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This is an import review of the North American edition of Shin Megami Tensei 4. The game has no European release date at present, and cannot be played on a European 3DS. Just over a decade: that's how long it's been since we last saw a numbered entry in the main Shin Megami Tensei series. But while that may seem like a suspiciously long time, the last 10 years have hardly been starved of demon-fusing. The PlayStation 2 hosted two action-RPGs in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army and its sequel. The DS adapted the formula into a tactical RPG with Devil Survivor. And for those who like a bit of romance between their occult antics, the recent instalments in the Persona subseries have helped keep MegaTen refreshingly relevant.
As adept at reinvention as developer Atlus is, though, the 4 in the title of this 3DS game - now available in North America - seems like a statement. Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne (known as Lucifer's Call in Europe) was, in many ways, a turning point for the series. It wasn't the first MegaTen game to earn a western release, but it was the first to receive widespread acclaim outside of its native Japan. So does this mean that Shin Megami Tensei 4 is the next evolutionary leap for one of the oldest role-playing series in gaming? Not really - but that doesn't stop it from being an excellent RPG in its own right.
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