Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 183 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Game Cover
The Strange Journey doesn’t refer to going back to the title screen multiple times.

A spatial distortion full of demons appeared in Antarctica, threatening to engulf the Earth in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. The United Nations responded by tasking a team of highly advanced specialists with piercing the anomaly and figuring out how to stop it from the source. Well, get ready to don your Demonica once again in this new expanded port: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redu…

  • Nintendo 3ds
Play Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 183 reviews
story27 positive mentions
music4 negative mentions
  • Strange Journey Redux offers a deep and engaging story with multiple endings and a rich lore, making it a rewarding experience for fans of the genre.
  • The game includes quality of life improvements such as field saving and unlimited sub-apps, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
  • The addition of new content, including a new character and dungeon, provides fresh challenges and replayability for returning players.
  • The game lacks English voice acting, which can detract from the experience for players who prefer localized audio.
  • Despite being a 3DS title, the game does not utilize 3D graphics, which is disappointing for a game focused on 3D dungeon exploration.
  • The user interface feels dated and can be clunky, with a heavy reliance on text that may overwhelm new players.
  • story63 mentions

    The story of "Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux" is praised for its depth and engaging narrative, featuring multiple endings and new characters like Alex, who adds complexity to the plot. While the presentation relies heavily on text blocks, the game compensates with a rich atmosphere and intricate lore, making it a compelling experience despite some critiques regarding its linearity and pacing. Overall, the addition of new story content enhances replayability, though some players feel it could have been more innovative compared to previous titles in the series.

    • “Being a portable title in a somewhat niche genre, the game overcame obvious hardware limitations with a deep story and challenging gameplay.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing, and the story is so fascinating.”
    • “Alex's presence in the plot adds an extra layer of tragedy to what was already one of the darkest stories in the franchise, and the Womb of Grief is one of the best dungeons in the series, offering a variety of fantastic new bosses, demons, and side-quests to play around with.”
    • “It's a bad port of a bad sci-fi story in a good game.”
    • “Personally, I felt that the dub, storytelling, and atmosphere of this game was really cheesy compared to other SMT games.”
    • “The only reason this doesn't get a full 5 stars is because of the linear storylines; depending on if you go law/neutral/evil, there's only 3 distinct endings with an additional ending for each path depending on the choices you made.”
  • gameplay34 mentions

    The gameplay of "Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux" is praised for its depth and challenge, offering a modern adaptation of classic mechanics while introducing new features, improved graphics, and engaging audio. Players appreciate the balance of accessibility and complexity, with a rich story that enhances the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding the need for updates and the absence of original art. Overall, the game successfully captivates both newcomers and returning fans with its intriguing gameplay and immersive narrative.

    • “Being a portable title in a somewhat niche genre, the game overcame obvious hardware limitations with a deep story and challenging gameplay.”
    • “Not hard to learn, but very deep and rich gameplay is hard to master.”
    • “This game is amazing; the soundtrack is atmospheric, and the gameplay is great as always.”
    • “They then over time using what should rightfully be completely unnecessary as 'full games' with even half-hearted quality control wouldn't pass, and they require consistent Wi-Fi which not all can afford to now download consistent massively large updates to add content that especially should be already in the finished 'full game' and there should be no need to fix gameplay issues if it's a 'complete full game'.”
    • “Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux does tend to drag a bit, but the story, characters, and gameplay are strong enough to keep you invested as you run around in circles.”
    • “The lack of Kaneko's original art is certainly a detriment to the overall aesthetic, but the base gameplay and dungeons have been left untouched, ensuring the core experience doesn't stray from the original's vision.”
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric qualities while others criticize it for being loud and poorly integrated with the gameplay. Shoji Meguro's soundtrack is described as haunting yet lacking musicality, and many feel it does not enhance the overall experience, with some tracks failing to match the game's art and style. Overall, while there are new songs, they are seen as not necessarily improving the game's musical landscape.

    • “The soundtrack is unique and haunting, though generally not very musical in nature.”
    • “There are some new features to the gameplay, upgraded graphics and music, and even voice acting!”
    • “This game is amazing; the soundtrack is atmospheric, and the gameplay is great as always.”
    • “The tone for moving the cursor and confirming a selection is extremely loud compared to the rest of the music and sound effects.”
    • “Except for one or two quality spooky moaning tracks, the music is a bunch of orchestral arrangements and fails hard and immediately to match any of the game's art, style, message, or atmosphere, breaking immersion and leaving the player an isolated mess alone with their 3DS on a park bench with the sun setting forever, like an Antarctic summer, in the distance.”
    • “Composed at the height of his 'I can do nothing wrong' period, it's easily the worst soundtrack he's ever made.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that despite a graphical overhaul, it remains one of the crudest-looking titles on the 3DS, especially compared to other Atlus games. While some appreciate the upgraded visuals and new features, the dated appearance and absence of 3D functionality are disappointing, particularly given that it is a port of a seven-year-old game. Overall, the graphics may not impress, but the solid gameplay and immersive experience still make it worth playing.

    • “There are some new features to the gameplay, upgraded graphics and music, and even voice acting!”
    • “Graphics are better and the gameplay just runs smoother.”
    • “[new content for returning fans, great visuals and audio, revamped user interface, good balancing of battle mechanics].”
    • “Despite the graphical overhaul, it is easily one of the crudest looking games on the 3DS, especially in comparison to any other Atlus game on the 3DS.”
    • “While the 3DS is no powerhouse, it's still leaps and bounds over the DS, so it's a bit disappointing that this version doesn't have any enhanced graphics and no 3D.”
    • “It is a bit dated in the graphics, and the fact that it is a port of a 7-year-old game does show, but it's a very solid game otherwise.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is described as thrilling and reminiscent of classic horror films, particularly in its setting. However, opinions on the music are mixed; while some find it atmospheric, others feel it detracts from the overall immersion and fails to align with the game's art and style. Overall, the storytelling and atmosphere are seen as engaging, though some reviewers find them cheesy compared to other titles in the genre.

    • “The atmosphere is amazing, and the story is so fascinating.”
    • “This game is amazing; the soundtrack is atmospheric, and the gameplay is great as always.”
    • “Also, the atmosphere of the first arch is thrilling and reminds me a little of 'The Thing' from John Carpenter, one of my favorite movies; maybe it's because of the setting.”
    • “Except for one or two quality spooky moaning tracks, the music is a bunch of orchestral arrangements and fails hard and immediately to match any of the game's art, style, message, or atmosphere, breaking immersion and leaving the player an isolated mess alone with their 3DS on a park bench with the sun setting forever, like an Antarctic summer, in the distance.”
    • “Personally, I felt that the dub, storytelling, and atmosphere of this game was really cheesy compared to other SMT games.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to the addition of new routes and endings, as well as a vast world filled with numerous maps, characters, and challenges. Players can explore multiple endings and engage with a rich story and lore, enhancing the incentive for multiple playthroughs. Overall, the combination of diverse gameplay elements and quality improvements contributes to a rewarding replay experience.

    • “This huge game features tons of maps to explore, hundreds of demons to collect, fuse, and fight, multiple endings, and offers a lot of replayability, all while being story-rich with dense lore.”
    • “Alex is a fun new character that adds quite a bit to the story. A few quality of life improvements keep the game from feeling too outdated. The combat is challenging, dungeons are well-designed for the most part, and there's good replay value that comes with the various endings.”
    • “The added route in this update, as well as the 3 new endings, helps improve replay value as there's now more to do in subsequent playthroughs.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players note that the game often involves repetitive tasks and requires significant grinding, particularly through constant dungeon crawling, which can detract from the overall experience.

    • “Can get repetitive and require a bit of grinding at times.”
    • “Constant dungeon crawling and grinding.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews highlight concerns over monetization practices, particularly the sale of incomplete games and the withholding of content that should be included in the base game. Players express frustration with the prevalence of DLC and microtransactions, which they feel exploit fans by fragmenting the gaming experience and increasing costs.

    • “Selling incomplete games as new and purposely withholding content that should be part of a 'full game' to force players to pay more through massive 'nickel and diming' via DLC and microtransactions is unacceptable.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze every last penny from players rather than provide a complete gaming experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see a game that could be great reduced to a series of paywalls and additional costs, making it feel more like a cash grab than a genuine product.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of Strange Journey Redux is not directly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on gameplay features like new apps for the demonica. Therefore, it lacks specific insights into the game's emotional impact or narrative depth.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Play time

50hMedian play time
50hAverage play time
50-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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