While many people from around the world enjoy the Persona games today, the series’ roots can actually be traced all the way back to a region-locked Shin Megami Tensei game for the Super Famicom and PlayStation that never left Japan: Shin Megami Tensei If…. That being said, western players can finally experience the full game in English for the first time, as a complete fan translation for Shin Megami Tensei If… was finally released today.
This translation project has roots as far back as 2012, but AGTP was finally able to release it today after a long and tumultuous process. As for the game itself, Shin Megami Tensei If… starts with a student named Hazama dragging his entire school into the Expanse when he tries to summon a demon, becoming the Demon Emperor as a result. Throughout the game, the protagonist navigates the labyrinthine school, fighting demons with the help of classmates with the ultimate hope of escaping.
From the premise alone, parallels can definitely be seen between Shin Megami Tensei If… and the Persona series, which should make the game a worthwhile play for series fans now that this translation exists. That being said, it looks like AGTP will ultimately be taking a break from translating other Shin Megami Tensei games. While they will fix any bugs that arise in this translation, the community as a whole proved too toxic during the development of this translation patch to make working series translations fulfilling.
For those who want to try translation patch out, the Version 1.00 patch can currently be downloaded from AGTP’s website. That being said, you do need a separate ROM of the game for the patch to work. If you want to play the Japanese version of the game officially, it is available on Super Famicom, PlayStation, iOS, and the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console.