In addition to the recent trailer, more news on the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei IV appeared in this week’s issue of Famitsu. Among these details is the unveiling of some of the creative staff behind the game as well as some light plot details.
The first bit of news is possibly also the most surprising. Masayuki Doi, a character designer that has worked on titles such as Atlus’s Trauma Team, is the primary character and demon designer. Kazuma Kaneko, the artist most frequently associated with Megami Tensei and the man responsible for the franchise’s iconic demon designs, has not been named as a part of the project.
Doi is also receiving assistance. The article names four artists from outside Atlus that have each contributed a demon design to the game. Keita Amemiya, the designer of Raphael, has previous experience working on the series Kamen Rider ZO as well as Zeiram. Omoikane has been designed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, who worked on both Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl. Kuebiko’s design has been provided by Kyouma Aki; an artist that has previous experience working with an Atlus property in Persona 4: The Animation, as well as Godannar. Saburo Koga and Asmodeus have been designed by Tamotsu Shinohara and Yasushi Nirasawa respectively. Like Amemiya, both have also contributed to Kamen Rider. Shinohara worked on Kamen Rider 555 and Kamen Rider Ryuki, while Nirasawa worked on Kamen Rider Blade and Kamen Rider Kabuto.
Ryota Kozuka and Kenichi Tsuchiya are composing the game’s soundtrack. Each has worked on a variety of Atlus projects in the past. The pair have also worked together on games such as Trauma Team and Devil Survivor.
Also revealed were the Japanese voice talents and names of some of the major characters. Jonathan, a kind-hearted young man, is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya. The brash Walter is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi. Navarre, who is arrogant and can’t stand losing, is voiced by Shintarou Oohata. Finally, Isabeau, the lone female character of the group, is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.
As for what story details were revealed, the protagonist is one of a number of samurai that resides in the country of East Mikado, with castle architecture that resembles that of medieval western Europe. These samurai must explore a demon-infested Tokyo with the aid of special gauntlets that allow them to summon demons, similar to the COMP devices found in previous Megami Tensei games. As for how East Mikado and Tokyo came to exist side-by-side, that detail has yet to be revealed.
Shin Megami Tensei IV is scheduled for release in Japan next year.
