Shin Megami Tensei if...

Shin Megami Tensei if... is a spin-off of the main series that, instead of the destruction of all of Tokyo, confines its story to a single high school that suddenly turns into a labyrinth full of demons and supernatural threats. At the start, the player chooses one of two classmates as a companion, leading to two completely different story paths and different endings – a solution unprecedented in the series at the time, which also gave the game its name (if..., meaning "what if"). The battle and fusion systems build on the previous entries, but the smaller, more enclosed school setting let the creators focus more on individual characters and their personal stories than on sprawling expeditions across an entire city.

It's precisely the school setting and young protagonists of if... that make this entry unique within the series – it's the title that first experimented with themes and atmosphere that later inspired the Persona spin-off series, without being its direct predecessor. Its shorter, more intimate scope compared to the two previous numbered entries makes it more of a character-focused experience than a sprawling RPG with dozens of hours of content, which makes the game more approachable even for players intimidated by the length of the previous installments. The school itself also changes between chapters – hallways and classrooms are replaced by darker versions of themselves, classrooms fill with demons, and the player watches as a familiar place gradually turns into an increasingly hostile maze. The choice of companion, moreover, affects not just the ending but also which demons join the player's side during the game and how the relationship between the protagonist and their guide develops, which gives a second and third playthrough meaning even for players who have already finished the story once.

Why play: Shin Megami Tensei if... is ideal for Persona fans who want to see where the idea of combining demon fusion with a school setting and personal relationships between characters came from, without having to tackle the scope and length of a full numbered entry.