Atlus will release Shin Megami Tensei IV Final – a new game, not an enhanced or remixed edition – for 3DS in Japan next February, according to Famitsu details posted by Duckroll. So far, all we know is that it’s based on the original SMT IV’s setting and is centered around the theme of “godslayer”.
Satoshi Oyama, who has done a lot of programming and design work on previous entries in the series, will be taking over directorial duties from Kazuyuki Yamai this time around. More details on the game next week!
However, the gaming landscape has changed
significantly
since the days of the Super NES or even PlayStation 2, inside of Japan
and out. While Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are still big, they’ve
also become
diluted through their own ubiquity with spinoffs galore and main series
releases that seem fewer and farther between. Countless mainstay
publishers of
yore have either been absorbed, shuttered, or changed focus from games
to
health clubs. With mobile markets contracting the traditional games
business,
the way in which the majority of consumers perceive and play games has
been
substantially impacted. Needless to say, Atlus needs more than Shin
Megami
Tensei’s niche to survive. But in this uncertain environment, or perhaps
because of it, an unexpected RPG star has risen to prominence: Persona.
Beyond
merely revitalizing a genre, Persona’s expanding popularity has
commanded great
influence, as evidenced by abundant copycats imitating its style and
mechanics.
At last, the Megami Tensei franchise, even if only a spinoff, was the
one
dictating the trends.
But being overshadowed by Persona in every respect has left
the Shin Megami Tensei main series in an awkward position. How can it embody a
rebellious spirit when its own child is the definition of what’s en vogue, with
much of its own DNA in tow? Ostensibly, the answer to that question is Shin
Megami Tensei IV, a paradoxical game eager to follow the trail blazed by
Persona’s success, but containing a number of reactionary decisions in its
design work and thematics that are contrary to the series’ identity. With the
series at a crossroads where some measure of adaptation to survive is
inevitable, significant questions emerge: What is Shin Megami Tensei’s
identity—and can it survive beyond the niche?
At last, it’s finally published. And now that it’s finished, I’m at a loss for words.
But for the longest time, I had difficulty properly articulating why I like Shin Megami Tensei so much, even though, at its core, it’s still a Japanese RPG, and I’ve played the hell out of those all my life. Similarly, I wanted to be able to properly express why I was so disappointed in Shin Megami Tensei IV, though not for the quality of its gameplay; there was something else entirely.
This essay, Shin Megami Tensei’s Identity Crisis, is an exhaustive look at the answers I found, through numerous Atlus staff interviews and other sources. The first part, Iconoclasm Incarnate, defines what SMT does differently than the rest. The second part focuses on the evolution of Persona and its modern impact. The third and final section is a head-to-toe criticism of SMTIV’s shortcomings in relation to the SMT identity defined in part one.
I promise you it’ll be a hell of a ride. Click here for part one! Part two should be released in a few days.
