Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster Reviews
Even with my gripe with this release, this is still the best version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, and so that within itself is a recommendation to play the game.
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.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is an average port of an exceptional title. Despite being almost 20 years old, it's still one of the best JRPGs ever made, and it still stands up favorably to the games that came after it. It's still a PS2 game at heart, but it's a rare one that has aged quite well, so it's still worth playing for the first time even without the comforting glow of nostalgia. Unfortunately, the actual HD upgrade is perfunctory and bare-bones, so what you see is largely what you get. It's basically a way to play Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne on modern systems, and it's good for that. It just could have been more.
Between the steep difficulty curve and unconventional story, Shin Megami Tensei III won't appeal to everyone - but those who can stomach strategizing through even random battles while reading between the script's lines will be rewarded with an outstanding RPG. Tokyo's warped state post-Conception leads to a hostile atmosphere that's carried all the way to the credits, and dungeons are elaborately designed and make use of consistently fresh gimmicks. Multiple endings keep the story replayable, with Hard Mode offering series veterans even more challenge. There's nuance to every aspect of gameplay, from the Press Turn battle system to Demon fusion and recruitment. As true in 2021 as it was in 2003, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is nothing short of a must-play RPG.
The wildly popular Persona franchise likely wouldn't be what it is today without Nocturne's influence, and as a fan of both series I'm incredibly excited to see this classic title be rediscovered by a new generation. I can't help but feel let down by the poor audio compression for the soundtrack, but ultimately that was just as much of a problem in 2003 as it is now. This is the best way to play Nocturne, and I think any fan of classic JRPGs owes it to themself to do exactly that.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne was one of the first games I ever reviewed as a game critic, back on the PlayStation 2. I was mesmerised by it then, because I found it to be a deeply challenging, but also deeply rewarding JRPG, and its dark, genuinely adult theme wasn't so common for JRPGs back then. 18-odd years later, my interest in games has shifted slightly, and I'd like to think my capabilities and depth as a critic has matured. However, this game continues to compel me. It is thought-provoking, deeply creative, and a genuinely serious JRPG. Oddly enough, one of the qualities that drew me to the original has drawn me back to the remaster: we still don't get so many of those.
Shin Megami Tensei 3 remaster might show its age in some places, but its narrative excellence remains unaltered.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is the return of one of the most interesting jRPG productions ever available on PlayStation 2. A good proposition for veterans, but also new players will find their place here. For fans of the genre, the proposition is mandatory. However, some things are missing.
Review in Polish | 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 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
Shin Megami Tensei III is still one of the best games from Atlus, and one of the greatest jRPGs. Dark, unforgiving, but unbelievably hard to turn off. And this great journey now available on new platforms thanks to the remastered version.
Review in Russian | Read full review
The HD Remaster of Shin Migami Tensi III offers a lot of fun, probably paving the way for more games from the series to come to the new generation. That said, no matter how much we love revisiting this beautiful adventure, the pricing and the choice of content of this remaster is just outrageous.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A worth playing JRPG returns with much needed visual enhancements, however, it remains stuck in a bygone era.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Conception'an ethereal apocalypse'is invoked and you should be nearby and and determine who triumphs.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is dated, has technical issues and unforgiving however its also one of the most fun games I've played this year.
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
You'll definitely have fun with Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster if you're a fan of JRPGs and don't mind dark subject matter. The dungeon-crawling and battle system provide a solid level of challenge and the gameplay stays interesting throughout. However, the lack of visual detail and poor music quality will constantly remind you that you're merely playing a remaster of a PS2 game.
For obvious reasons, the original game was released a while back, so most of the classic gameplay remains intact while it’s still quite enjoyable for those who enjoy turn based RPGs. Although during the remaster process, the devs considered some modern optimizations which might make more sense to the more recent generation of players. The gameplay and the story was praised as a root of many sequels and is still a great recommendation for the fans of this genre.
Review in Korean | Read full review
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.
Almost 20 years after it was first released, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is still a fun and wholesome JRPG experience with some crazy and thought provoking story beats that stick with you for some time after finishing the it and entice you to try again and do things differently.
Review in Persian | Read full review