Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster

Developer(s)	Atlus ITL
Publisher(s)	Atlus
Release Date(s)
Nintendo Switch	JP: October 29, 2020 WW: May 25, 2021
Nintendo Switch	JP: October 29, 2020 WW: May 25, 2021
Platform(s)
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Rating(s)
ESRB	06
PEGI	04
CERO	02
ACB	04
USK	03
SMECCV	04
GRAC	01
CID	05
GSRR	02

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is a role-playing game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo Switch. Like its title suggests, it is a high-definition remaster of 2003's Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, the third main entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was released in Japan on October 29, 2020, with a worldwide release following on May 25, 2021.

Sypnosis

In modern-day Tokyo, a cult worshipping the demonic god Lucifer brings about the Conception, an event which results in the destruction of the normal world and all of humanity in order to prevent Earth's stagnation as prophesized by the Great Will Amidst these events, the protagonist awakens to find the world turned into a wasteland inherited by war-mongering demons, and Reasons, beings resembling deities who were formed by people who gathered a substance known as Magatsuhi on behalf of their deity or demon sponsor. Powerless and needing to survive in the new status quo, the protagonist strikes a pact with Lucifer himself, who feeds him a mysterious bug known as a Magatama, thus transforming him into the Demi-fiend: an individual with the thoughts and feelings of a human, but the strength and powers of a demon. It is now up to the protagonist as to whether he will forge a new world himself, with Reasons, or leading Lucifer's army against those siding with the Great Will.

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is set in a post-apocalyptic version of modern-day Tokyo: aside from the opening segment, post-apocalyptic Tokyo, also known as the Vortex World, is the main setting. From the outset, the player can select two difficulty settings: Normal and Hard. The player controls a silent protagonist who is given a name during the opening. The player navigates the Vortex World through both a 2D world map, and to-scale 3D environments used in dungeons. While navigating the world map, the Protagonist's party and other non-player characters (NPCs), interactive objects and landmarks are represented by symbols: these objects and NPCs include containers holding items, spirits that will heal the party, and a globe in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen showing the party's approximate location on the world map. During dungeon navigation, the Protagonist navigates grid-based, multi-leveled areas. Different areas are accessed via doors, and as the Protagonist progresses the area is automatically mapped. While exploring dungeons, the in-game camera can be freely rotated, and a "Look" action allows the player to see environments in first-person. The game world can be navigated either on foot or by using a fast travel system unlocked at a certain point in the game.

Multiple important locations are located within the world: these include Terminals that give access to a fast travel system; the Junk Shop, which acts as a vendor for buying and selling items; Rag's Jewelry, where gems collected during gameplay can be traded for rare items and unique demons; and the Fountain of Life, where the Protagonist and other party members can receive treatment for ailments, heal them of damage, or revive characters knocked out in battle. An optional location separate from the Vortex World is the Amala Labyrinth, accessed after the Protagonist has reached a certain point in the story. The Labyrinth is a dungeon divided into multiple floors or Kalpa, each housing both demon enemies and brokers who sell demons to the Protagonist. Each Kalpa is connected by a Warp Zone, in which the Protagonist can collect currency and items while avoiding or destroying obstacles. Proceeding through the levels of the Labyrinth requires the protagonist to find and fight Fiends carrying Candelabra, which unlock barriers. The Candelabra also act as a means of locating and either engaging or avoiding Fiends.

During navigation, an indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen indicates the presence of enemies and the likelihood of a battle being triggered. An indicator in the top left-hand corner also shows the current "phase" of Kagutsuchi, a moon-like object hovering in the sky of the Vortex World which shifts its phase as the Protagonist explores. Standard battles are initiated through random encounters, which trigger a transition into a dedicated battle arena. The player party is composed of the Protagonist and three demons: only eight demons can be carried by the Protagonist at the game's opening, but more can be added as the game progresses. At the end of battles, the party gains experience points and Macca, the in-game currency. Party members will level up when enough experience points have been gathered. Upon leveling up, the statistics of allied demons are randomly raised, while the Protagonist's stats can be customized by the player. The Protagonist's abilities and resistances are also influenced by equipping one of 24 different Magatama found in-game. The Protagonist can learn new skills from equipped Magatama when he levels up, and is also granted passive buffs and debuffs which take effect in battle. Magatama will sometimes act violently within the Protagonist, creating different effects depending on the Magatama equipped.

Battles are governed by a turn-based mechanic called the "Press Turn" system. Each character participating in combat, friend and foe alike, provides one or more Press Turns represented in the upper right-hand corner of the screen as icons. The rule behind this system is that any action (attacking, using skills, items, contacting demons, summoning commands) will normally cost one full turn. If a combatant scores a critical hit, exploits their opponent's weakness, or passes on making an action, they gain an additional turn marked by a pulsating icon. These added turns allow characters to perform all actions available within normal turns. If the player chooses to pass on an additional turn, that turn is lost. If an attack fails through missing or blocking, then multiple turns are lost: how many depends on how many combatants avoided or blocked it. If an attack heals an enemy, all remaining turns are lost. An auto-attack option is available, where party members can use standard physical attacks or repeat their actions from the previous turn. Characters can escape from normal battles, with failure forfeiting a player turn. If the main character loses all health, the game ends, regardless of the status of his demons.

A key element related to battles is demon negotiation, the process by which new demons are invited to join the Protagonist and can fight alongside them. The majority of demons can be talked to in battle by the Protagonist, and some allied demons. After selecting the option to talk, the player selects a demon, which initiates a negotiation. For those demons who can talk, the responses vary by both situation and a demon's temperament: some demons can be bribed with Macca and items, some will ask questions related to subjects like philosophy, while others can be influenced by the Protagonist's skills of flattery or eloquence. A negotiation can fail if the wrong responses are chosen, if the Protagonist's demon roster is full, or if another enemy demon interrupts. When in the party, demons can be summoned or dismissed from battle. The level of assigned Magatama can also affect how negotiation goes.

In addition to recruiting in battle, new demons are acquired through fusion at a location called the Cathedral of Shadows. Normally only two demons can be fused at once, but under certain conditions, more demons can be fused together. Fusions can produce a variety of results based on various circumstances, such as the current phase of Kagutsuchi and the addition of items called Deathstones. When in the Cathedral of Shadows, the Protagonist can select two demons, viewing a preview of the resultant demon, then initiate a fusion. The resultant demon will both possess its own skills and inherit skills from both parents: skill inheritance is randomized. Higher-level demons produce more powerful fusions. Demons gained through negotiation or fusion are automatically stored in the Demon Compendium, a record kept within the Cathedral of Shadows. The Protagonist can also pay to summon a demon from the Compendium, returning it to his ranks.

Gameplay Changes & Additions

Notable additions and alterations to content were made from the game's original release and subsequent enhanced editions:

• The game received graphical improvements.
• The game includes both English and Japanese voice acting. They are optional, and can be switched on and off.
• A Merciful difficulty mode was added as free DLC.
• Difficulty can be changed at any time in the game.
• A "Quick Resume" was added, where the player can quit the game and then resume right where they left off when booting up the game.
• The ability to choose skills during fusion was added, as well as simplifying random skill selection. This was added in the 1.02 patch of the Japanese version of the game on Dec. 23, 2020.
• Dante was given the "Pierce" ability, giving him complete skill parity with Raidou.
• DLC for EXP and Macca grinding was added.
• SMT I, II, IV, and IV:A tracks were added as DLC.
• Some names used in the original English release were changed, making them more compatible with the Japanese version's terminology:

Development

The game was officially announced on July 20, 2020 during that day's Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, alongside the unveiling of Shin Megami Tensei V. Production on the HD Remaster began around 2018, lasting a total of two years. The new "Merciful" difficulty setting was included as a concession to modern gaming trends, acknowledging players who would want to easily experience the stories and endings. Alongside these and graphical changes, some dialogue was rewritten. A "Maniax Pack" downloadable content item launched alongside the game, restoring the Devil May Cry series' Dante in place of Raidou Kuzunoha from the Devil Summoner games, who was present in the "Chronicle Edition" release of the original game.

Release

The remaster was released in Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Korean on October 29, 2020 for the Nintendo Switch, with a worldwide release following on May 25, 2021. For the Asian release published by Sega, the Chronicle content was originally omitted. Due to protests from Chinese consumers, the Chronicle content was eventually offered as DLC for Chinese players. It was free for a two week period before becoming a paid item on January 7 of the following year in China.

The game also marked as one of the last voice acting appearances of Kagutsuchi's voice actor, Keiji Fujiwara, who died on April 12, 2020.

External links

• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster at GameFAQs
• Official website
• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster on Megami Tensei Wiki