While it isn't for everyone, this game is the perfect example of a top quality JRPG
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The game actually begins in modern day Tokyo where the main character (his name is up to you to decide) together with his two friends who went ahead without him are visiting his teacher at the hospital. On his way to the hospital, he meets a strange man at a park who ends up informing him through his magazine that the hospital he is heading to holds a secret cult who believes that the end of the world is coming. Oddly enough, shortly after arriving at the hospital and finding your teacher, an event called the Conception happens which causes the world to end (that's right, no one ended up saving it) and this is when the bulk of the game takes place.
This is quite a unique way of presenting the story and it works. Instead of having a set goal in mind as to what you're supposed to do, you end up in the hospital (turned into a demon yourself) with the question "What am I supposed to do now?" ringing in your head. At first, your main goal is to simply get out of the demon infested hospital but soon enough, you'll encounter many mysteries and other characters that make your journey a story of discovery and creation, not the normal JRPG story of having to save the world from a big threat that's trying to destroy the world which is what makes this game really interesting.
Gameplay is this game's main feature. The battle system isn't really anything new. It plays much like any other turn-based JRPG where you attack your enemies and heal when necessary except it adds a nice twist by using the "press turn" system. In battles, you gain more turns by exploiting the enemy's weakness or you lose turns by using a spell that the enemy nulls or reflects. For an early PS2 game, this is a really nice new element to add to the battle system, but compared to some of the later games like Shadow Hearts: Covenant where they began to focus on making battles more unique and different, this game simply wouldn't hold up alone.
However, the big thing about the gameplay that makes it outshine even some of the more modern JRPGs is the demon recruitment system. Throughout the game, you will get into fights with many demons. The interesting part however is that all of the demons, except a select few can be recruited into your party to be used against the enemy which is done by negotiating with them in battle using the "Talk" command. Obviously, you won't be getting demons just by talking to them as they will be greedy most of the time. They might ask you for some money, an item, some of your health, or even ask for your opinion on a certain topic and if they're pleased with you, then they might agree to be your friend and fight by your side. However, if you don't please them enough, they might just give you a bit of money, a random useless item or just run off (if the main character's level is lower than theirs, they simply refuse to talk to you at all as they consider you weak).
This feature is arguably the best part of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. The demons add a new level of strategy to this game as one won't simply need to level up in order to defeat a boss but one must also pick the right demons. Get too attached to some demons and you will die as each demon has its own usefulness at certain levels and parts of the game. There are also various things to do with demons like fusing them to create even stronger ones, giving one to a certain NPC in order to get money or an item, and even using one's own demons to do the recruiting for you. This, combined together with a strategic battle system that punishes both you and your enemies for being careless makes this game one of the most rewarding, satisfying, and challenging experiences on the PS2.
The game's gameplay features don't even end there. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne uses a magatama system where the main character can ingest these weird parasites to grant him various elemental and physical strengths and weaknesses. It's up to you to make sure that you ingest the proper magatama so that your enemies won't have a chance to hurt you and make them lose press turns at the same time. The game also boasts a huge sprawling optional labyrinth dungeon for all those dungeon-crawler lovers and it gives you the chance to meet Dante from the famed Devil May Cry series. You can also end up having an effect on how the new world will be created based on dialogue options that you have to pick from which is a nice change from the normal game where the ending is predetermined.
With that much focus on demons and strategy, you might wonder if the developers had forgotten about everything else. Thankfully, they didn't which is evidenced by the graphics. The entire game is cel-shaded with a nice clean look and design for many of the characters and demons. You might think that making the graphics of a game that is this dark cel-shaded is a bad choice (as it was also used in a rather lighthearted game known as "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), but it actually works perfectly. Bloodstains on the floor look appropriate, many demons still look menacing and even seeing a person's head get crushed with blood being forced out never looks cheesy. The only bad thing I can point about the graphics is that sometimes, the level design can look really bland and uninteresting. I honestly couldn't tell where I was at first simply by looking around at the beginning hospital level because many places look so similar. Thankfully, you still have a handy map to look at in order to find out where to go and later dungeons in the game look much more interesting than the early dungeons.
The developers didn't skimp out in the audio department either. The music of this game fits incredibly well with the setting. The main composer, Shoji Meguro, did a good job making a variety of tracks for the game. He makes good use of his signature rock style to make some really fast-paced battle themes and he also manages to create some haunting, creepy tracks that fit together with the whole "end of the world" setting. Sound effects are all very solid with nothing really seeming out of place. The only complaint that I really have concerning the game's audio is the fact that there's no voice acting whatsoever which makes the game feel a little lifeless sometimes.
As you might expect because of the huge amount of features that this game has, the game is really long and has a good amount of replay value. There are six different endings, a huge number of demons to collect, and a huge optional dungeon. Don't be surprised if your first playthrough lasts well over 50 hours. Even then, if you ended up loving the game, you have many reasons to come back and play it some more. There's a Hard difficulty level which is for all those veteran JRPG fans out there, a good amount of optional bosses which you may have missed the first time and an entire demon collection for you to fill up (I didn't even get 50% of it done when I first played through the game). This is definitely a game which requires a lot of devotion on your part if you are a perfectionist which can either be a blessing or a curse depending on how much free time you have.
In the end, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is the perfect example of a great JRPG. It can get tedious for some and its hard difficulty may not be for everyone, it still excels in all the categories that a JRPG should focus on. It has a complex and intricately weaved storyline (which requires a bit of thinking on your part), some really great music, a large amount of gameplay options, and beautiful cel-shaded graphics with a nice clean look. While this game isn't for those who get frustrated easily and don't have much time on their hands for games, I still give this game a recommendation to the JRPG fans out there who want to try something different from the usual "boy falls in love with girl and ends up saving the world" experience.