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.
• The main characters and some demons were designed by Masayuki Doi, previously known for his work on the Trauma Center series.

Gameplay

The player controls the samurai Flynn in third-person 3D environments and a 3D overhead overworld map. On the overworld, icons represent the player party and enemy demons. Battles are shown from a first-person perspective, with the enemy on the upper screen and party status and commands on the lower screen. The character grows stronger by completing quests and earns macca, an in-game currency used to buy items and equipment. Some quests are mandatory, others optional. If defeated, the player can spend macca to continue; Nintendo 3DS Play Coins can substitute for macca. Repeated deaths unlock an easy mode that allows fleeing from battle. Enemies wander the environments; a battle begins when Flynn strikes an enemy (giving the player an advantage), an enemy hits Flynn from the side or behind (giving the enemy an advantage), or they meet head-on. In battle, the player controls Flynn and three demons, with one AI-controlled human support character. The turn-based Press Turn System governs actions: exploiting a weakness or landing a critical hit grants an extra turn, while absorbing or blocking an attack loses a turn. Striking a weakness or getting a critical hit may trigger Smirk status, which temporarily increases damage, removes elemental weaknesses, and grants a high dodge chance.

Synopsis

Shin Megami Tensei IV takes place in a world separate from other Shin Megami Tensei games. The two main locations are the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, a feudal society secretly controlled by angels, and Tokyo, a modern city enclosed in a rock dome and overrun by demons. Before the game, a member of Tokyo's Counter-Demon Force tamed God, fusing with him to create the protective dome. Mikado is built on the dome's surface; only twenty years pass in Tokyo while over a thousand years pass in Mikado. Remnants of Tokyo's technology, studied as mystic relics, are scattered across the land. The player controls a samurai who is the reincarnation of Tokyo's savior; his default name is not specified. He is a silent protagonist. Three companions represent the game's moral alignments: Law, Chaos, and Neutrality. Other characters include a rookie samurai, Flynn's AI assistant, a powerful demon from Tokyo, and a former childhood friend of Flynn's.

Development

Development of Shin Megami Tensei IV began around August 2009, after Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS was completed, 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 focused on other successful titles. The game was planned for a portable platform from an early stage; it was originally intended for the Nintendo DS using the Strange Journey engine, but development moved to the Nintendo 3DS, requiring a different engine. The development team, called Team Maniacs, included both veteran and newer staff, leading to conflicts. Director Kazuyuki Yamai noted that some staff wanted to add sweetness to the game, while he saw the series as having bitter content; he believed the good points of each interpretation should go into the aspects they handled, without deviating from the bitterness.

Reception

In its first week in Japan, Shin Megami Tensei IV topped the weekly chart with 188,562 copies sold, overtaking Kamen Rider: Battride War and the PS3 port of Resident Evil: Revelations. It was cited as Atlus's second best-selling title in recent history, 4,000 units behind Persona 4's debut. By the end of 2013, it had sold 251,334 copies in Japan, becoming the country's 30th best-selling game of the year. By January 2014, 90,000 copies had sold in the United States; by July 2015, over 600,000 copies worldwide. The game received positive reviews; Metacritic gave it 83/100 based on 48 critic reviews. The battle system was universally praised, and the negotiation and fusion systems were noted as entertaining improvements. Navigation via the overworld map received criticism as difficult to follow or poorly designed. The story and characters had mixed reception: some reviewers felt characters only represented moral pathways, while others found them irritating or forgettable. Graphics were sometimes seen as bland or of low quality.