Personahas cornered a huge portion of the JRPG market, and for good reason. There’s a lot to love about thePersonafranchise, especially the more recentPersona 5titles, which have expanded on the aesthetics and mechanics of the previous games in great ways. SincePersonais having such halcyon days, it’ll be interesting to see what that means forShin Megami Tensei.At a glance, it can be hard to recall that these games are actually siblings,Personaspinning off ofShin Megami Tensei.In spite of how muchPersonahas changed since its inception, though, the two franchises still have a lot in common, and they probably always will.
Shin Megami Tenseidoesn’t exactly have the glitz and glamour of the increasingly colorfulPersonagames. It’s an apocalyptic franchise that tends to lean into duller tones and grittier aesthetics. However, that doesn’t meanPersonafans wouldn’t likeShin Megami Tensei.As a matter of fact, odds are good a lot of fans will feel right at home if theygive theShin Megami Tenseigames a chance. The upcomingShin Megami Tenseigames, a remake of a classic installation and a new chapter in the franchise, have some key elements in them that’ll could draw thePersonaaudience in, capitalizing onPersona 5’s newbie-friendly introduction to this family of games.
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Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne’s New Dawn
The first test for growth in theShin Megami Tenseifranchise is actually right around the corner.Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remasteris about to release, and it’ll give Atlus a good sense of whether or notPersonahas had a positive effect on its parent franchise. There’s some signs Atlus already realizes the importance of reachingPersona 5fans.
For one thing,Persona 5fans have long lamented the fact that the game is trapped on PlayStation; keeping it out of the hands of many interested players who don’t have the console.Shin Megami Tensei 3’s remaster is launchingacross several platforms, indicating that Atlus is aware that the fanbase is spread out across different platforms and that it wants to cater to that broad audience.
There’s good reason thatPersonafans should already have their eye onShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne.After all, the main character is extremely similar to Joker: a high-school age protagonist who is unexpectedly thrust into a world of supernatural beings and has to learn to master his command over them.What makesShin Megami Tensei3’s narrative interestingis how it uses that familiar model differently. The Demi-fiend,SMT3’s protagonist, has a very different moral burden on his shoulders than Joker, considering how the apocalypse is already well underway inSMT3.
One important part ofShin Megami Tensei 3might be an obstacle to invitingPersonafans, and that’s its difficulty. When reviewing the original version, critics agreed that the game was overwhelmingly difficult at times.Persona 5certainly isn’t the easiest gamein the world to beat, but it’s pretty measured and has some good low difficulty options for anyone who’s there for the story. That’s a stark contrast toShin Megami Tensei 3’s focus on challenging gameplay. Still, maybe that difficulty will actually turn out to be a good thing, offering a challenge toPersona 5fans who want combat that’s a little more demanding.
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Shin Megami Tensei 5 on the Horizon
How thePersonafanbase responds toShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remastershould give a lot of clues for how they will respond toShin Megami Tensei 5,which is also supposed to release in 2021.
Shin Megami Tenseifans have been waiting for this game since 2017, and now it’s finally on the way. There’s a couple important reasons thatShin Megami Tensei 5might be the perfect game forPersona 5fans, too. Much like howPersona 5is the culmination of Atlus’innovations inPersona 3andPersona 4,Shin Megami Tensei 5is supposed to be the culmination of several design elements and mechanics from the previous two games. If Atlus is once again adding the best of two games together, then just like inPersona 5,the sum could be greater than its parts.
There’s a couple reasons thatShin Megami Tensei5is also at a disadvantagewhen it comes to reachingPersona 5fans. For one thing,Shin Megami Tensei 5is only coming to Nintendo Switch, and that console exclusivity could be just as inconvenient for theSMTandPersonafanbases asPersona 5’s PlayStation exclusivity. What’s more,Shin Megami Tensei 5is also a pretty big mystery.
Atlus hasn’t revealed much about the game, even though it’s supposed to be coming out this year. If the release window is still solid, then Atlus has to make a move and reveal more about the game soon. Even so,Shin Megami Tensei 5should appeal toPersonagames in a lot of the same ways asShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne,offering a grittier take on the gameplayPersonafans are familiar with.
Bringing Persona Fans Into Shin Megami Tensei
Overall, though, odds arePersonafans willmigrate toShin Megami Tenseiin drovesthis year, in spite of differences between the franchises or obstacles to play.Personafans are craving new content that Atlus hasn’t delivered much of yet, in spite of the fact that 2021 is the 25th anniversary of thePersonafranchise.Shin Megami Tenseimight not be as bright or spunky asPersona,but it offers very similar gameplay thanks to its demon recruitment system. As long as Atlus focuses on how similarPersonaplays on its parent series,Shin Megami Tenseiis likely to get a lot of new fans.
It’s sort of funny how Atlus has ironically created a good market for one franchise by briefly depriving fans of another franchise. Maybe that was on purpose; it could be thatAtlus has been quiet aboutPersonacontentso that it doesn’t crowd outShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne.After the game comes out, fans might get a big showcase on Atlus' other projects for the year, both newPersonagames and a big explainer on the state ofShin Megami Tensei 5.No matter what Atlus is planning, it’s clear that the success ofPersonaand the success ofShin Megami Tenseiare closely connected. They’ve fed into one another before, and it looks like they’ll keep doing it for a long time.
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remasterreleases for PC, PS4, and Switch on July 17, 2025.Shin Megami Tensei 5will also release on Switch in 2021.
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