A Deliciously Creepy Trailer For a Deliciously Creepy Game
It has come to our attention that we never actually wrote a dedicated article about the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD. We apologize deeply for this oversight. We were distracted by the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei V, which also looks good, but come on, Nocturne HD deserves its own article. Especially after that trailer dropped. Whether or not the remaster adds new stuff to Nocturne, the base game is solid enough–and the story chilling enough–that we’ll still be ready to pounce on launch. Plus, there’s a new Demi-fiend figma announced to celebrate, and that’s pretty awesome in its own right. So gather round, listeners, and scoot a little closer to the campfire. Things are about to get creepy.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is the third game in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which translates loosely to ‘real/true reincarnation of the goddess.’ A nocturne is a surreal or dreamy musical composition inspired by or evocative of night. What a sweet-sounding title for a game that begins by ending the world. Players take on the role of an ordinary high school student who did not sign up to be nearly murdered by a cult murder, have a magical parasite forced into his eye, and be left to fend for himself in the twisted ruins of Tokyo. Nothing remains in the Vortex World but the echo of people who once lived and amoral demons thirsting for power.
Well, that’s not quite true–there are a few surviving humans, some of whom you used to know. Your best friends, Isamu and Chiaki, are out there somewhere. So are Yuko, your possessed teacher, Hikawa, the cult leader who keeps trying to kill you, and the enigmatic little boy who dropped the parasite into your eye and turned you into a demon. They all have plans for the Vortex World and the new world that could emerge from it. Problem is, none of those plans can come to pass until only one of them remains. You are no longer human. You can’t save this ruined world. All you can do is choose who to side with–who you believe is right. Spoilers, that may be difficult: some games don’t have evil campaigns, but Nocturne doesn’t have a good campaign.
Shin Megami Tensei series director Kazuyuki Yamai said in an interview that some changes will be made to Nocturne HD: namely, slight dialogue tweaks, the addition of nearly full voice acting, and an optional DLC Merciful Mode designed to make the notoriously difficult game more accessible. It’s not a rewrite on the level of Final Fantasy VII Remake, but then, it isn’t trying to be. Yamai makes it clear that Nocturne HD still holds up today. “It really doesn’t feel like an ‘old’ game. It’s something that never gets old, and because of how difficult our current situation with the world is, the story might feel even more relatable.”
A figma of the Demi-fiend from “Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster” is in the works by Max Factory! Stay tuned for more information!#smt #shinmegamitensei #figma #maxfactory pic.twitter.com/CL6RTy5mGz
— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) October 26, 2020
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD will be out for Nintendo Switch and PS4 in Spring 2021.
What’s your favorite Shin Megami Tensei game? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
