Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 39
  3. Negative: 8 out of 39

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  1. WellEvil
    Dec 31, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unplayable mess crashes every 30 minutes - can't even judge the gameplay and story...… Expand
  2. Dizo
    May 27, 2021
    10
    A very good game with unique combat system and very good history and narrative.

    The port is generally good on pc ( The problem is the compressed battle musics )
  3. Heliossol
    May 27, 2021
    10
    I am mainly giving this a 10 to even out the score of the guy who unnecessarily gave it a 1.... Personally, if we separate the issues of the 30fps lock and the uncompressed music (which has a mod fix already for the songs that are out there in HD, not all are) the game itself such as the story and combat is the most important. I would say the $50 pricing is justifiable due to its excellentI am mainly giving this a 10 to even out the score of the guy who unnecessarily gave it a 1.... Personally, if we separate the issues of the 30fps lock and the uncompressed music (which has a mod fix already for the songs that are out there in HD, not all are) the game itself such as the story and combat is the most important. I would say the $50 pricing is justifiable due to its excellent top of the line voice acting that honestly blew me away. This being my first SMT game felt very great and gave me a nostalgia kick, and the combat and progression left me saying "just one more hour" for hours, I hope we get more ports such as Digital devil saga.… Expand
  4. Thym
    Jul 16, 2021
    2
    A lazy and weak porting of an already overrated and sadly very old game.
    The work made into this porting are barely sufficient to just run the game on a modern PC, but we can clearly see the technical issues that this game brings from his age.
    And, honestly, for a game re-released in the 2021 I would have expected a little more work on the graphics and technical side of the software, at least...
  5. VendonJura
    May 27, 2021
    1
    This is a remaster of the original Game for the Playstation 2 and one of my favourite games of all time BUT in the original game we had Dante in the game. In this remaster you have to pay for Dante as a DLC. Means that this is a ps2 remastered game that costs 70€ if you want to have the whole game. This is totally overpriced and Atlus knows it.
  6. vodkaffee
    May 28, 2021
    9
    beautiful way to play the game, maybe the best way to play as of now
    the switch version at least has a very few frame problems it needs to fix, nothing that makes it unplayable there tho.
    Now in windows, you may have some issues in windows 7 (not officialy supported), like, the game not crashing/freezing (some fixes have been reported to be: update your video driver, run the exe as    beautiful way to play the game, maybe the best way to play as of now
    the switch version at least has a very few frame problems it needs to fix, nothing that makes it unplayable there tho.
    Now in windows, you may have some issues in windows 7 (not officialy supported), like, the game not crashing/freezing (some fixes have been reported to be: update your video driver, run the exe as admin)
    And it doesnt seems to work on linux, thanks denuvo    … Expand
  7. Spuwuky
    May 28, 2021
    10
    I like this game alot and its a pretty solid remaster, the cutscenes being terrifyingly low quality is not poggers but otherwise it works well enough and getting all the dlc for a new atlus game for 50 dollars was pretty pog
  8. Goncalo17
    May 26, 2021
    10
    Shin megami tensei hd good skills hard game Demi-fiend love demons beelzebub secret.
  9. gustavthelion
    Jun 18, 2021
    10
    For people who know nothing about the series, imagine a hardcore pokemon with a twisted sense of humor. It's a masterpiece.

    It is shocking that this game holds up. I remember being too young to play it when it came out originally, so when I saw the remaster, I jumped at the chance. Once you're in the thick of it, you'll completely forget that you're playing a game from 2003. It is as    For people who know nothing about the series, imagine a hardcore pokemon with a twisted sense of humor. It's a masterpiece.

    It is shocking that this game holds up. I remember being too young to play it when it came out originally, so when I saw the remaster, I jumped at the chance. Once you're in the thick of it, you'll completely forget that you're playing a game from 2003. It is as good as any modern JRPG and then some.

    Also, the only tip, play on the hardest difficulty. You will be really annoyed by the first couple of fights, but after that, it does become about skill and is very rewarding!    … Expand
  10. Yazaa
    Jul 6, 2021
    10
    The following paragraph is a post I made for Reddit, so it isn't necessarily a review, but more so a list of things that might be a deciding factor for whether you buy this HD Remaster. In summary it covers topics such as SMT 3 HD vs the original PS2 release, the Dante as paid DLC controversy being not that big of a deal, the uncompressed OST mod for the Switch and PS4 versions, and theThe following paragraph is a post I made for Reddit, so it isn't necessarily a review, but more so a list of things that might be a deciding factor for whether you buy this HD Remaster. In summary it covers topics such as SMT 3 HD vs the original PS2 release, the Dante as paid DLC controversy being not that big of a deal, the uncompressed OST mod for the Switch and PS4 versions, and the Base $50 version vs the Deluxe $70 version . Without further ado, here is the post I made on Reddit:

    Since SMT 3 HD is a lot more expensive than the ps2 version, getting SMT 3 HD over SMT 3 PS2 really comes down to how much worth you value voice acting (that can be set to English, Japanese, or turned off), a suspend save feature, merciful (easy-mode) difficulty, and the optional manual skill inheritance. If you don't know what manual skill inheritance means, it is a quality of life feature exclusive to this HD Remaster that allows you to manually choose which skills a demon that resulted from fusion gets from the demons used as fusion materials. In the PS2 release of SMT 3 the skills were determined randomly with no input from the player. Another thing that may influence your decision to buy the HD Remaster is that they updated the localization for SMT 3 HD to be more accurate and readable in certain places; however, in very specific dialogue lines it adds questionable modern slang. Though, I need to stress that this questionable modern slang is very few and far between, and it may not be that big of a deal to you. Also, something worth noting is the PC and Switch versions of SMT 3 HD have a uncompressed soundtrack mod that is currently in development. You can find this uncompressed soundtrack mod here: https://gamebanana.com/wips/56149 (If the link doesn't work just go to https://gamebanana.com/games/10084 and search for the mod titled "HD Audio for HD Ears").

    Graphically speaking, not much has changed beside a few textures being more HD'er and lighting changes. One interesting thing that doesn't get enough attention is that if you were to play on PCSX2 with a 16:9 patch, the UI elements get stretched (so things like circles become ovals), whereas with SMT 3 HD they redid the UI for the 16:9 aspect ratio.

    If you decide to buy SMT 3 HD, don't buy the $70 deluxe version. The deluxe version is a complete rip-off. It adds 2 grind dungeons that are completely pointless since SMT 3 isn't even that much of a grindy game, and even if you do want to grind, you can just download the free easy-mode DLC and change to that since difficulty can be changed at any point. The deluxe version also adds 2 tracks from SMT 1, SMT 2, SMT 4, and SMT 4 Apocalypse, respectively. This is seriously not worth it if your playing SMT 3 for the first time. On top of that, it is only 2 tracks at a time. The only semi-worth it paid DLC that comes with the deluxe edition is the Dante from the Devil May Cry series DLC, but that doesn't even matter that much because he is replaced by Raidou from Devil Summoner (the protagonist from another game from the MegaTen franchise). Raidou and Dante move-set wise are identical; the only difference that they have is the cutscenes, which doesn't even matter since you can just look up online. It's also worth noting that you can't use both Raidou and Dante on the same save file, without making a NEW GAME. Also, you can just buy the Dante DLC separately if you really want him.

    One more thing, I need to talk about in regards to SMT 3 HD is the fact that the PC version, and only the PC version, allows you to play the original 2003 (previously Japan-exclusive) version of SMT 3 HD. You can view the changes made here. Note that the Maniax version was the version that was released outside of Japan, so basically everything added by the Maniax re-release, the vanilla version doesn't have. Maniax Chronicle was a late 2008 re-release that has all the inclusions of Maniax, but replaced Dante with Raidou. If you are playing on PC and you want all the inclusions that the Maniax Chronicles version has, (which is basically everything Maniax added, but with Raidou instead of Dante) you have to download the free Chronicles DLC, and choose NEW GAME: CHRONICLE when starting the game for the first time. If you don't do this you lose out on all of the Maniax additions and Raidou. Alternatively, you can buy the $10 Dante DLC, which adds the same Maniax additions, but with Dante instead of Raidou. Note that you don't have to do this if you buy the PS4 or Switch version. The Switch and PS4 version automatically has the free Chronicles DLC, and all you have to do is choose NEW GAME.

    Overall, I think SMT 3 HD is the better version, but it really isn't super worth it if you already played the PS2 version. Again, it comes down to how much you value voice acting and manual skill inheritance relative to the price you are paying for the HD Remaster.    … Expand
  11. CarterB
    Sep 9, 2021
    1
    Honestly for as much of a classic as this is I can’t recommend it lowly enough. You will spend hours lost, not knowing what to do, and with no clue where you went wrong. It’s not fun to play, you need a walkthrough for the laberyth mazes that test patience rather than anything else, and bosses are just numbers game. Avoid.
  12. MunhozMCM
    Nov 5, 2021
    8
    My Score:

    (8) - Very Good!

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  13. shin777
    May 30, 2022
    0
    Denuvo sucks, cant play it offline or if my internet provider fails.
    And the game is so expensive for a ps2 remaster

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. DarkZero
    Jun 15, 2021
    80
    This is a minimal remastered release of a great cult Japanese RPG that still has a distinct story, setting and theme, with entertaining and challenging combat. It might be a bit too old school for some, but for fans or people who want to flesh out the Atlus RPG catalogue and see some of their history, then they will get to experience a special mature JRPG that holds up through its strong core mechanics. It is just a bummer that more has not been done with the remaster treatment, as this game deserves to be treated with more love.
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  2. Easy Allies
    Jun 2, 2021
    80
    Ultimately, this is an audacious experience, one that feels unique despite its age, and it deserves to be tried by anyone that seriously enjoys RPGs.
    Read full review
  3. Hooked Gamers
    Jun 1, 2021
    85
    All in all SMT III is a tricky game to review, particularly without comparing it to the Persona series that gamers may be more acquainted with, especially on Steam. The concepts and designs of demons are very clearly the same, but the combat and story play out in such different ways, not even including the lack of the social sim portion that Persona is known for. If you’re a fan of JRPGS or played SMT III on the PS2, then this reviewer recommends looking into the dark story of the Demifiend and what becomes of the world around him.
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