Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Atlus in Japan and North America, and by Ghostlight in Europe. It is the third mainline entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series in the Megami Tensei franchise. Multiple versions of the game have been published: the original version was published in Japan by Atlus in 2003, while a director's cut was released in 2004 in Japan. The director's cut was localized and released in North America in 2004 as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and in PAL regions in 2005 as Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call. A high-definition remaster was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in 2020, and was internationally released in 2021 on those consoles and Windows.
Nocturne follows a high school student in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, who is transformed into the demonic Demi-fiend after the world undergoes Conception, an apocalyptic event triggered by a sinister cult to enable the world's rebirth in a new form. With Tokyo transformed into a Vortex World filled with demons, the Demi-fiend becomes instrumental in the affairs of surviving humans and their Reasons - philosophies they plan to use to shape the world when it is reborn - and Lucifer, the lord of demons. The gameplay uses a turn-based battle system based on exploiting weaknesses, and a Demon recruitment system allowing the player to recruit demons found in the Vortex World to fight alongside them.
The game was conceived after the completion of Shin Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei If..., but was delayed as the team worked out what they wanted for the game, including making it appeal to a wider audience than previous Megami Tensei games. Unlike the science fiction setting of Shin Megami Tensei II, Nocturne returned to a contemporary setting similar to the original game. The setting and characters were inspired by multiple elements, including Gnosticism, Mahayana Buddhism, and modern popular culture. Among the things the team changed from previous entries were the camera perspective, which was switched from a first- to a third-person camera perspective, and using a cel-shaded art style to distinguish it from other games of the time. The music, primarily composed by Shoji Meguro, paid homage to earlier Megami Tensei games while drawing on music styles from the 1980s.
The original edition of Nocturne released in Japan to strong sales and a positive critical reception, and the limited director's cut proved so popular that Atlus made a second print in response to fan demand. It also inspired a drama CD and light novel in Japan. The director's cut was the version chosen for localization, making Nocturne the first mainline Shin Megami Tensei game to be released in the west. The game was well received by video game publications, who praised its gameplay and atmosphere, while its challenging difficulty was often a subject of criticism and occasional praise. It was also announced to have been a commercial success in the West.
Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is initially set moments before a post-apocalyptic conception of modern-day Tokyo: aside from the opening segment, post-apocalyptic Tokyo, also known as the Vortex World, is the main setting.
Battle system
thumb|left|A battle wherein the player is using the main character (now under control) and a party of three demons. The blue icons seen in the top right indicate how many turns the player has left.
During navigation, an indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen indicates the presence of enemies and the likelihood of a battle being triggered. An indicator in the top left-hand corner also shows the current "phase" of Kagutsuchi, a moon-like object hovering in the sky of the Vortex World which shifts its phase as the Protagonist explores. Standard battles are initiated through random encounters, which trigger a transition into a dedicated battle arena. The Protagonist's abilities and resistances are also influenced by equipping one of 24 different Magatama found in-game. The Protagonist can learn new skills from equipped Magatama when he levels up, and is also granted passive buffs and debuffs which take effect in battle. Magatama will sometimes act violently within the Protagonist, creating different effects depending on the Magatama equipped. Characters can escape from normal battles, with failure forfeiting a player turn. If the main character loses all health, the game ends, regardless of the status of his demons. The level of assigned Magatama can also affect how negotiation goes.
In addition to recruiting in battle, new demons are acquired through fusion at a location called the Cathedral of Shadows. Normally only two demons can be fused at once, but under certain conditions, more demons can be fused together, in a method known as "sacrificial fusion", player can sacrifice a higher level demon during fusion to have the resultant demon inherit skills from all the constituent demons and receive 1.5x times the XP of the sacrificed demon. Fusions can produce a variety of results based on various circumstances, such as the current phase of Kagutsuchi and the addition of items called Deathstones. When in the Cathedral of Shadows, the Protagonist can select two demons, viewing a preview of the resultant demon, then initiate a fusion. The resultant demon will both possess its own skills and inherit skills from both parents: skill inheritance is randomized. Another realm mentioned in the story is the Shadow Vortex, a limbo where dead worlds and the beings who created them linger. In the immediate aftermath, Lucifer contacts the Protagonist again and infuses him with a Magatama, wishing to see whether he can lead his armies against the Great Will. This turns the Protagonist into the Demi-fiend, a being with the powers of a demon and the heart of a human. After escaping from the hospital, the Demi-fiend begins exploring the Vortex World with help from Hijiri. He learns of two cults who seek to remake the world in their image: Hikawa's Assembly of Nihilo, and a separate organization called the Mantra Army. Hikawa manages to destroy the Mantra Army, with Takao acting as his assistant.
The Demi-fiend goes in search for his friends and faces these groups. Both Chiaki and Isamu are distraught by the Vortex World and decide to move on their own rather than relying on their friend's power, while Takao realizes she is being used by Hikawa and decides to go on her own quest to create her desired world. To do this, she allies with Aradia, a former deity from the Shadow Vortex. After this point, all the supporting characters are seeking to ally with a powerful entity from the Shadow Vortex and create their own Reason, a powerful inner philosophy of life that can be used to mold the new world. To do this, a large quantity of an energy called Magatsuhi is needed, which each character begins hoarding. Hikawa's Shijima Reason wants a world of stillness and conformity in the service of a peaceful world; Chiaki's Yosuga Reason seeks a world where the strong rule supreme and destroy the weak; and Isamu's Musubi Reason wishes for a world where everyone is an individual who can live without reliance on others. Others also attempt to form a Reason, including Futomimi, who wishes to free the world's Manikins from their servitude, and Takao, who wants a world where people value life and have freedom. Both die before they can realize their wishes, and Takao gives the Demi-fiend an artifact that will enable him to remake the world. Hijiri, revealed to be a manikin doomed to be reborn and suffer repeatedly for an unspecified "sin" against the Great Will, also attempts to gather enough Magatsuhi to remake the world, but is thwarted and sacrificed by Isamu to create his own Reason. Additionally, the Demi-fiend can fulfill a request from Lucifer to collect eight Candelabra from Fiends.
Choosing to support a Reason will result in a different ending depending on who is chosen, but in each the world is reborn in the image of the chosen Reason after the Demi-fiend fights Kagutsuchi to prove his resolve. Chiaki and Isamu die before the Demi-fiend begins and give him their blessing in spirit form, while Hikawa accompanies the Demi-fiend into their new world. If Takao's wishes are followed, the Demi-fiend fights Kagutsuchi and the world is returned to its pre-Conception state, resurrecting and restoring all the main characters. If the Demi-fiend rejects Takao's wishes, Kagutsuchi curses him for allowing the world to die and departs, leaving the Demi-fiend as the only survivor in a barren world of demons, trapped as it is until another Conception can happen. If the Demi-fiend fulfills Lucifer's request of collecting the Candelabra from the Fiends, Kagutsuchi attacks him and is destroyed, breaking the Great Will's control over the worlds. After this, Lucifer fights the Demi-fiend to test his strength, then declares him to be the ultimate weapon in the upcoming war against the Great Will.
Development
The concept for a third Shin Megami Tensei title was originally proposed by Kazuma Kaneko and others after the completion of the previous two installments, Shin Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei If.... There were originally no plans to continue the Shin Megami Tensei series beyond If..., with there instead being plans for an original project. Because of this delay, Atlus shifted development focus onto Megami Ibunroku Persona and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. Development on Nocturne began in 2000, with the creation of the first Alpha builds to determine how the main character would move around environments. To finalized their desired aesthetic look, the team created internal tech demos using 3D models of characters from previous Megami Tensei games. The game uses a third-person camera perspective rather than the first-person dungeon crawling of earlier installments. One of the reasons for this change was that the developers wanted to focus on the protagonist, who would stand out for being a half-demon. Another factor was many reports of people suffering from a condition similar to car sickness called "3D sickness" with first person shooters in Japan: the developers wanted players to have something to focus their eyes on. Despite setting the game in contemporary Tokyo, the team chose a cel-shaded art style as they wanted their game to stand out and enable Kaneko to bring the game as close as possible to his original vision.
The desired feel of the game design was defined by Okada as "simple yet profound". One of the earlier ideas was to make the Vortex World a vast battlefield where players could see distant scenery on the horizon and in the sky, but performance issues meant the idea had to be scrapped. One of the requests given by Okada was to simplify the gameplay, especially aspects such as demon fusion, which had become fairly convoluted by Shin Megami Tensei II. Another reason was that Shin Megami Tensei II had already explored a world governed by Law, so it seemed natural to swing the other way and depict a world ruled by Chaos. In addition, Kaneko stated that Nocturne was part of a movement to create a single unified mythos for the Megami Tensei series. One of the main aspects of incorporating this theme were discussions about the nature of chaos.
The number of supporting characters was kept low to emphasize their individuality, and their personalities were left ambiguous to reinforce the desire for player immersion. While composing the music, Meguro attempted to express his feelings when he saw the world while remaining true to the styles established by the original Megami Tensei games. Taking inspiration from the game's dungeon-battle transitions, and the cut-scenes' combination of current graphics with classic use of subtitles for storytelling, Meguro created modulating tunes which included elements from 1980s music. Meguro also introduced orchestral elements which were absent from previous Megami Tensei scores, using it to emphasize the gameplay's constant shifts between movement and stillness. Meguro generally worked solo on the original version, but for the director's cut, he had help composing new tracks.
The majority of tracks from the game were released in an album, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Original Soundtrack, on March 5, 2003. The album, published by SME Visual Works under the catalog number SVWC-7173~4, contained 49 tracks and was 1:55:16. In North America, selected tracks from the game were released on a promotional CD exclusive to the game's Limited Edition.
Versions and merchandise
The game was first hinted by an Atlus spokesperson in November 1999, who stated that Atlus was planning an entry in the Megami Tensei franchise for the PS2. The game was eventually announced in September 2002 by the gaming magazine Famitsu, where it was clarified it was a sequel to previous Shin Megami Tensei games rather than an entry in the spin-off Persona series. As part of promotion, a TV commercial featuring live-action segments was created. The game launched on February 20, 2003. It came in a standard edition, and a limited special edition containing the game's soundtrack and an incense burner modeled after an in-game story component. In addition, a version exclusive to Japanese media retail shop Tsutaya with a unique cover was released. It was later re-released as part of Sony's budget series release on August 5, 2004.
thumb|upright=0.75|The European cover art prominently advertised the inclusion of Dante in the revised game. The "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series" sticker was the subject of [[internet memes.]]
An expanded director's cut of the game, titled was released approximately one year after the original version on January 29, 2004 as a limited edition. It was later given a second print run in February that year due to fan demand. The original release in Japan had to have some planned features cut out, so the staff created Maniax, which included both the cut content and additional features. A second version of Maniax, was released on October 23, 2008 as part of a Japanese limited edition of Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon: in this version, Dante is replaced by Raidou Kuzunoha, the protagonist of the third and fourth Devil Summoner title.
To commemorate the release of Maniax, a PlayStation 2 memory card decorated with the main protagonist's tattoos was released. A novelization of the game written by Boogey Toumon, was released on August 20, 2003 by Enterbrain. A CD Drama based on the game was released on April 23, 2003 by King Records. A comic anthology adaptation was released by Enterbrain in June 2004.
Localization
The localization of Nocturne was handled by Atlus USA, the North American branch of Atlus. The localization was announced in February 2004. This made Nocturne the first main Shin Megami Tensei title to be released outside Japan. For their work on the game's translation, the localization team were given access to source game files and Japanese strategy guide, facilitating them avoiding nuances mistakes such as Kaneko's often highly androgynous designs gender. The later popularity and recognition of the game would result in Atlus attaching the "Shin Megami Tensei" moniker to later Western releases of Megami Tensei titles to aid in identification and marketing.
For its release in North America, it was given an "M for Mature" rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. In response to this, Atlus' western branch issued a statement saying that they were ensuring that the localized version of the game was true to the Japanese version, including its mature themes and content, as toning anything down "would [have been] a disservice to the gaming public".
Atlus USA licensed the Nocturne name in preparation of its release, a title trademarked by the game developer Terminal Reality for the game series Nocturne. Ghostlight did not follow suit, prompting the game’s European release subtitle of Lucifer's Call instead.
To promote the game, Atlus USA created a sweepstakes that ran between May and September 2004: the winner received a laptop decorated with the main protagonist's tattoo design, along with a free copy of the game. Due to backlogs at Sony Disc Manufacturing, Atlus delayed the release of the game by over three weeks to October 12. In compensation, DoubleJump Books offered free priority shipping worldwide for their Nocturne guidebook. The publishing rights in Europe were picked up by Midas Interactive, who published the game through their then-newly formed subsidiary Ghostlight under the title Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call. It released on July 1, 2005. Nocturne was the first Megami Tensei title to be released in Europe. It re-released for the PlayStation Network as a PlayStation 2 Classic in both North America and Europe: it released on May 6, 2014 for North America and May 20, 2015 for Europe.
HD Remaster
A remastered edition, titled Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster, was announced during Nintendo Direct Mini: Partners Showcase on July 20, 2020 alongside the release year for Shin Megami Tensei V. It is based on the Maniax Chronicle Edition release, and includes voice-acted cutscenes, dual audio and additional difficulty settings. A "Maniax Pack" downloadable content item launched alongside the game, restoring Dante in place of Raidou Kuzunoha. The original television commercial was remade around the production's theme of "respect for the original", with original staff returning to create both a 15 second television version, and a web-exclusive 30 second version.
The remaster was released in Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Korean on October 29, 2020 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, with a worldwide release and Windows version on May 25, 2021. For the Asian release published by Sega, the Chronicle content was originally omitted. Due to protests from Chinese consumers, the Chronicle content was eventually offered as DLC for Chinese players. It was free for a two week period before becoming a paid item on January 7 of the following year in China.
Reception
Critical reception to the game has been positive. The average score in Metacritic is of 82 out of 100. G4TV also awarded it best RPG from the same year. In RPGamers awards from 2004 it was ranked third in the Readers' "Best PlayStation 2" category, and had honorable mentions in the categories for the similar Readers' "Best Storyline" and "Graphics" and "Overall". It received a nomination in GameSpots 2004 "Best Role-playing Game" award category across all platforms. In IGNs "Best of 2004" awards, it was a runner-up for "Best RPG" and "Best Story" in the PS2 category. It was also nominated at the Spike Video Game Awards in the "Best RPG" category. In 2008, Gamasutra listed Nocturne as one of their "Essential 20" role-playing games, noting how challenging the title could be. In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list, also noting the brutal difficulty.
Sales
During its first week of release in Japan, Nocturne sold 185,000 units which were equal to 75.7% of its shipment, topping sales charts. By the second week, the game had dropped to seventh place in the charts, selling a further 37,328 units. This brought total sales to just over 200,000. By the end of 2003, it had sold 245,520 units becoming Japan's 49th bestselling game of the year. Its sales by the end of Atlus' 2002-2003 fiscal year had reached 270,000, falling short of their planned sales of 350,000. The Maniax edition was also popular, reaching 5th place in Japanese sales charts in its first week, and remaining in the top ten for a second week. In an interview with Kaneko, 1UP.com noted that the game had not met with sales equivalent to its high review scores, although no exact figures were given. In contrast, as part of a press release concerning the game's European release, an Atlus staff member noted that it had met with commercial success in North America along with Japan. Speaking in 2013, a Ghostlight representative that Nocturne had, alongside the Digital Devil Saga duology, "met with great success". Later reprints in 2008 and 2009 caused the game to enter the top five PlayStation 2 games on Amazon.com in North America.
The remastered Nintendo Switch version sold 52,481 physical copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the second bestselling retail game of the week in the country. The PlayStation 4 version was the third bestselling retail game in Japan throughout the same week, with 48,830 copies being sold. On April 28, 2021, Atlus announced that the remaster had sold over 250,000 copies in Japan and Asia. By October 2021, the remaster had sold over 500,000 copies.
Notes and references
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