E3 2021 Update: The game will release in November 2021. A new trailer was announced. See it right below.
After being teased eons ago when the Nintendo Switch was announced, Shin Megami Tensei V has been given an official year of release during the latest Nintendo Direct. The game will release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in 2021. Along with the announcement came a more revealing teaser trailer in which the main character makes some kind of pact with a Shin Megami. Also announced was a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne. If you’re clueless about all the hype on Shin Megami Tensei, here’s everything you need to know.
What is Shin Megami Tensei V?
Shin Megami Tensei V is an epic role-playing game developed by Atlus, the same company behind the popular Persona series. In fact, Persona is a spin-off series of the Megami Tensei series itself. Shin Megami Tensei fans have had to wait years for a new iteration of the series due to the growing popularity of the Persona off-shoot. These games are known for giving its main characters the ability to raise and fuse with deamons. Shin Megami Tensei V will be produced by Kazuyuki Yamai, who previously directed Shin Megami Tensei IV.
What other games are in the Shin Megami Tensei series?
The history of the Megami Tensei games is scattered among a number of different platforms. This will unfortunately make it harder for most gamers to get caught up with the series. Thankfully, much like Persona and other popular mainstream JRPGs, the stories in each game aren’t connected. Meaning you can pick up any game in the series without worrying about any story-based continuity.
As far as history goes, the first two entries were released for the NES. One of them was called Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, released in 1987. The other was Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II, released in 1990. Two more games were released for the SNES: Shin Megami Tensei in 1992, and Shin Megami Tensei II in 1994.
Many years later, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, and this is the game that will be getting a HD Remaster in Spring 2021. Shin Megami Tensei IV was then released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. In between the release of the third and fourth game was the release of a stand-alone title for the Nintendo DS called Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey; this one released in 2009.
Here’s a list of all Shin Megami Tensei titles so far and which platforms they appeared.
- Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (1987) – NES
- Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II (1990) – NES
- Shin Megami Tensei (1992) – SNES
- Shin Megami Tensei ii (1994) – SNES
- Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003) – PS2
- Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003) – PS2
- Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Directors Cut (Maniax Edition (2004 & 2005) – PS2
- Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (2009) – Nintendo DS
- Shin Megami Tensei IV (2013) – Nintendo 3DS
- Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne HD Remaster (Coming 2021) – Nintendo Switch
- Shin Megami Tensei V (Coming 2021) – Nintendo Switch
What are the Shin Megami Tensei games like?
The Persona games tell socially grounded stories than the Shin Megami Tensei games; the latter series is considered darker in tone. There are many Christian religious undertones. Historically, the Megami Tensei series was viewed as more mature than its Persona off-shoot series. There is also a stronger focus on dungeons and negotiating with deamons. In some cases, they’re like survival games within JRPG mechanics.
And as with Persona games, the Shin Megami Tensei series is also celebrated for its original OSTs. To put it frankly, if you enjoy JRPGs on your Nintendo Switch, this is a game you should support.
With the recent release of Persona 4: Golden on the PC and the release of Persona 5 Royal months ago it’s clear Atlus has been very busy behind the scenes. What other treats could they possibly have in store for us? If we’re lucky, perhaps we’ll see some of the other games in the SMT series made available on platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 or even the PC.
Are you pumped for Shin Megami Tensei V? Let us know in the comments!
See the full Nintendo Direct below.
