Shin Megami Tensei III - Nocturne (Japan / Deluxe Pack)
PlayStation 2
🇯🇵
Reviewed in 2003
84
✪ Reviewed on May 16, 2026
76
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne remains a JRPG peak. Broken Tokyo, demons to recruit and combat tense to the bone. An Atlus cornerstone that has lost none of its magic.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player16+
Description
An Atlus RPG released in 2003, the original Japanese edition of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne. Tokyo undergoes the Conception, and the amnesic high schooler hero becomes a half-demon in a devastated world haunted by demons. Brutal Press Turn combat, demon fusion, multiple Reasons. Original Japanese edition (4491 USA, 4490 EU).
Shin Megami Tensei III - Nocturne review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
A post-apocalyptic Tokyo emptied of humanity, demons of venomous design by Kazuma Kaneko and an austere palette: the universe breathes a chilling strangeness. The sober cel-shading and oppressive framing settle a singular unease. This visual direction, stripped-down and disquieting, marks the peak of the Megami Tensei style.
Across hundreds of turn-based battles, one theme burns into memory: the ordinary battle music, a taut guitar riff and repetitive beat, cut to loop endlessly without wearing thin. Meguro shows here his art of the short, addictive motif, calibrated to accompany the Press Turn system. It is this piece, heard a thousand times, that players hum when they think back on the game.
The protagonist does not say a word. Turned half-demon by a swallowed parasite, the Magatama, he gains superhuman powers and a hunger that pulls him from his former life. Mute, he crosses the Vortex like a blank page the player fills with choices, wavering between the boy he was and the creature he becomes. This uncertain humanity, never settled by dialogue, is the whole disquiet of the story.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Wandering a devastated Tokyo, half-human half-demon, unfolds a dark JRPG where recruiting and fusing demons shapes an ever-renewed party. The labyrinthine dungeons, the fearsome difficulty and the branches leading to several endings stretch the adventure across long hours. That demanding density earns the title its status as a pillar of the cult JRPG.
Technical info
💾1,4 GB📅20/02/2003
Published by Atlus
Shin Megami Tensei III - Nocturne (PS2) price, value & rarity
The Japanese Deluxe Pack edition of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne, a first-run set of Atlus's cult RPG, shipped with extras in a collector presentation. Its appeal lies in this limited launch packaging, rarer than the plain version, around the original vanilla form predating Maniax. A clear target for Japanese collectors mindful of the original edition.
A questionable morality
Recruiting demons by chatting them up has an almost diplomatic charm, until you grasp their real purpose: raw material. You coax them, collect them, then fuse them two at a time to forge a stronger ally, dissolving the previous ones without ceremony. Survival in a ruined world easily excuses this faintly cynical little alchemy.
Is Shin Megami Tensei III - Nocturne still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2003 on PS2 and known under various titles including Lucifer's Call in Europe, Atlus' project plunges a high schooler turned half demon into a Tokyo devastated by a silent apocalypse. The turn based combat, built on the Press Turn system that rewards exploiting weaknesses, keeps a rare tension. Demon fusion, the cold art direction and the freedom of moral alignment give the game a strong identity. The merciless difficulty and the austerity turn away hurried players. A major piece of the dark Japanese RPG, recommended for demanding fans of the genre who value strategic depth and a bleak atmosphere over comfort.
