Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

2024-07-21
"What if they took the incredible SMT IV and made it all anime and gave you a party of characters?" says the drunken man next to me at Applebees. Could that man have been Satoshi Ōyama? I'll never know. But either way it works pretty well. I don't think it's as good as SMT IV which was delightful due to its unique brooding and sinister vibe. In becoming lighter-hearted that contemplative philosophical bent turns into something more akin to a group of teens in a CW show fighting the big bads. But the big bad this time is uhhh God. Which is hilarious. The whole final boss sequence is so weird and funny to me. But SMT is more than just it's story it's vibe it's also got G A M E P L A Y. Here Apocalypse really shows its strengths. You've gotten unique traits for monsters, fleshed out recruiting, party members with different abilities you can sub in and out. It's enough that I didn't feel bored playing yet another demon fusion game.

So if you're looking for a weird spin on the normal morose SMT formula this might be worth your time.