Shin Megami Tensei J
A mobile dungeon-crawler with randomly shifting demon worlds.
Shin Megami Tensei J is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for Japanese feature phones, released starting on April 1, 2002, as part of the Megami Tensei series. It offered 3D dungeon exploration with randomly generated layouts and a multiplayer battle mode, and was later released under the title Shin Megami Tensei EZ.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Atlus
- Series
- Megami Tensei
- Platforms
- Mobile phones
- Released
- April 1, 2002 (JP)
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei J was a 3D dungeon-crawling role-playing game with two alternating segment types. In preparation segments, players could learn magic and skills, and buy or sell items and equipment. Exploration segments involved navigating three first-person dungeons in the demon world—the World of Gluttony, the World of Envy, and the World of Sloth—whose layouts were randomly generated and changed each time they were entered. Players searched for treasure chests, aiming to reach the lowest floor and capture each area; a map automatically filled as they moved across tiles. Recovery springs could restore health. Turn-based battles occurred against enemy demons. A guardian demon could be summoned into the player's character, chosen from three alignments (law, neutral, or chaos) at the start. New guardian demons were obtained via guardian cards found in dungeons, and they gained experience and levels through battle. A multiplayer battle arena mode allowed one-on-one guardian demon fights with players across Japan.
Release and reception
Shin Megami Tensei J was developed and published by Atlus, launching on April 1, 2002, for Japanese feature phones as part of the Atlus Web-J platform on J-Phone's J-Sky Java service, available via monthly subscription. The game was split into two applications: a basics app for preparation and a demon world app for dungeon crawling, requiring users to exit one and launch the other to switch. The multiplayer battle arena mode was added on July 19, 2002. On July 22, 2004, it was released on Atlus Web-EZ for KDDI's EZweb service as Shin Megami Tensei EZ, initially compatible only with Toshiba A1304T/TII phones, with later support for additional models and Java ME phones. NLab called it a must-play for series fans, praising the randomly generated dungeons for keeping the game fresh and the many player options. Dengeki Online and Comptiq described it as a full-fledged Shin Megami Tensei game. Game Watch noted the large number of demons, and Sina found the combat system easy to operate.
More in Atlus Games of the 2000s
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