Shin Megami Tensei
Negotiate with demons
Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei series offered darker, more mature JRPGs where players recruit demons, make moral choices, and navigate post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
Overview
While other JRPGs featured heroes saving the world from evil, Shin Megami Tensei asked players to negotiate with demons and choose between law, chaos, or neutrality in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Atlus created something distinct: challenging gameplay, mature themes, philosophical depth, and a demon collection system that predated Pokemon. The series spawned numerous spin-offs, including the more accessible Persona.
Fast facts
- Developer: Atlus.
- Origin: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (1987, Famicom).
- Setting: typically post-apocalyptic or demon-invaded Tokyo.
- Demon negotiation: recruit enemies through conversation.
- Alignment system: Law, Neutral, Chaos paths.
- Spin-offs: Persona, Devil Summoner, Digital Devil Saga.
Demon collection
The core system:
- Negotiation: talk to demons to recruit them.
- Fusion: combine demons to create stronger ones.
- Inheritance: new demons gain skills from parents.
- Compendium: store and resummon demons.
Mature themes
What distinguishes the series:
- Moral ambiguity: no clearly “good” faction.
- Religious imagery: angels can be antagonists.
- Consequence: choices lock out content and endings.
- Difficulty: notoriously challenging.