Parent's Guide: Shin Megami Tensei IV - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Shin Megami Tensei IV is a post-apocalyptic dungeon crawling role-playing game, in which players are tasked with subduing the demons that threaten the land of Mikado. The story begins as a being known as the 'Black Samurai' spreads its satanic message, converting people into demons, and generally being a bit of a disagreeable character. As the defenders of the land, it's up to you and your three samurai companions - boring Isabeau, friendly Jonathon and snooty Walter - to head off in search of her, into the winding caverns below the town. Soon enough, one thing leads to another, and eventually you find yourself in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Tokyo - kind of like New New York in Futurama. From here on in, the story descends into the staple Shin Megami Tensei story of warring factions, supernatural forces and morality, with the decision you make being able to alter the course of the game.

Most of your time here will be spent exploring the underground caverns and fighting demonic monsters in turn-based battles, taking it in turns with your opponents to attack. But there's more to Shin Megami Tensei than just battling - kind of like a darker version of Pokemon, by talking with the demon enemies you face, you can try to convince them to join your team, perhaps bribing them with some money or items, after which they can be used in battle. Recruiting demons is an essential part of the game, as they bring new moves, abilities and skills to the table, letting you take advantage of a gamut of enemy weaknesses. They're also an essential ingredient in the series' staple Demon Fusion, in which several demons can be combined to create a single more powerful one - fusing better demons and often is the key to keeping an edge in battle, as things can get very tough very quickly.

It's probably worth bearing in mind that Shin Megami Tensei IV is very difficult, with frequent difficulty spikes and enemies that can obliterate your entire party in one hit - even when playing on easy. You're expected to grind - battle over and over with the intention of making your party more powerful - and without spending a long time fighting a lot of enemies with the pure intent and purpose of levelling your team up, you'll likely struggle. A good reading ability is also important here, as much of the game's story and objectives are told through text, such as the monster negotiations, which would be impossible to navigate without knowing what's being said.

With its dark story, dealing with death, destruction and morality, Shin Megami Tensei IV's post-apocalyptic world is a bit on the adult side. Players battle human and demon-like creatures, with some attacks being accompanied by blood splatters - blood pools and piles of corpses can also be found in the scenery of the dungeons occasionally. Some demons have exposed breasts or phallic-shaped heads or torsos, while the likes of the succubus and incubus have in-game descriptions describing their sexually deviant activities (although not in any great detail). Language can also be a bit questionable at times, with words such as sh*t and bas**rd muttered from time to time.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS