Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem - TV Tropes

Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem is a RPG part of the Shin Megami Tensei series developed exclusively for Japanese mobile phones and was released on April 27th, 2007 for iAppli. Unlike other games in the series, most of the game is split between episodes that were released monthly for a total of 6 episodes.

In December 24, 201X, the protagonist and his girlfriend are walking around for a date. Suddenly, an ICBM strikes Tokyo. By some miracle, due to staying inside the building, the protagonist manages to barely survive the atomic bombing, but his girlfriend is nowhere to be seen. Just what happened to her, and can the hero survive the ordeals coming from within the tower he resides in?

While not released outside of Japan, a fan translation of the script was made by BRB Translations and can be found here.

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Tropes:

• Bittersweet Ending: Ultimately, the protagonist can't save his girlfriend's life, and he's forced to slay her as Lilith. In the Law and Neutral endings, however, at the very least, either her soul is saved by the heavens or the protagonist himself, who then offers a prayer for her or is able to move on.
• Deal with the Devil: During the atomic bombing of Tokyo, the protagonist's girlfriend made a deal with Satan, in exchange for corrupting him onto Satan's side, she will be resurrected as the demon Lilith.
• Disappears into Light: How Lilith/the protagonist's girlfriend dies in the Law and Neutral endings.
• Downer Ending: In contrast with most Chaos endings, the Chaos ending for Tokyo Requiem has the protagonist become a different person- and not for the better, much to Lilith's horror. After she refuses to go with him, the protagonist slays her, and is set down the path of becoming a tyrant.
• Dying as Yourself: In all routes, Lilith eventually dies as the protagonist's girlfriend's personality returns in her final moments. How it returns is dependent on the ending.
• Episodic Game: Most of the story was released in episodes that had a monthly release date.
• First-Episode Twist: It's revealed at the end of Chapter 1 that the protagonist's girlfriend had died in the atomic bombing... but she made a Deal with the Devil with Satan to be resurrected as a demon, and said demon happens to be Lilith, the one who is guiding the protagonist.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: The game lets you name the protagonist and his girlfriend.
• Just Before the End: The game's prologue takes place right before the atomic bombing of Tokyo.
• Kill the Ones You Love: Ultimately, the protagonist is forced to kill his girlfriend/Lilith in all paths. The reasoning behind this is depending on his alignment.
• Light Is Good: The Man in White is revealed to be Archangel Michael, and unlike other games in which the Law faction he represents is totalitarian at worst, none of it is shown here.
• Love Makes You Evil: The girlfriend's love for the protagonist was so strong that she made a deal with Satan to be resurrected as Lilith.
• Oddball in the Series: The game differs a lot from other Megami Tensei games, and it shows:
  • Only two demons can be summoned out in the field, in contrast with the game's three at minimum and five at max for certain titles.
  • The game gives you a choice between three demons to start with, which is very odd given that usually, the games give you only one choice.
  • The story structure is released in episodes, by contrast to other games who have the entire story released at start.
  • Lucifer, a traditional representative for the Chaos alignment, is here represented as the game's Neutral alignment, an very unusual choice. The Chaos alignment representative is instead taken by Satan.
  • Lastly, the endings are far different than your average Megami Tensei endings: rather than the usual alignment-based endings where you decide what faction's philosophy shall rule the new world, the endings are based around the interactions with the protagonist's girlfriend and how he decides her final fate.
• Philosophical Choice Endings: When judging the fate of your girlfriend, do you try to look above the heavens to save her soul, judge her yourself to save her, or betray her for being too weak? These form the basis of the Law, Neutral and Chaos endings.
• Playing Card Motifs: In Chapter 2, Lucifer compares Lilith to the Queen of Hearts; kind, delicate, and full of love, but also indecisive. After he leaves, the card that he gives to the protagonist transforms into the Queen of Spades, representing intelligence and judgements, alluding to the Neutral route.
• Point of No Return: Once you ask with either Michael, Lucifer or Satan in Chapter 6 to confirm your decision on what to do with Lilith, there's no turning back. It's even possible to enter this point earlier if the protagonist was Law or Chaos-aligned prior to Chapter 6.
• Starter Mon: At Chapter 1, Lilith gives you the choice to either take in Fairy Pixie, Jirae Knocker, or Therian Weredog.
• The Tokyo Fireball: Tokyo gets nuked at the beginning of the game.
• Twisted Christmas: The atomic bombing of Tokyo occurred exactly on December 24, 201X.
• We All Die Someday: In the Neutral ending, the protagonist's inner monologue knows that inevitably, all humans will return to dust once their life expires, but as a result of his experiences, is content with his decision.
• Wham Line: Near the end of Chapter 1, a Man in White greets the protagonist. When he tells him that Lilith is a seductress who lures people, the protagonist then asks who is she. The Man in White replies with this message:

  "You already know, don’t you? It's (girlfriend's name), after all.