Considered one of the best RPGs of the early '00s, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is available to play once again on modern consoles. The game's HD remaster made some significant improvements to the game's graphics and, most importantly, allowed new fans of the franchise to check out what all the fuss is about. Like many JRPGs, Shin Megami Tensei III is a long adventure, and the time sink of completing even a single playthrough is nothing to balk at.

As is typical of JRPGs, grinding for levels, demons, and items significantly affects playtime, especially for a title as difficult as Nocturne. Before you run out to pick up a copy, it's worthwhile to know exactly what you're getting yourself into.

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How Long to Beat Shin Megami Tensei III

The Demi-fiend attempts to recruit a Jack-O-Lantern via negotiation in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

Most players are content to just beat the game one time, but even it isn't necessarily straightforward. Grinding is very much a part of Nocturne, not to mention Shin Megami Tensei in general. In fact, the franchise is known for its noticeable difficulty compared to other JRPG franchises. Thankfully, the game's new Merciful difficulty option can ease the pressure with reduced encounters and increased EXP gain. There's also other downloadable content, including the Maniax Pack which replaces Kuzunoha Raidou from Devil Summoner with Dante from Devil May Cry; however, this does not add additional story details, just replaces existing content.

In total, there are 21 sections to Nocturne, all of which are to be explored as part of the main storyline. This means that there aren't any sort of chapters that let you know the progress of the story's development. All in all, this initial playthrough will take players an average of around 45-50 hours of gameplay. The number does have some leeway to it depending on how quickly the player is trying to rush through the story, especially on Merciful difficulty. However, if all you're looking to do is finish the story and reach the end credits, then you're in for an adventure roughly as long as a typical JRPG of Nocturne's era.

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How Long to Complete Shin Megami Tensei III

The ending achieved at the conclusion of the game depends on the Law, Chaos or Neutral alignments that players decide to take on during the game. These depend on the path's taken at pivotal points, with the True Demon ending, for instance, requiring the completion of the Labyrinth of Amala before the Tower of Kagutsuchi. There are no less than six endings to the game, with True Demon being considered the true ending that truly wraps up the game's narrative. This means you'll want to be sure to rotate saves across several different slots at different points, allowing you to simply start back up right before a path-defining decision is made. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster doesn't add any new endings to the game, though this doesn't make achieving the real finale any less time-consuming.

Logically, this adds quite a bit of replay value to the game, as well as hours needed to truly complete it. Whereas simply beating the game can be done in around 40-50 hours, completing it in its entirety takes nearly twice that at around 80-90 hours. This definitely increases the game's overall value, especially if you're someone who enjoys replaying a game to unlock every single ending. It may seem like it's asking a lot at almost 100 hours for a playthrough, but JRPG gamers know exactly what they're getting into.

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