Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered

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Gameplay and Mechanics

“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” remains true to the core gameplay that made the original a standout title. At its heart, the game is a turn-based RPG that emphasizes strategic combat, character customization, and exploration. The remaster retains the challenging nature of the original while introducing several quality-of-life improvements.

Combat System

The combat system in “Nocturne” is one of its defining features, and the remastered edition preserves its depth and complexity. Players engage in turn-based battles where they control a protagonist known as the Demi-fiend and a roster of demons they recruit and fuse. The battle system revolves around exploiting elemental weaknesses and resistances, which adds a layer of strategy to each encounter.

The remaster enhances the visual presentation of battles, with improved character models and spell effects that make combat more visually appealing. The increased resolution and refined textures contribute to a more immersive experience, while the core mechanics of the combat system remain unchanged. The game’s “Press Turn” system, which rewards players for exploiting enemy weaknesses and punishes them for failing to do so, continues to be a central element of the gameplay.

Demon Recruitment and Fusion

One of the hallmarks of the SMT series is its demon recruitment and fusion system. In “Nocturne,” players can recruit demons through negotiations and fuse them to create new, more powerful entities. The remastered version retains this system, which is both complex and rewarding. The ability to negotiate with demons, a feature that allows players to engage in dialogue and convince demons to join their cause, adds depth to the recruitment process.

Demon fusion, where players combine multiple demons to create new ones, remains a core mechanic. The remaster improves the user interface for fusion, making it more accessible and easier to navigate. The visual upgrades to the demon models and animations also enhance the overall experience, making the process of recruiting and fusing demons more engaging.

Difficulty and Challenge

“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” is renowned for its difficulty, and the remastered edition maintains this reputation. The game’s challenging encounters and complex mechanics require careful planning and strategy. The remaster includes a new “Merciless” difficulty mode for players seeking an even greater challenge, which ups the ante by making enemies more aggressive and reducing the player’s margin for error.

For those who find the original difficulty too punishing, the remaster also offers a “Safety” mode, which reduces the overall challenge and makes the game more accessible to newcomers. This addition ensures that players of all skill levels can enjoy the game while still preserving the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming difficult obstacles.

Story and Narrative

The narrative of “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne” is one of its most intriguing aspects. Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the game follows the Demi-fiend as he navigates a world in turmoil following the apocalypse. The story is dark and complex, featuring themes of existentialism, chaos, and order.

Plot and Setting

The remastered edition preserves the original’s storyline, which is characterized by its minimalistic and often ambiguous narrative style. The game’s world is richly detailed, with a sense of dread and decay that permeates its environments. The story is driven by the Demi-fiend’s interactions with various factions and characters, each with their own motives and philosophies.

The remaster includes additional content that expands on the original narrative. The “Merciful” difficulty mode, introduced in the remaster, offers an alternate storyline that provides more context and backstory for the game’s events. This additional content enhances the narrative experience, providing players with a deeper understanding of the game’s world and characters.

Character Development

Character development in “Nocturne” is subtle, with the focus primarily on the protagonist and his journey rather than on extensive character interactions. The remastered edition maintains this approach, with the Demi-fiend remaining a largely silent protagonist. While this can make it difficult for players to form a connection with the character, it also allows for a more immersive experience, as players are encouraged to project their own motivations and emotions onto the protagonist.

Graphics and Visuals

The visual upgrades in “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” are among the most notable improvements from the original release. The game features enhanced textures, improved character models, and higher resolution environments. The updated visuals contribute to a more immersive experience, allowing players to appreciate the intricate details of the game’s world.

Environmental Design

The remastered edition also includes improved environmental design, with more detailed and atmospheric settings. The post-apocalyptic Tokyo is rendered with greater fidelity, showcasing the desolation and chaos of the game’s world. The enhanced graphics contribute to the overall atmosphere, making the game’s environments feel more alive and engaging.

Sound and Music

The audio design in “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” complements the game’s visual and narrative elements. The remaster features an updated soundtrack with improved audio quality, allowing players to experience the game’s music and sound effects with greater clarity.

Music and Sound Effects

The game’s soundtrack is a standout feature, with a mix of atmospheric and haunting tracks that enhance the overall experience. The remaster maintains the original music while improving the audio quality, ensuring that the music continues to evoke the same sense of tension and atmosphere as the original.

The sound effects, including weapon and spell effects, are also well-executed, contributing to the immersion of the gameplay. The updated audio quality ensures that these effects are clear and impactful, adding to the overall sense of realism and engagement.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003) is considered by many fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series in particular and Japanese RPGs in general as one of the best representatives of the PS2 era.

Detailed 3D-rendered environments, characters, and demons engaging and possibly the most profound storylines in the entire SMT series, along with an unrelenting difficulty make Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne truly the “cult classic” in the hearts of many people.

Nocturne’s success and breakthrough also paved the way for a new direction that has shaped modern Shin Megami Tensei versions, paving the way for two versions of Digital Devil Saga of the innovative and memorable Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, as well as Persona 3-4-5.

So when ATLUS announced the HD Remastered upgrade for Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, fans couldn’t help but be excited when this classic game will be upgraded to meet the standards of the modern gaming industry, themselves. They re-experienced their “childhood”, as well as introduced a new generation of players with this Japanese RPG monument.

In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, you will play an ordinary high school student in Tokyo who travels with his two friends to a strange abandoned hospital to find their teacher, surrounded by rumors and a terrible case related to a strange cult.

Then, a terrible event took place and destroyed Tokyo, turning it into a desert filled with demons.

The main character herself is fused with a mysterious entity called Magatama by two strange characters, becoming a “taboo” entity called the Demi-Fiend.

The main storyline of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne follows Demi-Fiend to discover the forces behind the disaster in Tokyo, and make choices that determine the fate of mortals, demons, and even gods!

Unlike many “main” versions of Shin Megami Tensei like Strange Journey or IV, the characters and “storyline” of the game do not lean towards Chaos, Neutral, or Law directions.

Players, as they gradually decipher and open the plot twists, will better understand the worldview of these characters.

The biggest and most memorable value that Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne’s story tells us is that the conflict between man and God is now more personal, and deeper and requires the protagonist to have more sympathy – because each character has their reasons, motivations, and beliefs for what they do.

The writer himself loves all 6 endings of the game, and always wants to experience them again.

While the gameplay memories of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered are not always… fun, the game’s depth and challenging gameplay itself are truly memorable!

The gameplay of the game is similar to familiar Japanese role-playing games where players will travel through “dungeons”, kill monsters for experience and use the money to upgrade their ranks through follow-up battles.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered has a diverse set of skills with conflicting damage systems and is unique to certain enemies, such as magic with fire (Agi), lightning (Zio)… true damage (almighty), and physical damage.

Each type of damage increases according to a unique stat system that is easy to understand and manage.

Besides the stats that increase damage, some stats increase the ability to dodge, hit rate, etc. are also relatively deep.

And these stat systems provide additional opportunities and creative approaches, as skills increase/decrease or cause special conditions like mute, poison, and bind… increasingly expanding the complexity of the gameplay.

The number of possibilities a player has to approach the gameplay sensibly is endless, and it’s always fascinating to research the combinations of demons you have to suit your playstyle!

Wait… the devil? It’s not like the main enemy in the game is the devil!

That’s right! Like Pokemon, players will recruit demons they encounter during the game to battle other demons!

But unlike Pokemon, the demons in Shin Megami Tensei are not cute and (almost) voluntarily follow you.

You have to sit down and convince them to side with you! And sometimes they will beat you up badly, take all your money and then… run away!

You have to accept it, but that’s part of what makes the game so appealing to so many players – every talk is a gamble!

In addition to persuading demons, communicating with demons can also help you “unlock” some side quests for exciting rewards or exciting new stories!

But persuasion and communication aren’t the only ways you can get new demons to add to your ranks… god-killer.

The Demon Fusion mechanic will allow you to combine 2 demons to create a new demon, and after completing some specific quests, you will have the ability to combine 3-4 demons to create monsters The new demon is more powerful, with a unique set of skills through the Special Fusion mechanic!

And with using demons to fight demons, the enemy’s skill set is just as dangerous and diverse as yours, which makes Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered so difficultly!

Demons know their abilities and have no qualms about fighting you – so understanding the game and its mechanics is paramount to every Shin Megami Tensei player.

As a remake, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered has brought many valuable improvements to improve the player experience.

Specifically, the game has added a Suspend mechanism for players to pause the game, exit, and then jump back in without fear of wasted effort, instead of having to run around looking for a save room.

One of the other major improvements is that the Demon Fusion mechanic will now allow you to choose to inherit the skills of the demons used to fuse new demons, making many skill sets particularly useful lost even if you “change blood” completely your ranks of “disciples”.

Along with that, the game also offers players a new difficulty level, Merciful, and although it is… easy, the story aspect of Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remastered is extremely strong and this difficulty will be suitable for Those who are lazy or not are good at approaching role-playing games that have too many complicated mechanisms intertwined, and players can completely change the difficulty in the middle of the game if it’s too difficult!

Of course, upgrading to HD means that the graphics and the whole specialty of Shin Megami Tensei III’s very own art style: Nocturne HD Remastered are shown to their full potential.

Game graphics are now cleaner, brighter, and easier on the eyes, as well as significant improvements in demon and character animation!

The sound and voiceover have also been significantly improved, as players can now choose to voice characters in both English and Japanese, with excellent sound quality and acting.

Except for the music, the sound effects are also significantly upgraded.

The writer’s only complaint is the way ATLUS “makes money” with the game!

The writer himself has no complaints about the high price of the original game because the game is a very valuable experience.

But the fact that ATLUS forces players to pay for some of the DLC that was previously free in the original makes the writer feel unacceptable!

Specifically, in the original version for the West, it will include Dante’s storyline, and the Japanese version will include the character Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, but in this remake, “locks” Dante after a valuable DLC 10USD, or pay 10USD more for the special edition!

Not only that, but players also have to pay extra money to have new and upgraded music that feels greedy and unnecessary!

where can you get a Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remasteredn online

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster – Nintendo Switch: Buy it now

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster (PS4): Buy it now

Final Thoughts

“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” successfully revitalizes a classic RPG for a new generation while respecting the integrity of the original. The remaster enhances the visual and audio aspects of the game, introduces quality-of-life improvements, and adds new content that enriches the narrative.

Strengths

• Challenging Gameplay: The remaster retains the original’s challenging nature while offering additional difficulty modes for various skill levels.
• Visual and Audio Upgrades: Improved graphics and audio enhance the overall immersion and experience.
• Expanded Narrative: Additional content provides a deeper understanding of the game’s world and story.

Weaknesses

• Minimalistic Character Development: The silent protagonist approach may not appeal to all players, and character interactions remain relatively limited.
• Niche Appeal: The game’s challenging nature and dark themes may not be suited for everyone, potentially limiting its appeal to a broader audience.

Overall, “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” is a well-executed remaster that preserves the essence of the original while introducing meaningful updates. It offers a compelling and immersive experience for both fans of the series and newcomers, making it a worthy addition to any RPG enthusiast’s collection.