Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster

 PC
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 38 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Reawaken your inner demon in a modernized version of the acclaimed ATLUS classic, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster. What begins as a normal day in Tokyo turns out to be everything but, when the Conception – an ethereal apocalypse – is invoked. The remains of the world areReawaken your inner demon in a modernized version of the acclaimed ATLUS classic, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster. What begins as a normal day in Tokyo turns out to be everything but, when the Conception – an ethereal apocalypse – is invoked. The remains of the world are swallowed by chaos, as a demonic revolution descends into a broken city. Caught between a battle of Gods and demons, the choices you make can bring life, rebirth, or death, and determine who triumphs. This genre-defining, infamously punishing RPG is back and now includes:
    Remastered 3D models and backgrounds
    Additional difficulty settings for players of all skill levels
    Suspend save -- save your progress whenever you need!
    Voiced audio -- choose between Japanese and English VO
    … Expand

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster – The World's Rebirth Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Gaming Age
    May 21, 2021
    91
    Playing the HD Remaster filled me with regret in that I could’ve enjoyed this deep and engrossing title many years ago (The copy I bought from amazon is still sealed…). Yes, while it would’ve been nice that all the DLC was just baked into the base game, but it’s a small price to pay to be able to recruit demons on the go, or not have to worry about losing access to the title if a digital storefront shutters (I mean Steam will never close…will it?). Don’t make the 16 year mistake I did by letting this one pass you by.
  2. Game Revolution
    May 18, 2021
    85
    For me, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster is worth the premium, if only because I hope it encourages Sega and Atlus to remaster more of their catalogs (Panzer Dragoon Saga, please). However, players who think they’re going to find another Persona here will be disappointed. Nocturne is one of the great traditional JRPGs, but potential buyers should know what they’re getting into before they pull the trigger.
  3. Hooked Gamers
    Jun 1, 2021
    85
    All in all SMT III is a tricky game to review, particularly without comparing it to the Persona series that gamers may be more acquainted with, especially on Steam. The concepts and designs of demons are very clearly the same, but the combat and story play out in such different ways, not even including the lack of the social sim portion that Persona is known for. If you’re a fan of JRPGS or played SMT III on the PS2, then this reviewer recommends looking into the dark story of the Demifiend and what becomes of the world around him.
  4. PC Invasion
    May 18, 2021
    80
    SMT III remains a great game, but an inflated price tag combined with some dated mechanics might make it a harder sell for some.
  5. Easy Allies
    Jun 2, 2021
    80
    Ultimately, this is an audacious experience, one that feels unique despite its age, and it deserves to be tried by anyone that seriously enjoys RPGs.
  6. RPG Site
    May 18, 2021
    80
    Despite some glaring flaws around the edges, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is still a decently updated release of one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Much of that is attributed to the strength of the original core game experience, though. In the context of 2021, Nocturne HD Remaster almost feels like the student that does the bare minimum in class to get a passing grade. When I look around and see these great re-releases of SaGa Frontier Remastered, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, and the work put in for the first Mass Effect in the very recent Legendary Edition, I wish that this re-release of Nocturne was able to finally rectify some of its long-standing problems - especially the audio compression during combat. I also think about the outstanding work Atlus put in for last year’s Steam release of Persona 4 Golden and how this feels lackluster even compared to that. I still quite enjoyed my time with Nocturne HD Remaster, but it is great because the core game is already phenomenal; aside from adding skill inheritance to demon fusions, most of the updates in this remaster aren’t all that remarkable.
  7. MGG
    May 18, 2021
    60
    Despite all the love we have for the original material, it is unfortunately impossible for us to recommend this remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3 at full price. If some efforts have been made to make the experience much more accessible, the graphical lifting is almost non-existent. The game still has great qualities, with its unique universe and its very strategic monsters fights, but we can only advise you to wait for the price to go down a notch before trying the experience.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 4 out of 13
  1. Yazaa
    Jul 6, 2021
    10
    The following paragraph is a post I made for Reddit, so it isn't necessarily a review, but more so a list of things that might be a decidingThe following paragraph is a post I made for Reddit, so it isn't necessarily a review, but more so a list of things that might be a deciding factor for whether you buy this HD Remaster. In summary it covers topics such as SMT 3 HD vs the original PS2 release, the Dante as paid DLC controversy being not that big of a deal, the uncompressed OST mod for the Switch and PS4 versions, and the Base $50 version vs the Deluxe $70 version . Without further ado, here is the post I made on Reddit:

    Since SMT 3 HD is a lot more expensive than the ps2 version, getting SMT 3 HD over SMT 3 PS2 really comes down to how much worth you value voice acting (that can be set to English, Japanese, or turned off), a suspend save feature, merciful (easy-mode) difficulty, and the optional manual skill inheritance. If you don't know what manual skill inheritance means, it is a quality of life feature exclusive to this HD Remaster that allows you to manually choose which skills a demon that resulted from fusion gets from the demons used as fusion materials. In the PS2 release of SMT 3 the skills were determined randomly with no input from the player. Another thing that may influence your decision to buy the HD Remaster is that they updated the localization for SMT 3 HD to be more accurate and readable in certain places; however, in very specific dialogue lines it adds questionable modern slang. Though, I need to stress that this questionable modern slang is very few and far between, and it may not be that big of a deal to you. Also, something worth noting is the PC and Switch versions of SMT 3 HD have a uncompressed soundtrack mod that is currently in development. You can find this uncompressed soundtrack mod here: https://gamebanana.com/wips/56149 (If the link doesn't work just go to https://gamebanana.com/games/10084 and search for the mod titled "HD Audio for HD Ears").

    Graphically speaking, not much has changed beside a few textures being more HD'er and lighting changes. One interesting thing that doesn't get enough attention is that if you were to play on PCSX2 with a 16:9 patch, the UI elements get stretched (so things like circles become ovals), whereas with SMT 3 HD they redid the UI for the 16:9 aspect ratio.

    If you decide to buy SMT 3 HD, don't buy the $70 deluxe version. The deluxe version is a complete rip-off. It adds 2 grind dungeons that are completely pointless since SMT 3 isn't even that much of a grindy game, and even if you do want to grind, you can just download the free easy-mode DLC and change to that since difficulty can be changed at any point. The deluxe version also adds 2 tracks from SMT 1, SMT 2, SMT 4, and SMT 4 Apocalypse, respectively. This is seriously not worth it if your playing SMT 3 for the first time. On top of that, it is only 2 tracks at a time. The only semi-worth it paid DLC that comes with the deluxe edition is the Dante from the Devil May Cry series DLC, but that doesn't even matter that much because he is replaced by Raidou from Devil Summoner (the protagonist from another game from the MegaTen franchise). Raidou and Dante move-set wise are identical; the only difference that they have is the cutscenes, which doesn't even matter since you can just look up online. It's also worth noting that you can't use both Raidou and Dante on the same save file, without making a NEW GAME. Also, you can just buy the Dante DLC separately if you really want him.

    One more thing, I need to talk about in regards to SMT 3 HD is the fact that the PC version, and only the PC version, allows you to play the original 2003 (previously Japan-exclusive) version of SMT 3 HD. You can view the changes made here. Note that the Maniax version was the version that was released outside of Japan, so basically everything added by the Maniax re-release, the vanilla version doesn't have. Maniax Chronicle was a late 2008 re-release that has all the inclusions of Maniax, but replaced Dante with Raidou. If you are playing on PC and you want all the inclusions that the Maniax Chronicles version has, (which is basically everything Maniax added, but with Raidou instead of Dante) you have to download the free Chronicles DLC, and choose NEW GAME: CHRONICLE when starting the game for the first time. If you don't do this you lose out on all of the Maniax additions and Raidou. Alternatively, you can buy the $10 Dante DLC, which adds the same Maniax additions, but with Dante instead of Raidou. Note that you don't have to do this if you buy the PS4 or Switch version. The Switch and PS4 version automatically has the free Chronicles DLC, and all you have to do is choose NEW GAME.

    Overall, I think SMT 3 HD is the better version, but it really isn't super worth it if you already played the PS2 version. Again, it comes down to how much you value voice acting and manual skill inheritance relative to the price you are paying for the HD Remaster.    … Expand
  2. Dizo
    May 27, 2021
    10
    A very good game with unique combat system and very good history and narrative.

    The port is generally good on pc ( The problem is the    A very good game with unique combat system and very good history and narrative.

    The port is generally good on pc ( The problem is the compressed battle musics )    … Expand
  4. Heliossol
    May 27, 2021
    10
    I am mainly giving this a 10 to even out the score of the guy who unnecessarily gave it a 1.... Personally, if we separate the issues of theI am mainly giving this a 10 to even out the score of the guy who unnecessarily gave it a 1.... Personally, if we separate the issues of the 30fps lock and the uncompressed music (which has a mod fix already for the songs that are out there in HD, not all are) the game itself such as the story and combat is the most important. I would say the $50 pricing is justifiable due to its excellent top of the line voice acting that honestly blew me away. This being my first SMT game felt very great and gave me a nostalgia kick, and the combat and progression left me saying "just one more hour" for hours, I hope we get more ports such as Digital devil saga.… Expand
  5. vodkaffee
    May 28, 2021
    9
    beautiful way to play the game, maybe the best way to play as of now
    the switch version at least has a very few frame problems it needs to    beautiful way to play the game, maybe the best way to play as of now
    the switch version at least has a very few frame problems it needs to fix, nothing that makes it unplayable there tho.
    Now in windows, you may have some issues in windows 7 (not officialy supported), like, the game not crashing/freezing (some fixes have been reported to be: update your video driver, run the exe as admin)
    And it doesnt seems to work on linux, thanks denuvo    … Expand
  6. MunhozMCM
    Nov 5, 2021
    8
    My Score:

    (8) - Very Good!

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  7. WellEvil
    Dec 31, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unplayable mess crashes every 30 minutes - can't even judge the gameplay and story...… Expand
  8. shin777
    May 30, 2022
    0
    Denuvo sucks, cant play it offline or if my internet provider fails.
    And the game is so expensive for a ps2 remaster

See all 13 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best PC Game of 2021

Current PC Games

Full List »
93 Street Fighter 6
92 Resident Evil 4
91 Chained Echoes
89 Pizza Tower
89 Portal with RTX
89 Hi-Fi Rush
88 Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania
87 Dead Space
87 Diablo IV
86 8-Bit Adventures 2
86 Returnal
86 A Space For The Unbound
86 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
84 Humanity
77 Contraband Police
77 System Shock
75 Dead Island 2
75 Atomic Heart
70 Storyteller
69 Firmament
All Current Games »