How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series Press Turn System Work

How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series’ Press Turn System Work?

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Shin Megami Tensei’s dark themes make it stand out from the crowd, but the innovative Press Turn System keeps players on their toes in combat.

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How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series Press Turn System Work

Though many of today’s JRPGs are leaning towards more action-oriented battle schemes, turn-based combat will always be considered a trademark of the genre. From Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest, these classic titles have found unique ways to handle their turn systems. One of the most unique, though, may be Atlus’ legendary Shin Megami Tensei series.

Combat in SMT has always been split between white-knuckle, hard-hitting combat and a challenging Negotiation system, allowing players to convince demons they encounter to fight by their side, all handled through the innovative Press Turn System. Though Shin Megami Tensei has only had a handful of mainline entries to date (including the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V), Press Turn has become an iconic system nonetheless, with versions of it existing in games such as SMT’s sister series, Persona.

What Is Shin Megami Tensei’s Press Turn System?

How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series Press Turn System Work

SMT didn’t always rely on Press Turn. In fact, the original title, 1992’s Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom, favored a more traditional combat system. Many of the hallmarks of the series weren’t there yet, anyways. Sure, you could ally with or summon demons, but they didn’t gain Experience Points in the first installment and required a separate resource even to be summoned in battle. Combat was a traditional, early days turn-based affair; you went through your party and attacked one after another, then allowed the opposing team to do the same.

Press Turn made its debut in the critically acclaimed 2003 release Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Unlike the Active Time Battle system that was then popularized by Final Fantasy, Nocturne stuck to the traditional turn-based formula with a slight twist. Each turn grants you a specific number of actions per turn, represented by a badge in the upper right corner known as a Turn Icon. If you “press” your advantage by landing a critical hit or striking an elemental weakness, you would gain an extra half of a Turn Icon, represented by the icon blinking. However, a failure result could result in you losing one or more of your icons, up to your entire party losing their turn.

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Press Turn immediately changes the flow of combat. You’re no longer waiting for a gauge to fill, nor are you mindlessly attacking with just your strongest weapon or most powerful spells and hoping for the best. Press Turn encourages you to think your way through encounters, as only by optimizing your role in combat can you gain extra turns or squash an enemy’s offense. The result is a far more engaging combat system that has stood the test of time in the way other JRPGs haven’t.

How Does Press Turn Help (or Hurt) a Player?

How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series Press Turn System Work

Press Turn, on the surface, is pretty straightforward. You have two variations of Turn Icons: a whole icon, which is the standard badge and a half icon, which is a blinking badge. Any normal action, such as a normal attack, casting a spell or an unsuccessful negotiation, will use one Turn Icon. At the bare minimum, that’s what you can expect the outcome to be of any attack. However, there are ways to increase (or, if you aren’t careful, decrease) your Turn Icons.

The easiest way is to land a critical hit or target an opponent’s weakness, e.g., striking an opponent weak to electricity with any Zio spell, which will grant you an additional half of a Turn Icon. Despite being called a Half Turn Icon, it still grants you one additional action. Failing to exploit an enemy’s weakness will cost you, though. Suppose an enemy dodges an attack (or you miss), or they repel your attack. In that case, it will cost you two turn icons, while an enemy absorbing or nullifying your attack will end your turn regardless of how many turn icons are remaining. Shin Megami Tensei IV and V also introduce Affinities, wherein demons are given more specific numbers related to their various strengths and weaknesses. The result is a monster with an Ice affinity who can still hold its own against Fire enemies, though it will cost both Damage and SP.

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How Does the Shin Megami Tensei Series Press Turn System Work

The series’ lauded negotiation system can also affect your turns. An unsuccessful negotiation (when a demon declines to join your party or doesn’t understand you) will cost you one Turn Icon, while an interrupted negotiation (when another demon on the field stops you from speaking to their ally) will end your turn altogether. However, a successful negotiation (when a demon agrees to join your party, even if they are unable to) will end the combat encounter altogether.

There are a few other mechanics to keep an eye on. Passing your turn can have a tremendous strategic advantage, but it still costs half an icon, as does summon, de-summoning or swapping combatants if the game’s combat system allows. There are also unique skills such as Beast Eye, Guardian’s Eye and Dragon Eye, which will use a half icon but grant your party two, three and four half icons, respectively.

Does Shin Megami Tensei V Change the Press Turn System?

While the Press Turn system is largely the same in Shin Megami Tensei V, there are a few new additions. One major change, Miracles, are special abilities that can be purchased with a currency called Glory. Miracles make your battles a little easier, including skills like Auto-Battle or increasing the success rate of negotiations. Of note, though, is a Miracle that will change how Negotiations are handled, leading to them costing only half of a Turn Icon rather than a full Turn Icon.

Press Turn can seem like a lot, but its continued success is a testament to how much fans love it, and it clearly isn’t going anywhere. Fans most recently got a fresh taste of it in the Nocturne HD remaster, and they’ll get a brand new adventure with it when Shin Megami Tensei V releases for the Nintendo Switch worldwide on November 12, 2021.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/shin-megami-tensei-press-turn-system/

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