Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
| Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey | |
|---|---|
North American box art
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| Developer(s) |
Atlus Lancarse |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus |
| Director(s) | Eiji Ishida |
| Producer(s) | Kazuma Kaneko |
| Programmer(s) | Atsushi Motouchi |
| Artist(s) | Kazuma Kaneko |
| Writer(s) | Shogo Isogai Kazuyuki Yamai Tatsuya Watanabe |
| Composer(s) | Shoji Meguro |
| Series | Megami Tensei |
| Engine | Modified Etrian Odyssey engine |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 80% (24 reviews) |
| Metacritic | 80/100 (26 reviews) |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A- |
| Eurogamer | 8/10 |
| Famitsu | 36/40 |
| Game Informer | 8.75/10 |
| GamePro | 3.5/5 |
| GameSpot | 6/10 |
| IGN | 8.5/10 |
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (Japanese: 真・女神転生 STRANGE JOURNEY?) is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus and Lancarse for the Nintendo DS. It was published by Atlus in 2009 in Japan, and in 2010 in North America. It is the fourth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which forms the core of the Megami Tensei franchise. The story follows a special task force sent by the United Nations to investigate the Schwarzwelt, a spatial distortion that appears in Antarctica and threatens to engulf the world. Players take control of an unnamed protagonist, navigating the environments of the Schwarzwelt in first-person. Combat involves the player and recruited demons fighting against various enemies, with the protagonist having the option of talking with and recruiting enemies.
The game originated from the team's wish to develop a large-scale role-playing game for the DS. Many of the main staff had worked on previous Megami Tensei titles in some capacity, including producer and designer Kazuma Kaneko, director Eiji Ishida, writer Shogo Isogai, and composer Shoji Meguro. The setting in Antarctica was chosen to appeal to an overseas audience. Alongside the new setting, the game featured multiple science fiction elements new to the series, taking inspiration from films such as Damnation Alley and The Thing. For the music, Meguro used grander musical styles than his previous works, incorporating choir music using a special synthesizer. Reception of the game has been generally positive for its story and gameplay, but many disliked its first-person navigation.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a role-playing game in which players control the main protagonist, who can be named by the player. The environments within the Schwarzwelt are seen and navigated from a first-person perspective: the 3D environment is displayed on the top screen of the Nintendo DS, while a 2D map is displayed on the bottom screen. Explored environments are automatically mapped out, with highlights being placed for unopened containers and doorways. These environments contain traps including pits, shifting floors, and floor tiles which damage the protagonist if stepped on. Alongside the main story quests, human non-playable characters and demons within the Schwarzwelt unlock side quests which yielded rewards upon completion. During the game, the protagonist's Demonica suit can be upgraded to open new pathways, enabling entry into new areas for story progression, as well as new parts of previously explored areas.
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