While not the first game in the Megami Tensei franchise to be localized into English, the release of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne in 2004 was a watershed moment for the franchise as it proved that the games could find a dedicated following in the western world. In the years since more games followed: the Digital Devil Saga duology, two games in the Devil Summoner sub-series which otherwise hadn’t been touched in nearly a decade at the time, the Devil Survivor games had come out, and of course the Persona series became a sizzling-hot red giant, but despite a certain side game for the DS, the core Shin Megami Tensei series had not yet received a new numbered entry of its own.
Fast forward almost decade later to May 6, 2013 when Shin Megami Tensei IV was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS, with the English localization coming out a mere two months later on July 16th. Shin Megami Tensei IV is the first numbered mainline game to be originally released on Nintendo hardware since 1994 and it shook things up more than a bit in terms of development staff. While he contribute heavily to the story and setting design, this was the first mainline Shin Megami Tensei where Kazuma Kaneko was not involved in new character or demon design, and in lieu of Shoji Meguro composing the soundtrack was provided by other members of Atlus’s sound team. One of Kaneko’s proteges, Masayuki Doi of Trauma Center fame, handled character design instead while new demons were handled by a stable of guest artists some of whom had worked on Atlus titles before, or had done design work in the film and TV industry.
Despite this shakeup in staff Shin Megami Tensei IV overall feels like a pastiche of the series as a whole, drawing elements from many of the games that came before it while putting its own spin on some of them. The game’s reception can be a little mixed depending on which corner of the fandom you’re looking at but its accessibility makes it a very good place to jump in to the franchise as a whole. Despite the presentation limitations inherent to handheld gaming I think it’s one of the more atmospheric games that I’ve played and easily one of my favorites.
Now as to how this liveblog is going to work, as is standard for these games there are multiple ending paths you can take based on the alignments of Law, Chaos, and Neutral. In this game Neutral is easily held up as the “true” ending considering that it contains most of the game’s content so that’s the one that I will be shooting for. However I will still take a look at the route-exclusive material as well as New Game+ stuff and I’ll do that by having a second file running alongside the main one that I’ll switch over to as needed.
Finally, our main cast:
Flynn
The Hero of the game, an 18 year-old of the medieval Eastern Kingdom of Mikado’s peasant Casualry class. Despite his upbringing and his silence he becomes one of the Samurai, Mikado’s protectors, after passing the Gauntlet Rite and from there he and his fellow apprentice Samurai are drawn into a conflict that will turn everything on its head.
Jonathan, Walter, and Isabeau
Flynn’s trio of fellow apprentice Samurai who accompany him on much of his adventure. While the four of them are from different social classes as Samurai they are fast allies in carrying out their duties. But beneath the surface they have their philosophical differences that could rip them apart under the right circumstances…
Abbot Hugo
This guy ain’t exactly a prominent character but gotta fill out this list somehow. As head of Mikado’s Monastery Abbot Hugo holds a very high position in the Kingdom of Mikado, yet his oily and self-righteous personality makes him a less than popular figure amongst the Samurai, who often find themselves taking on errands on his behalf.
The Black Samurai
A mysterious woman clad in rather anachronistic, you might even say “strange”, armor. No one knows her true identity, but her goal is to “enlighten” the people of Mikado - an act that sparks unrest and earns her the title of Public Enemy #1 and the order for the Samurai to pursue and arrest her is what truly kicks off the plot.
Tayama
A ruthless yakuza gangster who has seized control of the demon-infested Tokyo. Leader of the Ashura-kai mob of gangsters and possessing powerful demons known as the National Defense Divinities, Tayama seeks to turn the city into his own utopia where he rules it with an iron fist.
Wait just a minute… Tokyo?
