S&S Review: Shin Megami Tensei IV
Format: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: M
The latest entry into the Shin Megami Tensei has arrived, and the 3DS exclusive proves to be one of the best out of the long running series. With a better story and a more refined gameplay experience, it may even be considered as the best 3DS RPG out there.
After being chosen to be a samurai of the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, the story quickly takes off. You soon meet two other samurai, Jonathan and Walter. These two characters represent the two opposite ends of the spectrum, where one represents the law, and another chaos. It's similar to the cliched devil and angel on the main character's shoulder. The two prove to be a interesting combo, and they can really push the story into a great direction. You can directly affect the story depending on the choices that relate to each character, do you spare a demon or slay it? Every choice you make chnages the narrative in some way. Atlus did a good job of not making every choice so black and white, there's always a grey area, and it'll make you think about every decision. Seeing how these choices stack up is what makes the narrative so fascinating. The game is also visually impressive, the 3DS has been receiving a lot great looking games on it, and SMT IV is another testament to that. It's not the best looking 3DS game however. Character models are nicely crafted and diverse, while different regions and dungeons can seem a bit repetitive. There isn't enough variety in the game's environments. The music is solid, with a wide variety of tunes that set the mood perfectly for each encounter.
Instead of relying on your samurai brethren in battle, you'll be recruiting and fighting along side demons. If you're a fan of these games, this won't be anything new to you, as we've seen this concept for years now. There are hundreds of demons in the game with their own personalities, and it can be a real challenge when you're trying to manage each one. They constantly request goods or currency, and some may even bolt once they get what they want. That's just one of the challenges that come along with managing each demon. You can also combine two demons with Fusion, but they are a risky move. Combining demons can help grow your roster, but seeing as how statistics and elemental stats may not transfer into the new demon. When you're not busy recruiting demons, the first person turn based battles are really satisfying. With physical and magical attacks, there is a lot of variety in fending off demons. Whether you're trying to recruit or just defeat an enemy, battles are never straightforward, and they can change in an instant. Outside of battle, you explore different 3D areas from a third person perspective. Enemies will pop out, and you can either outrun them, or you can choose to do battle, which is a nice touch.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 is yet another great game out of the series, and with the truly horror-inspired themes, it fits right in with the long line of titles from Atlus. It's one of the best stories told, and it features richer and more refined gameplay, which shouldn't be missed.
S&S Rating: 8.5/10
@whatsPlay
Comments
Post a Comment
Comment