During the grand ol’ hullabaloo of PS4 Reveal, Nintendo was having a Nintendo Direct for the 3DS in Japan. Shin Megami Tensei IV was one of the games shown, and in it a plethora of info mainly regarding battles. Of course one of the biggest things many have noticed (for a while anyway) is a return to using a first person view for battles, a style that many MegaTen games have used. The battle system will be using the Press-Turn Battle system first seen in games like Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga. For those unaware, you get a certain amount of actions per turn. Say for instance you get four actions. You can spend those however you like. However you can get more actions by exploiting an enemy’s weakness, increasing your actions beyond four. Attack an enemy with an element they’re strong to, and you’ll lose an action. This system doesn’t just apply to the player though as the enemy can do the same to you and gain more actions per turn. Watch this video and you’ll see what I mean.

MegaTen standard Fusions also make a return in SMT IV, this time being handled by a pixelated old dude in the armband the characters have. This same armband is used to summon demons to your party. Unlike the previous mainline entry, Nocturne, 2D sprites will be used instead of 3D models. However they’re in much higher quality and animate better than before (certainly more than Strange Journey on the DS). The sprites even zoom in up close during negotiations, showing how clean they still look. Speaking of which, negotiations are back, a system where you can talk to enemy demons in battle to convince them to aid you somehow (or get your ass kicked if you piss ’em off). A nice bonus they’ve added to these sprites is how they’re removed from battle, like enemies zapping away with Zio, falling apart to pieces with Mudo, or exploding like glass to Megido.

And finally, the music! Just listen to it when they start showing battles. I’m guessing this is the game’s battle theme, and it also seems to be a callback to the old entries in the series, opting for a more fast-paced composition than Nocturne‘s slower-but-menacing composition. While this video cuts off too early to show it, the game’s Japanese release date is May 23rd, 2013. A limited edition 3DS XL will also be released with the game for those who opt for a bundle.

Shin Megami Tensei IV Japanese box [Tiny Cartridge]
Shin Megami Tensei IV Nintendo Direct Trailer English Subs [Youtube]