Today's update showcases the three Jacks who appear in this game: the series mascot Jack Frost, as well as his 'brother' Pyro Jack, and the evil Black Frost, who made his series debut here.
Today's update showcases the three Jacks who appear in this game: the series mascot Jack Frost, as well as his 'brother' Pyro Jack, and the evil Black Frost, who made his series debut here.
"An elf-like creature who is the embodiment of all that is cool. It is said that he is the one who leaves those beautiful icy patterns on windows in the morning. "
SMT III in-game model
SMT Imagine in-game model. Pretty much the same as the SMT III model, just a more interesting angle.
Jack Frost is a folkloric being who has no fixed appearance, so Kaneko was fairly free to come up with whatever he wanted for this demon's design. This result is still a little surprising. Out of all Jack Frost's traditional depictions, 'snowman' is probably the one that Kaneko's design resembles the most - but not particularly. However, it might not be fair to evaluate Jack Frost to the same degree with which we do for the other demons, because this little abominable snowman is actually developer Atlus's mascot! He appears as a character or a cameo in pretty much all their games, so it's likely that he was designed for mascot appeal above other reasons.
Also, I should probably mention that although you can't see it in any of these images, Jack Frost does in fact have a tail. It's short and pointy, a bit like a duck's.
Jack Frost first appears in Megami Tensei II (note that that's not Shin Megami Tensei yet, but its earlier parent series). In this game, he looks much more like a traditional cartoon snowman in a hat and scarf.
Jack Frost in Megami Tensei II. Click to see the annoyingly fast winking animation.
Here's an enlarged version of the sprite to show detail:
Larger version of Jack Frost
In the SNES remake of Megami Tensei II (Kyūyaku Megami Tensei), Jack Frost acquires his characteristic solid black eyes and fanged grin, but still keeps his old hat and scarf from his NES debut.
Jack Frost in Kyūyaku Megami Tensei. Click to see animated gif.
Here's an enlarged version of the sprite to show detail:
Larger version of Jack Frost
By the first Shin Megami Tensei, his appearance has been solidified for all his future incarnations.
Finally! Jack Frost in Shin Megami Tensei.
Larger version of Jack Frost
He keeps pretty much this appearance hereafter. However, I do miss the collar bells from his SMT model. Surely it couldn't have been that hard to model some little gold balls? I'm also partial to Jack's more jester-like look in Persona 2, in which he also has head-bells! The whole ensemble sets off his gold badge and socks nicely.
Jack Frost in Persona 2
Larger version of Jack Frost
At the start of writing this review, I wasn't terribly fond of Jack Frost, thinking that he looks too much like a mascot character to fit in with all the other monster designs. But now I think he's great! He's a happy toothy snowman with a duck's bum and a jester's cap and collar, who wants to be evil but isn't really. That's brilliant.
"A Jack Frost that wished for evil powers. He wandered the Vortex World gaining power, until he finally achieved his goal. He may look cute, but he is in fact quite dangerous. "
SMT III in-game model
It's pretty funny that an 'evil' Jack Frost is not much more than a normal one but with angry eyebrows. So is the fact that his cap badge apparently turned evil as well (maybe it's not clothing but some sort of morality nodule?). Still, this would be a pretty forgettable boss that might have been created for the sake of a pun*, if not for the fact that this particular Frost is a specific individual who has been having his own adventures parallel to yours the whole game, and your paths cross at times.
* The pun probably works better in the original Japanese, where Jack Frost is 'Jakku Furosuto' and Black Frost is 'Jaaku Furosuto'.
We first meet Black Frost as a mere Jack Frost, working in a shop in Shibuya. He implores us to buy his merchandise, saying that he is trying to save money to set off on an adventure to become powerful "like the King". (It's not clear whether this means Beelzebub, who we'll be reviewing a lot later, or King Frost, who doesn't appear in this title.) We later see him continuing his journey via the Mantra Headquarters, the Labyrinth of Amala and Kabukicho Prison. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure if the Jack Frost in the Labyrinth is the same Jack Frost, or an admiring fan of his! Both possibilities are good.) He does eventually succeed, becoming a mini-boss that the player fights. After defeating Black Frost, you can later recruit him - in fact, he forces his way into your party if you have any free slots! He recognises your strength and decides to train under you, gracious in defeat. Although these reviews aren't meant to be a reflection of how the monsters perform in battle, I will say that he's got pretty good specs and makes a useful ally.
An exceptional Jack Frost!
"Also known as Jack O'Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who convinced the devil not to take him to hell. But, since he was refused entry into heaven, he wanders the earth as a soul with a pumpkin for a head."
SMT III in-game model
Concept art by Kazuma Kaneko
That Compendium entry is just hilarious. The implication is that if you can't enter heaven, you automatically get issued a pumpkin head.
Pyro Jack is another much-recurring demon, appearing in almost as many games as Jack Frost. In some games, the pair are even referenced as brothers. Pyro Jack, like his brother Frost, has also kept pretty much the same appearance since the first Shin Megami Tensei. It's a great little design, having just the amount of body parts needed. In the image description, I initially wrote that Pyro Jack has 'white gloves' before realising it's 'white glove' singular - he has just the one visible hand! Because that's all you need to show a hand emerging from a cloak. I also love how he both carries a lantern and is a lantern (his head).
It's interesting that in some games, Pyro Jack's compendium entry notes that he is also known as... Will o'the wisp. Hunh. Maybe SMT III's Wisp is what happens when a Pyro Jack loses its pumpkin head?? Or maybe there's a Wisp living inside Pyro's lantern.
He's an evil little pumpkin with a little cape and a little lantern. What's not to like??
