Phenomenal Presentation
The presentation of Shin Megami Tensei IV on the Nintendo 3DS is simply phenomenal. Just because the game is on a handheld device, it doesn’t mean that it will not give you the full console experience. In fact, Shin Megami Tensei IV will make you feel that you are playing a console RPG giving you several hours of gameplay. Visual wise, the game looks pretty. To those who have played previous SMT games will somewhat feel familiarized with how the game is laid out. On the first several hours, you will spend time going through menus and dungeons that may look all monotonous. That will change as soon as you arrive in Tokyo and be able to explore it in third person. From the menu navigation, it will switch to the traditional exploration seen in previous SMT games.
As for its voice overs, every cutscene will have voices that will give life to the characters. Their performances are exemplary and it’s really good that Atlus decided to give voices to every cutscene in the game. When it comes to in-game cutscenes, it’s done through character portraits that appears back and forth. For its real cutscene, you will see an anime-like presentation equipped with voice overs as well. Pretty much, Shin Megami Tensei IV will give you a full console experience that doesn’t diminish its presentation value, just because it’s on a Nintendo 3DS.
NOT
Not for the Weak
There’s one thing everyone needs to remember when playing a Shin Megami Tensei game; it’s not for the weak at heart and prepare to face tough challenges. In this game, it offers the same difficulty being offered in previous titles like Devil Survivor. The game will really test your patience as the difficulty will feel like it’s on ultra hard mode. Luckily, those who can’t handle the default difficulty of the game can switch it to a much easier one, without penalty to the story or rewards that you normally get. Be warned, even on its easiest difficulty, it will still be tough making you cry at certain point because you cannot get past a boss.
Grindfest
Those who are not a fan of grinding for levels will absolutely stay away from this game. With a game that offers a good challenge, you will have to spend time grinding for levels, making sure before you meet the boss, you are on the desired level range of them. If not, you will have to go to the area where demon respawns and fight them to gain experience points and levels. As for people who have played any of the SMT titles in the past, this shouldn’t be a big deal. This is just a warning to new comers.
VERDICT
Despite the random spike of difficulty found in the game, Shin Megami Tensei IV managed to blow me away with its astounding presentation, traditional gameplay and a mature storyline that is over the top. The game does not innovate the series to a brand new level but it has new features like the app system that makes it stand out and be one of the best Shin Megami titles to date. If you are a newcomer, just be warned for its difficulty but if that doesn’t bother you at all, expect Shin Megami Tensei IV to blow you the same way it blew me away.
[Editor’s Note: Shin Megami Tensei IV was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]