10 Jun, 2021
0In a surprising video, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne HD Remaster director Kazuyuki Yamai released a message about the game’s downloadable content packs. Following the cult classic remaster’s release on May 25, this video is rather late, with Yamai only giving details about the existing DLC. The main selling point pre-release was the HD remaster’s Digital Deluxe Edition, which allowed players who pre-ordered this version to access the game a few days early. The Digital Deluxe Edition also includes all of the game’s DLC in one package, advertised in the message by Yamai.
Director Yamai doesn’t give any new announcements, only giving the message as an advertisement for the currently-released DLC. Separate from the Digital Deluxe Edition, some of these DLC packs are free. One is the new Merciful Difficulty, intended for new players who wish to avoid the classic, hardcore Shin Megami Tensei gameplay, to instead focus on experiencing the game’s story. Players on PC also get the free Chronicle Pack DLC, which adds Raidou to the game as a special character, with bonus playable content included. Raidou features as a cameo, known for starring in the PlayStation 2 Devil Summoner games, also part of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. This Chronicle Pack is already included in the base versions on other platforms.
Meanwhile, the Maniax Pack adds Dante from the Devil May Cry series in place of Raidou, with the additional bonus playable content as well. The Maniax and Chronicle Packs are substantial enough to consider as full-on expansions, granting the player access to a new bonus dungeon that unlocks an alternate ending to the game. The BGM Pack allows players to choose other songs from the Shin Megami Tensei series to play during battles or out in the open world. Finally, the Mercy and Expectation Map Pack gives players a way to grind for experience points and in-game money.
- Merciful Difficulty – Free
- Chronicle Pack – Free
- Maniax Pack – $9.99
- BGM Pack – $7.99
- Mercy and Expectation Map Pack – $6.99
Given that the remaster itself already costs $49.99, some of these DLC prices are quite steep. The Maniax Pack is especially baffling, given that Dante is already freely available in the Western versions of Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne for the PlayStation 2. The Mercy and Expectation Map Pack is similar to the DLC Atlus released for Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, which also allowed players to quickly level up and earn money to bypass the game’s difficulty. The BGM Pack is reminiscent of the costume and BGM packs in Persona 5 as well. This all points to a troubling practice from Atlus releasing such overpriced downloadable content.
Sure, the DLC is optional, but given the numerous fixes and quality of life updates omitted from the remaster, these prices may be too much for some. It isn’t clear if Atlus intends on fixing those issues, namely the game’s compressed audio ported directly over from the PlayStation 2 version.
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne HD Remaster is available now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
