We’re in the top five now of the list for 2013 and we have one of the best RPGs released not only for the 3DS but in general and a sequel to one of my favorite franchises.
#5: Shin Megami Tensei 4
The SMT series has gotten traction in the US thanks to the Persona games and other side stories of the brand. But it had been a long time since the main branch has gotten a new game, with the last one being Nocturne for the PS2. And with Shin Megami Tensei 4 we finally have not only a sequel but the first brand new SMT game for the 3DS.
SMT 4 continues the series’ trademark of challenging battles, recruiting demons and multiple endings. As before, you were always one battle away from dying but the designers have made things a bit more accessible. You can now save anywhere and the greatly expanded search feature for demon fusions made it all the more easier to find what you’re looking for.
But don’t think that this is Shin Megami Tensei for the casual player. Due to the increase in attack damage, all it took was one unlucky turn to have your party seriously hurting. And then there were the boss fights, as per usual in a SMT game, many had no weaknesses to exploit and a bevy of nasty skills designed to take you out fast.
The difficulty of SMT 4 is a bit weird as it’s both harder and easier compared to previous games in the series. Harder due to the stat changes and damage potential, but easier thanks to the quality of life features. But the included difficulty selection should allow players to fine-tune their experience.
Let’s not forget the story which takes the usual beats from the SMT series which means that things basically get crazy. Voice acting was a plus but not exactly a deal breaker.
The main annoyance was that for all that Atlus did to streamline and make SMT accessible; the world map was a major pain to deal with. You couldn’t see the names of towns unless you were at the spot and the constant random battles made back-tracking a pain. Throw in a lot of side quests where they asked you to go to specific areas or find specific demons and it just made things a slog.
Regardless, Shin Megami Tensei 4 was a great game and hopefully the first of many new games in the series on the 3DS. And with the announcement that Sega has bought Atlus this year, maybe we’ll see some great Sega property, Atlus developed games in the future.
