NeoGAF

Every year in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, all children who have turned 18 that year make a pilgrimage to Mikado Castle to take part what is k nown as the "Gauntlet Rite," a traditional ceremony to determine a person's worthiness to join the elite ranks of the Samurai, noble warriors and protectors of the realm. You and your friend Issachar are from a simple village, and today is the day that your life may change forever...

• Developer: Atlus
• Platform: Nintendo 3DS
• Release Dates:
  • Japan: 05/23/2013
    • Retail - Yes
    • eShop - Yes (14337 blocks)
  • North America: 07/16/2013
    • Retail - Yes
    • eShop - Yes
  • Europe: 2013?
    • Retail - ?
    • eShop - ?
• MSRP: $49.99
• Website: Official Shin Megami Tensei IV Website

Contains:

• A 176-page Strategy & Design Book
• Shin Megami Tensei Music Collection CD
• Deluxe Collectible Slipcase

• A World to Discover, A Mystery to Uncover - The life of a Samurai is fraught with peril; Players must leave the safety of Mikado in order to defend it from the invading demons; There the story unfolds as the true history of Mikado comes to light
• Demon Collection and Fusion - The core mechanic of the Shin Megami Tensei series returns with more than 400 demons to recruit, collect, and fuse together
• Choices and Consequences - Throughout the player's journey, they must choose their own path; The choices will affect them, other NPCs, and the overall outcome of the story
• Pressing the Combat Advantage - The Press Turn system requires strategic thinking for every battle; Pinpointing an enemy's weakness will provide a vital extra turn for players to exploit
• A Finely Tuned RPG Experience - Beautiful graphics, extensive voice work, 3D dungeons, and a branching story make for a solid RPG adventure

• Protagonist - The player character. After turning 18, he made his way to Mikado Castle to take part in that year's Gauntlet Rite, and became one of only five chosen to become new Samurai. His actions will have grave repercussions, but his choices are up to you...
• Jonathan - A gentle young man with a good upbringing. While the differences in
  personalities may sometimes cause the other new Samurai recruits to become at odds with each other, Jonathan is a natural mediator and tries to bring everyone to a common purpose.
• Walter - An ill-mannered young man who speaks bluntly. Despite his off-putting demeanor, he does have a caring heart and believes in doing what is best.
• Isabeau - The sole female of this year's crop of recruits, she is strong-willed yet
  dignified. However, there is a side of her that the others may never discover.
• Navarre - A Luxuror selected as one of the new Samurai. An elitist and a sore loser, he openly shows hostility toward the protagonist and Walter who are Casualry-born. His road to becoming a full-fledged Samurai will be a jarring one.

• Hope - The leader of the Samurai. He trains the prentice Samurai. While strict when it comes to missions, he is not a man to be tied down by rules. He cares for his troops and puts the well-being of the people as his top priority.
• Issachar - While he and the protagonist are the same age, Issachar has always acted as something of an older brother. They grew up together, and Issachar has always dreamed of becoming a Samurai himself one day.

• Tayama - The leader of the organization known as the Ashura-kai, he is well known through Tokyo. The people both fear and idolize him. Tayama was the one who successfully negotiated with the demons to bring order to the chaotic city. However, nobody is certain exactly what kind of deal he brokered to protected the human population...
• Kaga - A strong and confident woman and a member of the Ring of Gaea. She does not agree with Tayama and the Ashura-kai's stance, and continues to oppose their ideas as a member of the Ring of Gaea. It is said that the Ring of Gaea has many fighters as skilled as Kaga among their numbers.

• Black Samurai - This mysterious character appears before the protagonist and his comrades more than once. She speaks in a cryptic manner, as if she is trying to lead them to answers while simultaneously seducing them down a dark path. When they encounter her in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, she seems to have knowledge of both the kingdom and Tokyo...

• VentureBeat - 9.5/10
• Blistered Thumbs - 9/10
• Pocket Gamer - 9/10
• Nintendo Life - 9/10
• Nintendo World Report - 8.5/10
• Joystiq - 4/5
• Game Informer - 8.5/10
• Wired Game|Life
• Gaming Age - A-
• Destructoid - 9.5/10
• IGN - 8.5/10
• Gamesradar - 4/5
• Cubed3 - 9/10
• USgamer - 5/5
• Hardcore Gamer - 4/5
• GameZone - 9/10
• Polygon - 8/10
• EGM - 8.5/10
• Kotaku - Buy

• Question - Does the game have dual audio?
• Answer - No. Only an English dub is available.

• Question - What difficulties are available?
• Answer - Only normal is available at the beginning. Easy is available after dying twice in the game. Hard is only available post-completion. The difficulty can be changed at any time.

• Question - Is the game pretty challenging?
• Answer - In the beginning it is a bit of an uphill battle, but once you are familiar with the system and understand the game, you should be able to handle yourself. But be warned, there can always be a surprise battle to knock you out, or a boss that won't hesitate putting you down for the count! The statement "Getting SMT'd" exists for a reason!

• Question - I've only played the Persona games! Is this recommended for me?
• Answer - Of course! While there are some different mechanics in SMT games, the framework is mostly the same. Strengthen your demons, master your skills, and press on (or in this case, press turn)! Because people can love both SMT and Persona, they're like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If there is any time to jump into the mainline games, now better time than the present!

• Question - I want a good story and characters. Is that here?
• Answer - The game has a large cast of interesting characters and a quite serious narrative. With the paths you can take throughout the game, it should be a ride no matter where you go.

• Question - Do I need to play previous SMT games to understand this?
• Answer - No. There are a few throwback references here and there, but you'll be fine!

Originally Posted by Midou

I am still a bit sad Kazuma Kaneko didn't do the character art, but the game itself is looking great. I am so hyped for this, it's been so long since Nocturne.