While some were ultimately disappointed by it, yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase was a huge moment for fans of Atlus’s iconicShin Megami Tenseifranchise. Not only was the long-fabledShin Megami Tensei 5finally given a solid release window, but a brand new HD remaster was announced for arguably one of the best games in the entire 30-year long series,Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. While both titles won’t see Western releases until 2021, withShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remastercoming to Japan this October, many were surprised to see that there has been no mention of “Dante from theDevil May Cryseries” inNocturne’s remaster.
WhenShin Megami Tensei: Nocturnelaunched in Japan in February 2003, it was an instant success. This later convinced the team to return to the game just a year later forShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax, a director’s cut of the original PlayStation 2 title released only 11 months later. One of the standout features of this re-release was the fact that it included Dante from the beloved hack-n'-slash seriesDevil May Cry.
RELATED:Shin Megami Tensei 5 Trailer Confirms Release Window
The reason Dante was featured inSMT:Nocturnewas because some of the staff at Atlus were big fans of theDevil May Cryfranchise while it had launched during the development ofNocturneand thought that Dante, as a fellow demon hunter, would be a perfect fit for the world ofNocturne. In the game, the player could not only fight theDevil May Cryprotagonist but they could also recruit him as a party member.
WhenSMT: Nocturnewas localizedin October 2004, asNocturne Maniaxwas the most recent and polished version of the game, the Atlus U.S.A. team decided to bring it overseas instead of the original version, which included the infamous “featuring Dante from theDevil May Cryseries” sticker on the front of the box.
It seems, however, thatShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remasterwill not be featuring the action game icon, as this version is apparently based on another version of the game. Released as part of theShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddonlimited edition,Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Maniax Chronicle Editionis a re-release of theManiaxedition of the game with one major feature,Devil May Cry’s Dante is replaced with Atlus’s very own Raidou Kuzunoha, the protagonist of theShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summonerseries. Everything else in the version appears as it did in the 2004Maniaxrelease, except for the inclusion of Dante.
Watching the trailer for theShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remasterfromyesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini, Raidou can be seen at the 1:06 mark. While it is exciting that this version of the game will finally see an English release, it is also understandable that Atlus may have preferred to use one of its own characters instead of licensing Dante from Capcom again.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remasterreleases for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in spring 2021.
MORE:Persona 6 Could Have Similar Story Beats to Final Fantasy 15
