Table of Contents
amazon Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remasteredn reviews
System of Play and Mechanics
“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” has stuck to the surgery of true game play validation: what gave this new life to turn-based RPGs of strategic combat with character customization and exploration? Quite tough from the very beginning, the game preserves the challenge level and adds several minor adjustments to the quality of life.
Battle System
Indubitably, the battle system of “Nocturne” is characterized by being one of its discriminative features. It retained all inclusiveness and depth in the remaster. In turn-based fighting, players commanded a protagonist known as the Demi-fiend and a legion of demons of their choosing from among those they had summoned and fused. A certain element leverage against vulnerabilities and resistances in turn becomes the cynosure of strategy for a given encounter.
It is part of the remaster to upgrade the graphics presentation used for fighting: improved character models and spell effects made the engagement more enticing. An immense resolution and high-grade texture pull the user into the environment, while nevertheless, the combat system’s underlying mechanics have not changed. The operational “Press Turn” system seen throughout the game allows players to act as fast as they can, rewarding them for exploiting enemy weaknesses and punishing them for failing to do so.
Demon Recruitment and Fusion
Perhaps the most defining feature of the SMT series would be demon recruitment and fusion. In “Nocturne,” one can negotiate with demons for recruitment and fuse demons to give rise to new, stronger entities. The remaster stays true to the richly intricate and rewarding system for demon recruiting: negotiating with demons allows the player to engage in dialogue and convince demons to join them.
Demon fusion-the process of combining several demon souls to give birth to new souls-was and remains the rule. The remaster enhances the ease with which players can navigate the fusion interface and provides the contrast of visual upgrades to demon models and animations, all of which contribute to a better demon-recruiting and fusion experience.
Challenge and Difficulty
“Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” boasts a steep challenge, and the remastered edition does nothing to revoke that esteem. The game puts obstacles before the players, and its mechanics are complex enough to warrant a plan and strategy. The remaster features a new “Merciless” difficulty mode for cavalier players on the hunt for a serious challenge, increasing enemies’ aggression level while reducing players’ margin for error.
For neophytes out there who feel the original difficulty is too punishing, the remaster contains “Safety” mitigations designed to lower challenge across its gameplay. This ensures that players of all skill levels may bask in the glory of overcoming challenges whilst allowing for a genuinely satisfying feeling of having steeled against obstacles.
Stories Parallel to Their Narratives
It is one of the most thought-provoking features in “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne”. After the apocalypse, the game-cat Dee-Fiend’s journey moves through chaotic Tokyo into a world that is in disarray. These characters are burdened with a heaviness and intricacy of plot that ranges between themes of existentialism and chaos and order.
Context and Plot
Remastering keeps the original storyline, which is noted for its sparse and often vague narrative technique. The environment is so highly defined and detailed, with a stench of despair and decay wafting through all its surroundings. It was the Demi-fiend and his involvement with several factions and characters who had very different spirits and motives that moved the story ahead.
Top of it brings new content to augment the original story. The remastered “Merciful”, for example, by delivering different storylines dedicated towards giving much additional context and background into happenings of the game, adds to narrative experiences. With this kind of extra content, even players tend to develop a broader perspective of the game’s world and characters.
Character Progression
Character development is rather understated in Nocturne, as the focus is mostly on the male protagonist’s journey and personal dilemmas, rather than on individual character interactions. The remastered edition stays true to that spirit: the Demi-fiend remains a mostly voiceless protagonist. This struggles connecting the players to the character but allows for a much better immersion as the players are meant to project their own motivation and emotions onto the character.
Visuals and Graphics
Among the most prominent ear marks is the graphics improvement in “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered”. Enhanced textures, improved character models, and a higher resolution in environments are all part of the game. They create a better atmosphere and allow the players to explore the finer details of the game’s world.
Environmental Artistry
The remastered edition represents better environmental design too by creating more detailed and atmospheric surroundings. Post-apocalyptic Tokyo has been rendered in greater fidelity, from the desolation through to the chaos of the game’s world. All this adds to the overall graphic appeal, making the environments feel more alive and engaging than before.
Sound and Music
The audio design in “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered” works along with the visuals and the storytelling. The remaster features an updated soundtrack with improved audio quality, thus allowing for better appreciation of the music and sound effects in the game.
Music and Sound Effects
Another hallmark of the game is the very soundtrack, a mixture of atmospheric and haunting tracks that mold the complete experience. The remaster has kept all the original music while improving the quality of the audio so that the music can still evoke the same tension and atmosphere as in the original.
The sound effects, from weaponry to spell effects, are also very much on-point when it comes to establishing the immersion of gameplay. Clear and impactful due to updated audio quality, these sounds achieve a greater sense of realism and interactivity.
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,” would definitely stun the audience of tomorrow as it brings back a classic RPG into its core essentials. The remaster won’t only deliver a fine charge visually and acoustically, upgrade some quality-of-life improvements, but also serve other content-rich narrative elements.
Strength
Difficult Challenge: Keeping the main challenge of the game, it will also provide a plethora of difficulties for different levels of skills.
Visual and Audio Enhancements: The graphics and audio improvement works for the whole immersion and experience.
An Expansion of the Narrative: Added content allows for a more in-depth understanding of the game world and story.
Weaknesses
Minimalistic Character Development: This approach may not be fulfilled by every player, and not a lot of player interaction exists.
Niche Appeal: The game, with its challenging aspect and darker themes, may or may not cater to everyone, limiting the reach to a broader audience.
Overall, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remastered is a great example of a reliable remaster, one that retains much from the original while also implementing worthwhile changes. This product will allow the fans of the series and newcomers alike to experience a very appealing and immersive recreation-the kind of odd creation that any RPG buff would be proud to have in his collection.