Jack Frost has forced his way into your party in a surprise Atlus gave fans alongside the Shin Megami Tensei V reveal. In the July Nintendo Mini Direct, it was announced that the 2003 PS2 cult classic, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is getting an HD remaster! Quite possibly the reason fans were waiting years since the last SMT V update was that Atlus has been working this secret side project at the same time. As the dead meme goes, time to play a real Shin Megami Tensei game!
Notoriously credited by fans as one of the most challenging JRPGs of all time, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD is coming with a bundle of new features including a new Merciful Mode for players wanting to experience the story with less difficulty. Veteran players can now hopefully breathe easy when they meet Matador again. He’s shown in the trailer (see below), along with guest character Raidou Kuzunoha, from the PS2 Devil Summoner games. This, unfortunately, means that Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD won’t feature Dante from the Devil May Cry series, as Raidou was a replacement guest character in certain versions of the game in Japan. Cut scenes will be completely voiced over in the new version, as well.
On the plus side, featuring Raidou combined with high sales could spearhead new fan’s interest and encourage Atlus to give the HD treatment to the four other PS2 era SMT games, or at the very least, give standard definition ports to newer consoles. Until now, all five PS2 era games have only been playable via physical copies or on PS3 via the PSN’s PS2 Classics series. Devil Summoner HD or Digital Devil Saga HD could be on the horizon in the near future.
While the trailer shown announced Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD for a spring 2021 release, Japan will be getting it in October this year, and with a glorious celebratory collector’s edition bundle. It will include the game, a 2-disc soundtrack with 37 new piano arrangements, rare unreleased tracks, a 106-page magazine of “Ayakashi Special Final Issue,” and a lamp. Yes, a lamp, decorated in Amala Tenrinko’s symbols, glowing bright neon blue, all wrapped up in a vortex patterned case.
Atlus later announced to their Japanese fans that they will be streaming further gameplay footage and new info this week on their YouTube channel.
With Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD next year, gamers have every reason to survive the rest of 2020 so they can survive the apocalypse once again, in spring 2021. Coming soon to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
