Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

by Atlus

• Game mechanics represent a proud tradition of the all-time dungeon-crawling classic Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
• Story takes players into the near future on a mission to save Earth and to understand humanity's position within the larger universe
• Who or what is causing the black hole that is engulfing the Earth
• Demons may be friends or foes depending on your ability to negotiate, bribe, and coerce them to join you
• With more than 300 types of demons, you'll have a huge variety of battlefield encounters and an equally large base of options on which to build your party

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002VA593A
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 6.4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 23, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,992 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #19 in Video Games > Nintendo DS > Games > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

A fresh sci-fi twist on the critically acclaimed Shin Megami Tensei series! A startlingly original entry in the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei universe, Strange Journey takes the heralded RPG franchise to exciting new sci-fi frontiers while bringing to mind the all-time classic Nocturne. With over 300 demons to bribe, coerce, and negotiate with to gain assistance in battle, Strange Journey is every bit the deep, rewarding RPG experience fans have come to expect from the SMT franchise. Shin Megami Tensei goes beyond! SMT: SJ’s game mechanics represent a return to the proud tradition of the all-time dungeon-crawling classic SMT: Nocturne while its story takes players into the near future on a mission to save Earth and to understand humanity's position within the larger universe. A dark turn into science fiction! Who or what is causing the black hole that is engulfing the Earth? A mission to investigate the cause uncovers a whole world of demons that humans knew nothing about. Do they seek your destruction or will you seek theirs? Team up with demons! Demons may be friends or foes depending on your ability to negotiate, bribe, and coerce them to join you. With more than 300 types of demons, you'll have a huge variety of battlefield encounters and an equally large base of options on which to build your party.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and unique game experience March 26, 2010

By H. Vargas

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

So far I've played this game for about 10 hours and I highly recommend it. One reason for this is that the story is very fresh and mature so older gamers will definitely not be disappointed as it does have some disturbing moments which are conveyed fairly well through text. In a way this game reminds me of Aliens (#2) as the premise of the story goes somewhat like this. A group of soldiers and scientists is sent off to investigate a phenomenon and is shortly afterwards in a fight for survival while trying to figure things out as they go.
For those familiar with the Megaten games this one brings back all of the awesome elements that make for a unique megaten game. Demon recruitment and negotiation is back front and center with variety in the negotiations thrown in for good measure. For example if you try to recruit a demon (after fusing) and you want to save some money the dialogue options will be different for the most part to ensure that you do really get to know the subtle likes and dislikes of each potential demon recruit. Also there is a bit of Metroid Prime in this game as well as you go about collecting upgrades for your Demonica suit which will allow you to scan and find new passages in certain areas. The music and sound effects are top notch and very foreboding which is also helped out by the fact that this game is not necessarily easy, but at the same time it's not throw your DS at the wall difficult. The difficulty will definitely keep you on your toes though especially since when you go to a new area new demons aren't visible at all, but rather a spark like entity that you have no real idea about until you manage to defeat it and its identity is revealed to you. This game also has variety in it's dungeons so you don't see the same thing over and over again.

In summary
Pros:
+Great controls
+Awesome story
+Great sound design/music
+Deep mature storyline
+Different varieties of dungeons.
+Just the right level of difficulty for experienced players

Cons:
- Graphics aren't the greatest, but then again these aren't the type of games you play for the graphics anyways
- Not much use for the touch screen other than map functions.

I've always loved Atlus for being different and offering up fairly unique game playing experiences and Strange Journey is no different. Highly recommended game that won't disappoint.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great RPG March 27, 2010

By Rumi

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

SMT: Strange Journey is shaping up to be a great RPG for me. The game is completely turn-based, so you have time to ponder your actions when battle commences. You can't change your equipment during battle though. So when you enter a new dungeon area, you may indeed find that you're improperly equipped to deal with the new creatures you meet. Plus, new demons you see will be an indistinct blob or haze because you know nothing about them. Only by fighting them or recruiting them and using them in battle can you analyze them enough to know all of their strengths and weaknesses. The second time you meet them you will be able to see their physical appearance and be more likely to succeed in talking to them.

You control the game predominantly with the D-pad. The dungeon map builds itself as you progress and with the stylus you can move the map around on the lower screen. (the map can be *much* larger than the screen) It would have been nice to have added your own notations/icons to the map for areas that you found something you need to return to later. But alas that is not the case. Nevertheless, the game is so good, I don't fret about it. I simply keep some paper nearby to jot down a note if I need to. (So far though, I wouldn't have needed to annotate the maps with anything above what the game already builds for you as you explore. So this might be an irrelevant concern. I'll just have to wait and see as the missions and maps get more complex)

The demon fusion system is addictive and negotiating with the demons you meet can also be strategic process. Perhaps you hope that by talking rather than attacking you can crawl your way out of a dungeon alive (because you got in over your head) or you're pondering that adding a new demon to your "stable" might open up some neat fusions and battle strategies later on. Another nifty feature of the game is the ability to "export" a password. What this means is that if you create a nifty demon, you can register it to your demon compendium menu and then by choosing export, a password for that demon will be created. Other people can enter this password into their game and have instant access to the ability to summon your demon for themselves. Apparently ATLUS has already given every type of fusion/combination of demon it's own password (which you'll have to discover via creating new demons). People are already compiling lists of the passwords people are discovering as they create new demon fusions.

The first 45 minutes or so has a *lot* of reading to do as the story is introduced, your mission commander gives the crew pep talks and (since it's essentially the tutorial time) you learn to navigate the menus. After about 1 hour, the game progress becomes driven by your character so there's much less repetitive pushing of the A button.

So in conclusion, with 14 hours into the game, I'm completely hooked. The story line is meaty and the game play is addictive. The music really sets the tone with the deep chanting and the pounding drums and every dungeon level gets it's own music. If you like turn based RPGs, I can't think of any reason not to get this game.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta negotiate with em all! April 3, 2010

By J. R. Bloss

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

SMT: Strange Journey is quite strange itself. I'm new to the Shin Megami Tensei series and this game is an excellent first impression. The story starts off fast and great, with many scenes in its first half that move along nicely. The controls are easy and the battle system not too complicated, but the best part is the demon summoning and fusion system. By fusing demons, one can create more powerful creatures and then use those to create even more powerful demons. I will say that the game was quite hard for me, especially demons that had instant death abilities, and that being said save often! Also the story begins to lag in the last few stages of the game because of the huge mazes to travel through. My overall play time was just over 67 hours so get ready for a very long rpg, but surely one that fans of the series and even new fans like me will enjoy.