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.
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.