Shin Megami Tensei IV is the first numbered title since the PS2 game Shin Megami Tensei III. First of all, please tell us about the details of its inception.
Seeing how this is the first numbered title in a decade, it’s a work bearing the fans’ big expectations, but the details of its inception are not particularly dramatic…
So blunt, all of a sudden! (laughs) No, no, there must have been something.
Oh, right, that time we went to India…well, it would be nice if I said something like that, wouldn’t it? (laughs) Putting it bluntly, it was something along the lines of ‘It’s about time we made Shin Megami Tensei’.
Before that, I had worked on Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou and had helped with Shin Megami Tensei STRANGE JOURNEY. Once those games were over, Kaneko and I had a talk and decided the time for Shin Megami Tensei IV was approaching, especially since players had been waiting for it. That’s how the project started moving.
Players have definitely been waiting for a new numbered title for a long time. The other series are interesting too, obviously, but it feels like mainline has a different weight to it.
I am grateful that there are a lot of fans who said the same thing.
Do you feel that numbered titles get a different reaction from fans?
Yes. Numerous fans reacted to it. There were also anxious voices among them…
The expectations and uneasiness brought by a mainline title. I understand it too, looking at it from the point of view of the fans.
The character designer this time is Doi and the story takes place in both the land of eastern Mikado and in Tokyo, so it obviously looks different from the previous entries. I think these parts are what made people uneasy.
I see. Speaking of which, what did you prioritise - ‘innovation’ or ‘tradition’? In Shin Megami Tensei terms, it would probably be like choosing between Law and Chaos. (laughs)
For me it was ‘innovation’. Better yet, I would say that ‘innovation is the tradition’ sounds more accurate.
How would you explain this?
Not only Shin Megami Tensei, but also Persona and Devil Summoner are series we, the staff, design by thinking we want to do something new. Not doing something that had been done before, but something more interesting. We constantly aim for innovation.
I understand. Aiming for innovation itself has become a tradition.
You are right. Take series like Kamen Rider or Super Sentai for example: they are loved by all generations, and while they do respect tradition, they are also flexible enough to change their contents and themes in response to their times. They’re firm in maintaining some constant traditions, but there are also modernised parts. That is why I think they have been able to last for 30, 40 years.
In Shin Megami Tensei’s case, the unchangeable theme is ‘an adventure in a world that changed abruptly one day’. Nevertheless, I do not think that present Tokyo as its main setting is essential.
That is why this time, along Tokyo, the country of eastern Mikado has also made its debut.
Yes, but the themes we wanted to write about were also unchanged. We approached things like various daily problems or the worries everyone has and cleverly used the tendencies that arise in such moments. There have been a lot of changes, but the basis is the same. I believe that is what we call “Megaten”.
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Since I mentioned appearances, the interface has changed a lot this time. It has become really stylish.
That is something we changed because of the current trends, not because we consciously wanted it to be stylish. More specifically, this game’s interface hints at smartphones and tablets. We figured that if COMPS existed nowadays, they’d be more of the touchscreen type.
I see.
I think that in Shin Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei II, the COMPS were commanded through a DOS style program because those were the trends of that time.
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(Particularly of interest, on SMT going portable)
Were there any difficulties brought by the definitive decision to release the numbered title on a portable device?
We never actually felt that consoles are essential to numbered titles, especially since RPG-type games where you train your character are fit for portables.
In Megaten’s case, for example, you can try fusing your demons and go to sleep if you’re satisfied, or simply play a bit more if you want to test their strength. You can always turn it on right away and then snap it shut and put it into sleep mode. You can enjoy the games freely on portables, so I decided this together with Kaneko from the earliest stages of development.
Well, I do believe the fans are worried that moving a series developed on consoles to portables will equal with a scaling down…
I understand. However, there are parts which involved more effort than console games do and I am certain they will be pleased with the scenario length.
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I would like to ask a question about the world setting next. This time two contrasting, even opposite worlds make their appearance, the country of eastern Mikado and Tokyo. Can you give us some simple explanations about each world?
I mentioned a little about it earlier, but the original draft was received from Kaneko. As you can see, Mikado is a place in the style of medieval Europe. A world with a stronghold city, with the castle at its center, similar to Can Tho.
Can Tho…sounds like you’re hiding something. (laughs)
It is a very peaceful country, yet it has the castle in its middle and a fortified city…why? Kaneko gave us this interesting idea - fortified cities are usually meant to protect the people from outside invasions, right?
Right. They are built to protect from outside enemies.
But the stronghold in Mikado is made to defend against enemies that come from the inside. In order to protect the country, there is also an organisation, the group of the Samurai. What and where are they fighting? Pay attention to this part.
I see, you will find out the truth by playing the game!
I think seeing as few spoilers as possible will make the surprise that comes while playing the game bigger. If I may add a small explanation though, there are next to no conflicts in Mikado. The people who live in this country are divided into the management class, the Luxuries, and the working class, the Casualities[sic], with the former controlling the latter. There are very few conflicts.
If you were to think about it, it would not be strange for people to start questioning the fact that they are treated differently based on their origins…
There is a reason for that in this medieval type of world: basically, the Luxuries don’t give the Casualities the necessary information. They won’t ask questions if they don’t notice anything. It is what we call ‘information control’.
They are being controlled in the true sense of the word.
Yes. Also, the symbol of the Luxuries is the ‘monastery’. Mikado is a monarchy, ruled by the king Ahazuya Mikado. In truth, the king is nothing but a figurehead, while the politics are actually managed by the Church. This was modelled after the bureaucracy system of Japanese politics.
This is nothing but my personal opinion, but Japan too would continue to work with no problems even if the Prime Minister or the Diet members changed and this could be due to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the so-called bureaucracy. The country of eastern Mikado functions on a similar system.
Tokyo, on the other hand…
Unfortunately, I cannot say much at this stage. The situation is completely different from Mikado and demons are roaming everywhere. The people lead their lives in fear of those demons.
There is a serious contrast with the country of eastern Mikado.
There is a group there named Asura, which has a certain deal with the demons - as long as people live in the underground shopping center, they will not be attacked. The core of the story holds the answer to the contents of this deal and the reason demons are running rampant in Tokyo in the first place.
I see.
By the way, Tokyo may be full of mysteries, but as the stage of the adventure it is actually quite wide. The players who see it for the first time will definitely be surprised.
I was rather surprised indeed. By the way, another thing that surprised me were the landscapes; they looked so realistic! Did you visit the actual locations?
Of course, we visited quite a lot of them. The staff in charge with the design took a considerable number of photos. Shibuya also appears in the game, but work on the redevelopment of the train station is about to start in the real location. I’m relieved we managed to do it before construction work began.
