For RPG lovers who enjoy a challenge, the Shin Megami Tensei series is a monument to Atlus’ desire to reduce players to tears of frustration. The core gameplay element involves summoning and fusing demons to help you do battle. Many western players will be more familiar with the Persona games, which are a spin-off series. The most recent installment of the core series was Shin Megami Tensei IV for the Nintendo 3DS.
This game saw you playing as a demon summoning Samurai travelling between alternate timelines. Well now, Atlus has announced a spin-off game: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final. While the details of the game aren’t entirely clear, it appears to be an alternate of sorts. This is due to a minor character from the first game appearing in it. Said character appears as a ghost in this one.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final’s plot, as revealed so far, is that you play as an apprentice to a group known as the Outlaw Hunters. While on a mission, you get killed and find yourself in the underworld. Fortunately, a mysterious demon approaches him with a proposition; in exchange for being brought back to life and gaining the power to summon demons, he must become the demon’s ‘God Killer’.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final’s plot branches off from the original during the later stages of the plot. The divergence point being during the appearance of the ‘Association of Gods’. This charming group of gods has decided to intervene in the war between the Law and Chaos factions. The slight downside is that they’re planning to consume the souls of the human race in order to gain the power they need to win.
The fact that Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final takes place in an alternate timeline shouldn’t be a surprise. A large part of the plot of the original involved hopping between the main timeline and two alternate ones.
