Review #458: Shin Megami Tensei IV

 The perfect example of Atlus' decline.

 While I can't say I've been a fan of Shin Megami Tensei since forever, I can say that I am... or rather was a fan of the franchise. They are fun, dark and grim JRPGs that feature atypical characters and intricate plots. But Atlus has changed a lot, and Shin Megami Tensei IV is a clear example of said change. It attempts to lure in long-time fans of the franchise by looking like Shin Megami Tensei, but it's clearly a game for their new-found Persona fans.

 The game has you playing as a mute hero from the land of Mikado, the land of Samurai, who have learned to muster the power of Demons to protect their city against other Demons. A land stuck in the past, victim to classicism born out of castes. Joining the hero are Walter, a Samurai that came from humble origins, Jonathan, one of the highest caste and the token girl Isabeau. If you know your Shin Megami Tensei you'll already figured out that each companion represents a different alignment: Law, Chaos and Neutrality. As something of a departure from the franchise, all three heroes will be accompanying the main character throughout most of the quest, but sadly, this doesn't necessarily mean more depth. Characters are rather bland, and while the story has some fantastic twists, such as the revelations once you come upon the world below Naraku, they can't hide the fact that characters are walking anime tropes. Which would be understandable if this was Persona, but it is not. Isabeu is far removed from previous heroines, being a walking waifu archetype that loves manga, and Walter and Jonathan's motivations draw from cliched plot devices. Mind you, it's not a bad story by any means, but it falls short of what one would expect from Shin Megami Tensei. Heck, even the art direction suffered, it's hard to take Medusa seriously when she sports the goofiest face I've seen.

 As far as gameplay goes, it plays like most modern Shin Megami Tensei games, using tried and true turn-based battles with the Weakness 'one more' system as well as having the player talk with demons in order to have them join his cause. The Samurai are equipped with an armlet that has an AI named Burroughs that not only lets them manage their roster of demons, but also save their game(How meta) or purchase enhancements, such as healing HP or MP while walking, discounts for summoning demons you've already obtained, bonuses when leveling up demons and many others. Yes, you can save and load your game at any time, as well as lower the difficulty if you so see fit. Dying can be remedied by paying Macca(in-game currency that's rather hard to come by) or Play coins. And you'd think that this is a way to handhold players, and maybe it is, but it's also a bit of a necessity, you see...

 The first 10 or so hours of the game are absolutely grueling because of poor game design. Shin Megami Tensei games have always been challenging, but fairly so. This time around it feels like it's entirely luck based. Something that holds true from the very start to the very end of the game is the fact that whoever gets the first turn will win the battle. Y'see, hitting an enemy with a weakness will give you an extra turn, considering your party is made up of the hero and up to three other demons you can get a total of 8 turns... which the enemy hordes can also earn. The problem is that every spell has a base damage, and even low-level spells dish a ton of damage at a base level, so it's entirely possible to die without having a chance if an enemy caught you by surprise. This also means that a boss that decimated you in one turn, because he had the first turn, can be absolutely demolished in a single turn if you go first. And this happens because who goes first in a boss battle is entirely random. If you hit an enemy with an element it resists then you lose a couple of turns and give the enemy a one-turn boost in damage. Remember how I mentioned that the supporting cast traveled with the main character? Well, they get a turn after your turns, and they are so stupid that it's entirely possible that they will hit the enemy with a spell they are strong against, thus giving them said buff for their next turn. Fun. The first hours are harder because your HP, as well as your demons', is very low, so an enemy hitting a weakness can mean death. So yeah, sure, you can lower the difficulty, save at any time or save yourself from death for price... but they are all there to compensate for how much luck can factor in a battle. It's not easy to recuperate from a mistake, such as having a single demon weak to Force on which enemies can profit in order to maul the rest of your team.

 The exploration part of the game is a bit lacking too. If you've played SMT before you know that they like using simplified maps for the overworld, but the map this time around is... too small and cramped, so it's not much use. Exploring dungeons is more straightforward but they added a weird gimmick in which you must move the camera up or down in order to climb surfaces or crawl through small openings. Why? What does that add to the game? What a useless gimmick. And while Burroughs keeps track of your quests and sidequests, sometimes can be a bit disconcerting figuring out where to go. And since I'm at it, this game has the most random Negotiating that I've ever seen in a SMT game, even demons from the same family can react differently to your choices, and it seems like negotiating always goes against the player, so have fun losing turns and HP as you try to sway an enemy to your cause.

 Waifus and character stereotypes? Check. Atlus tax? Check. They tried to justify the extra 10 dollars by adding a guide that nobody wanted, but still. What else is next in the Modern Atlus checklist? Ah! Yes, DLC, which this game has up the wazoo. Remember the four angels? Staples of the franchise, which you get to fight most of the time. Well, they have been redesigned and do have a part to play in the story... but can only be fought if you buy the DLC. Macca is hard to come by, need more? DLC fights to earn Macca. Your level is too low? DLC fights for extra experience. There's so much DLC it ain't even funny, there's even DLC armor, which is kinda ridiculous considering how you can only see your main character when exploring dungeons. So yeah, scummy Atlus' DLC? Check.

 I also want to touch upon the presentation. I'm a strong supporter of the 'graphics don't make a game' camp, but what the hell is this? I mean, I know what it is, in their effort to lure in long-time fans they most of the game look like the SNES classics. Enemies are represented by rather lackluster sprite-art, although at least they stay true to Kazuma Kaneko's designs, well, the enemies that still use his designs anyways, as I've previously stated, some of the new designs are rather poor and amateurish. The 2-D character portraits scream 'Generic Anime' as well, looking as if they came out of Persona 3-4 rather than SMT. Heck, important NPCs are represented by static 2-D sprites as well. The only time the 3DS' muscle is used is when exploring dungeons. Look, the 3DS can do MUCH better than this, and Shin Megami Tensei has looked MUCH better than this, just pick any game from the PS2 era. It's off-putting how many corners they cut with their flagship franchise.

 Shin Megami Tensei is very disappointing for a Shin Megami Tensei game, but it's still a great game on its own. Which is why it was hard to set apart what I wanted out of the game with what it actually is. After you get through the hardest, unfairest part of the game it actually gets fun, and the challenge becomes more fair(even if luck is an ever-present factor). For as disappointing as the story and characters are, there's no denying that SMT's brand of dark horror is still present, even if to a smaller degree. But it's time to accept that Atlus has changed, and with it, Shin Megami Tensei as a whole. Goodbye, it was a good ride.
 8.0 out of 10