Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series has always been known to be philosophically profound and high brow, making sweeping commentary on the nature of humanity and free will. This has often led to the games being less relatable than sister series Persona, which deal with the more immediate problems that pervade society.
However, with the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei 5, which was announced yesterday as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, Atlus wants to make a game that is more reflective of the times we live in. Kazuyuki Yamai, who directed both Shin Megami Tensei IV and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Maniax, mentioned to Famitsu (via Gematsu) how the characteristics of the modern era, such as international strife, nuclear weapons, getting old, and unemployment, will all be tackled in the game.
Atlus apparently chose Nintendo Switch as the platform for the game because it gave them the best of both worlds- they got to output a console level HD game, and they also got to put out a game that players could enjoy on the go.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 sounds like a return to the kind of game that made Nocturne, the third entry in the series, so beloved. Hopefully it lives up to the hype and anticipation when it launches exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.