Review of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered, the Best Version Still Wrinkled!

Even though its popularity is masked by Persona who suddenly enters the ranks of the current successful modern JRPG franchise, Atlus does not seem to turn a blind eye and ignore Shin Megami Tensei which is indeed the main franchise. While waiting for the fifth series which will come in October, fans have recently been presented with the re-release of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne in a remastered version.

After previously being only available in Japan, this game has finally officially been released globally on consoles and PC. We happened to have had the opportunity to try out the game over the last few weeks and had quite the impression. So for those of you who are curious about the quality of the game or are still hesitant to buy it, just take a look at our review summary below.

More Polished Graphics, But…

The main selling point, of course, that is highlighted for each remastered game is of course the graphic overhaul. For this one, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered has been successfully polished with a slightly better display than the original game. Now you can play it with a 16:9 aspect ratio, although there are some cutscenes still showing at 4:3. The quality of textures and character models looks better, including the performance of the game, which is now running at a consistent framerate. Roughly speaking, this remastered version does its job well and does offer the best option for those of you who want to play this classic series for the first time.

It’s just that we weren’t completely amazed by what they had to offer. This is especially true for us because we finished the original game about five years ago, but after trying this remastered version the experience is almost the same despite all the new changes. It’s also a shame if there are some features that are not added, such as the option to speed up character animation movements or speed-ups, which this game really needs because the gameplay controls are so slow.

There is also an in-game option where you can view the overworld map and choose an area to explore. The problem we encountered in this section was how the cue visuals were not clear even after playing the game on a large screen, which automatically made navigation a bit confusing. We even experienced this often in some areas that seemed to give clear instructions but still ended up confusing us.

Gameplay Improvements

Playing the role of a demi-fiend, your task in this game is to save the world from the conflict caused between gods and demons. In terms of gameplay, there are not many significant differences, especially if you are already familiar with this franchise or even Persona. Gameplay is packaged in a turn-based battle system, where you can recruit demons to join the party. As many battles are faced, your character and demon level will rise which will automatically increase stats to access new skills. Broadly speaking, there are not many differences, except for the difficulty level which is quite challenging and ready to test your readiness.

There are several gameplay portions that require you to do backtracking to areas that have been explored. This is indeed one of the activities that we dislike the most when playing some games, especially from JRPGs that still use Random Encounter, but at least there are some Quality of Life (QoL) features that make the playing experience feel lighter. You can always use the Amala Networks facility for fast travel, and every hub area in the game always has a post to restore the character’s HP and remove the curse through the services of Lady of the Fount. In case of lack of required resources, some large areas already provide shop facilities as well.

Apart from the overhaul of the graphics and the addition of QoL features in several places, the gaming experience that we feel is really not much different. Maybe this is more suitable to be recommended to new players, but we can’t even say yes, because from a game design perspective, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne already feels outdated and needs a commitment boost to finish.

In addition, the game is also packed with additional Chronicle Edition content featuring Raidou Kuzunoha from the Devil Summoner series, and of course the iconic demon hunter Dante from Devil May Cry (2) can also be found through the DLC content. It’s really unfortunate how Dante’s DLC is separated instead of being combined into a bundle, especially seeing that the game has been marketed at full price at IDR 799 thousand with the option of the Deluxe Edition version reaching IDR 999 thousand. So, from a marketing perspective, it feels like this game is too expensive, let alone seeing it as a remastered version that doesn’t bring many significant changes.

Conclusion

In the end, even though we gave a little criticism, especially from the game experience that was not much different, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered still fulfilled its task. This game is a remastered version of the classic series on PlayStation 2 which is now further refined with better graphics and additional features. But in terms of the game design itself, we are sure that many gamers will not be used to it and even less enjoy their playing experience. The point is that as long as you don’t think of it as a Persona game and understand some parts that are still outdated, then there’s no big problem as long as you don’t mind spending the same amount of money as a modern AAA game with a standard remaster of an old game.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster has been officially released on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms via Steam.

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Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Atlus

Release Date: 2021-05-25

Console, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is a JRPG that tells the story of a young man who is involved in a great conflict of fierce war between demons and gods. This game provides an opportunity for players to determine the direction of the story and which side they choose to win.