Persona’s sleek RPG was born out of this SNES adventure by Atlus

Although this is a spin-off from a spin-off, No ones overwhelming success has made it the most recognizable of Shin megami tensei RPG series. But in 1994, two years before the very first No one game has arrived on PlayStation, the blueprint for these future games has been set in another lesser-known side story with a particular title.

Shin Megami Tensei if … for the 16-bit Super Famicom Nintendo offered a smaller version of the Shin megami tensei formula. Instead of a world-ending calamity plunging humanity into a pandemonium, a single school was transported to a demonic dimension known as the Expanse. And rather than taking part in an apocalyptic battle between law and mayhem, the big bad is a college student who is fed up with being bullied.

If this sounds familiar to you, there’s a good reason: Shin Megami Tensei if … ended up being the basis of the No one series. Katsura Hashino, who debuted at Atlus as a designer on if… and today is known as No onethe big boss said the same during an interview in 2009 with the deceased Play magazine. The school setting was apparently so well received that Atlus gave the green light to the years 1996 Megami Ibunroku Persona-that Atlus USA has located as Revelations: Persona-as the first game in a new series on “the inner struggles of young adults”.

But it goes beyond the frame. Shin Megami Tensei if … opens as the Japanese campus of Karukozaka high school is transplanted from our daily reality to a decidedly more demonic dimension. It is in these first moments, as the game tries its best to teach you how to play as obtuse as possible, that you are introduced to three other students: your close friend Yumi Shirakawa, honorary student Reiko Akanezawa and the egocentric punk Shinji. “Charlie” Kuroi.

Depending on who you immediately decide to spend time with, the game offers you one of three story paths. (There is a fourth character, Akira Miyamoto, who will only join you in a second part.) It’s not as involved as the No one the series’ “Social Bond” system, in which working on your relationships improves your party’s combat abilities, but the idea of ​​friendship affecting story progression was not prevalent in previous ones Shin megami tensei Games.

A big part of Shin Megami Tensei if … also revolves around unique demons known as Guardians. While the game resembles its predecessors in that you recruit demons drawn from folklore and myth to join you in battle, your two human group members – your own high school student and the others you choose to accompany – are also closely related to a Guardian who changes every time they die.

Yes, death is not the end of the story in Shin Megami Tensei if …, even if the main character bites the dust. As you level up and gain experience to level up, a separate Guardian counter builds up as well. The higher it is when you die, the better the Guardian will be when you are revived. This cognate spirit affects your characters’ stats and the magical spells they can use.

Again, not as involved as games in the No one series, in which the protagonist can freely switch between equipped Persona demons and the rest of the group have specific partners, often story-based, but the idea clearly has its roots in the Super Famicom classic.

Here’s Hashino again, from the same 2009 interview:

“The first title I worked on after joining Atlus was Shin Megami Tensei if …, where I was in charge of the Guardian system, ”Hashino said. “Come to think of it, this Guardian system has become the basis of the No one series, so I have been involved in the series since then. Wow, it’s been a long time.

Apart from these aspects, however, Shin Megami Tensei if … plays pretty much the same as the main line Shin megami tensei games of that time. You spend most of your time navigating sprawling dungeons in first person, with battles being less complicated affairs than the weakness-based systems introduced in later games. Of course, it’s still pretty tough, with a lot of flashbacks and other quirks that make these specific RPGs so often a chore to review, but you’ll likely find a lot to enjoy in Shin Megami Tensei if … assuming you already like Shin megami tensei.

After his debut in Super Famicom, Shin Megami Tensei if … was going to be ported to the original PC and PlayStation. He’s even enjoyed a modern love thanks to the Wii Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online (where he debuts next week in Japan). As Atlus famous No one25th anniversary of and fans have set their sights on a potential sixth entry, it was fun to experience the game that served as the prototype for the now popular role-playing game series around the world.

Shin megami tensei proper may not be as stylish or well received as the newer No one games, but it’s hard to deny that the former has some underlying charm that served as the basis for No onethe final and explosive success. And to think about it, it all started in a game with such a silly and goofy name.