Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is bringing one of the best JRPGs of the PlayStation 2 era to the Nintendo Switch, but it looks like someone won't be coming along for the ride, as a clip in today's Nintendo Direct Mini suggests that Dante from Devil May Cry won't be featured in the game.
The Shin Megami Tensei series started out on the NES, with the first title recently being added to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan. The series didn't properly come to the west until the PlayStation 2 era, when Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (called Lucifer's Call in Europe) was localized. There were three versions of the game released, with the second one featuring Dante from Devil May Cry as a boss and recruitable ally. The version we received in the west was the one that included Dante and his presence was advertised on the box, leading to the creation of the "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series" meme that is still referenced by Atlus and other developers to this day.
There was a third version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne that was only released in Japan. The biggest change in this version of the game was that it replaced Dante with a character named Raidou Kuzunoha, who was the protagonist of another series of games released by Atlus. Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster was just announced during the recent Nintendo Direct Mini on the official Nintendo YouTube channel, and it suggests that Dante won't be returning to the game.
At timestamp 6:00 during the Direct, we can clearly see Raidou. This suggests that the HD remaster will be based on the third version of Shin Megami Tensei III, as Raidou completely replaced Dante in Nocturne. It's likely that this was done to avoid any issues with Capcom, especially as the Devil May Cry license has recently risen to prominence with Devil May Cry 5.
Atlus has been porting its older titles to modern systems, with Persona 4 Golden being released on Steam and Catherine receiving an updated remaster over the past year. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne was one of the best games released on the PlayStation 2 and it's incredible to see it remastered for the Switch. It's a shame that we likely won't be getting the Dante version of the game, and fans may have to retire the "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series" meme, while also having to learn how to spell Raidou Kuzunoha in the process.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster will be released for Nintendo Switch in Spring 2021.
Source: Nintendo