Shin Megami Tensei: Nine
A virtual Tokyo besieged by digitized demons.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nine is a 2002 role-playing video game developed by Atlus and NexTech for the Xbox. It is set between Shin Megami Tensei and its sequel, following survivors of Tokyo's destruction who create a virtual world called Idea Space. The game was the first Megami Tensei title to fully utilize 3D graphics and was originally planned as an online title.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Atlus; NexTech
- Publisher
- Atlus
- Director
- Kazunori Sakai
- Producer
- Kouji Okada
- Artist
- Yasuomi Umetsu; Kazuma Kaneko
- Programmer
- Akihiro Yoshida
- Writer
- Nobutaka Shimizu
- Yumiko Kurihara
- Yutaka Toyama
- Composer
- Takahiro Ogata; Masaki Kurokawa
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei: Nine is a role-playing video game set in a cyberspace version of 1990s Tokyo. Players control a silent protagonist whose name, gender, hair, and skin color can be adjusted. Navigation uses a third-person perspective, with one assigned demon following the player. Safe areas contain shops for equipment, items, and cosmetic changes. Combat is triggered by random encounters and takes place in real-time within enclosed battle arenas; commands can be issued to party members when their turn comes, and general offensive or defensive stances can be set. Battles do not award experience points; instead, equipped jewels affect the protagonist's stats. Players can negotiate with demons to recruit them, and demons can be fused to create stronger ones. Demon attitudes shift with the moon phase. The number of summonable demons depends on kilodevil values: a player with 100 kilodevil can summon two 50-kilodevil demons. Visiting the Cathedral of Shadows compresses demons, halving their kilodevil values. A hacking mode plays as a real-time strategy simulation where the protagonist navigates closed arenas along preset paths, disabling nodes and defending against protection bots. Dialogue choices map onto a three-by-three alignment matrix (Law, Neutral, Chaos across; Light, Neutral, Dark down), influencing the story and demon loyalty.
Synopsis
Nine takes place in the year 202X, during the latter half of Shin Megami Tensei and leading up to Shin Megami Tensei II. After an ICBM attack on Tokyo, survivors live in underground cities and create Idea Space, a virtual world based on 1990s Tokyo. The default protagonist, Kei Azuma, explores Idea Space when Noise—digitized hostile demons—appear and attack players. After fending off an attack, Azuma is hired by the Central Administration Bureau as a Debugger to repel Noise invasions. Azuma meets Baraki/Sumire, a childhood friend representing Chaos, and Mubiora/Miranda, a Law representative. During Azuma's duties, the events of the latter half of Shin Megami Tensei culminate in a Great Flood triggered by the Order of Messiah; Azuma survives because their body is in cold storage, linking their mind to Idea Space. A mission into virtual Shibuya 109 against the Noise demon Abaddon reveals Idea Space's true origins: it was created by humans tired of awaiting a Messiah, used as a basis for cloning a new humanity for the Millennial Kingdom, with the deity Maria as supervising AI and most inhabitants being androids or data creations. Azuma retrieves a Desire Disc containing humanity's saved desires. The Law faction, supported by Maria, seeks peace and release of Idea Space's inhabitants. The Chaos faction, possibly led by Lucifer if freed from the Expanse, intends to destroy Idea Space's inhabitants and start anew with Azuma and the Chaos companion as Adam and Eve. To fulfill either role, Azuma must defeat Yaldabaoth, an aspect of YHWH that opposes both Maria and Lucifer.
Development
Shin Megami Tensei: Nine was primarily developed by Atlus with additional help from NexTech, later rebranded as Nex Entertainment. CGI cutscenes were created with Frameworks Entertainment. Kouji Okada produced the game, Kazunori Sakai directed, and Nobutaka Shimizu wrote the script. Kazuma Kaneko designed new demons, finding Maria challenging due to his past focus on God and Lucifer rather than goddess figures; he also struggled to make demons move convincingly in 3D. Kaneko suggested bringing in a new artist, so Yasuomi Umetsu designed the main characters, part of an effort to distinguish Nine from earlier Megami Tensei games. The concept originated during discussions about an online Shin Megami Tensei, taking form as a spin-off similar to Shin Megami Tensei If... and the Devil Summoner series. Development began in 2001, and the game was initially called Shin Megami Tensei Online. Okada wanted a single-player mode to introduce players to the game, despite the option of an online-exclusive title. The planned online component included alignment-based cooperation or conflict. The title Nine refers to the nine moral alignments, not the series number; Okada wanted to explore the original game's alignments in more detail. The setting was directly based on Tokyo's Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro districts.
Release
Nine was announced in August 2001 as Shin Megami Tensei Online, with rumored PS2 release and features including voice recognition and online broadband services, later clarified as planned for online implementation. After a period of media silence, the official title was announced in February 2002. The game was heavily promoted at Japanese gaming events throughout 2002 and released on December 5, 2002, with a launch event attended by Okada and Kaneko. A Deluxe Edition included a Maria figurine and a keycard for online content. The game was re-released as part of Microsoft's Platinum Collection on October 23, 2003. A novelization by Takumi Miyajima with a Kaneko cover was published on March 25, 2003, and a comics anthology by Enterbrain on March 24. After E3 2002, Atlus stated that while the small online component did not rule out a Western release, they could not finance a dedicated server. At E3 2003, Atlus responded with no comment about a Western release. In 2006, Atlus stated there were no plans to bring Nine overseas.
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