Shin Megami Tensei IV Was Made To Show That Social Games Aren’t Everything

Atlus is enjoying Shin Megami Tensei IV’s success after selling 188,562 copies at launch, which was roughly 80% of its shipment according to our earlier report. Meanwhile, director Kazuyuki Yamai talked to NicoNico News about the game that he feels contains a hint of life.

Yamai considers Shin Megami Tensei IV to be a role-playing game about young men and women who’ve been caught up in the fight between God and evil, and their various conflicts while their lives open up in front of their eyes. He believes that the story and its unique view of the world is something that can only be experienced through this title.

When asked about what the “selling point” of Shin Megami Tensei IV is, Yamai replied, “During the game, there are various scenes where the player will be faced with necessary decisions. For example, you may agree or disagree with one of your allies. Sometimes you’ll have to decide between finishing off a dying enemy or letting them live. Such choices will have a large impact on the story’s development.”

“The story you experience will vary according to each player,” Yamai says. “It’s an attractive feeling of deep devotion that I believe can’t be experienced through television shows, films, or light novels.” He jokingly mentioned that he hoped to see people on the Internet brag about their own unique stories they’ve experienced in the game.

According to Yamai, the concept behind the starting plans of Shin Megami Tensei IV was the thought of wanting something to wipe away mindsets such as “games are childish” and “social games are good enough”.

Yamai explained this as, “Something that can move people. Something that can give some sort of hint to those who are living hard lives, and perhaps even provide an unforgettable feeling of shock. This title isn’t only for younger people, as it’s also a bitter and serious drama we’ve accomplished, that even adults can play and say ‘I see’.

When asked about any struggles or funny thoughts on Shin Megami Tensei IV’s development, Yamai joked, “To bring out a ‘serious and bitter drama’ in a game, it couldn’t be done with your average efforts. For this reason, we worked hard on development, as if our lives depended on it, for almost four years. Fortunately, no one actually died, you won’t be cursed  or anything for buying the game. Please don’t worry!”

Shin Megami Tensei IV will be released on July 16th in North America, while Europe will be seeing a release date in the future.