All that Index Corporation bankruptcy scare? Put it out of your mind. Let the future be
the future. What matters is that, in the here and now, Atlus is still pumping out awesome
RPGs for your 3DS, that plucky little device quickly moving to the forefront of the genre.
To call Shin Megami Tensei IV �much-anticipated� would be a woeful understatement, as would
be calling it �kinda strange.� This is a game that wants to command a legion of demons
to eviscerate what�s left of your sanity; all the better to drag your beaten, defeated
consciousness through a swords-and-sorcery-and-demons world full of... um, high-tech support gauntlets
with built-in collarbones masquerading as an AI. And then it all kinda goes to hell...
well, deeper in hell... where Charon becomes visibly exasperated by your repeat visits.
Confused yet? Fortunately, Stephen Hawking�s here to break it down for you.
I realize that might not have made much sense. Unless, of course, you�re already familiar
with the MegaTen series, in which case such absurdity is kinda par for the course. Your
standard SMT mechanics apply: you�ll be haggling with, recruiting, and generally placating
demons to turn them to your side, fusing them together in various permutations, and using
them as a party in turn-based combat. It�s all in a day�s work as a Samurai, (And man,
do they take pains to make sure the pronunciation of �Samurai� comes out correctly.) After
all, you were chosen by the collarbones... erm, gauntlet... in a big highfalutin� ceremony,
elevating you from generic country bumpkin to elite enforcer status, much to the chagrin
of the aristocracy. Your comrades, similarly chosen, include... well, that dude you saw
in your dreams when you started up the game, and that other dude you saw in your dreams
when you started up the game, as well as the requisite well-meaning battle girl and pretty-boy
class warrior. Together, you learn the ways of the Samurai, except everything�s gone
pear-shaped after some rabble rouser starts EDUCATING THE MASSES. Horrors!
While your demon-slaying-and-or-negotiating duties might take you pretty much anywhere,
a large chunk of the action takes place in the Mikado Kingdom�s conveniently enclosed
dungeon, Naraku. This cavernous chamber... well, it really feels like an upside-down
Tartarus, truth be told, (Which, I guess, would be the Abyss of Time.) But where Persona�s
gone to samey, randomly-generated maps, Naraku maintains its shape and, as a result, enjoys
much richer definition. Anything you can interact with - from ledges to ladders to signs - is
marked by your Gauntlet during the preliminary scan and lights up when you get near. Exceptionally
convenient, especially considering the actual travel is fraught with demonic masses of cubes.
After all, demons are just data anymore, or so the demon-fusing AI on your gauntlet would
have you believe. Just cat two files together, and blammo! New demons. This fusion is available
at any time, and it�s a good thing, as SMT has you constantly playing on a knife�s
edge, where one bad turn or one lousy weakness can result in the enemies getting attack after
attack. Fortunately, you can exploit the system as well, so long as you keep getting crits
or hitting weaknesses. Shin Megami Tensei IV is what I thought it
was: Hardcore RPG intensity, in a strange feudal society that can distribute AI partners
to its peacekeepers but boggles at the idea of firearms, with a thick slice of political
intrigue topped with the delicious ice cream of well-timed comedy. Through it all, you�re
presented with just enough questions to make you dig deeper, and just enough fragments
of answers to make you keep digging. Add in a very intuitive quest system and the ability
to customize your strategy by downloading apps to your gauntlet - yes, medieval-ish
Samurai are app fiends like the rest of us - and you�ve got a solid contender for RPG
of the Summer.