Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster Reviews
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is an unforgiving, borderline nihilistic tale of ruin that doesn't even let me have fun when I try. The updates to this fourth different version are not enough to justify the price. You either see it as iconic or moronic. Either way, you would be right.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is an extremely influential title, but by today's standards it is also an extremely frustrating experience. The HD Remaster is recommended for those who already loved the title and needed a good excuse to replay it, but for the general public it is better to wait for the release of Shin Megami Tensei V.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The original was a solid 8/10, and could have been elevated higher. Instead, a publisher callously and quickly released a lazy port of a classic, because of the interest in Shin Megami Tensei V.
Though running around in circles and fighting battle after battle with samey demons can be more yawn than yay, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne is a classic that anyone who values the genre should check out, even if it’s merely to delve into the roots of this complicated, intriguing universe.
Ultimately Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD Remaster is a perfectly acceptable port of a cult classic PS2 RPG. Playing this at the same time as Mass Effect Legendary Edition has definitely coloured my perception of what we should expect from a remaster, but despite the fact it doesn’t have AI upscaled textures and 4K60fps presentation, it’s still a masterful example of how to build atmosphere in a game while still keeping players engaged, instead of bored. It also features Dante from the Devil May Cry series, which always helps.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is mostly for the diehard Atlus and JRPG fans.
As fascinatingly unique as it always was but this former PlayStation 2 game is showing its age and while it's still one of the best JRPGs of its era, it pales when compared to more modern titles.
Considering how much ground the Shin Megami Tensei franchise has gained in its efforts to court fans in North America since Nocturne first released, the game, in retrospect, feels like a harbinger of things to come that went unheeded. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster pushes the game to new levels in terms of quality and accessibility, allowing fans the chance to fully appreciate its heady, post-apocalyptic, coming-of-age story on their terms. That's an opportunity they should not miss.
Shin Megami Tensei III’s intriguing narrative and strategic combat are just as good as I remember, though it does feel a bit dated in other facets of its design. The visuals feel a little janky throughout for example, whilst the dungeon design is bland when compared to modern RPGs. It’s a bit overpriced too, especially since there haven’t been too many new features or refinements added to justify the price tag. Despite its flaws, there’s still a special RPG here that did, in many ways, feel ahead of its time. It might not be as gripping to play now as it was in 2003, but that doesn’t stop Shin Megami Tensei III from offering an entertaining RPG experience that just has some age-related missteps here and there.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is quite a difficult game to rate. It’s incredibly frustrating in many ways. As the other side to that, the deep combat systems encourage experimentation and discovery. The lore is very interesting, but the story starts in a very slow manner. It’s not really impressive as a remaster graphically, but the additional voice acting is brilliant. If nothing else, I suggest you don’t purely go off the rating here and read carefully through the review. This won’t be for everyone. Things that I felt were good, I could easily see being hated by some. Fans of Persona should keep in mind that many of the systems are similar, but it is still a very different game.
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD remaster offers its original fun experience, although the level of improvements in this version varies.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Dark JRPG in its narrative but fun in its gameplay, it brought me back to this kind of games. However at the same time, the direction did not live up to the standards on today. I recommend this game to all RPG lovers only.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: HD Remaster is an oddly self-aware remaster that does its best to make itself approachable for everyone by remedying most of its flaws. The new difficulty, new skill inheritance options and fully voiced dialogue all help to make the game feel modern and approachable for new audiences. It's just a shame that, for a HD remaster, it's not as visually impressive as it could be.
Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster is indisputably the best way to play this RPG classic, but it's also rather clear that this nearly two-decade-old game is showing its age. An interesting story, enjoyable combat system, and engaging demon recruitment and fusion mechanics make Shin Megami Tensei III well worth your time, but the dated visuals, poor quality music, and occasionally unforgiving mechanics are hold it back from being excellent. We'd give this a recommendation to both longtime fans and newcomers, but with the caveat that you might want to wait for a sale before snapping this up.
Shin Megami Tensei III is the best game in the series, but it deserves more than what this remastered version offers in technical department.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster offers something a bit different here in 2021. By today's standards it's a very hardcore, old school RPG; an adventure that's both unwelcoming and uniquely intriguing - even engrossing once you're invested. But it's also a cult classic that deserves more than this barebones remaster, which does very little to enhance the overall experience - especially for its price tag at release.
Returning to this pivotal Atlus JRPG well over a decade after its original release, Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD Remaster has never been more accessible. Nocturne is unabashedly old-school, in both good ways and not-so-great ways. The gameplay adjustments and options allow for decent customization of the experience, but some of the omissions in this re-release are pretty glaring. It's not perfect, but so long as players can adjust to its rustic edges, there is a fantastic old-school JRPG in Nocturne's remaster full of quality of life changes that make it worth playing in 2021.
A worth playing JRPG returns with much needed visual enhancements, however, it remains stuck in a bygone era.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is perfect for nostalgists looking for an old-school game with hard game mechanics. It has a cofusing story though and apart from the great combat system, there wasn't much to impress me.
Review in German | Read full review
Nocturne is a timeless classic that retains undeniable value to this day: narratively and tactically deep, challenging, long-lived and immortal, but this remaster limits itself to the bare minimum without adding anything noteworthy.
Review in Italian | Read full review