The long-overdue Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD is shaping up to be an extremely nice treat for fans of the original! Despite being an upscaled port at its, it looks absolutely gorgeous and should more than tide us over for Shin Megami Tensei V coming sometime later on in 2021. One thing SMT old guards had been wondering was if whether or not Dante from Devil May Cry would once again be making an appearance this time around. He was included in the very first international iteration of the game but then removed from a Japan-only third edition that was released after. We’re happy to able to report everyone’s favorite edgy Gunslinger is coming back, but there’s a ‘But…’ in this scenario.
Dante is coming back but because it’s 2020 he’s been included as DLC. In the roughly 10 dollar ‘Maniax Pack’, named that as in Japan the edition of Nocturne Dante was included in was called Nocturne Maniax, you’ll be able to replace all the scenes Raidou Kuzunoha appears with Dante’s segments in the game. In addition, the game’s menu will pop over to the one used in that iteration of the game. Whether this is all worth an extra 10 bucks is a choice only you can make.
On one hand, it’s a little upsetting that a feature included on any English language original PS2 Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne disc is now being resold as an optional component. However, in Japan Dante came with the second edition of the game and Raidou Kuzunoha came with a 2008 updated third release with other additional features. This Nocturne HD Remaster is based on that final iteration of the game, but as this one is the ultimate culmination of the game its hard not to feel like all the content for a game this old should be included upfront.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD and the Maniax Pack with Dante launch October in Japan and next spring in English.