Majin Tensei is the first game in the Majin Tensei series and was released for the Super Famicom. Majin Tensei and its successors put a turn-based strategy twist on the usual Megami Tensei gameplay formula. In the late 1990s, ethnic battles around the world result in a large amount of deaths and a large portion of the world being closed off. Decades later, in 202X, a boy living in Neider Tokyo in the area D-03 suddenly receives a mysterious Demon Summoning Program on his COMP from someone called TAKEUCHI, with demons appearing immediately after. After fighting his way to a mysterious building, he finds a young woman in cryogenic sleep, who decides to join him. There are 3 possible endings: a bad ending, a normal ending, and the best ending.
Also in series
Reviews View More
Not much else to say. This game has one major flaw, and that flaw is bad enough to completely tank the game. I think most of the other aspects of the game are forgivable, if not enjoyable. Every map taking half a hour - two hours to complete made this such a grueling experience. I'll suck off Koga to completion for Genealogy of the Holy War, but I gotta draw the line somewhere.
While this game has everything you'd expect, including a large variety of demons to recruit, elemental weaknesses, strategizing with terrain, and even multiple endings, it's all bogged down by map design that is okay at best, and unforgivable at worst.
Many maps are absolutely gigantic for no discernible reason and littered with weak opponents that serve no purpose other than to waste time. If that wasn't enough, this game also features a staggering 59 stages, not counting repeats if you want certain endings. Enemy turns play out at an abysmally slow pace as the camera pans between 30-40 demons who sit motionless. If you're playing this on real hardware without some kind of fast forward function, it's easily a 60-80 hour game. About a quarter of the stages could be cut and it would still feel bloated with nothing very exciting to show for.
On a brighter note, Majin Tensei has one of the best soundtracks on the Super Famicom, and the sprite art is pretty incredible. It's worth giving this game a look, but unless you're among the most dedicated Megaten fans or you're just really thirsty for an SRPG, it is very hard to recommend a full playthrough.
Take a game like Shin Megami Tensei. Now, take out the boring random first-person battles, and change it to a strategy RPG perspective. Behold, for you now have Majin Tensei. It’s a nice little strategy game, for you kids who like that kind of crap, and it’s also got the whole demon-negotiation thing, for the devil summoner in you. Why Gideon Zhi hasn’t picked this up yet, I’ll never know.
(editor's note: Gideon Zhi never picked it up to translate but DDSTranslations did)
