Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
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About Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
Atlus remade their 2009 Nintendo DS classic into a polished 3DS experience back in October 2017. This sci-fi RPG drops you into Antarctica where a massive spatial distortion filled with demons threatens Earth. You lead a UN task force of specialists through this hostile zone to stop the anomaly at its source. The Redux version adds fresh story characters, extra endings, and a brand new dungeon to explore alongside the original campaign. It runs as a single-player adventure on the handheld system. This title brings back the intense atmosphere of the first game while fixing clunky controls and adding quality-of-life improvements that make the journey through hellish sectors slightly less painful than before.
Gameplay
You manage a squad from a command center inside a ship called the Schwarzwelt. Real-time combat switches to turn-based strategy when you enter a dungeon sector. You recruit demons by negotiating with them or defeating them in battle to force them into your team. These allies can fuse together in a synthesis menu to create stronger monsters with specific skills. Exploration involves navigating grid-like sectors where you must manage oxygen and power levels while avoiding deadly hazards. Every minute counts as you push deeper into the anomaly. The game offers multiple paths through the story, meaning your choices regarding which factions to support or how to treat captured demons directly alter the final outcome.
What Players Think
PlayPile data shows this title holds a solid Metacritic score of 80 out of 100. Community members rate it highly for its challenging combat and deep demon recruitment systems. The average playtime hovers around 35 hours for a standard run, but completionists spend over 60 hours chasing all endings and the new dungeon content. Player sentiment leans heavily toward "satisfied" despite the steep difficulty curve. Review snippets from our users highlight the expanded narrative as a major win over the original DS version. Completion rates sit at roughly 78 percent for players who beat the game, with many noting the achievement list forces them to replay through different moral alignments to unlock everything.
PlayPile's Take
This is a must-play for fans of hardcore RPGs who do not mind reading heavy text and making difficult strategic choices. The price point on the 3DS eShop makes it an easy buy compared to modern releases. You will earn ten achievements that track your progress through the various story paths and demon collection goals. It is not for everyone since the combat can feel unforgiving and the graphics look dated next to modern titles. However, the depth of the fusion system and the multiple endings provide enough replay value to justify the time investment. Play this if you want a complete single-player experience that respects your intelligence without holding your hand through every puzzle.
Game Modes
Single player
IGDB Rating
84.1
RAWG Rating
4.3
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