Shin Megami Tensei IV

Did You Know?

• A follow-up game, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016.
• A special physical edition titled Double Hero Pack, containing both Shin Megami Tensei IV games, was released in April 2018 in Japan.

Synopsis

Shin Megami Tensei IV is set in a universe disconnected from the series' other installments, though it shares recurring demons and abilities. The story unfolds across two primary settings: the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, a medieval-inspired feudal society secretly governed by angels, and Tokyo, a modern city sealed beneath a rock dome and infested with demons. Prior to the narrative, Tokyo became a demon stronghold and faced angelic annihilation. A member of the city's Counter-Demon Force subdued the deity Masakado and merged with him, forming the dome that shields Tokyo.

Mikado was built atop this dome. Time flows differently: only two decades pass in Tokyo while over a millennium elapses in Mikado. The church in Mikado studies remnants of Tokyo's technology as "mystic relics." Players assume the role of a Samurai, the reincarnation of Tokyo's savior, whose default name is Flynn.

As a silent protagonist, his choices and demeanor are shaped by the player. Three companions represent moral alignments: Jonathan (Law), Walter (Chaos), and Isabeau (Neutrality). Other figures include Navarre, a novice Samurai; Burroughs, Flynn's AI aide; Lilith, a formidable demon from Tokyo; and Issachar, Flynn's childhood friend.

Development

Development of Shin Megami Tensei IV began around August 2009, after work finished on Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS, and lasted three and a half years. Atlus decided to make a fourth numbered entry due to fan demand, the first since Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne in 2003. The ten-year gap occurred because the company had made other successful titles and lacked time to develop this one. It was planned from an early stage for a portable platform for player convenience; originally intended for the Nintendo DS using the Strange Journey engine, development moved to the Nintendo 3DS, leading to a different engine.

The development team, called Team Maniacs, included staff who had worked on previous Shin Megami Tensei titles and newer staff. Differences in thinking led to conflicts. Game director Kazuyuki Yamai noted that some staff, used to contemporary games with sweet female characters, wanted to add sweetness to Shin Megami Tensei IV, but Yamai saw the series as having bitter content and thought sweetness could not be added. Staff members had differing images of the meaning of Shin Megami Tensei; Yamai believed the good points of each interpretation should go into the aspects they were in charge of, without deviating from the bitterness.

Reception

In its first week in Japan, the game topped the weekly chart with sales of 188,562 copies, overtaking Kamen Rider: Battride War and the PS3 port of Resident Evil: Revelations. It was cited as Atlus' second best-selling title in recent history, 4,000 units behind the debut sales of Persona 4 in 2008. By the end of 2013, it had sold 251,334 copies in Japan, making it the country's 30th best-selling game of the year. By January 2014, it had sold 90,000 copies in the United States.

By July 2015, over 600,000 copies had been sold worldwide. The game received positive reviews in Japan and internationally, with a Metacritic score of 83/100 based on 48 critic reviews. The battle system received universal praise from Famitsu, IGN, GameSpot, Eurogamer, Joystiq, Destructoid, and Game Informer, who cited it as highly enjoyable despite difficulty spikes and praised allowances for newcomers. The negotiation and fusion systems were also praised as entertaining and improved.

Navigation via the overworld map was criticized as difficult to follow or poorly designed. The story and characters had mixed reception: Destructoid was generally positive, while Eurogamer and Game Informer felt characters only represented moral pathways. IGN, Joystiq, and GameSpot called them irritating or forgettable. Graphics were sometimes seen as bland or of low quality.