Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax is a director's cut edition of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The game would be localized in the west as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, and in PAL regions be titled Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call.

In Japan, the release was limited in production, but at the request of fans, the game was re-released only one more time a year later.

Gameplay changes

 * A new opening movie.
 * The addition of the Labyrinth of Amala and, hence, the addition of the Fiends.
 * A new "true demon" ending.
 * A bonus for keeping the protagonist's first demon party member (Pixie).
 * Devil May Cry 2 ' s Dante: he is first found, and he can be recruited in the party if certain conditions are met.
 * The option of allowing several previously infusible bosses to join the party.
 * The option to fight and later enlist the help of Beelzebub and Metatron.
 * Old bosses can be fought again.
 * Pierce was added as a new skill.
 * The physical skills dedicated to the protagonist have been improved.
 * General game balance adjustments (lowered ambush attacks, lower instant death rates, etc.)
 * Aside from the regular difficulty (Normal), the Hard difficulty has been added, which does not need to be accessed through playing in a New Game Plus file.
 * Additionally, New Game Plus also has the freedom of selecting the game's difficulty.
 * Elimination of the Debug Mode.
 * The game has been made easier in Normal difficulty:
 * Ambush/back attack chances have been lowered;
 * Instant death rates have been lowered;
 * Damage taken has been reduced by 25%.

Difficulties
Normal Mode

"An average level of difficulty."

The normal difficulty of the game.

Hard Mode

"A level of difficulty suitable for those seeking the thrill of death."

The hard difficulty level.

Hard Mode Differences:
 * Enemy attacks deal full damage. Normal mode halves (0.5x) enemy attack damage.
 * Enemies target the party's weaknesses more often.
 * Escaping from battle has a 0% success rate even with Fast Retreat. Escape is only possible if all enemies are afflicted with ailments that prevent them from being talked to.
 * Ambush/Back Attack rates are much higher.
 * Damage from floor traps and Poison are tripled (x3).
 * Item prices in the Junk Shops are tripled (x3).

There is no extra reward or clear mark for beating the game on Hard Mode, so it is mostly for the extra challenge and bragging rights.

Awards
RPGamer 2004 Reader Results


 * Best of PS2 - Third Place
 * Graphics - Honorable Mention
 * Storyline - Honorable Mention
 * Best Overall - Honorable Mention

RPGfan 2004 Editor Picks


 * Rob Bogdanowicz - Third Place
 * Tim Duong - Second Place
 * John McCarroll - Third Place

G4tv 2004


 * RPG of the Year - Winner

Etymology
The title of the game (Maniax) comes from the fact there were many "maniac users" that played the original many consecutive times. Since Maniax has many new additions and takes longer to complete, director Yamai jokingly considered calling it "Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Masochist."

The western localizations of the title exclude the "III" of the original release, likely because its predecessors Shin Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei II had never been localized there.

Trivia

 * This is the first game in the Megami Tensei series to be officially translated into French and German. The next titles in the franchise to have an EFIGS localisation would be Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.
 * Inside the game disc is a magnitude of unused content, one that is interesting to note is an audio file containing the main theme of Star Wars, possibly to test the audio of the game.
 * The European version includes a glitch that soft-locks the game at certain points. Most notably, the game freezes right after beating the final boss' second form, making endings such as the True Demon Ending impossible to obtain. This bug is also present in the PSN version.
 * The bug can be avoided if playing the game in French or German after defeating Kagutsuchi.
 * In the North American version, it was noted that Terminal Reality is the owner of the Nocturne license, in which Nocturne was released in 1999 on PC. In order to use the Nocturne name for the North American version, as akin to the Japanese version, Atlus USA used the Nocturne license from Terminal Reality.