It’s been a long wait, but the followup to Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (the third game in the series that was released in 2004), is finally going to be released this summer. Shin Megami Tensei IV is an exclusive for the Nintendo 3DS. Here’s a tidbit from the press release:

“Shin Megami Tensei IV (SMTIV) features powerful new demons, expansive dungeons, epic story arcs with branching plot lines, game-altering decision making, and more. Built specifically for the Nintendo 3DS™ system with optimized graphics, 3-D dungeons, voiced dialogue, and StreetPass functionality, SMTIV will be a premium title available this summer.”

In Shin Megami Tensei IV, the story centers around the Samurai that protect the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado. Players will have to defend their kingdom against a growing army of demons while dealing with a variety of factions. They will also make decisions throughout the game that will remain relevant later in the branching storyline. Their choices will have consequences, as the fate of the kingdom and the entire world will fall into the players’ hands.

Demon Collection and Fusion returns in Shin Megami Tensei IV. As in other Shin Megami Tensei and Persona titles, players will be able to use the powers of demons in their struggle, and can fuse two or more of them together to create new ones. With over 400 demons in the game, attempting to collect them all is sure to be a challenge for hardcore players, and any fan of the series will enjoy discovering new demons and remembering old favorites.

The Press Turn system is back, and will provide the backbone of the battle engine in Shin Megami Tensei IV. As in Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2, during the player’s turn in combat there will be icons representing the number of actions available. Certain actions, like skipping a character’s turn, only consumes half an icon, while others, like attacking, use a whole icon. To get the most actions out of a single turn, the player must exploit the enemy’s weakness so that the action only uses half an icon. But if the enemy absorbs or repels the attack, the player loses all of their remaining icons immediately!

It’s a fascinating but often punishing battle engine, but I always enjoy it and it is one of the reasons I am really looking forward to this sequel. Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 are actually my favorite games in the entire Shin Megami Tensei series, but Nocturne is up there too. Shin Megami Tensei IV is without a doubt the RPG I am most looking forward to right now, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it this summer. We’ll let you know when a precise release date is announced.