Platform: 3DS
Release: 2016
I wanted to play Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse on release day (or very close to it) back in September 2016, but there was a slight complication in that Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice had come out out two weeks before and well, we know who won that battle, since my blog post for Spirit of Justice went up in Feb 2017. Since then, it remained in my backlog, occasionally resurfacing as something I should get back to, but not to the point where I was ready to commit to it, until this past fall when I wanted a shorter RPG and foolishly thought that SMTIV:A was going to be a medium length game.
It might be for some people. But I am a micromanager/compulsive demon collector, so folks, this was not a medium length game for me. It wasn't as bad as Persona 5 or Persona Q2, which I've previously complained about, but it was definitely in the "long" category.
Still, I was glad I finally got to it, because it's really different from the more abstract themes of the mainline games, and yet (or perhaps because of it), it really gets into the weeds on how this whole gods and demons and humanity interaction works. Why do gods want human worshipers? How do humans in turn affect the gods around them? I didn't expect this, especially given that its predecessor, the Shin Megami Tensei IV without a subtitle, focused primarily on the angels versus Lucifer conflict.
Seeing the local Japanese deities angered and dismayed by the interloping foreigners make it clear how absurd it is that the angels and Lucifer are battling for control over humanity in the remains of a country that was never Christian to begin with.
Our new protagonist, Nanashi, is just fifteen years old, but has grown up in the post-demon apocalypse world of Shin Megami Tensei IV. As established in the previous game, the demon Masakado and an unnamed Japanese soldier sacrificed themselves to form a dome over Tokyo, saving the city from annihilation by ICBMs, but trapping the citizens inside with a rampaging number of demons. SMTIV:A picks up early on the neutral route of SMTIV, and though Apocalypse takes a stab at catching up new players, I really don't recommend it without playing through the first game.
Given his situation, the fact that Nanashi is learning to be a Hunter at his age is not surprising. High school likely doesn't exist anymore. Hunters do a variety of dangerous jobs, from hunting demons, to scavenging for supplies, to running deliveries to different pockets of humanity through demon infested territory. What remains of the civilized world would not survive without them.
Both Nanashi and his childhood friend Asahi would love to become full-fledged Hunters, but get their wish in the worst way when their mentor is killed and they nearly are as well. In fact, Nanashi actually is, but on his way to the afterlife he meets a demon by the name of Dagda who has a use for him as his Godslayer, since only a mortal can truly kill another god. Dagda offers to bring Nanashi back to life if he'll obey him, and as Dagda makes extremely clear, obeying him is not a choice.
Interestingly, this is worked into the game mechanics, as the player can die almost anywhere and Dagda will bring Nanashi back to life like he's giving him a boot to the butt. The only exception is late in the game when Dagda is explicitly cut off from his power for a period of time.
Though the original SMTIV had a cast of characters who traveled along with Flynn, SMTIV:A kicks that up a notch by giving Nanashi a regular party that is with him the majority of the game. With so many characters around him and interacting with each other, it gives this game much more of a traditional JRPG feel than most mainline games. You'll still have your customizable demons, but the party banter makes the game surprisingly lively.
For instance, Dagda resides in Nanashi's smartphone most of the time and sometimes other demons will speak to him, knowing that he's there. Dagda's mother, Danu, possesses the human hunter Nozomi, who rules as Fairy Queen in her stead (it's a little complicated), so not only will Dagda weigh in on a conversation, but Danu and Nozomi as well. Then there's Asahi, the ghost of Navarre, and others.
And they have their own character arcs too! Though I liked Jonathan and Walter from SMTIV, and they had their own personalities and backstories, who they were as individuals did not impact the story in any way. Each of them sacrificed themselves to summon Merkabah and Lucifer and ended their story with nothing of the men themselves remaining.
On the other hand, every character new to Apocalypse (a couple party members are returnees) has their own story that culminates in an awakening of their final ability.
I couldn't stand Gaston when he's first introduced. He arrives in Tokyo as a samurai from the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, sent to fight the Divine Powers during the temporary truce between Mekabah of the angels and Lucifer and his demons. Gaston is arrogant and self-righteous, so full of his own importance that even the other samurai who came with him can't stand to be around him. The angels put him in charge, giving him the Spear of Michael, and he damn well makes sure that everyone addresses him as "Sir."
In the early part of his time with the party, I kept waiting for him to be hoisted by his own petard. When we fought Shesha, a powerful serpent demon that was devouring dozens of people whole, I expected this would be the moment when Gaston finally got his ass handed to him. I did not expect him to be a badass and impale Shesha with the Spear of Michael, giving Nanashi the opportunity to finish the job. Gaston was a jerk about not being the one who got to land the killing blow, but he was actually good.
And as he remained with the party, the rougher edges gradually got knocked off him. He stopped being so openly inconsiderate, and would direct his abrasiveness in ways that support the party's agenda, such as insisting to the angels that it's his orders (straight from Mekabah himself) that Gaston is to escort Flynn to Mikado, so no, he's not handing him over to them.
It was clear being in charge meant a lot to Gaston, and he was uncomfortable with the fact no one cared about him if he wasn't waving the Spear of Michael around. Though it's not confirmed anywhere, I suspect the angels chose him as leader precisely because they knew he craved that specialness.
When the truce breaks and the samurai are recalled back to Mikado, Gaston's position as captain is dissolved, since it's no longer necessary. The party makes it clear he's welcome to stay with them in Tokyo, since leaving would mean they could soon be at war with him on the other side, but Gaston goes back.
Eventually they meet Gaston again during their infiltration of Mikado and he's much different, much more morose and pessimistic about his future. He frees them from imprisonment when the angels capture them, and ultimately is the one who opens the teleporter for them to go home, and he comes along for the ride, even though it means he's giving up everything he's ever known.
In the final third of the game, when the party meets Merkabah and Lucifer, Merkabah offers Gaston a chance to become the angels' messiah, which is really everything the guy would have ever wanted when we first met him. But the Gaston of this moment has grown, and tells Merkabah how he felt when Hallelujah thanked him for rescuing the party in Mikado. Gaston has realized that he wants to be the kind of person that earns the gratitude of others and breaks the Spear of Michael right in front of Merkabah.
I love my Shin Megami Tensei, but that's not a normal character arc for a SMT game. Gaston went from pain in the ass to being my favorite character. And he's not the only one who goes through a transformation.
The fact the party is full of characters who push and pull against each other makes the fact that Nanashi is a silent protagonist a little hard to deal with. Persona tends to deal with this through player chosen dialogue and giving the player a variety of ways to customize their game time outside of dungeons, so the life of one player's main character won't necessarily look like the life of someone else's.
In SMTIV:A, Nanashi does get to make some dialogue choices outside of combat, and it's nice that he actually can respond to Hallelujah when asked how he's handling the death of his adopted father. It prevents him from entirely being a stoic protagonist who doesn't bat an eye at death, unless the player wants him to be that way. But other times it doesn't really work and it actually hurts that we can't see Nanashi's thought process.
My biggest complaint about the story is fairly early on when Nanashi and Asahi are trying to make a name for themselves as Hunters so they can get the good jobs; something that's not a delivery, but also not too dangerous. An extremely shady stranger comes up to them with a job offer and asks to meet them in secret. This stranger turns out to be the god Odin, who wants them to go free a demon that has been sealed away. This demon will totally fight on their side. Totally.
It doesn't take a genius to see this is a bad idea, but you can't say no to the job or the story will not continue, and since Nanashi doesn't talk except in reply to someone else, he gives no justification for going along with it. You can't help feeling he's an idiot. When he and Asahi finally free the demon, said demon ends up causing havoc for about 80% of the game. He really makes a mess. In fact, he's the primary antagonist of the game even though he's not the last boss. (The actual last boss feels rather tacked on, just to give Nanashi and party one last fight, since narratively the story wrapped up and even had something like an epilogue before everyone gets back together for one last round.)
In a way, Apocalypse feels like a reframing of what people may not have liked with SMTIV. It's possible to have an ending where everyone in the party lives. Even Jonathan and Walter are redeemed in the end (if you thought them needing of redemption). You can still doom the world if you want, but a feel good ending is a genuine possibility. You can even see humans and demons rebuilding Tokyo together.
After spending much of the game kidnapped, in the bonds ending, Flynn finally comes to Masakado's stone to lift the dome covering Tokyo, only to find Masakado isn't there anymore. The deity tells him it's because lifting the dome is no longer necessary now that a hole has been made in it, connecting the two realms. So the neutral ending of SMTIV never comes to pass, but it's okay. This path is different, but it's still a new beginning for all of humanity.
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