Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Reviews
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux's challenging gameplay might not be for everyone, but those it does appeal to will find a well-crafted dungeon-crawling experience with a thought-provoking narrative.
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 Redux is a really long title for a really long game. But this game is a great swan song for the 3DS hardware and the perfect JRPG for on-the-go gaming next to Persona 4 Golden.
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 omission of any English voiceovers is also troubling. However, if you're a dungeon crawler fan or a fan of the franchise, this is going to be your bread and butter.
Strange Journey Redux is a masterclass in first-person dungeon crawling.
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.
Despite it certainly being the definitive version of the game to play, it leaves much to be desired under the shining banner of Shin Megami Tensei.
From its demon collecting and killer combat to its sci-fi South Pole setting, Strange Journey Redux is a fantastically engrossing adventure, and an excellent reason to get lost in your 3DS once again. As a remake of a DS classic, Redux adds in enough new content to make a replay worth your time, along with plenty of welcome accessibility tweaks to help let newcomers in on one of Shin Megami Tensei's best kept secrets. The lack of stereoscopic 3D and English voiceover is disappointing, but these are small complaints; Strange Journey is a can't-miss trip for JRPG fans.
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.
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.
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.
The 3DS version of this underrated classic finally comes to Europe, bringing a solid, dark and difficult RPG to a dying console, that still refuses to let go in its sunset days. Don't miss this one out if you're a fan of role playing games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux gives players another chance to play a wonderfully-crafted RPG. Even if you took the plunge nearly a decade ago, there's still reason to jump back in.
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.
One of the best Shin Megami Tensei games returns, mixing standard Japanese role-playing with the series' typically provocative story elements and Persona style gameplay.
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.
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.
Can I recommend this to you? Yeah, pretty much. I liked Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux; it's a lot of fun to revisit its new take on the SMT formula, and it reawakened my passion for the SMT games as a whole after having not played one for so long.