There's always something bittersweet about finishing a well-loved game. Sometimes the cure is jumping right back in and playing through it another time, but some people prefer to find something new. That's not always easy. Some games really manage to distinguish themselves from all the rest, even within their own genre. Persona has a lot of fans that would say that about it, hailing the franchise and the most recent entry, Persona 5, as a crucial piece of RPG history. There's many powerful and compelling stories wrapped up into Persona 5, and players that were introduced to the franchise by this game might be a little at a loss when it comes to looking for something to give them a similar experience.
The answer is actually pretty simple. Those who were introduced to Persona by Persona 5 should delve into the franchise's parent franchise: Shin Megami Tensei. While the Shin Megami Tensei games are certainly very different from Persona, there's also a ton of similarities, and it's very clear how SMT transformed into its high school focused spinoff series. The good news is there's not one but two SMT games coming up for possible new fans of the franchise to try: Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei 5. Both should be on fans' radars for their own reasons, and there's plenty of reason to give them both a try.
The Persona Effect
Atlus couldn't have chosen a better time to release more Shin Megami Tensei games. That's all thanks to Persona 5, which has been an unprecedented hit not just in Japan, but worldwide. Persona 5 broke all kinds of sales records for the series and vastly outsold its predecessors. 2020's expanded edition Persona 5 Royal boasts the highest Metacritic rating out of the whole series, showing just how beloved these newest games are. It certainly means a bright future for Persona, and ideally for Atlus, that means a bright future for Shin Megami Tensei too.
It can't be denied that Shin Megami Tensei has very different settings and stories from the Persona games. The post-apocalyptic SMT explores some darker and more persistently supernatural themes than Persona. However, there's arguably more similarities than differences. For instance, players will realize that a lot of the demons that appear in Persona 5 actually permeate both Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, showing up in familiar forms with various playstyles. Whether new fans of this family of games are interested in Nocturne or Shin Megami Tensei 5, either game will surely have a lot to offer.
Shin Megami Tensei's Past
Not every franchise is amenable to new fans starting to play it at its fifth installment, but Persona 5 allows that. If Persona 5 made players curious about how the series got to where it is today, outside of playing Persona 4 Golden on Steam, they can also look forward to the remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. This game originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 for Japan, with American and European releases in 2004 and 2005, so it's a good showcase of how Atlus has done variations on similar themes over the years.
There's certainly some comfortable themes in Nocturne for Persona 5 players to get into. It's about a Japanese high schooler who is thrust into a world of supernatural beings due to extraordinary events out of his control. Admittedly, this protagonist's transformation into a being called the Demi-fiend and his recruitment of demons is pretty different from Joker and the Phantom Thieves' quests for justice, but that means Nocturne serves as an interesting parallel to Persona 5. Turn-based battles involving targeting elemental weaknesses and negotiating with demons will all be very comfortable for a Persona fan, so Nocturne is a rich piece of history worth playing without going too far out of new fans' comfort zone.
Shin Megami Tensei's Future
If fans get a kick out of Nocturne and want more Shin Megami Tensei, or even if they just want to play more Persona and wait for a brand new, cutting edge SMT game, there's a great option in Shin Megami Tensei 5. It's been almost five years since there was a new game in the series, but SMT5 has been public knowledge since 2017 when it was announced for the Switch. Interestingly, it seems to be a Switch exclusive, so hopefully Persona 5 players can access a Switch if they want to try this sister series.
While Nocturne has the advantage of familiarity, SMT5 is bound to be something of a novelty. Details on the gameplay are hard to come by at the moment, since the most concrete trailer for the game only got released last July. Supposedly it'll largely be a blend of mechanics from Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei 4, so players should look into those games to know what to expect. That could mean it'll turn out to be the Persona 5 of its franchise, as Persona 5 followed a similar path of improving on Persona 3 and 4's mechanics. The latest trailer indicates another high school protagonist will be at the center of the game's demonic events, so even though it's more mysterious than Nocturne, it sounds about as comfortable for Persona 5 players.
Something Old, Something New
Ultimately, whether fans play both of these games or choose one to focus on is up to them, as is the order of play. As with Persona, the Shin Megami Tensei games are standalone experience that allow fans to pick up any story they like and take it for a spin. Whether fans want to experience the franchise's heritage or look into Atlus' latest big ideas, the studio has plenty to offer. Of course, some Persona 5 fans might opt to focus on Persona 5 Strikers instead, since that's officially getting a global release next February. However, once fans have gotten through one more adventure with the Phantom Thieves, there'll still be a void that Shin Megami Tensei is ready to fill.
It's hard to say where Persona will go from here. Atlus has yet to announce Persona 6, leaving the fate of the Phantom Thieves uncertain. It wouldn't be hard to believe that that game is far from release, considering all the Persona 5 spinoff content Atlus has produced on top of two Shin Megami Tensei games at once. Ultimately, that's another reason for fans to get into Shin Megami Tensei. These games will tide over RPG lovers until the next Persona game is ready to go, whenever that may be.
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster releases worldwide in early 2021 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 releases in early 2021 for Nintendo Switch.