Mai Valentine
Moderator
It's the end of the world, and you're the new Messiah. Sound like fun?
"The antithesis of mainstream fantasy." That's what Creative Director Kazuma Kaneko calls Megami Tensei. Which is exactly why this series of modern fantasy RPGs has enjoyed 17 years of cult fandom and counting in Japan. It may also explain why it's never seen the light of day in English, but that's changing soon enough. After years of sitting just off most American gamers' radar, a MegaTen game is finally coming Stateside for PS2: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The title is a mouthful, but don't worry--this game offers much more strangeness to remember it by.
More than a dozen MegaTen games have been hits in Japan. The series began in the late '80s, Kaneko says, as a response to the traditional RPGs of the time. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy drank straight from the well of classics like The Lord of the Rings. Designer Cozy Okada and artist Kaneko (who took over for Okada for Nocturne) wanted to create something set in an almost-real world. "Another thing that bothered me," Kaneko says, "was the trend of the main character always being portrayed as someone special--a legendary warrior, for example. It was the equivalent of saying you can't succeed unless you're from a wealthy family, and I just couldn't stand that. I wasn't born with special genes, and I'm sure most other players weren't, either. No matter who you are, if you're given a chance and have the guts to try your best, you can become a hero...that became the concept of Megami Tensei."
If you've played Atlus' pair of Persona RPGs, you may have an idea of what to expect. Persona and Persona 2 took place in a similar world, a twisted version of modern urbanity haunted by the supernatural. However, "Persona was geared toward a younger audience," Kaneko explains. "It had a story that primarily dealt with the main character's psychology, rather than a broader theme." Nocturne swings for the fences, kicking off with the apocalypse and going forward from there.
For Nocturne's hero, a high-school student on a class trip to a Shinjuku hospital, a new life begins with a moment appropriately called the Conception. An earthquake strikes, accompanied by a bright light...and when he wakes up, everything has changed. Tokyo is deserted, and the remnants of humanity share the city with wandering demons.
Most of the survivors are unchanged by the incident, but our hero is the exception. A strange design covers his body, marking him as part demon...and someone with a role to play in this new world. As he explores the city and meets more survivors of the Conception, pieces start to fall together: a mysterious cult, a powerful corporation, massing armies of demons, and himself at the center, able to choose one side or the other.
Nonlinear storytelling is becoming more common in RPGs, but few have aimed as high as Nocturne. As its plot unfolds, your choices help reshape this "Vortex World"--the philosophy that guides your actions leads to a handful of different endings. Want to lead the armies of hell against heaven? You can...
You'll have to raise your own demon army first, though. Like in Persona, there's much more to combat in Nocturne than simply killing everything you see. Director Kazuyuki Yamai explains: "The demons you encounter in this game should not simply be viewed as enemies. If you talk to them, you may be able to negotiate an agreement." By persuading demons to join your cause, you can create a party of more than 100 different creatures, each with strengths and weaknesses against other demons. You can even fuse weaker demons into stronger ones, crossbreeding them to create more useful allies. "In doing so," Kaneko says, "you can develop an attachment to a demon that was once an enemy." The hero can evolve in many ways as well, consuming magatama that confer different useful demonic attributes.
It helps to have as many demons as possible on your side--Nocturne's Press Turn Battle system stacks the deck in favor of well-prepared players. It's traditional turn-based RPG combat, but not all turns are created equal. Instead, the more effective side is rewarded with extra actions for future turns. If you do well in one turn, you'll have more chances to do better in the next, but an opponent who gets the drop on you can take the advantage. Learning about a particular area and its native demons is just as important as building a generally strong party.
The complexities of combat and demon development should appeal to RPG gearheads, but Nocturne balances those nuts and bolts with the aesthetic and cinematic qualities of a new-school production. Cel-shaded 3D graphics present Kaneko's designs in a whole new light--the technique may seem overused in some games, but it suits the smooth, shiny, airbrushed style of his human and demon creations.
That style paints a picture that's just familiar enough. Final Fantasy has evolved into something far from its swords-and-sorcery roots, but it's still pretty far removed from reality. Megami Tensei is meant to echo the real world with its look as well as its philosophy. "A hard-rock interpretation of Pinocchio" is Kaneko's choice for a high concept, referencing the adventures of another confused, not-quite-human hero. "[The main characters] mature as they overcome the anxieties and anger they feel toward society. Resistance to society's norms and growing out of adolescence...that's the style of Megami Tensei." It's a unique style in games, and you'll be able to experience it firsthand this August.
Source: GMR May 2004 issue
"The antithesis of mainstream fantasy." That's what Creative Director Kazuma Kaneko calls Megami Tensei. Which is exactly why this series of modern fantasy RPGs has enjoyed 17 years of cult fandom and counting in Japan. It may also explain why it's never seen the light of day in English, but that's changing soon enough. After years of sitting just off most American gamers' radar, a MegaTen game is finally coming Stateside for PS2: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The title is a mouthful, but don't worry--this game offers much more strangeness to remember it by.
More than a dozen MegaTen games have been hits in Japan. The series began in the late '80s, Kaneko says, as a response to the traditional RPGs of the time. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy drank straight from the well of classics like The Lord of the Rings. Designer Cozy Okada and artist Kaneko (who took over for Okada for Nocturne) wanted to create something set in an almost-real world. "Another thing that bothered me," Kaneko says, "was the trend of the main character always being portrayed as someone special--a legendary warrior, for example. It was the equivalent of saying you can't succeed unless you're from a wealthy family, and I just couldn't stand that. I wasn't born with special genes, and I'm sure most other players weren't, either. No matter who you are, if you're given a chance and have the guts to try your best, you can become a hero...that became the concept of Megami Tensei."
If you've played Atlus' pair of Persona RPGs, you may have an idea of what to expect. Persona and Persona 2 took place in a similar world, a twisted version of modern urbanity haunted by the supernatural. However, "Persona was geared toward a younger audience," Kaneko explains. "It had a story that primarily dealt with the main character's psychology, rather than a broader theme." Nocturne swings for the fences, kicking off with the apocalypse and going forward from there.
For Nocturne's hero, a high-school student on a class trip to a Shinjuku hospital, a new life begins with a moment appropriately called the Conception. An earthquake strikes, accompanied by a bright light...and when he wakes up, everything has changed. Tokyo is deserted, and the remnants of humanity share the city with wandering demons.
Most of the survivors are unchanged by the incident, but our hero is the exception. A strange design covers his body, marking him as part demon...and someone with a role to play in this new world. As he explores the city and meets more survivors of the Conception, pieces start to fall together: a mysterious cult, a powerful corporation, massing armies of demons, and himself at the center, able to choose one side or the other.
Nonlinear storytelling is becoming more common in RPGs, but few have aimed as high as Nocturne. As its plot unfolds, your choices help reshape this "Vortex World"--the philosophy that guides your actions leads to a handful of different endings. Want to lead the armies of hell against heaven? You can...
You'll have to raise your own demon army first, though. Like in Persona, there's much more to combat in Nocturne than simply killing everything you see. Director Kazuyuki Yamai explains: "The demons you encounter in this game should not simply be viewed as enemies. If you talk to them, you may be able to negotiate an agreement." By persuading demons to join your cause, you can create a party of more than 100 different creatures, each with strengths and weaknesses against other demons. You can even fuse weaker demons into stronger ones, crossbreeding them to create more useful allies. "In doing so," Kaneko says, "you can develop an attachment to a demon that was once an enemy." The hero can evolve in many ways as well, consuming magatama that confer different useful demonic attributes.
It helps to have as many demons as possible on your side--Nocturne's Press Turn Battle system stacks the deck in favor of well-prepared players. It's traditional turn-based RPG combat, but not all turns are created equal. Instead, the more effective side is rewarded with extra actions for future turns. If you do well in one turn, you'll have more chances to do better in the next, but an opponent who gets the drop on you can take the advantage. Learning about a particular area and its native demons is just as important as building a generally strong party.
The complexities of combat and demon development should appeal to RPG gearheads, but Nocturne balances those nuts and bolts with the aesthetic and cinematic qualities of a new-school production. Cel-shaded 3D graphics present Kaneko's designs in a whole new light--the technique may seem overused in some games, but it suits the smooth, shiny, airbrushed style of his human and demon creations.
That style paints a picture that's just familiar enough. Final Fantasy has evolved into something far from its swords-and-sorcery roots, but it's still pretty far removed from reality. Megami Tensei is meant to echo the real world with its look as well as its philosophy. "A hard-rock interpretation of Pinocchio" is Kaneko's choice for a high concept, referencing the adventures of another confused, not-quite-human hero. "[The main characters] mature as they overcome the anxieties and anger they feel toward society. Resistance to society's norms and growing out of adolescence...that's the style of Megami Tensei." It's a unique style in games, and you'll be able to experience it firsthand this August.
Source: GMR May 2004 issue
