The greatest JRPG of all time.
In 2004, I was made aware of of the existence of this game through an online forum. I knew nothing of the series in general, or what this particular game was about, but I saw that it was from Atlus, who'd made games like Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre, which while niche, were games I'd come to love. It's hard to imagine now, in an age when most games are eternally available on digital, but back in the day Atlus was a small company known for small print runs of their games. So I made sure to snap up the sole copy of this game when it showed up in my local game store.
Thus began my journey into one of the most impactful, thoughtful, and beautiful games I've ever played.
Much has been said about the difficulty of Nocturne, to the point of meme. But often-lost in that is the fact that Nocturne is the rare M-rated game that actually earns its rating not through gore and violence and sexual content, but the simple fact that the game's themes are truly mature. At every narrative step, the player is asked complex philosophical questions that challenge their views and ask them what kind of world they would make if they had the ability. Yes, the game world is merciless—demons relentlessly attack at all times, and the safe places free of battles are rare and often temporary. But the game world is also gorgeous ... otherworldly, at once alien and familiar, vibrant and dreamlike. Add to that Shoji Meguro's greatest compositions that heighten the mood and emotion of every moment, and you simply have an experience that, to this day, has never been matched.
For the longest time the greatest tragedy of Nocturn was its limited print run. Entire gaming generations were denied the chance to experience the game simply because it was too expensive and/or hard to find. The release of the HD Remaster alleviates that some, but games like this are important, and for the sake of preservation, need to always been maintained for future generations to experience.