favorites are worth checking out again.) However, I was taken out of the game a little bit due to a narrative design that sends your protagonist (or a little pin icon for overworld map sections) off on their own with no one to talk to for long,longstretches of time.Personahas kind of ruined me in this regard. Add to that the visual incongruity that makes modern remasters look bigger and emptier (especially interiors) than the original thanks to weird perspective and scaling effects, andSMT3NHDRoften feels lifeless and empty (which, honestly, kind of befits the post-apocalyptic story a bit, just in the wrong ways.)
Overall,Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remasteris a prettied-up version of a modern classic game that welcomes both returning players and newcomers alike, with quality-of-life changes like Merciful mode making it easier than ever to do just that. Embrace your inner Demi-fiend and check it out today!
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is now available on Nintendo Switch, PS4 (which was the platform for this review), and PC: Steam.
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