Atlus
Shin Megami Tensei III: Lucifer's Call

As was absolutely predictable, we have witnessed the rapid rise of reviews of the three universally best-made RPGs for the PlayStation: FFVII; FFVIII; Xenogears.

Squaresoft's strength has always been (and unfortunately, given the results, it seems to have overdone it) its ability to place its titles on an intercontinental level, always turning them into cult objects for young people and more around the world.
Yet, in the Land of the Rising Sun, Quadrosoffice took a beating. But it's also obvious: it's impossible in a country like Japan to monopolize a market that demands constant creativity from those who dive headfirst into it. Creativity is what modern Squarenix soon lacked.

Atlus in Europe is ignored by everyone, also because it seems that English is the highest aspiration a translator from their parts can aspire to. No, the truth is that the narrative giant Shin Megami Tensei has a scope so wide and shocking (for the West) that it would have been impossible in the prolific '90s to successfully market this line of video games, suddenly brought to great popularity in America thanks to the Persona 3 spinoff.

This Shin Megami Tensei III: Lucifer's Call (and not Nocturne!, which is the USA version) is the first successfully serialized in Europe; and over time, it has become a jewel to be guarded with sacred respect, and absolutely to be completed 100% by obese maniacs around the world (English-speaking, French-speaking, and... German-speaking). In Italy, to have completed it successfully, one must be, I'm not saying overly obese, but certainly overly manic. I haven't done it.

Beyond the jokes about indolent translators (or rather, nonexistent; hey, I'm talking about the EU edition with French and German, wow!), the average gamer, after a brief confrontation with the heavy text (after a quick glance, it can be certified as English from the twelfth or thirteenth century...) of the initial cutscene, will have already gone to complain to the obese and manic seller who recommended it, nodding his big head.
We are facing a slow, frustrating, cynical, colossal, nervous, shocking project that will force you to do millions of things, billions of battles, and trillions of button presses on the joystick. But it's worth trying at least, seriously. If you have the guts.

The plot, like the atmosphere in general, is dark and distressing. You are a pathetic Japanese guy called by the professor (?) to a hospital (?) without knowing why. Once there, there are a couple (just a couple) of friendly faces and no one else. While wondering where everyone is, you end up having to explore the hospital a bit; until you realize that in the rooms downstairs there's a demon (!?); that your professor is a satanist (!? Well, to simplify) and that today is coincidentally the day of the Apocalypse (!!!, in a sense).
As a good pathetic guy, you have to endure the usual existential-religious speeches, only to find out that you survived (big deal) because a Mephistopheles-like old man (who is also a kid!) implanted a symbiotic demonic parasite in you, and you are now, with full success, a half-demon. After the usual scratching of balls, you immediately realize something is wrong: not only do you have to get out of the hospital, something that doesn't seem as simple as getting in at the time, but you notice that at every corner you turn, there are demons and ghosts ready to attack you if not outright assault you (just kidding). You will soon realize that only one thing can save you: your hard-earned savings! Through them, you can bribe some of the little monsters around and hire them as bodyguards. After the fateful exit from the hospital, you have a clear idea of what happened: everyone is dead, some are ghosts; Tokyo has become an alternate dimension all sand and lakes of blood, where the last social activities are in the hands of bizarrely designed demons with clear mafia-like intents (!). And while you realize this, Dante from Devil May Cry literally jumps out (yes, really.), who also seems intent on taking out as many demons as possible. And you, in fact, more or less like him, are a half-demon. After yet another scratch, you decide that being a mobster isn't too bad and start wandering around the Tokyo-world looking for familiar faces. And from there, all sorts of stuff without excluding bosses, etc., etc. Until you receive the long-awaited call from Lucifer (and who might that be?), who tells you there's a sacred competition among demons, and you have to ab-so-lutely participate, etc., etc. And so doing, further labyrinthine labyrinths of Amala, more intricate and trap-laden than you could imagine, unlock.

The combat tends to disadvantage the player: if the protagonist dies, it's game over, and I assure you, the protagonist is the first target for enemies. The system is turn-based and exploits the weaknesses of opponents to gain extra turns. Bosses are the ultimate in perversion because, as you'd expect, they almost never have weaknesses; therefore, they will continue to KO your beloved companions while you exhaust yourself bringing them back to life with items bought at exorbitant prices with your re-earned savings.
The fact that you can create your own interchangeable team of demons (as if they were Pokémon...) certainly helps to thoroughly experiment with combat in the game; however, it's difficult to fully customize your companion, as you will often be forced to sacrifice other demons to "fuse" them into more powerful beings.

The lack of true interaction with characters who aren't mobsters, don't feel oppressed, don't talk about their past lives, politics, or discuss theological-philosophical topics is perhaps the game's big weak point: living in Tokyo Hellcity is already tough at its core, but here, the further you advance in the game, the more you're hammered with the aforementioned, enjoying every moment of it.
It is interesting to note that the demons are nothing more than characters from pagan, Judeo-Christian, and Eastern religious traditions, like fairies, cherubs, or various Chinese dragons. Compared to its predecessor (where I remember you could choose whether to fight JHWH or Satan as the final boss), this SMT Third gradually builds the player's conscience: through its relationship with the world, with the demons encountered randomly (not always, but, alas, very often, enemies), and with the famous "game crossroads".
Forget the "happy ambient" of Persona 3. The music here is nonexistent; rather than real soundtracks, you will hear a collage of noise or decrepit sacred/blasphemous hymns as you pass through the game's "red zones".
The final effect really closely resembles the oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere of Silent Hill, and in my opinion, even though it bites into the gameplay, it's an artistic feature of immense value. I didn't think anything existed that could match Konami's masterpiece, and I still struggle to believe any other video game could match the setting of Shin Megami Tensei.
Dante's presence initially didn't convince me; instead, he is a character perfectly integrated into the game (after all, these are all demons).

The graphics are very, very much "PlayStation 2". Just like that, after all, we didn't expect anything different. The colors are very pasty and blurred, and it was preferred to enhance the light effects rather than the physics engine, in order to guarantee a greater expressive charge to the setting at the expense of movement realism (which are often almost censored by the battle camera).

Now you might wonder why the five stars.
I believe we are facing something too big and profound to give a lower rating; even though advancing in the game requires a firmness and dedication that a normal human being is totally lacking. this game is a challenge and embodies the concept of "Hell on Earth". In its genre, it is almost unique, revolutionary in several aspects, and doesn't expose itself in any particular way. It is a tough game for real tough guys. You will need to budget your money, study the opponent, study the paths to follow, and the MPs to spend. A small mistake is fatal. Seriously.

And I did the normal difficulty mode.