# Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
**Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse** (known in Japan as *Shin Megami Tensei IV Final*, 真・女神転生IV FINAL) is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the [Nintendo 3DS](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-3ds) and a direct follow-up to the fourth numbered game of the Shin Megami Tensei series.[1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) It was released in North America on September 20, 2016 and in Europe on December 1, 2016.[2](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-3DS-games/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Apocalypse-1160417.html) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / platform | Atlus, Nintendo 3DS[1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) |
| Japanese title | Shin Megami Tensei IV Final[1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) |
| Release | September 20, 2016 (North America); December 1, 2016 (Europe)[2](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-3DS-games/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Apocalypse-1160417.html) |
| Setting | Tokyo in the year 2038, in ruins after nuclear conflict, with angels and demons loose in the city[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) |
| Protagonist | Nanashi, a Hunter cadet resurrected by the god Dagda as his Godslayer[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) |
| Carried-over systems | Press Turn System, Smirk, partner and Horde battle mechanics, Whispered Skills, Challenge Quests, Special Fusions[5](https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV%3A_Apocalypse) |
| New systems | Skill Affinities for demons, an expanded partner system, and smartphone Apps bought with App Points[5](https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV%3A_Apocalypse) • [4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) |
| Availability | Digital purchases on the 3DS eShop ended in late March 2023, leaving physical copies as the remaining route[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/02/16/nintendo-wii-u-3ds-eshop-closure) |
## Story and setting
The story begins near the end of [Shin Megami Tensei IV](https://www.edgepedia.org/shin-megami-tensei-iv). In 2038, Tokyo has been razed by nuclear conflict and its aftermath, and the surviving populace is caught in a holy war between the divine Merkabah and the demonic Lucifer, defended by the godslayer Flynn, the protagonist of the previous game, and his partner Isabeau.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) Because Flynn is otherwise engaged, players control a new protagonist, a young Hunter cadet named Nanashi, who works in the lower ranks of the Hunters' Association alongside his childhood friend Asahi.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
**Resurrection by Dagda.** Within the first hour of the game, Nanashi is killed by a demon. Instead of a game over screen, the Irish god Dagda offers him a deal: if Nanashi does his bidding without question, he will return his life. Nanashi accepts, wakes more powerful than before, and gains the ability to summon and control demons.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) The narrative that follows is a fast-paced, character-focused theological thriller with multiple pivotal moral decisions and several endings; the Spanish outlet MeriStation counted four distinct endings to discover.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) • [7](https://as.com/meristation/2017/01/03/analisis/1483426800_161383.html)
**Alignment.** The game offers a different take on the series' alignment system, which traditionally lets the player side with Law, Chaos, or Neutral parties. Apocalypse takes place in a version of Shin Megami Tensei IV's Neutral route, but Nanashi still has leeway in how he aligns himself with various parties as the story unfolds.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
## Combat and the Press Turn system
Apocalypse retains the turn-based Press Turn system the series is known for: hitting an enemy's weakness or landing a critical hit grants an extra turn, while misses and attacks on resistances take turns away.[8](https://gamingrespawn.com/reviews/17524/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/) • [4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) Smart hits can also grant the Smirk status, which guarantees either 100% accuracy with a critical hit or greatly increased evasion if saved for defense. Enemies can exploit the same system, so a single calculated blow can spiral into a run of Smirking enemy turns that wipes out the party.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
The Smirk mechanic itself was refined. In Shin Megami Tensei IV, a Smirk simply made the next attack a critical hit; in [Apocalypse](https://www.edgepedia.org/apocalypse), specific skills carry a Smirk icon and deal extra damage if used while in Smirk, on top of the guaranteed critical.[9](https://rpgamer.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/) Another change removed the base instant-kill property from the "Hama" and "Mudo" light and dark spells, giving those elements a larger offensive role.[10](https://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/) Three selectable difficulty levels can be changed at any time, but even the easier setting does not allow auto-battling through the game.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
## The partner system
The most visible addition is the partner system. Nanashi has a main partner who always takes a turn in the main rotation, and other partners who can assist once the partner gauge has filled.[9](https://rpgamer.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/) Partners specialize in different skills, such as buffs, healing, or direct damage, so choosing the right partner for a battle matters.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/) As a partner fights, an assist gauge fills one point at a time with each of their actions; once full, the party unleashes an all-out attack that combines skills, deals heavy damage, and cancels the enemy's turn entirely, which is especially valuable in long boss fights.[1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/)
The gauge fires automatically when full rather than on a manual trigger, so it can be spent on trivial encounters just before a boss.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) Partners include Asahi, a ghostly version of Shin Megami Tensei IV's Navarre, and several other new and familiar faces.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
## Demons, negotiation, and fusion
Demon negotiation remains the series staple for recruiting enemies mid-battle: Nanashi chooses a Talk option, and the correct dialogue choices vary enormously by demon and its personality.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) Apocalypse makes negotiation more forgiving in several ways. Demons now "remember" previous conversations and may be more willing to join later, and a demon who abandoned a talk will resume where it left off rather than starting over.[11](https://nintendowire.com/news/2016/09/15/review-shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse/) • [1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) Certain demon types that could not be recruited through normal means in the previous game can now be invited via the in-battle Scout command.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/)
**Skill Affinities.** The largest change to demon building is the addition of Skill Affinity stats. A demon may have, for example, a +2 affinity for Zio (electric) spells and a -2 for Bufu (ice); skills a demon specializes in deal more damage or cost fewer MP, while poor affinities do less damage and consume more MP.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) • [1](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse) This extends skill affinity, previously exclusive to the protagonist through Whispered Skills in Shin Megami Tensei IV, to all demons, encouraging builds that favor each demon's intended combat role.[5](https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV%3A_Apocalypse)
Fusion, in which demons are combined to create more powerful ones and pass down skills, returns along with multi-demon and Special Fusions. Once a demon learns its final skill, it can pass on almost any skill it knows to Nanashi.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) • [11](https://nintendowire.com/news/2016/09/15/review-shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse/) Reviewers noted that Demon Fusion and the Demonic Compendium received no improvements in this entry despite their centrality to the series.[8](https://gamingrespawn.com/reviews/17524/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/)
## Apps, maps, and quality of life
Nanashi's smartphone replaces the previous game's gauntlet and hosts purchasable Apps. App Points are earned by leveling up and by reporting Hunter corpses found around Tokyo; apps range from expanding demon storage and adding skill slots to auto HP/MP recovery, improved negotiation success, and hacks that can raise difficulty or enable auto-battle that targets enemy weaknesses.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
The map, a common complaint about Shin Megami Tensei IV, was upgraded: Tokyo is clearly labeled with named areas, and a Goal option flags the next destination directly on the map. Other improvements include speech bubbles marking NPCs with new dialogue, rooms greying out once fully explored, and an auto-advance text function.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) The Digital Demon Service was also upgraded to swap player cards and demon bonuses over the internet rather than only through StreetPass.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
## Reception
Critical response was strongly positive. GameSpot's review scored the game 9 out of 10, calling it a fantastic RPG that surpasses its predecessor in almost every way and one of the shining gems of the 3DS library, while criticizing the unintuitive map.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/) Nintendo Life awarded 9/10, describing it as "just about perfect" as an RPG sequel and recommending playing Shin Megami Tensei IV first to catch its references.[4](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse) RPGamer praised the battle system as a refinement of the previous game's best elements, and MeriStation highlighted the game's pacing and art direction while criticizing the final chapter's handling of series canon.[9](https://rpgamer.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/) • [7](https://as.com/meristation/2017/01/03/analisis/1483426800_161383.html)
## References
1. [Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse, Megami Tensei Wiki (Fandom)](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse)
2. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Nintendo UK](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-3DS-games/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Apocalypse-1160417.html)
3. [Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-4-apocalypse-review/1900-6416515/)
4. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Review (3DS), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/shin_megami_tensei_iv_apocalypse)
5. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Megami Tensei Wiki](https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV%3A_Apocalypse)
6. [Nintendo announces closure of Wii U and 3DS eShop, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2022/02/16/nintendo-wii-u-3ds-eshop-closure)
7. [Shin Megami Tensei: Apocalypse, análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2017/01/03/analisis/1483426800_161383.html)
8. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Review, Gaming Respawn](https://gamingrespawn.com/reviews/17524/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/)
9. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Review, RPGamer](https://rpgamer.com/review/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/)
10. [Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Review, Persona Central](https://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse-review/)
11. [Review: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Nintendo Wire](https://nintendowire.com/news/2016/09/15/review-shin-megami-tensei-iv-apocalypse/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual Nintendo-platform game titles › DS and 3DS titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license