Customer Reviews

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Firstly I have to share that I was playing this game when all of the sudden the ground was shaking and rolling -- I seriously thought "Wow Atlus is really good..who knew they put motion stuff in the DSi! Wait a minute -- the DSi doesn't have motion sensing..that's an earthquake!" Lo and behold I was so into this game that it took me a few seconds to realize it was a real earthquake and not the game rolling and shaking! Kids and I did the proper earthquake drill and everyone is fine...and I didn't realize until after that I had my DSi XL the whole time in my hand with Strange Journey on!

So as a gamer mom in my 40's I initially ignored this title (although I've liked others in the SMT series) because of the wacky oddball cover art. It looked like some sort of weird mech thing and was not appealing at all. I even ignored the Atlus Faithful emails I kept getting after I found out this is first person since that usually makes me nauseous. Well then my vacation happened and I was needing a great game to get me through. This was sort of the last one on the used shelves thing -- but I knew it could go back if I didn't like it to that other game store so I thought I'd give it a try. I barely came up for air and to order the pizza for the kids dinner so they wouldn't starve! Whoa. This game is addictive!

Compared to its sister title this is much more of a dungeon crawler as others have pointed out. The maps remind me of Etrian Odyssey (another Atlus title) but on this one the game maps for you -- you don't have to do it yourself. The music and ambiance of the game is much more adult than most other things I've played on the DS -- although so far it seems like the thematics are why this was rated an M. The language isn't that bad and way less than what I hear every day when I go to pick up my teenager from school.

The game is hard. HARD. However it is rewarding and the fact that it requires much thought keeps it from getting too boring (although it can get repetitive at times). The menu system is excellent. The characters are pretty interesting and, as with all SMT games, there is a lot of dialogue. I happen to like that because I actually find the story intriguing. I'm not usually much for space or end of the world type storylines (although I do like dystopian genre's in books) but this one just gets your interest up and moving and keeps pushing you through the various dungeon's.

I love the demon fusing although, like a few others, I preferred buying the demons outright like in the Devil Survivor game rather than negotiating which is random. Still when one agrees it gives you a nice sense of satisfaction. About the only thing I don't like in this is that the maps are tedious to get around using the control pad. Could just be me but it can get annonying in navigating because of the way you move.

Overall this is a very interesting game for the DSi and I gotta say it looks gorgeous on the DSi XL screens! If you like dungeon crawlers and RPG's I think you will enjoy this game. Patience is important though -- and dedication. It is a superb value for your gaming dollars. Enjoy!

I'm the kind of gamer that's kind of a die-hard RPG fan. What excited me about this game was the idea of a mature storyline and a unique gameplay element of the first-person dungeon crawl. I haven't experienced much of that before this game. I'm also a gamer who doesn't require astounding graphics. I love experiencing SNES JRPGs that hadn't made it across the water back in the glory days when gaming was all about experimenting rather than industry. I have played a little bit of the first Shin Megami Tensei but decided SNES emulation via desktop wasn't portable enough so I left it alone. It's wonderful seeing where it was then and finding out how it is now.

This game is awesome because:

The lines between good and bad, right and wrong, will always be blurred. Just because you choose the side of god doesn't mean that you're doing the right thing. Light is about order and peace, but involves brainwashing in order to achieve it. The side of the demons involves murder and deceit, but only by choice which is the driving force behind chaos. Then there's the option NOT to pick a side, which actually makes the game harder. Choosing law or chaos and sticking with it means that demon negotiation will go smoother and more successfully with demons of the same alignment, but enemies of the neutral alignment never care what alignment you have, even neutral, so that's an uphill battle. Plus, playing neutral means a few extra bosses in a run-through. The interesting thing is that even since the first Shin Megami Tensei, the games feel like they want you to be neutral, and yet they make it harder for you. It'll always be harder to please both sides.

This series was the first to grasp the enemy-turn-ally gameplay that Pokemon uses. I just did a little research. The first SHIN Megami Tensei game was released about a month after Dragon Quest V in 1992, which was very popular for implementing a system of recruiting enemy characters to fill one slot in the party. Even though Shin Megami Tensei is the series known for its huge popularity in japan, its story-lines, demons, and demon conversation elements were based off a lesser known series of games of a slightly shorter name: Megami Tensei. The very first game in this series is Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei made for the MSX and Famicom in 1987. There is a fan translation of this game. The gameplay is almost identical, but the controls and breadth of the story would obviously be much less capable of entertaining than it's more modern counterparts. Pokemon wasn't introduced until 1996. This little history is only to prove that no, SMT is NOT like Pokemon. Pokemon is more like SMT, except Pokemon is family friendly and about as easy to sell to children as a toy for their happy meal. Gotta Catch'em All = Less complicated version of SMT's "Gotta Negotiate With'Em All." Pokemon is still not as original because Dragon Quest V used the monster-ally concept almost 4 years earlier.

The story is definitely attractive. Every conversation is written beautifully, from multiple standpoints, and you actually want to discover more. Sadly, you as the protagonist have little to no speech in the game. The little speech you do have is just opinion-based options. They're not necessarily boring options. Almost every conversation has a chance of changing your alignment, so your choices will always need to be thought out. Every conversation, in this sense, has a chance to change gameplay. This way, even in the story sequences, you won't feel left out. Some conversations and opinions of NPCs can actually change dependent on the choices you make. In the story sequences, there's often a lot of plot thrown at you, occasionally taking up 15-30 min of gameplay. I ate up the story sequences. The only times that dialog is kind of shallow and boring is when you start talking to everybody on your ship. They all have deep opinions but they seem awkward without the chance to create context for the character. It's nice that the authors gave so many different perspectives, but you couldn't really help the lack of context. The conversations would seem too large. The sidequests are GOLDEN for lore and creativity. You get a lot of chances to help out demons that you find in the dungeons, and you often get a unique story that has to do with their relations to the demon world or learn a little bit of history about the demon in our real life.

Demon Conversation:
When in battle, you often encounter similar questions and answers from different demons, but they almost always have a different opinion about the answers you give. You really do have to be persistent and learn about almost every demon you wish to be a part of your group. Except in the instances where you can fuse them. Fusion definitely keeps the gameplay fresh. In the original SMT, Demons didn't level up so Fusion was mandatory in order to progress in the storyline. Demons can level up in Strange Journey, but they do so very slowly, and the demons you encounter in the dungeons almost feel as if they grow Exponentially. Fusion allows the process of dealing with your environment to be more creative and simpler. But it's better for you to actually use the demons you fuse, because they give you items called Demon Sources. The sources contain abilities from a demon and allow you to decide what makes the demon you're fusing "special." Demon Sources allow you to create demons who can reflect every attack, or who has an attack of every element. It's a little more complicated to learn in game, but there are definitely possibilities. With those implementations, there is a balance of mechanics. You can be rewarded for fusing Demons, so having a conversation with enemies isn't the only way to expand your party. You also never have to worry about not seeing your demon again, because you can trade money to re-summon the demon at the exact level and progress you had already made.

Atmosphere:
This is one of the games most interesting elements. From the music, to the dungeons that increase in size, to the overwhelming disappointment the demons give to you, to the betrayal among your ranks, you'll feel like you're a part of this story in some way. The music is very moody and powerful, so it's really attractive. The only unfortunate thing is that the music is probably too large in file size, so there aren't a lot of songs to be heard. Still, you never really feel like you have heard a song too often, except in the case of the melodramatic sad song. In some conversations, that song plays and it can feel like total overkill. Essentially, it just becomes one of those jokes that you acknowledge just didn't work out for the situation, and the game continues on.

Level Design:
A lot of tiles are repetitive, but each dungeon has a theme. The dungeons themselves also change within the levels so it never feels truly old. The level design is also huge and expansive. You can spend hours just on one floor looking through every nook and cranny just to complete your map. This can be fun and rewarding, but at times annoying and defeating. Rewarding in the sense that you'll be at a much higher level and more prepared to handle whatever is coming next as well as learning where to go should you come back. It can be defeating because there are pitfalls, auto-movement tiles, warp blocks, and the worst: invisible rooms. Finding all of the pitfalls and warps and movement tiles can be frustrating but they definitely keep the overall crawl from getting repetitive. In the moment, it can be just awful. It helps me to stay calm by thinking that it really still helps you get involved in the atmosphere. Invisible rooms only make me mad. The tiles never go onto your map, and then they mix auto-tiles into some of them. Feeling lost is frustrating. This is probably one of the few elements that sometimes demands help by looking at maps online. I didn't use GameFAQs too often for this game, just mostly for the maps and the occasionally massive roadblock. Occasional.

When I play this game, I tend to focus on the positive. I feel so strongly about this game, that I really don't think I should bother writing a ton of negatives. The biggest negative is kind of a mixed bag: it's length. As a gamer, I appreciate the story and time that went into making the game. I've put around 80 hours into one playthrough and don't think I'll be ready to fight the final boss for another 10 or 15 (I'm also a gamer who doesn't like replaying games so I get as much done as I feel like in the first playthrough). A lot of that time just went into exploring the areas. I probably have spent 2-5 hours just walking through all of one floor in a dungeon here and there. Also, the difficulty demands replaying a couple segments 4-5 times. I also appreciate the challenge in an RPG as a gamer. A challenge that isn't all about leveling for brawn. The challenge is in the party alignment, the party ability, the party stats, and the luck. You can't always be guaranteed that the boss will fall easily. So it's just time that this game sucks up. If a downside to you means losing time with your friends and family, then be wary. Otherwise, you'll probably like the game if you can get used to the atmosphere and 1st person perspective. You'll also be very happy to discover some of the awesome artwork that went into creating the demons. It really has been a joy to play this game.

The dungeons and monsters are repetitive, there is way too much dialogue, and the pace is incredibly slow. However, I still loved it if only for the endless amount of monsters you can synthesize together. I would recommend this to people who can withstand long hours of field battle in Final Fantasy and believe that the next level up or additional skill acquired are totally worth the sleepless nights and aching knuckles (that sounds wrong, I know).

Also, their armor looks like the Cybermen in Dr. Who. How cool is that?

I went on a family vacation for a week the day after I got this game, and I just couldn't put it down. I clocked fifty hours just sitting in the car and at the campsite, and I wasn't even done with my first playthrough!

If you like western-style, dungeon-crawler role playing games, then you'll love SMT: Strange Journey. The dungeons start out pretty simple, but by the third zone, everything starts getting more and more complicated. There are tons of sidequests and secrets everywhere you go, and every demon you fight can be used in your party. You can negotiate with most of them, but some of them have to be created using the game's Demon Fusion system.

The story has its twists and turns, some of which are pretty predictable if you've played other SMT games. But it's well-written and has really great pacing, even if it sometimes sends you back and forth between the same two places a few times. And for a DS game, I was really surprised by the music. It did a really great job of setting the atmosphere, and it isn't as repetitive as a lot of other games.

It's a fantastic game, and if you like SMT or dungeon-crawlers, you should definitely get Strange Journey. It's one of those rare games where you look at the clock and realize the last twenty minutes took three hours.

This is a fun game. It has tons of sparkles and excitment. Buy this before there are none left ever again or you will be a sad hippo.

I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy type games with a lot of story lately, this game was refreshing because it was one of those that you don't really have to pay attention to the story. Granted if you do it's an awesome story. I love this game because it felt like an adult version of Pokemon combined with a great dungeon crawler. For those of us that like the old style games of grinding levels, exploring, etc. this game is fantastic. Just buy it, enough said.

This is another great Shin Megami Tensai game for the DS. If you bought and enjoyed the previous one, Devil Survivor, have no fear, for Strange Journey is up to par. It is different, though. In a good way.

The game is HARDCORE. I mean it. If you rush in to boss battles without a plan or go too deep into a dungeon before you should, prepare to learn the hard way not to do that again. And again. And again. The plot motivates you to go on, however. It's actually very fun to follow and you feel genuine concern for the people around you. It takes place in modern day, and don't worry if you've never played another Shin Megami Tensai game, by the way: this is a standalone gig in terms of plot.

This is a tough game with some mature themes in it (although I'm not sure about an M rating...), but the series has once again impressed me and I can easily recommend Shin Megami Tensai: Strange Journey to anyone who feels up to the challenge.