The Lost Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne Alphas, Betas, Prototypes and Tech Demos

BGM: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Sound Test
In this episode of the Megaten Minute I go over the various Nocturne plot drafts, story drafts, prototypes and alpha builds.
Intro by: / jelly_dev
Sorry that my tiny goldfish brain can't memorize scripts easily, I promise I'll get better.
Editor: Federico Borrelli
Art: www.pixiv.net/en/users/1626733
Source:
web.archive.org/web/2014090301...
tcrf.net/Prerelease:Shin_Mega...
lostmediawiki.com/Shin_Megami...)
www.atlusatlas.com/post/16469...
• Shin Megami Tensei: No...
• Atlus PS2 LAN Game Pro...
ascii.jp/elem/000/000/308/308...
• Making Of Shin Megami ...
Megaten Maniacs
dengekionline.com/soft/recomm...

[@SimplyDad]

Ok but you arent even buying Dante in Nocturne HD yet you buy thousands of merch... yikes.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

dante dlc was confirmed for HD remaster

[@iamasnail8654]

@@haruhisuzumiya6650 yes that is indeed what simply implied

[@its_heeho]

Oh hi dad

[@hayaokakizaki4463]

Hey Dad how the fuck did you get 30k subscribers on youtube when you're a MegaTen rager

[@zealuna]

the “virtual tokyo” seems like it turns into smt nine

[@wolf397]

we could have rejected gods with *the bois* but atlus had to take it all away

[@aaronsound]

Me and the Boys becoming lucifer's cumdumps fighting against the Great Will.

[@warningdontread5478]

Oh man when you touched on the cutting room floor article on the Nocturne prototype I was hoping you mentioned some of the Negotiations test dialogue. Inside you could find golden unused dialouge like: "Oh alright, I'll spill it. I'm "Luigi." I think I'll go with you, you remind me of my big bro. Little chubby too."

[@Larrue]

Ah yeah, I was more focusing on the story elements rather than the other tcrf content because I the whole video is focusing on the story drafts. Maybe another video? :)

[@warningdontread5478]

@@Larrue I just want people to know Luigi was at one point in Nocturne in a way, that shit got me dying the first time I read it. But great video nonetheless.

[@raffleslovecraftfriends8375]

Honestly, I would love to see you look into the beta and development of all the SMT games. Starting with Devil Survivor 1?

[@WPFreeinternet]

I know this one, our version wasn't the original version and the original version in Japan was called Doki Doki Panic.

[@Larrue]

epic

[@NotThatUser]

Super Mario Bros. 2 moment

[@nichoudha]

WOW.... Nine whole initial concept stories. A lot of these initial concepts seem to be added to future games; specifically SMTIV. I thought IV was harkening back to I-II, but I didn't realize they had so many concept ideas that seem to really fit closely to the final product of SMTIV. It makes so much more sense now why it seemed like a re-telling when they had so many unexplored ideas. The Demon Tribes and simulation in a virtual world plotlines eventually became DDS1. The Sun and God different from YHVH allowing any alignment choice became DDS2's Brahman and IVA's concept of the Axiom. The fake digital world and certain others seem to be placed in SMT NINE and Imagine respectively. Raidou 1's final dungeon's concept makes a LOT more sense when reading about these initial concept ideas. Raidou 2's concepts may have been influenced too. But so much of this, from the first concept all the way to the 9th concept seems like they really wanted to make a game like Shin Megami Tensei IV for a very, *very* long time. Wow. I thought it had felt stale and too similar to SMT1. I didn't realize even before the huge novel-like idea that Kaneko wrote, they had initial concepts since frickin' Nocturne. Also, the amount of work they put into SMT3: Nocturne's design is crazy. 6 Months of using different prototypes to improve the graphics to fit Kaneko's art and visuals. Frickin' insane.

[@Larrue]

Well megaten maniacs includes the story that Kazuma Kaneko wrote that was partially adapted into what became smtiv. dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/11/03/smt-iv-draft-scenario/#more-1995

[@nichoudha]

@@Larrue Thanks! Read it. Wish there was a way to read the whole novel-style story that Kaneko wrote. Seems like backstory on Flynn's past self more than anything. lol

[@zackdonzanti9470]

I really like the first story archetype. I feel like there's a lot of parallels in today's society where the youth don't see the same successful future that their parents had as well as an extinction event on the horizon. Also the idea that children unloved by society will watch it burn just to feel its warmth seems like an interesting character concept. They're clearly the villains, but it's hard to blame them for being so when they've never been given an opportunity to be heroes. It creates a man vs self conflict not within the story but within the one experiencing the story. I'd personally like to see that become a narrative for a future SMT game.

[@nichoudha]

Same, although I can understand why they changed it since all three were entirely unsympathetic and it seems like they didn't have a specific conclusion panned out. The initial concept and the fact they never return to their world does bring an air of mystique and intrigue, but perhaps they couldn't get it to translate to a satisfying conclusion.

[@Vanity0666]

Good news: thats what smt5 is, they fleshed out the Ver. A story and it plays out in the back half of the game

[@mac9365]

This was one of the best vids you've ever made keep it up. Also love the idea of a Makai Tokyo built to train a warrior or whatever that one was.

[@lilithramirez7719]

I don't think anyone counts this, but the first MegaTen game I played was PQ1.

[@shadydesu]

that's a weird one to start with but it is megaten

[@twohooks3533]

Such an underrated channel. Keep on going!

[@nabeela.7341]

The second I hop into bed you upload and you know I gotta watch ya boy before sleeping

[@Larrue]

I'm glad you had bedtime entertainment

[@earthquake4089]

The early description sounds a bit like what happened in smt2 with the underground people and angels preparing people to live on a post-scorched earth and whatnot. Which was used again in smt4 and smt4 apocalypse. Amazing to consider how far nocturne came from the early concepts. The new Jerusalem thing sounds like stuff from smt5. Lastly the "law of god" being different from law-neutral-chaos in one of the pitches sounds like a prototype of reasons (which strictly speaking aren't law-aligned but seem to be their own laws of their own alignments).

[@Macca]

WT...F... how could you just STEAL(!) from fither!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!

[@spudsbuchlaw]

Easily

[@davidenren6496]

Great vid man would love to see this with other SMT game ;p

[@casi1201]

I don’t know where you came from but your doing the lords work!

[@DaimaoStrizer]

23:23 i always forget he exists and always laugh when i see him

[@redfacegaming7727]

You have cool glasses. Great video too.

[@yurikuki]

I love that marie art in P4GA and 3 copies of P4G in ur background!

[@MegaAmir46]

Late but really love the channel. SMT is my ish

[@Slenderquil]

Beta videos like this really interest me, so I hope we see more of this. I'm wondering if the curse of Abel was intended to be a flip of the curse of Cain instead of the two just being mixed up. It makes me wonder if they would have made an alternate world Grendel that challenged you throughout the story if that happened. Also you may want to turn the music down a bit in this video, it was kinda hard to hear what you were saying sometimes Also also, somehow the most surprising thing in this video is that there's just some unused models of p2 characters laying around in the demo files

[@yeez13]

Your hustle is undeniable and it’s infuriating that you’re not getting the Subs + Views you deserve. Maybe the Nocturne Remaster and the (presumably) forthcoming (?) Digital Devil Saga 1 + 2 HD Remasters will change all of that? Who knows...all I know is this is getting shared right away!

[@SimplyDad]

When are you gonna talk about Persona 5?

[@user-zu3wq3lf3h]

Ok, when will you talk about Persona 3?

[@wolf397]

ikr he doesn't talk about the best smt game enough

[@SpasticElectric]

I seriously can't tell if this thread is meant as a joke or serious.

[@uberlephrad8218]

wolf397 Bruh the best is sjr or dds1

[@KaiMCGRPS]

@@uberlephrad8218 Nah, it's jack bros, persona 5 and demi kids

[@kindasomeviews]

Kinda wish we got Devil Heart (Red) DemiFiend as a skin in the HD port. He doesnt look bad in it and this would've not only had a bit more incentive to get the game, but would also make fans scratch their heads, cuz i had no idea about this til this video.

[@surabax]

There is a typo on the preview image: "Protoypes".

[@morgzana1374]

Oh, yay this the video where we look @content no one wanted to public... POGGER, fr tho great video at least it wasn't rushed saying stuff I already knew.

[@zuppoblitz6627]

Oh cool! You cited something I made!

[@inerd77]

Interesting video. And on a unrelated note, your hair reminds me of Ichiban Kasuga.

[@Larrue]

future cosplay???

[@sociallyawkard5675]

Yeah, that god in the sun was definitely reused for DDS2’s Brahman

[@salsamonkey65]

I had only played P5 and P4 before this last month, and I jumped straight into Strange Journey to get into the main series. The navigation is absolutely maddening but the plot is excellent. Not sure if I can recommend others start with it though

[@TheDeathOfLucifer]

I love the navigation. But if it's not for you SMT3-5 would work or Digital Devil Saga

[@salsamonkey65]

@@TheDeathOfLucifer I've now played all of those. And Nocturne is easily my favorite

[@ethanfordford6621]

... this is so strange to watch with strange journey, smt 4 and now “5” existing lol

[@tonyx6380]

i wonder if the whole digital body story is something they used to shape mido

[@sider0130]

8:04 and 12:35 - these ideas kinda sound like Da'at Tokyo from SMT V

[@Stephen-vq1wc]

Can you make video about similarities between smt and devilman

[@crimsondragong4853]

Now I still hesitate whether to buy Nocturn HD or not. I don't think they gonna add anything new.

[@starfallunion]

My first was Strange Journey 🙂

[@KEN_Bats]

Live action time! the best format

[@KEN_Bats]

Noticed in the description about the script stuff. Don't worry about the gold fish brain that stuff HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. Memorizing lines is really difficult when you're on camera, but you'll get it. This was really good

[@Larrue]

@@KEN_Bats thanks so much!

[@FilthyBlasphemer]

:)

[@franknova987]

The story concept seems similar like smt4/smt4a

[@spudsbuchlaw]

Where can I get my hands on these drafts?

[@2tehnik]

Wasn't the Great Will established in megami tensei II?

[@Larrue]

What I meant is "was established as a core figure to the franchise lore" they introduced it in smt 2 but it wasn't used in if and based on their comments in the book, the series was supposed to end there.

[@whywyatt376]

Otacon

[@heehoproductions8590]

I feel like that the story where "the world is divided into different areas" was eventually realised as Maken X

[@rafaelbruno2128]

And the final product still feels like a prototype.

[@hayaokakizaki4463]

Not the final version, just the first release version

[@rafaelbruno2128]

@@hayaokakizaki4463 i meant what i said.

[@hayaokakizaki4463]

@@rafaelbruno2128 *GAIA RAGE*

[@NotThatUser]

@@hayaokakizaki4463 Focus Freikugel*

[@sider0130]

It'd be great if some of these concepts and ideas are used in SMTV!

[@spudsbuchlaw]

Huh...wonder how that worked out

[@AceKita]

for a sec i thought this was fither :0

[@raffleslovecraftfriends8375]

Yeah considering how he recently did a video on the lost demo. I don't blame ya lol

[@dal4268]

Raffles Lovecraft & Friends unlike him he still talks about megaten

[@raffleslovecraftfriends8375]

@@dal4268 I mean, both channels talk about SMT. Often, so I don't get what you are referencing here.

[@phillemon7664]

DAL426 seems you haven’t been on his channel recently

[@dal4268]

Raffles Lovecraft & Friends oh no I’m referring to his inactivity towards smt

[@Wevegottosticktogether]

SMT fans look scary....

[@Larrue]

You should be afraid