Review for Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/05/2021 The version for Nintendo Switch is scheduled in the 2021.
Let's face it, most players today, when talking about J-RPG tend to mention the Persona series, thanks largely to the success resulting from 5 person e 4 person, recently also arrived on PC; but how many of these players know the original saga they come from?
Why yes, Personas are a spin-off of the saga Shin Megami Tensei, originally landed on SNES, which over the years has continued its journey on PS2 and later on Nintendo consoles. Today we will talk to you about one of the most iconic, if not the most appreciated, chapters of the entire series. We are talking about Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster. The game arrived on our PS2s way back in 2005, in its variant "Maniax“, A sort of Director's Cut edition with some additions, including an additional alternate ending and the ability to recruit Dante from the series devil may cry.
After 16 years we can therefore return to playing Lucifer's Call (this is how the aforementioned chapter outside the rising sun is known) on our PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC, even localized in Spanish, demonstrating the excellent work that Atlus and Sega are doing in the West.
Let's start from the plot, one of the darkest and most intricate that has probably ever been conceived for a J-RPG: the game allows us to impersonate a boy, who initially looks like a classic high school student, who must meet on a morning like any other. with his friends. Yet the meeting does not go as planned: while out with friends in a hospital in the area, the boy witnesses the destruction of the world in favor of the "conception”(So defined in the game) of a new reality. The young man also discovers that the Harbinger in charge of the operation is his teacher, whom his friends were looking for.
During the creation of the new world, the boy finds himself in a parallel dimension, where he no longer possesses his human body, as he has become a half demon; thanks to these powers, he will have to make his way inside what was once his home, now haunted by demons of all kinds.
One of the most interesting aspects is that in the course of the game we will meet different characters with different world views. Depending on who we decide to support or not, the ending will change drastically, giving further value to replayability for those who want to see them all.
The gameplay is quite intricate, and for that very reason, it may not appeal to everyone; our team will consist of the boy, whom we will call from now on Hitoshura, and several demons. But we are not talking about just any team, found in any chapter of final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts o Dragon Quest. The characters of our roster, in fact, are the demons that we will find in the various battles; through the Speak command and some special abilities, it will be possible to recruit other creatures for our team, which will level up thanks to the battles faced, and will also be able to undergo evolutions, through the use of Cathedral of Darkness.
The character enhancement and recruitment system of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Remaster very reminiscent of the video games of Digimon o Pokémon, and for this reason we believe it is a great strength: it is a breath of fresh air, compared to classic RPGs, a sort of hybrid that manages to entertain and capture the player more. Indeed, some of the recruited demons can evolve by leveling up, an aspect never seen again in subsequent chapters or in spin offs as a Persona.
During the battles we will also be able to take advantage of the “Auto-Battle” function, which is very useful during grinding sessions, as once activated, it will allow us to put down our controller and let the game decide for us.
The battles also take place in a fairly classic way: we find the Combat menu, where we can attack and use offensive skills and spells, the Speak command already mentioned, the Summon section to change the components of the group and Escape, to escape from enemies.
The real peculiarity of combat lies in the Turn Press, which is a system that allows, based on the exploitation of the weaknesses of the enemies, to earn extra turns and close the clashes as quickly as possible. The feature that makes this Shin Megami Tensei difficult is that the Turn Press is also abusable by opponents, who could take a few turns to cause the game to end, especially since the death of the protagonist will decide your game over.
Key feature of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Remaster to mention, is the absence of equipment such as weapons or armor: all we can equip is the Magatama, a sort of parasity that once absorbed allows us to obtain different attack, magic or support abilities, and to change some of our statistics, which after each level up will "shake inside us" allowing us to obtain any bonuses or malus.
As for the graphics sector, the game has been remastered very well: the textures are much better than the original version. One of the very few flaws on a graphic level, probably is related to the models present in the overworld, when we find ourselves in the game map, very little detailed. In addition, the cutscenes appear to be in 4: 3, with side bands that reflect the texture of the scene reproduced. As for the soundtrack, we can choose between those of the various Shin Megami Tensei, up to that of Apocalypse; a really good soundtrack, which does its job well, able to always keep the mysterious and dark atmosphere that characterizes the game high.
Do not expect to start Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster in a period in which you have little time: we are talking about a title that really takes many hours to complete, also given the great difficulty, which represents one of the trademarks of the aforementioned. Role playing game. Anyway Atlus has also come to the rescue of players who simply want to enjoy the story, without wasting too much time in the fighting: in fact, with the SMT3 remastered, we find a free DLC that adds the difficulty "Clemente", which allows us to continue without any kind of effort within the story.
Speaking of DLC, it is also possible to access two extra dungeons that will allow you to get experience and money and further facilitate progression in the game. Too bad instead for the choice to relegate Dante and his storyline also to a separate DLC (and for a fee), as in the basic version it has been replaced by Raidou, from Shin Megami Tensei's Digital Devil Summoner series.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is probably one of the most successful J-RPG titles in the entire history of the sector, a real milestone that you cannot miss: you can not help but wait until May 25, and buy it on your PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch or PC at price of 49,99 €.
► Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is a JRPG type game developed and published by ATLUS for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/05/2021 The version for Nintendo Switch is scheduled in the 2021.
