Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Reviews
Strange Journey in its Redux form actually manages to be even more of a timesink due to the addition of a mammoth new dungeon to explore, but at least this is not a complete waste of the many hours required to persevere.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is an intense, weird, and incredibly enjoyable dungeon crawler. Though newcomers may be understandably intimidated at its lack of hand-holding, Strange Journey’s intense world and deep fusion system make it one of the most unique RPGs on the 3DS.
Overall, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is really a classic game in the JRPG and DRPG genre. From the engaging story that will really make you think at times, to the enjoyable dungeon crawling and intense combat, you have a game that fans of both genres will enjoy. Fans who have played the original Strange Journey will find plenty to do here in this remake of the game. Once again Atlus has delivered a gem that is easily one of the best games out this year.
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.
The Shin Megami Tensei series is exactly where you should be looking if you’re after a real test of your RPG abilities in an unusual setting, and Strange Journey Redux continues to justify this well-earned reputation. Between complex party management, difficult battles and an excellent mapping element, you’ll come through the other end so very satisfied with your accomplishments. The port’s extra features also fit flawlessly, meaning this is the best way to experience this game. Admittedly, it might not be the best entry for newcomers, and it does experience a slump in the mid-game, but it’s still easy to recommend to any established SMT fan.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux takes a classic game model, polishes it up to a mirror shine, and stuffs it full of things to collect and complete for those of us who love to tick off boxes. An extensive RPG with in-depth mechanics and a wonderfully dark storyline. The only downsides I can really find are that it can be a little grindy at times, and some of the mechanics can be a little obtuse at times, especially demon fusion.
Strange Journey Redux is a masterclass in first-person dungeon crawling.
With Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, Atlus proves yet again that RPGs on the Nintendo 3DS are very much alive and well. Even if the graphics are a little dated, the game mechanics are solid, and as a newcomer to the franchise, I’m pleased that this was my first experience. So go ahead and enter the Schwarzwelt… if you dare.
There are some minor graphical improvements and the music seems to be a bit more clear. But the largest improvement in that department is the fantastic opening cinematic and a few scattered cinematic scenes that were added in this version. You can easily tell which scenes were from the original by how grainy they are. But they are still functional. The new demons, some completely new to the series, all have wonderful art. It might be a negative to some that there is no English dub, but frankly I always play SMT games in Japanese so that doesn’t effect me at all. And the voice acting is quite good, especially for a portable game. This is a very long game, it took me just over 110 hours to see as much as I could with one playthrough. But there are additional regions you can go to in New Game+, also additional demons that you can battle and then fuse. So 110 hours is probably about half of what I will end up spending, especially if I want to finish out my Demon Compendium (it’s at 94% currently). I definitely consider this game well worth the $39.99 whether you played the original or not. They took a game that was really good, but rough around the edges, and made it what it always had the potential of being. I enjoyed Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse slightly more, but they are both masterpieces and two of the greatest games on the Nintendo 3DS regardless of genre. I’m not sure when the ATLUS SMT team will make a genuinely bad game, but it’s not this one. They are on an amazing streak and should be applauded for it.
Nintendo 3DS titles are few and far between these days. But if you’re still enjoying the system and are looking for a mature, dungeon crawler JRPG then Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is definitely worth your time (and you’ll be using a lot of it here). Even if you’ve played through Strange Journey in the past, the amount of new content jammed into this remaster justifies another play-through alone. If you’re a newcomer to the Shin Megami Tensei series, Strange Journey Redux is a great jumping on point and will likely get you invested in other games in the series.
Overall, Strange Journey Redux certainly doesn't disappoint as completing the sprawling and challenging dungeons while recruiting a variety of demons is a ton of fun.
With new demons and new dungeons, even if you played Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey once upon a time, you won't be bored or disappointed with this updated version of the adventure. Even if you're unfamiliar with the Shin Megami Tensei series, this game is definitely worth checking out.
Strange Journey is a stark contrast. I never found myself confused on what I was supposed to do next and after committing to some light reading of the tutorials I felt like I had grasp on all of the different mechanics available to me. I can wholly recommend this as a litmus test for fans of Persona 5 who haven't yet gotten into the main Shin Megami Tensei series.
Already a phenomenal game in its own right, Redux makes Strange Journey all the better with gameplay and narrative additions that only serve to enhance what was already present. 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. 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. Along with being the definitive way to play Strange Journey, Redux stands out as one of the best games in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise all around.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey transcends the standard dungeon crawler. Posing innumerable questions about reality while using the dungeons themselves to full effect, it will keep players thinking even when slaying demons.
It's not a dramatic remake by any means, but one that fixes most of our complaints about its predecessor while adding just enough new content to justify checking it out all over again. And for most part it succeeds.
The overhauls and the new content, make this, easily, the definitive version of an already pretty good, if overlooked, game. The 3DS is being sunset, and will eventually be retired, but is Strange Journey Redux is to be one of its last major releases, at least it got to go out on a high.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is how an enhanced remake should be handled.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is now available for purchase on your 3DS for the cost of 39.99. A small price to pay for a role-playing game that will give you hours of enjoyment. Who knows, you may even learn Japanese because all the voice acting is in Japanese while the game itself is fully subtitled in English.
This updated RPG maintains its hardcore roots while making some changes and additions to improve the experience, but it isn't without its faults.