Shin Megami Tensei IV is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the Megami Tensei franchise, though no direct story connection exists to previous entries. It was released between May and July 2013 for Japan and North America, respectively. It was released digitally in PAL territories (via Sega Europe) in October 2014. The gameplay is reminiscent of previous Shin Megami Tensei games, carrying over the turn-based Press Turn battle system, where players and enemies fight and exploit weaknesses, allowing either side to gain additional turns or lose them.
The story focuses on Flynn, a samurai who protects the medieval Kingdom of Mikado from attacks by hostile demons. When a mysterious Black Samurai begins transforming the population into demons, Flynn and three companions are sent to capture her. The pursuit of the Black Samurai drags Flynn and his comrades into a startling revelation and a power struggle between angelic and demonic forces.
Development began after the completion of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, with the team deciding to make a fourth numbered entry in the series based on fan requests. The team intended to evoke the style and feeling of the original Shin Megami Tensei. The main characters and some demons were designed by Masayuki Doi, previously known for his work on the Trauma Center series, changing from series veteran Kazuma Kaneko, whose series demon artwork is still featured alongside a host of guest artists' demon designs. It debuted to strong sales in Japan and was one of the better-selling games of the year. Reception of the game has been generally positive in both Japan and the West.
Synopsis[]
Shin Megami Tensei IV begins with Flynn and his friend Issachar traveling to Mikado Castle to undergo a test as to whether they are worthy of becoming Samurai, the guardians of Mikado who both confront and control demons. Issachar fails, yet Flynn succeeds and is promptly initiated along with other candidates, including Walter, Jonathan, Navarre, and Isabeau. The new Samurai apprentices receive electronic gauntlets containing A.I.s: Flynn's A.I., Burroughs, supports him throughout the game with advice. Shortly after their initiation, unrest rises in the countryside as a figure calling herself the "Black Samurai" distributes books written to spread "knowledge and wisdom"; some residents of Mikado, including Issachar, are turned into demons after reading the books at gatherings called "Sabbaths". The Samurai are sent to confront the resulting demons and the Black Samurai. After restoring order to Mikado and killing Issachar, the Samurai are told to pursue her to the legendary land that lies beneath Mikado, Tokyo. The Samurai climb down a tunnel that leads to the top of a skyscraper; they discover Tokyo is a city covered by a rock dome that has enclosed it in eternal night, while Mikado lies upon the surface of the dome.
The party explores Tokyo searching for the Black Samurai, confronting a variety of foes: the demons that infest Tokyo; the Ashura-kai, a yakuza organization who rule the city and provide a semblance of order; and the Ring of Gaea, a cult dedicated to its leader Yuriko. The party discovers that the Black Samurai is Yuriko, a demon whose true name is Lilith, and that she seeks to bring chaos to the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and undermine its ordered, stagnant structure. On the orders of Sister Gabby, a member of Mikado's church, the party rescues Uriel, Raphael, and Michael from Tokyo; Gabby later reveals herself to be Gabriel. Walter is convinced by Yuriko that the Ashura-kai should be defeated and more demons unleashed on Tokyo, while Jonathan is convinced by Gabby that Lilith must be slain. Flynn can support either Walter or Jonathan, but regardless of his choice, both are successful: both Lilith's Ring of Gaea and the Ashura-kai are defeated, and demons are released into Tokyo via the Yamato reactor, an energy source connecting parallel dimensions. Flynn, Jonathan, and Walter explore two different timelines of Tokyo: one where law dominates, and another where chaos reigns supreme. In both of them, Flynn's previous incarnation was slain.
After viewing the alternate worlds, a score based on Flynn's moral choices throughout the game decides whether the player is on the Law path, Chaos path, or Neutral path. At this point, the player can side with either Law or Chaos routes; the latter choice causes Isabeau return to stop Flynn on behalf of humanity, but after he defeats her, she commits suicide. Additionally, the player always has the option to destroy the world at the behest of The White, personifications of human despair who desire complete oblivion.