Re: Nintendo 3DS
IGN: Shin Megami Tensei IV Preview
IGN: Shin Megami Tensei IV Preview
Set in the year 1492 in a kingdom whose structure resembles Renaissance-era Europe, SMT4 begins with your silent protagonist undertaking an initiation test called the Gauntlet Rite. The rite's name is decidedly literal: Applicants put on a metal gauntlet, which then accepts or rejects the prospective user. Those it rejects go about their lives as usual, while the few who pass the test become members of an elite warrior society who take on a protective role for the kingdom, upholding a mythic legacy of demon-fighters.
Fittingly, SMT4 makes use of a battle system that builds on that of its direct predecessor, Nocturne. While in-dungeon navigation takes the form of a free-roaming third-person system with real-time interaction, fights themselves play out as a Dragon Quest-style slugfest: turn-based, first-person combat.
Once again, Nocturne's popular Press Turn mechanic (also seen in Strange Journey and Devil Survivor) returns to encourage smart play. Each character begins a round of combat with a single action available (denoted by an icon in the corner), but depending on the impact of your choices you may earn extra actions or find yourself penalized. Hit a foe's elemental weakness and you'll earn bonus attacks; hit it with a skill it reflects or absorbs and you'll end up giving it an extra turn instead. Add that to the effects of the basic attack and you can see how Press Turn causes your choices to carry tremendous weight: an effective attack does multiple times its damage, while a poor attack whiffs hard and puts you at a huge disadvantage.
Once again, Nocturne's popular Press Turn mechanic (also seen in Strange Journey and Devil Survivor) returns to encourage smart play. Each character begins a round of combat with a single action available (denoted by an icon in the corner), but depending on the impact of your choices you may earn extra actions or find yourself penalized. Hit a foe's elemental weakness and you'll earn bonus attacks; hit it with a skill it reflects or absorbs and you'll end up giving it an extra turn instead. Add that to the effects of the basic attack and you can see how Press Turn causes your choices to carry tremendous weight: an effective attack does multiple times its damage, while a poor attack whiffs hard and puts you at a huge disadvantage.
SMT4 doesn't simply throw you into the deep end and expect you to swim, though. While even early combat encounters don't seem to mind destroying your self-esteem, SMT4 leads you through its mechanics step-by-step by doling out compact tutorial-like missions via Burroughs. Even the series' trademark demon negotiation abilities are served up in small amounts, one at a time. Leveling up not only nets you skill points to invest in your hero's stats, but "app points" that allow you to unlock new features for Burroughs as well. These include what amount to translation programs for the demons, with different apps enabling varied forms of demon communication. You begin by purchasing the ability to recruit demons, but further forms of interaction become available as you open up more apps.
On many levels, SMT4 brings MegaTen business as usual to the 3DS. Yet between its intriguingly mysterious storyline, its striking visuals, and a portable-friendly, mission-driven structure, it also promises to push the series forward without compromising its essential excellence. Unusually for an Atlus-developed title, SMT4 will be arriving in the U.S. quite quickly after its Japanese release. The Western version, complete with localized text and fully-voiced story sequences, is barely more than two months away: July 16. The 3DS has come into its own as an RPG powerhouse this year, and SMT4 should continue that streak.
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