Shin Megami Tensei IV Returns To Tokyo; Will Have Lots Of New Demons

This week’s Famitsu magazine also brings details of Shin Megami Tensei IV. The game’s story takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo that has fallen into darkness and is overrun by demons. The only hope are the “Samurai” characters mentioned in the latest trailer, who are able to control these demons.

These Samurai characters hail from the fictional country of East Mikado, which is said to be similar in its civilization to Middle Ages Europe. East Mikado appears to have a link to Tokyo. “Mikado” is the Japanese word for the emperor, who resides in the capital. In the Kanji that form the word Tokyo, the “Tou” Kanji is East while the “Kyou” Kanji is Capital, which is what implies the connection.

Back to the Samurai. The Samurai wear gauntlets on their hands that allow them to summon demons. Famitsu say to expects lots of new demons in the game. Demon art for the game is being provided by various people that have worked on the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai (and similar) franchises. Famitsu’s report mentions the following demons and designers:

Asmodeus: designed by Yasushi Nirasawa

Kogasaburo: designed by Tamotsu Shinohara

Omoikane: designed by Yoshihiro Nishimura

Raphael: designed by Keita Amemiya

Kuebiko: designed by Aki Kyouma

Character design for Shin Megami Tensei IV is being done by Masayuki Doi, who was the art director and character design on Trauma Team. As shown in the game’s trailer, the four main characters in the game are you, Jonathan, Isabeau, Walter, and Famitsu also mention a fifth character named Navarre. Here’s a quick rundown of each:

You: A member of the Samurai group. You’re 18-years-old.

Jonathan: Described as being gentle with a good upbringing. Jonathan is the mediator between the Samurai.

Isabeau: The sole girl in the group. She’s described as a strong-minded lady with a dignified character, but there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Walter: Walter appears to be badly-behaved with gruff language, but is described as passionate underneath his exterior.

Navarre: An elitist character who is described as a sore loser. For some reason, Navarre appears to be listed in the demon section?

Music for Shin Megami Tensei IV is being composed by Ryota Kozuka, who has worked as a composer on Persona 4, Trauma Team and both Devil Survivor games. Also working on the game’s music is Kenichi  Tsuchiya, who has worked on Catherine, Trauma Team and Devil Survivor, among other Atlus titles.

Shin Megami Tensei IV will be released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. As with other Shin Megami Tensei titles, you will get to choose between Chaos and Law in the game.