Shin Megami Tensei IV detailed by Famitsu

This week’s Famitsu magazine has an information blow out on Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS) with some pretty surprising twists. As expected from the trailer released earlier this week, the character and new demon designs are not the work of series veteran Kazuma Kaneko. Instead, the character designs are the work of Masayuki Doi (Trauma Center series).  Other staff revealed include:

• Director – Kazuyuki Yamai (Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Maniax, Raidou series)
• Art director – Eiji Ishida (Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, Strange Journey)
• Composer – Ryota Kozuka (Trauma Team,  Soul Hackers 3DS opening theme)
• Main programmer – Satoshi Ooyama (Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Maniax, Raidou series)
• Sound director – Kenichi Tsuchiya (Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona series)

The new demon designs are not the work of any one individual, but rather a series of guest designers famous for their work on various Japanese live-action special effects series like Kamen Rider. The magazine has shared a number of new demon designs, along with their respective designer:

• Raphael – Keita Amemiya (Kamen Rider ZO, Zeiram)
• Omoikane – Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl)
• Kuebiko – Kyouma Aki (Godannar, Persona 4 The Animation)
• Saburo Koga – Tamotsu Shinohara (Kamen Rider 555, Kamen Rider Ryuki)
• Asmodeus – Yasushi Nirasawa (Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Kabuto)

The article also reveals the names of each of the main characters and their respective voice talent, long time fans can rest easy knowing that the protagonist remains an unnamed individual without a voice of his own. The voice cast for his friends are listed below:

• Isabeau – Miyuki Sawashiro
• Jonathan – Hiroshi Kamiya
• Walter – Katsuyuki Konishi
• Navarre – Shintarou Oohata

The story itself is set in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic setting of sorts, with the main characters being a team of so called Samurai hailing from a middle-ages style castle city known as Mikado of the East. The Samurai of this country are those equipped with electronic gauntlets with the Demon Summoning Program installed. They journey from their stronghold to the land of Tokyo which has fallen to darkness, to fight the expansion of the demon influence.