Shin Megami Tensei If…

{{Infobox video game

| image = File:Smt if.jpg

| caption = Super Famicom box art

| developer = Atlus

| publisher = Atlus

| writer = Ryutaro Ito
Shogo Isogai{{cite web|url=http://www.cubed3.com/news/12834/1/5th-shin-megami-tensei-rpg-for-nintendo-ds.html|title=5th Shin Megami Tensei RPG for Nintendo DS|author=Riley, Adam|publisher=Cubed3|date=2009-03-08|access-date=2015-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505085424/http://www.cubed3.com/news/12834/1/5th-shin-megami-tensei-rpg-for-nintendo-ds.html|archive-date=2015-05-05|url-status=live}}

| artist = Kazuma Kaneko

| composer = Tsukasa Masuko

| series = Megami Tensei

| platforms = Super Famicom, PlayStation, i-Revo, iOS

| released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|October 28, 1994}}|

Super Famicom{{vgrelease|JP|October 28, 1994}}PlayStation{{vgrelease|JP|December 26, 2002}}i-Revo{{vgrelease|JP|March 14, 2006}}iOS{{vgrelease|JP|March 22, 2013}}

}}

| genre = Role-playing

| modes = Single-player

}}

Shin Megami Tensei If…,{{efn|{{nihongo|Shin Megami Tensei If…|真・女神転生if…|extra=lit. True Goddess Reincarnation If…|lead=yes}}}} stylized as Shin Megami Tensei if…, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus in 1994 for the Super Famicom. It is a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Since release, it has been ported to mobile devices, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows; it had also been re-released on the Virtual Console in Japan on Wii in 2011 and Wii U in 2013, as well as the Nintendo Classics service in 2021. The story follows a student of Karukozaka High School after their school is sucked into the realm of demons by a vengeful student's demon summoning spell going wrong.

Shin Megami Tensei If… was developed as a change from previous Shin Megami Tensei titles, focusing on a small-scale environment and threat rather than a large-scale environment as in previous titles. Upon release, If… received a positive reception from critics and fans, and inspired multiple tie-in print adaptations and a mobile prequel. Positive response to its setting and spin-off status was the impetus for the creation of the spin-off Persona and Devil Summoner series.

Gameplay

File:SMT if gameplay.jpg

Shin Megami Tensei If… is a role-playing video game in which players take the role of the protagonist (an unnamed boy or girl, who appears in later Megami Tensei titles as a girl named Tamaki Uchida). As the protagonist, the player explores both the demon-infested Karukozaka High School and five towers based on the Seven Deadly Sins. During the course of the game, using a wrist-mounted device called a COMP, the player fights demons through a turn-based battle system, using physical and magical attacks to deal damage, as well as healing party members and casting status buffs and ailments on enemies.

Demons can be talked with in battle and recruited if the right conversation is initiated. Once a part of the player's party, they will fight alongside them. In addition to standard demons, the player can ally with one human companion, with three being available on the first playthrough and a fourth unlocking during the second. When the player or their human partner dies in battle, they are granted a Guardian Spirit, who revives them at the last save point and teaches them new skills and alter the player's stats. The Guardian's specialties affect how stats are changed: a higher power ranking will raise the player's strength, but lower magic will decrease their Magic Point meter. The Guardian changes each time the player dies.{{cite book|script-title=ja:真・女神転生if… マニュアル|trans-title=Shin Megami Tensei If… Manual|publisher=Atlus|language=ja|year=1994}}{{cite web |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/megaten/megaten3.htm |title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Megami Tensei / Shin Megami Tensei |author=Kalata, Kurt |author2=Snelgrove, Christopher J |page=3 |publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101 |date=2010-08-08 |access-date=2016-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629131932/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/megaten/megaten3.htm |archive-date=2015-06-29 |url-status=live}}

Synopsis

At Karukozaka High School, bullied and brilliant student Ideo Hazama attempts to summon a demon from the Expanse to exact revenge on his tormentors. The summoning goes wrong and Hazama is possessed by the demon, declaring himself as the "Demon Emperor" and throws the school into the demon's realm. The protagonist is among those trapped in the school, along with fellow students Reiko Akanezawa, Yumi Shirakawa, Shinji "Charlie" Kuroi and Akira Miyamoto. Should the protagonist side with Yumi or Shinji, they navigate the demon-infested school and towers, finally confronting and killing Hazama. In Yumi's route, the school is restored as if nothing happened, while in Shinji's route the school and its students remain trapped in the Expanse. If the Protagonist allied with Reiko, they enter the Demon Emperor's mind after he is first defeated, and see Hazama's motivations for his actions. Reiko, Hazama's sister, calms him and stays with him in the Expanse while the protagonist is teleported back to the human world and the school is returned to normal. In another route unlocked on a second playthrough, the protagonist can ally with Akira, who seeks vengeance against the demons who sucked the school into the demon's realm. Travelling to the Land of Nomos, Akira is killed and possessed by the demon Amon, who after defeating Hazama takes his place as the Demon Emperor, sending the protagonist back to the human world alone.

Development

Shin Megami Tensei If… was developed as a spin-off from the main series. Its smaller world scope came about because the game's director Kouji Okada felt he had reached the limit of what he could do with large-scale worlds in the previous Shin Megami Tensei games.{{cite web|url=http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1215408_1124.html|script-title=ja:東京大学”五月祭”で岡田耕始氏が『女神転生』誕生秘話を語った|publisher=Famitsu|language=ja|date=2008-05-25|access-date=2015-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524071325/http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1215408_1124.html|archive-date=2014-05-24 |url-status=live}} The main concept was for a high school setting rendered in three dimensions where a portal to hell would open, creating a more self-contained adventure. The modelling for Karukozaka High School was based on pictures from writer Ryutaro Ito's school album as they had no other visual resources.{{cite book|chapter=CHAPTER.04 Ryutaro Ito |script-title=ja:ゲーム職人第1集だから日本のゲームは面白い|author=Shigihara, Moriyuki|publisher=Micro Magazine Inc.|isbn=978-4-8963-7267-0|date=2007-11-06|language=ja}} The project's working title was Shin Megami Tensei X. The Partner system was divided into main and sub categories, with three to four playable characters available. The ability for sub characters to wield COMPs and need to be rescued was planned, but both were rejected.{{cite magazine | author=Atlus | author-link=Atlus | date=1994 | script-title=ja:真・女神転生 Fan Club DDS-NET| magazine=Famicom Tsūshin| volume=8| publisher=Enterbrain | language=ja}} The Guardian system was designed by future Megami Tensei director Katsura Hashino. The game's music was written by Tsukasa Masuko. One of the game's main themes, the Karukozaka High School school song heard during the ending, had lyrics written by Ito, who based them on the lyrics of his own school's song. Masuko was unimpressed when Ito asked for the lyrics to be added to the song. While only one line is ever heard in-game, Ito created three lines. If… was completed in a very short span of time, so much so that in 2003 Okada later described the development time as being "unthinkable" for any developer."Shin Megami Tensei Series Featurette" {{cite video |date=2003-02-20 | title=Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Special DVD | medium=DVD | publisher=Atlus}}

If… was designed to represent the series' titular theme of reincarnation, which had been markedly absent from previous Shin Megami Tensei titles, along with enabling players to continue enjoying the game even after their party was defeated. It also acted as a "lifeboat" for players that regularly died in battle. The cast's names were drawn from multiple real-life and fictional sources. The names for Yumi, Reiko and Shinji were inspired by pitchers in the Japanese baseball team Nippon-Ham Fighters. Akira's transformation into Amon was inspired by the similar transformation of the main character in the manga Devilman. Akira's name was also taken from the main character of the manga. Hazama's surname is taken from the titular character of the manga Black Jack. His given name, Ideo, is based on the English word "ideology". Sato, a member of the school's computer club and the one who first introduces the Devil Summoner Program, got his name from the Japanese physicist Katsuhiko Sato. Similarly, two side characters related to Shinji took their names from Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akiko Yano.{{cite magazine | author=Atlus | author-link=Atlus | date=1994 | script-title=ja:真・女神転生 Fan Club DDS-NET| magazine=Famicom Tsūshin| volume=9| publisher=Enterbrain | language=ja}}{{cite magazine| date=2007-08-01| script-title=ja:『真・女神転生』脚本家伊藤龍太郎インタビュー| magazine=Game Side| volume=7| issue=August| publisher=Micro Magazine Inc. | language=ja}} The characters were designed by regular series artist Kazuma Kaneko. He would later call the game one of his favorites, liking the uniformity of his designs and its relatable story themes.{{cite web |script-title=ja:「真・女神転生III-NOCTURNE」発売記念新作5点も並んだ「金子一馬の世界展-II」トークショウも大盛況|url=http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030212/atlus.htm |publisher=Game Watch Impress|language=ja |date=2003-02-12|access-date=2015-07-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628190504/http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030212/atlus.htm|archive-date=2013-06-28}}

Release

Shin Megami Tensei If… was first released on the Super Famicom on October 28, 1994.{{cite web|script-title=ja:真・女神転生if… (SFC)|url=http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=579|publisher=Famitsu|language=ja |access-date=2015-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012025511/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=579|archive-date=2013-10-12|url-status=live}} It was re-released on December 26, 2002 for the PlayStation. The PlayStation port contains additional elements such as an easy mode, along with retouched graphics and updated character art.{{cite web |url=http://www.atlus.co.jp/cs/game/pstation/shinmegami/if/index.html|script-title=ja:真・女神転生if…|publisher=Atlus|language=ja |date=2002|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204184711/http://www.atlus.co.jp/cs/game/pstation/shinmegami/if/index.html|archive-date=2003-12-04|url-status=dead}} This port was released on the PlayStation Network on September 8, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/jp0005npjj00448_000000000000000001.html|script-title=ja:真・女神転生if… / ソフトウェアカタログ / プレイステーション® オフィシャルサイト|publisher=PlayStation|language=ja|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707015302/http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/jp0005npjj00448_000000000000000001.html|archive-date=2014-07-07|url-status=live}} It was also ported to Microsoft Windows for the i-Revo PC system in 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.i-revo.jp/corporate/news_release/press_20060908.pdf|script-title=ja:「irevoゲーム」で 100種類以上のゲームが遊び放題の定額課金を開始 |publisher=i-Revo|language=ja|date=2006-09-08|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205004713/http://www.i-revo.jp/corporate/news_release/press_20060908.pdf|archive-date=2014-12-05|url-status=dead}} The Super Famicom version has been ported to Nintendo's Virtual Console for Wii and Wii U.{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_smtif/index.html|script-title=ja:Virtual Console: 真・女神転生if… - Wii|language=ja |publisher=Nintendo|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817052956/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_smtif/index.html|archive-date=2014-08-17|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/software/vc/jbsj/|script-title=ja:Wii U/｜真・女神転生if…/Nintendo|language=ja |publisher=Nintendo|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803045830/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/software/vc/jbsj/|archive-date=2014-08-03|url-status=live}} A port of the game for iOS was released on March 22, 2013, marking the game's first appearance on a portable platform.{{cite web |url=http://www.4gamer.net/games/209/G020908/20130325061/|script-title=ja:「真・女神転生 if…」がiPhone向けにリメイクされて登場。オリジナル版の雰囲気をそのままに，スマートフォンで楽しめる|language=ja|publisher=4Gamer.net|date=2013-03-25|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528053439/http://www.4gamer.net/games/209/G020908/20130325061/|archive-date=2013-05-28|url-status=live}}

On April 22, 2004, Atlus released a mobile game titled {{nihongo|Shin Megami Tensei If…: Hazama's Chapter|真・女神転生if…ハザマ編|Shin Megami Tensei ifu… Hazama-hen}} for FOMA 900i mobiles. It acts as a prologue to the events of Shin Megami Tensei If…, following Hazama's activities prior to the incident.{{cite web|url=http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20040420/mega.htm|script-title=ja:アトラス、FOMA 900i「真・女神転生if…ハザマ編」予告編のFlash版プロローグを配信|publisher=Game Watch Impress|language=ja|date=2004-04-20|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628134501/http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20040420/mega.htm|archive-date=2013-06-28|url-status=live}} Hazama's Chapter was intended for inclusion as part of the original release of If…, but space limitations forced it to be cut. The team considered offering it as a limited ROM cartridge for players, but budgetary constraints prevented this.{{cite book|script-title=ja:女神転生十年史 DDS 10TH.anniversary|page=67|publisher=Enterbrain|isbn=4-7577-0120-9|date=2000-06-28|language=ja}}

An English fan translation of the Super Famicom version was released on October 25, 2018 by the Aeon Genesis team.{{cite web |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2018/10/25/shin-megami-tensei-if-english-fan-translation-released/ |title=Shin Megami Tensei if… English Fan Translation Released |author=Wong, Alistair |date=2018-10-25 |website=Siliconera |publisher=Curse, Inc. |access-date=2018-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026045826/http://www.siliconera.com/2018/10/25/shin-megami-tensei-if-english-fan-translation-released/ |archive-date=2018-10-26 |url-status=live }}

Reception and legacy

Famicom Tsūshin gave the Super Famicom version a score of 29 out of 40.{{cite magazine |date=1994-11-04 |script-title=ja:NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 真・女神転生if・・・|magazine=Famicom Tsūshin |issue=307 |page=39 |publisher=ASCII Corporation |language=ja}} Famitsu Weekly{{'}}s review of the PlayStation port gave it a score of 28 out of 40. The reviewers, while enjoying the music and story, found the graphics dated and felt that players new to the series would find playing through the game difficult.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8325 |script-title=ja:真・女神転生if… (PS) |magazine=Famitsu |publisher=Enterbrain |language=ja |access-date=2015-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714144339/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8325 |archive-date=2015-07-14 |url-status=live}} According to Hashino, the game's high school setting was popular with fans of the series. Kurt Kalata and Christopher J. Snelgrove at Hardcore Gaming 101 thought the game was fun, but noted that it lacked the "philosophical and religious quandaries" present in the first two Shin Megami Tensei titles. They also noted that it was shorter than the previous two games, but that the different dungeons and endings the game offers depending on who the player chooses as their partner resulted in a high replayability factor. They found the Guardian system interesting, but considered it a strange decision to force the player to die on purpose to get a new Guardian. RPGFan's Kyle Miller thought that the game's music was worse than that in previous Shin Megami Tensei games, but still enjoyable.{{cite web |url=http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/smt-sound/index.html |title=Shin Megami Tensei Sound Collection |author=Miller, Kyle |publisher=RPGFan |access-date=2016-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821232537/http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/smt-sound/index.html |archive-date=2016-08-21 |url-status=live}}

A manga based on the game written and illustrated by Kazuaki Yanagisawa, {{nihongo|Shin Megami Tensei If…: Demon Envoy of the School|真・女神転生if… 学園の悪魔使い|Shin Megami Tensei ifu… Gakuen no Akuma Tsukai}}, was published in 1995.{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/mg/books/1394316 |title=単行本：真・女神転生if…(ASCLL COMIX) |language=ja |website=Media Art Database |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |access-date=2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801192539/https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/mg/books/1394316 |archive-date=2017-08-01 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/mg/books/1219909 |title=単行本：真・女神転生if… 改訂版2刷(アスペクトコミックス) |language=ja |website=Media Art Database |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |access-date=2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801192714/https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/mg/books/1219909 |archive-date=2017-08-01 |url-status=live}} It was released in France in 2006 as Shin Megami Tensei If….{{cite web |url=http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Shin-Megami-Tensei-:-If |title=Shin Megami Tensei : If… |language=fr |publisher=Manga-News |access-date=2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108031707/http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Shin-Megami-Tensei-:-If |archive-date=2012-11-08 |url-status=live}} A second manga also written and illustrated by Yanagisawa, Shin Megami Tensei Kahn, was released in 2008. This manga was also licensed for release in English.{{cite news | author=Santos, Carlo | title=Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn Review | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-kahn/gn-1| work=Anime News Network |date=2008-03-14| access-date=2010-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108073215/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-kahn/gn-1|archive-date=2014-11-08|url-status=live}} A light novel adaptation of the game, titled {{nihongo|Shin Megami Tensei If…: Djinn of Demon Realm|真・女神転生if…　魔界のジン|Shin Megami Tensei ifu: Makai no Jin}} and written by Yoru Yoshimura and Eiji Kaneda, was published in 2002.{{cite web |url=http://bookstore.yahoo.co.jp/shoshi-259254/|script-title=ja:真・女神転生if… 魔界のジン|publisher=Yahoo Bookstore|language=ja|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715221339/http://bookstore.yahoo.co.jp/shoshi-259254/|archive-date=2015-07-15|url-status=live}}

The game's setting proved popular enough for Atlus to create a game focused around it titled Megami Ibunroku Persona, the first game in the Persona series. The Guardian system also provided inspiration for the series' titular gameplay mechanic.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.playmagazine.com/index.php?fuseaction=SiteMain.Content&contentid=1413 |title=Interview - Katsura Hashino |magazine=Play Magazine |access-date=2009-08-22 |date=2009-03-05 |author=Patterson, Eric|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328002518/http://mag.gomorning.com/index.php?fuseaction=SiteMain.Content&contentid=1413|archive-date=2012-03-28|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |last=Kurokawa |first=Fumio |date=2022-09-27 |title=メガテンの生みの親，岡田耕始氏が自身を捧げたRPGという祭（後編）アトラスの栄華と迷走，そして新たな挑戦ビデオゲームの語り部たち：第32部 |url=https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20220813010/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=4Gamer.net |language=ja}} Karukozaka High School was later featured as the setting for an optional story quest in the PlayStation Portable remake of Persona 2: Innocent Sin.{{cite web|url=http://andriasang.com/comuiy/persona_2_update/|title=One More Persona 2 Innocent Sin Quest Example |author=Gantayat, Anoop|publisher=Andriasang.com|date=2011-03-24|access-date=2015-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225042502/http://andriasang.com/comuiy/persona_2_update/|archive-date=2012-12-25|url-status=live}} Its popularity and modern-day setting also influenced the development of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, the first game in the Devil Summoner series."History of Shin Megami Tensei" {{cite video |date=2003-02-20 | title=Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Special DVD | medium=DVD | publisher=Atlus}} Accessories and outfits from Shin Megami Tensei If… have also been featured in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine,{{cite web |url=http://www.megatenonline.com/nhn/news/archive/news298.html|script-title=ja:お得いっぱい2日間！大人気アバター勢揃い！|language=ja |publisher=Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE Official Website|date=2010-09-22|access-date=2015-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716130910/http://www.megatenonline.com/nhn/news/archive/news298.html|archive-date=2015-07-16|url-status=live}} and as downloadable content for the game Persona 5 along with Shin Megami Tensei If… music.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.famitsu.com/news/201609/23116651.html|script-title=ja:『ペルソナ5』お楽しみ無料コンテンツやコスチューム＆BGMセットなど、DLC情報が一挙公開|language=ja|magazine=Famitsu|date=2016-09-23|access-date=2016-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923111533/http://www.famitsu.com/news/201609/23116651.html|archive-date=2016-09-23|url-status=live}}