Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux - 3DS Review

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is a sort of remaster of Strange Journey that released for the DS in 2010, and now that Persona 5, which is from the same series vein, has garnered some popularity in the west, it seems like a fairly ripe time to put out a remaster/enhanced edition. If you're familiar with Persona 5, or another in the Persona series, you might be somewhat familiar with this style of game. If you hadn't picked it up some years ago for the DS, now is a good time to pick it up.

In Strange Journey Redux, you take the role of an unnamed soldier, sent out with a squad to explore a weird dimensional disturbance, called Schwarzwelt, that has appeared in Antarctica and is slowly expanding. It is your job to explore the labyrinths of dimensional flux to try and save the world, or at least make it out alive. The 'Redux version' adds an additional character and storyline, as well as additional demons.

Based on the choices you make throughout the story, you can change your ending, alignment, and the initial choices you're given determine your characters stat growth. And if you're familiar with the Shin Megami Tensei series at all, don't expect an easy time of it. I wouldn't name it in my "hardest games" category really, but the series has been known to throw you off a cliff. Or several. Especially in the bonus content <stares menacingly at the bonus bosses from Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2>.

At its heart, Strange Journey Redux is a fairly traditional dungeon crawler with the Shin Megami Tensei style and some interesting quirks and unique aspects. Using the power of the Demonica suit, and a weird program, you can befriend and use demons in combat as you explore each level of the Schwarzwelt labyrinth. Essentially, your suit defines your personal power, and you recruit demons to fill in the gaps in your party.

When you first start off, you will find yourself meandering around with no idea where to go, but as you walk around, you will fill in a map, which will get updated as you progress block by block. You will also get in semi-random encounters, as there is an increasing "likelihood" gauge that shows a rough estimation of how close you are to getting in a fight, although nothing is set.

Once you get in battle you enter a turn based combat with a total of four characters. Apart from the standard attacking, you also have the option to talk to demons, although some will be rather unwilling, based on either your alignment or their nature. The demon will ask you a couple of questions, and if you get the right answers, it opens the floor for potential negotiating with the demon, if they're willing.
 

When negotiating, you can ask the demon to give you an item, money, or request they come with you to help. Making a request of a demon isn't just that though, as the demon will also ask something in exchange, such as an item, a chunk of health, money, or a slice of your MP. Unfortunately, some demons are rather greedy, and request a lot. Like, really a lot, and they may even refuse after you've given them everything they ask for!

If negotiations break down, there are generally three ways things can go: enemy gets pre-emptive attack, battle starts as normal, or the enemy just leaves. Once battle starts, you'll notice that every type of attack has some sort of "element" attached to it, whether it's the common "slash" or "shot" from standard attacks, or the "fire or "lightning" you get the most from magic skills. While hitting an enemies weak point is always useful for increased damage, if there are teammates that share your alignment currently in combat with you, they'll do a follow up attack, and this isn't restricted to once per enemy or per round of combat, making it a nice part of potential combat strategy, balancing whether to take certain demons that you may like skills on, or demons that match your alignment.

As you roam throughout the different "layers" of the labyrinth. You'll come across search points that will generally provide you with useful crafting materials or items. Bringing these crafting materials back to base will unlock new craftable items, including weapons, consumables, and suit apps. Suit apps, once purchased, will enhance an aspect of your Demonica suit, such as better rewards from negotiations, or increased drop chance. Major materials may also unlock a suit function, such as the ability to unlock certain doors.

While the graphics are quite reminiscent of an older generation handheld, the music is still fairly solid Shin Megami Tensei fare. There are a bunch of really interesting demons, and the lawful/chaotic/neutral "affinity" is a really interesting balancing game that you play. Will you tailor your responses to keep a party alignment? Or tailor your party around what your choices make you?

You can also store demon codes, which you can pass along to other people. And no, the codes aren't the same as the first Strange Journey, so no scumming right off the bat. The fusion system make a return, allowing you to smash two, or more, demons together to make a new and improved one, so don't go getting attached to your demons for too long.

On the plus side, you can register your demons to resummon them for what usually amounts to a hefty sum of cash, but at least the option is there. The side quests that you can find from the friendly demons in the labyrinth are also interesting, although some of them tend to rely a little too heavily on luck for my tastes.

Overall, I'd say Strange Journey Redux gets 8 pixies out of ten. It's really solid with some interesting gimmicks and solid gameplay, but it just doesn't quite have the oomph to substantially set itself apart from the crowd.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo 3DS
Developer(s):
Atlus
Publisher(s):
Atlus
Genre(s):
Dungeon Crawler
JRPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
NA

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Richard

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Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - Wii U Review

Tokyo Mirage Sessions *(TMS) is the love child of both Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) and Nintendo's Fire Emblem (FE) series. True to the weirdness of SMT, our cast is thrown into a world of weird that only they really see while everyone simply walks on by. While trying to maintain the fast tracks to idol-hood our cast will also have to slot in time for Dungeon Crawling and performing concerts. The stage is set. They just need to survive it!

One of the biggest features that stuck out is the actual use of the WiiU's gamepad in order to add an immersion to the experience. The gamepad's screen not only contains a variety of windows for enemy stats and weaknesses but also acts as your main character's cellphone and the primary form of interaction with the rest of the cast when they are not there in person.

Texting, because who even calls anymore, can come in two varieties. The first are important and story related texts that have to be answered. These will stop your character on screen and have him look down to his phone to answer. Some of his answers are already per-determined according to the story while others allow you to decide what kind of person he really is. Nice guy? Jerk? Nonchalant? You choose as he's basically your avatar to this world.

The second set of texts are either updates letting you know that something new can be built, learnt or supplements to everything else. They aren't necessary to the overall story but they add something without having the characters on screen chat bubbles be cut off because a battle started. If anything this annoyed me because they didn't continue once the battle was over essentially making you miss the rest of the conversation.

A bit like the Persona series, our cast finds themselves in today's modern world, and more specifically, Tokyo Japan. Who would have thought that with that title? Being downtown allows for some pretty crazy things to happen but also allows for some easy accessibility of store fronts and transport between locations. Essentially a very convenient form of fast travel, but one that also makes sense.

While the SMT parentage can take the reigns of the experience, it does not mean that the FE components end up by the wayside. Getting wrapped up in the weirdness each character ends up with a Mirage (slightly different than a Persona) in order to be able to fight against the forces of another world that are attempting to steal what is known as Performa. These Mirages are Characters from the FE series with their own personalities and fighting styles and lend themselves to the cast after dedicating themselves to their cause. Some of the more recent characters such as Chrom and Tharja from Fire Emblem Awakening take the stage.

With the assistance of the Mirage to head into combat, the turned based approach is a perfect blend of both series' Rock Paper Scissors styles. SMT contains a lot of elemental "magical" attacks leaving physical into the three categories of Pierce, Blunt, and Thrust. FE on the order hand has Swords / Tomes -> Axes / Bows -> Lances / Hidden -> Swords / Tomes. Tokyo Mirage Sessions puts both of these into a three person team combat system that will face off against foes that didn't get the three person memo limit.

Because three on more than that just isn't fair, several other elements are added in to not only make something new, but also even the playing field a bit. Instead of hitting an enemy's weak point and then being able to double damage it on following attack, a new follow-up system has been put into place. Added onto active and passive skills are follow up skills which allow an ally to instantly perform a follow up attack if a weak point has been hit. This means that by using fire, if an ally has "fire sword" then a sword attack will follow up the fire one.

Further, if an ally has "sword lance" then a lance attack will follow up after the sword which already followed up the fire attack. Follow-up attacks help level the playing field when more powerful enemies are encountered or if the group is outnumbered. Keeping the party composition aligned for these is honestly more important than who you prefer having in the main party making sure that everyone gets their turn and doesn't fall too far behind the rest while dungeon crawling. This isn't much in the beginning but the system evolves as your characters learn new abilities through their Mirages. More and more follow-up attacks leaves this open to some interesting strategies.

Learning these follow-up attacks is slightly bizarre as they are not learned from either leveling up your main character or their Mirage. Actually in effect Mirages don't level but the weapons that they use known as Carnages do. These weapons are where the skills are going to come from and each Active, Passive, and Follow-up each have their own sections to be slotted into. Once a skill is learned then it goes into the appropriate list to either be used or be in effect. Making these weapons is a whole other story and often? More of a pain than not.

Weapons are created through a hybrid system of having defeated xth amount of an enemy, collecting different levels of Prestige Points, and possibly having picked up a certain item. This wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't require unnecessary backtracking as Carnages can only be made inside of a room inside of the main base that you have to run to the near end of of to talk to the person to start the process. Then you have to run all the way back out.

This is a bit where things don't jive as well as to see what you need to make a Carnage you need to go back to this room every time. Your cell will receive a notification that you can make something new, but as for looking for the specifics? You're out of luck. In this not being able to see things category you also can't see your side quests. Not quite sure what you were supposed to be doing? You need to track down the person that gave it to you. Not sure where they are? Start looking. The main bulk of TMS works great but there were some smaller details that can get in the way at times.

On the whole Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a solid RPG that will keep you occupied for hours on end. Good storyline and great implementation of the Wii U's system can sometimes be dragged down by some not so well implemented systems but these are only secondary to the overall experience in most cases. I do hope that Atlus creates another such experience down the line but in the meantime, Persona 5 is coming up (Edit: "was coming up" when I started to write this) and this was a good distraction while waiting for it!

*Yes Tokyo Mirage Sessions (TMS) is basically Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) in reverse acronym-wise. Well played!

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Wii U
Developer(s):
Atlus
Publisher(s):
Nintendo
Genre(s):
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
None

Source:
Purchased

Article by Pierre-Yves

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