Shin Megami Tensei IV: Difference between revisions

''IV'' reintroduces the [[Press Turn System]], which originally debuted in ''Nocturne'' and was absent in {{Gamelink|smtsj}}. This combat system adds an extra turn to the party's number of turns whenever Flynn or one of his demons skips their turn, strikes an enemy's weakness, or lands a critical hit. Conversely, two turns are lost if an attack is blocked, drained, or misses. The same also holds true when the opposing party performs any of these. ''IV'' introduces new elements to the Press Turn System by stacking extra turns as well as adding the [[Smirk]] condition, which a character may gain after striking a weakness, landing a critical hit, or evading or blocking an attack. Smirk temporarily bestows a number of boons to the character, which includes boosting current buffs, greatly increasing their hit rate and evasion, nullifying their weakness, and greatly increasing the likelihood of landing a critical hit on their next turn; though this will not add an extra turn. Also new to ''IV'''s combat are [[Horde]] battles, in which the party fights a collective group of enemies that gradually grow smaller as their health depletes. Hordes are especially prone to exploited weaknesses and critical hits, thereby making use of the game's Press Turn System. Flynn is able to acquire new skills through [[Whispered Skill]]s, where a demon will offer to pass on any of its skills after learning them all, with the exception of passive skills and certain unique skills. If Flynn already knows the same skill a demon has, his skill's rank will increase, thereby slightly increasing its attack power and decreasing its MP cost.

''IV'' brings back the equipment system from ''Shin Megami Tensei'' and {{Gamelink|smt2}}, in which Flynn is able to equip an assortment of weapons, guns and bullets, headgear, armor, leggings, and accessories. In addition to increasing stats, these can also change attack patterns or bequeath elemental weaknesses or resistances. Flynn's current equipment will now also visibly change his outward appearance as well.

''IV'' breaks away from the labyrinthine dungeon crawling seen in previous entries in favor of semi-open environments whose surroundings can be interacted with, such as climbing ladders, crawling through tunnels, and the like. However, ''IV'' also introduces [[Demon Domain]]s which function as mazes with a boss at the end. During exploration, Flynn can search Relic Spots for [[Relic]]s of varying rarity that can be sold. Some Relics are necessary for Challenge Quests as well. Unlike the random encounters found in previous games, ''IV'' instead introduces visible enemies that appear as moving silhouettes of blue pixels and will attack when Flynn nears close. This can result in surprise attacks if Flynn is ambused by one; however, Flynn can also inflict preemptive damage onto an opposing party if he strikes a demon first with his weapon.