Megami Tensei – also known as Shin Megami Tensei — is one of the longest running RPG franchises in the world. But most of us wouldn’t know that. After debuting in 1987 on the Famicom, Nintendo gamers (well, quite a few of them) didn’t find out about the demon summoning series until the Virtual Boy. And now the series boasts multiple sub-series, revivals, remakes and enhanced editions. It’s a pretty big diving hole.
Since he gained popularity in the West — thanks to Shin Megami Tensei III and Persona 3 on PS2 — Atlus’ star only rose, with the latter sub-series becoming its own beast. But in terms of more traditional, hardcore and games that you can get in the West, what is the best Shin Megami Tensei game?
We left it to you dear readers to vote for your favorite SMT games. With the recent release of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, we’re sure a lot of people are interested in getting into this sometimes brutally difficult franchise. But there’s nothing else quite like the moody, philosophical, and difficult nature of SMT, so we’re ready to help you jump right in.
We’re going to leave Persona out of this order because, despite still sharing many of the same demons and mechanics, it’s really its own thing at this point (don’t worry, we’ll be polling the best Persona games soon) – this list is to shine a light on the name that started it all.
the rest Spin-off games, like Devil Survivor and Tokyo Mirage Sessions, are still games, along with remakes, ports, and basic and enhanced editions of certain games. We’ll also only include games that are available in the West and only on Nintendo systems — so yes, while Shin Megami Tensei is available on mobile devices in the West, its Super Famicom version was never playable in the West with an official English localization.
Remember: This order is not set in stone. Registered Nintendo Life users can click the stars below and rate the games out of 10. The order of the list is created from NL user ratings and is therefore subject to change, even after publication. You can change or add your score to any game below by clicking the star next to the title.
Make a pact, start negotiating, and check out your ranking of the best Shin Megami Tensei games on Switch and Nintendo. We start from the bottom…
Once you get the hang of it Jack Bros. is a short game and it’s a shame there aren’t more puzzles on offer. However, the multiple characters and two difficulty settings add to the life of a game that is already a lot of fun to play. It has great music and looks good too – although it doesn’t really get anything from what’s on the Virtual Boy. Overall, the game’s strengths help make up for any weaknesses, which Jack Bros. makes it an essential purchase for the Virtual Boy.
For fans of Shin Megami Tensei or Persona, this is a no-brainer — Soul Hackers is a fantastic entry into the series, and you won’t be disappointed. Even better, it’s a great place for newcomers, with a relatively smooth difficulty curve and easy hacks to get you out of tight spots. If you’re a die-hard SMT fan, you might find the dungeons a little bland, but if you’re looking for a good place to start, or if you’re a fan of deep, dark, story-driven dungeon crawlers, Spookies awaits your call.
Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster is arguably the best way to play this RPG classic, but it’s also pretty clear that this nearly two-decade-old game is showing its age. An engaging story, enjoyable combat system, and interesting demon recruitment and fusion mechanics make Shin Megami Tensei III worth your time, but dated visuals, poor quality music, and occasionally inflexible mechanics keep it from being great. We’d recommend this to long-time fans and newcomers alike, but with the caveat that you might have to wait for a sale.
With fun, strategic combat, a rollercoaster story that never lets up, and a fantastic sense of optimistic, apocalyptic style, Devil Survivor 2 is a blast from start to finish. If you missed the original release, you’re in for a treat, with Triangulum’s script adding another instantly accessible full-length adventure to the experience. It’s also a more casual experience than most of the other games in the series. Whether you’re a long-time MegaTen fan or just enjoy deep, strategic RPGs, gather your courage and log into Nicaea; you will not be sorry.
If you already own or have played Devil Survivor on DS, Overclocked may not be the new version you were hoping for. However, for those coming to the title fresh, prepare to be impressed. While the game doesn’t offer many changes, it still remains a stellar, stylish RPG that deftly blends strategy and turn-based combat. It’s also definitely one of the harder 3DS games, with multiple endings and tons of content to explore.
As a sequel, we think Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse it’s almost perfect, but we’re aware that it has a more controversial reputation among die-hard fans. It allows players to revisit the familiar world from a new perspective and adds several small but significant mechanical improvements that make the game smoother. We recommend playing through SMTIV first to get the most out of Apocalypse and experience one of the 3DS’ best JRPGs, but Apocalypse is still a wonderfully dark adventure steeped in dystopian charm. Between the likable demons, deeply satisfying combat, and killer aesthetics, we couldn’t get enough—late times have never been so good.
From demon-harvesting and murderous combat to the sci-fi setting of the South Pole, Strange Journey Redux is a fantastically immersive adventure and a great reason to get lost in your 3DS again. As a remake of the DS classic, Redux adds enough new content to make a replay worth your time, along with plenty of welcome accessibility tweaks to allow newcomers to discover one of Shin Megami Tensei’s best-kept secrets. Many feel this is inferior to the original DS game, but we think Strange Journey — Redux or otherwise — is a journey not to be missed by JRPG fans.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is approximately 85% Shin Megami Tenseiand 15% Fire Emblem, but somehow it feels like something completely separate from both. It hits the middle and boasts an energetic and dynamic combat system wrapped in an environment that elevates j-pop wackiness to astral heights. An extremely long-lasting and enjoyable experience can be found here for anyone who is not already intimidated by its relatively niche offerings. The Switch ‘Encore’ port makes it easy to catch up these days, but as so many weird (and great!) games have done, it was originally part of the Wii U’s wonderfully diverse and underrated library.
