While everyone froze in anticipation Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch, company Atlus decided to refresh the memories of players with a remaster of the third part of their dark JRPG series. A full 18 years after the original appeared, there have been fundamental changes in many aspects of games. Therefore, the question arises – has Nocturne stood the test of time? The answer is harder than it seems, so we decided to analyze the project thoroughly.
Strongest trait Shin megami tensei 3, which is not inherent in every game, is the synchronous work of all elements as one whole. The developers have tied together all the parts very tightly, where even the smallest details matter. However, this is not particularly surprising now that an example of a series is known. Personawhere Atlus strives to focus on improving synergy between gameplay, storytelling, and character design. In these games there is a pleasant feeling of awareness, as if everything is in place here and there are no unnecessary components that drag the quality of the piece down.
But back to Shin Megami Tensei III. One fine day, our alter ego goes to meet with two classmates to visit the sick teacher Yuko Takao at a local hospital in Shinjuku. Along the way, we learn about the Gaia cult, which spreads rumors about the end of the world and the rebirth of the world. After meeting with journalist Joji Hijiri, we learn about his investigation into the Yoyogi Park massacre. It turns out that the unknown creatures that tore people to pieces, perhaps, are demons, based on the information available. Having handed the heroes the monthly issue of the occult magazine “Ayakashi”, Hijiri rushes to the same hospital as us.
Inside, the heroes meet with the root cause of mysterious incidents, and also contemplate the moment of the beginning of the cycle of the world’s rebirth. As it turned out, Yuko was not sick, but only used the request to come to the medical center as an excuse, because it was the only safe place. While searching for friends, the protagonist meets a mysterious boy and a lady with a veil, as a result of which he undergoes a metamorphosis. The implanted parasite – magatama – gives him the power of a demon in order to survive in a new, cruel world, because the beginning of the cycle is the death of all life. Now we have to plunge into the depths of hell literally in order to unravel the tangle of intricacies of demons and higher beings responsible for managing the universe.
The fate of being half demon is a kind of metaphor for the reason for the hero’s rebirth and his life path throughout the game. Having listened to all the arguments in the end, we will be free to stand on one of the parties to the conflict, and also decide whether to reject humanity, become the people’s messiah, or take neutrality. As you might have guessed, these are the types of worldviews in the game, namely chaos, order and neutrality. The ability to join one of them is the basis of the non-linearity of the game.
Key Election System is one of the hallmarks of the series Shin megami tensei, and here it is implemented as follows. In a number of scenes where you will need to choose an answer to an important question, you will receive points of favor to one or another faction. There are three of them, for each of the characters, who at the end of the path form their own vision of the ideal world. But there are actually six endings, since you can also reject them or do something completely different. Actually, another factor is the completion of a large optional dungeon – “Amala’s Labyrinth” – before entering the last location, for a plot reason. We will return to this in more detail below.
The rest of the narrative progresses in a linear fashion, but due to the structure of the game, you can always stray along the path and do other things and additional content, and then instantly come back. The script itself is quite firmly on its feet, and it is always interesting to follow what is happening. This is not to say that this is some kind of revelation, but by the standards of JRPG the plot is excellent here. The authors were able to adequately tie together all the segments of the plot, due to the fact that there are few characters here, they all have clearly defined roles, and their motivation is gradually revealed through dialogues and, importantly, actions during the game. The characters of the heroes undergo dramatic changes when they are faced with the harsh reality of a scorched world, where several acquaintances are the only living people, and at any moment you can disappear from the hands of a demon or get lost in dark labyrinths. The universe is really merciless here.
Moving on to the locations, it is worth noting that, as in other games in the series, there are small sections of the city and the outer world map, occupying an insignificant area, and an extensive network of dungeons in each of the points of the city or even in the otherworldly space. The city is an alternative to Tokyo with related districts like Ginza, Ikebukuro, Shibuya and others. The structure is conveniently thought out in such a way that functional shops with items, the possibility of healing and crossing demons, as well as save terminals are located at the starting points of the dungeons. Sometimes you can find an additional healing fountain or a demonic cathedral of shadows. At any time, the authors give to return to the initial obelisk of a specific location. Given the presence of shortcuts and communication with other dungeons and parts of the city, you can always make an unplanned jump back and replenish supplies or free up slots for new demons.
Of course, if the situation in the city is so schematic, then the question arises – what were the resources spent on? And these are, of course, dungeons. We call them so conditionally, since there are a variety of options. Although not without repetition. For example, dungeons in underground passages look primitive and offer the same types of traps. According to the tradition of the series, a whole variety of obstacles that complicate your life are presented here. These are dangerous sections of rooms that cause damage, and sudden teleports, and one-way doors, and a collapsing floor, and chests with enemies inside, and a lack of lighting. Special things and abilities of your demons, as well as a detailed map are called upon to resist all this. It fills in automatically as you progress and marks all points of interest and hazards with pictograms. Detailed and visual, it will always help you out by helping you plan your route. But, of course, you will have to decide a lot yourself, remember where the key objects and switches are. The authors do not go too far, and you can think of everything, guided by memory and ingenuity. By the way, it was not without puzzles. For example, in one moment you will have to activate the required platforms in a strict order, in another you will have to open the doors in a certain sequence, in the third you will not touch the shadow, and in the fourth you will have to find a false sculpture by checking the reflections, and so on. There are not so many of them to get bored, and at the same time, they are always entered correctly, taking into account the style of the location and who manages this place. In fact, the managers are the bosses who live there. All this together does not let you get bored, there is a constant rotation of the situation, and in the course of the passage you get new portions of the plot and the background of the heroes as a reward.
And if there are about 15 teleport points memorized by the game, if you subtract the floors of the huge final zone, then the places themselves, of course, are much more. Some of them are not marked anywhere at all, since they are secret, and you will need to fulfill special conditions or find them using exploration, turning off the beaten path. They are fraught with useful things for both the protagonist and the party members.
Here I would also like to mention a massive optional dungeon called “Amala’s Labyrinth”. He actually inspires and is a kind of dungeon in the dungeon. There are five floors inside, which are separated by partitions with pedestals. These partitions are intermediate levels connecting each subsequent floor in both directions. There is also a central room with a save room and quick access to each of the floors if you open its entrance. On the pedestals mentioned, you need to erect the candelabra, which you receive after defeating the unique bosses of the fiend family, who have a naked skull instead of a face. An exception here will be guest characters, but more on that below.
