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Shin Megami Tensei

13 titles in the catalog ⏱ 1994–2024 7 platforms
Shin Megami Tensei – obaly dílů série

Shin Megami Tensei began in 1992 on the Japanese Super Famicom (known in the West as the Super Nintendo), developed by Atlus, and from its first entry took a markedly different approach to the JRPG than its contemporaries: a dark, post-apocalyptic Tokyo, negotiating with and recruiting demons into the party instead of simply defeating them, and a moral alignment system between Law, Chaos, and Neutral that shapes both the story's course and its ending. Another defining trait is demon fusion, letting players combine existing demons into stronger ones, alongside a difficulty level noticeably steeper than mainstream RPGs of the time.

The series developed mainly through numbered, subtitled entries, and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, released in 2003 for the Sony PlayStation 2, is widely regarded as one of its peaks for its bleak atmosphere, minimalist story, and tightly focused battle system. After a long gap, Shin Megami Tensei V arrived in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch, carrying the concept into a more open world while keeping the same dark identity. Beyond the main line, the series also spawned the Persona spin-off, which became a phenomenon in its own right, and Shin Megami Tensei remains one of the most influential voices in shaping how dark and serious a JRPG's storytelling can be.

Entries in the series (13)

  1. Shin Megami Tensei if... · 1994

    A side story confined to a single high school turned into a demonic labyrinth.

    SNES

  2. Shin Megami Tensei II · 1994

    Decades later in a devastated Tokyo; darker and more elaborate fusion.

    SNES

  3. Shin Megami Tensei NINE · 2002

    The only main series entry exclusive to Xbox; also the first fully 3D installment.

    Xbox

  4. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne · 2003

    A dark, uncompromising JRPG set in a destroyed Tokyo, with demon recruitment and fusion.

    PS2

  5. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor · 2009

    The COMP program predicts who in the party will die and when – giving the turn-based battles a chilling edge.

    DS

  6. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona · 2009

    A remake of the very first Persona game, originally released under the title Revelations: Persona.

    PSP

  7. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey · 2010

    A dark sci-fi SMT; a military team investigates an anomaly consuming Antarctica while recruiting demons.

    DS

  8. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 · 2011

    The Septentriones wipe entire regions of Japan off the map; a bus ride through the wreckage gives the story a wider scope.

    DS

  9. Shin Megami Tensei IV · 2013

    A dark, uncompromising JRPG with moral choices and the famous Press Turn battle system.

    3DS

  10. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse · 2016

    A loose sequel set in the same devastated Tokyo, but with a more cynical third faction.

    3DS

  11. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux · 2017

    A chilling first-person exploration of the Antarctic anomaly Schwarzwelt.

    3DS

  12. Shin Megami Tensei V · 2021

    A dark, philosophical JRPG from Atlus; Tokyo transformed into a desert full of ruins.

    Switch

  13. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance · 2024

    A 2021 SMT V expansion adding a darker storyline around Yoko; new demons and companions.

    Switch