Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei is a Super Famicom remake made by Atlus of Namco’s original Megami Tensei and Megami Tensei 2 games on the Famicom. It was released in 1995 and was the last game in the Megaten series to be released on the Super Famicom.
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This is a review specifically for KMT1. According to a friend KMT2 is actually good, so ill write my own review for it when i get to it. Anyway here it is:
Gameplay:
Theres no story section for this review, just gameplay, since KMT1 has as much story as a mario game, which by itself isnt bad, also means that the gameplay should be good enough hook you on the game... which I cannot say KMT1 does.
Like, KMT1 is unbalanced as all hell. Yeah this is the case for almost every ATLUS game, but unlike the usual balancing being way too much in your favor, here they balanced it in the complete opposite direction: it being balanced way too much against your favor. The MC cant use magic, so naturally you just pump the strength stat, but even maxxing it out does nothing for you. I maxed it out around the first dungeon, and still all you'll be doing is dealing pathetic double digit damage, especially against bosses, while enemies get to wreck you as hard as they can. They either made strength contribute almost nothing to the attack formula, or made enemies really tanky, which either way makes the game feel like an uphill battle.
Magic on the other hand is actually pretty powerful (in early game, felt like it fell off after midgame) but the mp pools are so small that you have to have the magic users focus exclusively on healing from the constant encounters you trudge through, burning through your mp quickly since mp caps at 99 by endgame 💀. Demons are your only saving grace here, which is a testament to how useless the human characters are in the begginning. Really wish KMT1 was in the aqui megaten fusion calculator, but whatever, eventually you figure out how to make demons with mediama and tarukaja.
After you get past the most frustrating early game in megaten, in my opinion beating even SMTIV's naraku in how frustrating and bs it is, there's light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the Markuza Corridor, the dungeon that marks the midgame point of the game. There are actual good armors and weapons there, so the game becomes not as hard, though its still not enjoyable, since you then have to deal with enemies that can just randomly decrease your level, taking away all the time and progress you've made in gaining that level in the blink of an eye, and then the next dungeon is the Sea of Flames, a dungeon whose gimmick is your party takes damage every step you make no matter what. (Atlus devs in the lab concocting the worst dungeon crawler ideas known to man: ).
Ive seen the sentiment that you should just skip the bosses, since they're actually all optional aside from the final boss, but I'd argue that not fighting them is to your disadvantage if you plan on actually beating the game. For 1, if you dont do the boss in Bien, you dont gain access to the town in it that has a casino and shops to make the game easier for you, 2, killing the bosses lets you free izanami who gives you an item that completely nullifies the damage floors in the Sea of Flames, 3, this unlocks bonuses in KMT2, and finally 4, not fighting them makes you miss out on all the exp they give, which you'll need as much as you can get because even having fought the bosses it still feels like you're underleveled for the final boss (which you are, you end the game in the lvl 50s and according to gamefaqs the final boss is lvl 128 🥹).
No joke, even with the hinokagutsuchi, the most powerful sword in the game, you deal like 40 ~ 50 damage per hit (and thats only if you have a demon to cast tarukaja) while the final boss hits for like 100+ on everyone, forcing every magic user go on healing duty every round, and thats if hes not trying to land an instakill on you. Oh another thing is he can use is diarahan to fully heal himself if you dont have the white dragon orb that disables it, though i dont know if you need to beat the other bosses to unlock it. Only way I beat the game was constantly abusing save states, cuz all in all, its a bad time.
Conclusion:
I think the stories in 90s megaten games carry them pretty hard, as the gameplay is just not that well designed or engaging, but even if KMT1 had a real story i dont think it would redeem the game. Its just too frustrating and badly designed, to the point where I would only reccomend it to megaten fans really interested in seeing how the first megaten game is like, or hard core dungeon crawler fans (and as a dungeon crawler fan myself, i think it says something that I didnt like it).
In conclusion, the OVA is better.
Gameplay:
Theres no story section for this review, just gameplay, since KMT1 has as much story as a mario game, which by itself isnt bad, also means that the gameplay should be good enough hook you on the game... which I cannot say KMT1 does.
Like, KMT1 is unbalanced as all hell. Yeah this is the case for almost every ATLUS game, but unlike the usual balancing being way too much in your favor, here they balanced it in the complete opposite direction: it being balanced way too much against your favor. The MC cant use magic, so naturally you just pump the strength stat, but even maxxing it out does nothing for you. I maxed it out around the first dungeon, and still all you'll be doing is dealing pathetic double digit damage, especially against bosses, while enemies get to wreck you as hard as they can. They either made strength contribute almost nothing to the attack formula, or made enemies really tanky, which either way makes the game feel like an uphill battle.
Magic on the other hand is actually pretty powerful (in early game, felt like it fell off after midgame) but the mp pools are so small that you have to have the magic users focus exclusively on healing from the constant encounters you trudge through, burning through your mp quickly since mp caps at 99 by endgame 💀. Demons are your only saving grace here, which is a testament to how useless the human characters are in the begginning. Really wish KMT1 was in the aqui megaten fusion calculator, but whatever, eventually you figure out how to make demons with mediama and tarukaja.
After you get past the most frustrating early game in megaten, in my opinion beating even SMTIV's naraku in how frustrating and bs it is, there's light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the Markuza Corridor, the dungeon that marks the midgame point of the game. There are actual good armors and weapons there, so the game becomes not as hard, though its still not enjoyable, since you then have to deal with enemies that can just randomly decrease your level, taking away all the time and progress you've made in gaining that level in the blink of an eye, and then the next dungeon is the Sea of Flames, a dungeon whose gimmick is your party takes damage every step you make no matter what. (Atlus devs in the lab concocting the worst dungeon crawler ideas known to man: ).
Ive seen the sentiment that you should just skip the bosses, since they're actually all optional aside from the final boss, but I'd argue that not fighting them is to your disadvantage if you plan on actually beating the game. For 1, if you dont do the boss in Bien, you dont gain access to the town in it that has a casino and shops to make the game easier for you, 2, killing the bosses lets you free izanami who gives you an item that completely nullifies the damage floors in the Sea of Flames, 3, this unlocks bonuses in KMT2, and finally 4, not fighting them makes you miss out on all the exp they give, which you'll need as much as you can get because even having fought the bosses it still feels like you're underleveled for the final boss (which you are, you end the game in the lvl 50s and according to gamefaqs the final boss is lvl 128 🥹).
No joke, even with the hinokagutsuchi, the most powerful sword in the game, you deal like 40 ~ 50 damage per hit (and thats only if you have a demon to cast tarukaja) while the final boss hits for like 100+ on everyone, forcing every magic user go on healing duty every round, and thats if hes not trying to land an instakill on you. Oh another thing is he can use is diarahan to fully heal himself if you dont have the white dragon orb that disables it, though i dont know if you need to beat the other bosses to unlock it. Only way I beat the game was constantly abusing save states, cuz all in all, its a bad time.
Conclusion:
I think the stories in 90s megaten games carry them pretty hard, as the gameplay is just not that well designed or engaging, but even if KMT1 had a real story i dont think it would redeem the game. Its just too frustrating and badly designed, to the point where I would only reccomend it to megaten fans really interested in seeing how the first megaten game is like, or hard core dungeon crawler fans (and as a dungeon crawler fan myself, i think it says something that I didnt like it).
In conclusion, the OVA is better.
For the sake of how much I give a shit about this review, this is specifically a review of Megami Tensei II. Megami Tensei is alright too I guess if you’re that curious about how I might feel about it but i don’t have much to say about it beyond that really. Onto the actual review:
Megami Tensei II is often referred to as “SMT 0”, and honestly, there couldn’t be a more apt description of this game. A lot of the things that would go on to be series staples got their start in this game, and it’s pretty cool to see if you’ve played a bunch of other megaten games before this. The post-apocalyptic setting and rich atmosphere found in this game is one for the history books, and although games directly after it vastly improved on the idea that this game had for its setting, what's here is still something worth appreciating. It's also worth mentioning that it was literally the first to ever do something like this. Most RPGs on the system didn’t have contemporary settings like this, and those that did like Mother didn’t exactly have the whole post apocalyptic nuclear fallout vibe that this one did. While the actual plot itself is a little bit dry, it would be silly to expect too much more out of a nearly 1:1 snes remake of an nes game. What’s presented still remains enjoyable, especially towards the end, so I can’t really complain. While many RPGs will have the main characters fight some sort of god-like entity, few will go as far as having the player face off against the God, even to this day. It’s a really decent, if a little bit minimalist, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story.
In terms of gameplay, the game is pretty solid. it’s your standard first person classic Megami Tensei game, and it’s a huge step up from the first Megami Tensei. While the first Megami Tensei was confined to a tower with a series of dungeons one after the other, Megami Tensei II spans across all of Tokyo, and even the demon realm, Makai. Exploring Tokyo, Makai, and the dungeons in them is really pleasant, and the dungeon crawling is just as smooth as you would expect from other Megaten games of the era. One definite criticism I have, however, is how bland some of these dungeons are. While they are pretty generally enjoyable, they never really ramp up in difficulty or get interesting. There are almost no dungeon gimmicks, save for a few pitfalls that are barely present and a dark room here or there. There’s only one warp maze in the whole game, and it’s at the very end, and it only lasts about 10 minutes. I know a lot of people feel that pitfalls, trapdoors, and warp mazes are nothing but a headache, but without them you just get a game filled with dungeons that are all point A to point B simulators. Even the first Megami Tensei had more going on with its dungeons, and while I wouldn’t say said gimmicks are fun, they at least spice up the dungeons a bit and make it a bit more interesting. I still had fun with the dungeons in Megami Tensei II, but by the end they started to feel more like a chore than anything else. It doesn’t help that this game blasts you right up the ass with encounters almost every step. I can be pretty tolerant when it comes to high encounter rates in RPGs but even I can only take about 10 minutes of demons trying to massage my asshole every step before I start fucking tweaking. Not every area of the game is so bad to the point where it’s actually every step, but a fair bit of them really are that bad, especially in some of the final dungeons. The combat itself is more or less the same as the last game, as is the demon fusion. It's a simple system, but an effective one, and I had a decent amount of fun with it.
The last thing I can talk about is the music. I’m aware that the original Famicom version has the superior sound quality, but the ost as heard in Kyuuyaku still sounds really good. It’s some really good stuff, especially the normal battle and boss themes. The dungeon themes never really got too stale for me, which is something I can't say for the arcade street theme in SMT I, as much as I like that game. As mentioned before, the Famicom ost is definitely better, but don’t let that make you think the version of it in Kyuuyaku is bad by any means. You can go play the original, but know that it means you’ll be playing the whole game without an automapper or anything.
That’s about all I have to say about Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei II. If you’re a fan of other Megami Tensei games of this era and haven’t played MTII in any capacity, I definitely recommend checking this game out. Even if you don’t have it in you to finish it, it’s worth at least messing around with for a little bit. It makes me appreciate what both SMT I and II did a little bit more, and in a way those games are just a much more fleshed out retelling of this one. Though I have my gripes with it, this is a really short and sweet entry into the franchise that I had a decent amount of fun with.
Megami Tensei II is often referred to as “SMT 0”, and honestly, there couldn’t be a more apt description of this game. A lot of the things that would go on to be series staples got their start in this game, and it’s pretty cool to see if you’ve played a bunch of other megaten games before this. The post-apocalyptic setting and rich atmosphere found in this game is one for the history books, and although games directly after it vastly improved on the idea that this game had for its setting, what's here is still something worth appreciating. It's also worth mentioning that it was literally the first to ever do something like this. Most RPGs on the system didn’t have contemporary settings like this, and those that did like Mother didn’t exactly have the whole post apocalyptic nuclear fallout vibe that this one did. While the actual plot itself is a little bit dry, it would be silly to expect too much more out of a nearly 1:1 snes remake of an nes game. What’s presented still remains enjoyable, especially towards the end, so I can’t really complain. While many RPGs will have the main characters fight some sort of god-like entity, few will go as far as having the player face off against the God, even to this day. It’s a really decent, if a little bit minimalist, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story.
In terms of gameplay, the game is pretty solid. it’s your standard first person classic Megami Tensei game, and it’s a huge step up from the first Megami Tensei. While the first Megami Tensei was confined to a tower with a series of dungeons one after the other, Megami Tensei II spans across all of Tokyo, and even the demon realm, Makai. Exploring Tokyo, Makai, and the dungeons in them is really pleasant, and the dungeon crawling is just as smooth as you would expect from other Megaten games of the era. One definite criticism I have, however, is how bland some of these dungeons are. While they are pretty generally enjoyable, they never really ramp up in difficulty or get interesting. There are almost no dungeon gimmicks, save for a few pitfalls that are barely present and a dark room here or there. There’s only one warp maze in the whole game, and it’s at the very end, and it only lasts about 10 minutes. I know a lot of people feel that pitfalls, trapdoors, and warp mazes are nothing but a headache, but without them you just get a game filled with dungeons that are all point A to point B simulators. Even the first Megami Tensei had more going on with its dungeons, and while I wouldn’t say said gimmicks are fun, they at least spice up the dungeons a bit and make it a bit more interesting. I still had fun with the dungeons in Megami Tensei II, but by the end they started to feel more like a chore than anything else. It doesn’t help that this game blasts you right up the ass with encounters almost every step. I can be pretty tolerant when it comes to high encounter rates in RPGs but even I can only take about 10 minutes of demons trying to massage my asshole every step before I start fucking tweaking. Not every area of the game is so bad to the point where it’s actually every step, but a fair bit of them really are that bad, especially in some of the final dungeons. The combat itself is more or less the same as the last game, as is the demon fusion. It's a simple system, but an effective one, and I had a decent amount of fun with it.
The last thing I can talk about is the music. I’m aware that the original Famicom version has the superior sound quality, but the ost as heard in Kyuuyaku still sounds really good. It’s some really good stuff, especially the normal battle and boss themes. The dungeon themes never really got too stale for me, which is something I can't say for the arcade street theme in SMT I, as much as I like that game. As mentioned before, the Famicom ost is definitely better, but don’t let that make you think the version of it in Kyuuyaku is bad by any means. You can go play the original, but know that it means you’ll be playing the whole game without an automapper or anything.
That’s about all I have to say about Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei II. If you’re a fan of other Megami Tensei games of this era and haven’t played MTII in any capacity, I definitely recommend checking this game out. Even if you don’t have it in you to finish it, it’s worth at least messing around with for a little bit. It makes me appreciate what both SMT I and II did a little bit more, and in a way those games are just a much more fleshed out retelling of this one. Though I have my gripes with it, this is a really short and sweet entry into the franchise that I had a decent amount of fun with.
MT1 is pretty cool. MT2 is awesome.
muito bom e trilha sonora foda no primeiro jogo. Mas um dungeon crawler muito punitivo. O 2 pareceu mais um remake do 1.
"Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei" is a remake of the first two Megami Tensei games released for the Famicom console. This remake doesn't change many things from the original games, but it does improve certain serious issues they had.
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei 1:
The first Megami Tensei is a torture machine, it's a game so unfair in many ways that your own mental health ends up being affected by the pile of crap that hits you from all sides. In this remake, things change: demon levels are a bit more balanced, there's an automap, the game gives clearer hints, there are more healing and fusion zones, and they made it so that demons that drain experience levels don't use the spell as much. If you want to play the very first "Megaten," then try this remake, so you won't end up losing your mind and having mental wounds. That said, it's still just as tough, rough, and claustrophobic as the original version.
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei 2:
Megami Tensei 2 improves many things from its predecessor and adds elements that would later inspire the creation of the "Shin Megami Tensei" franchise. In this sequel, we are presented with a highly appealing open world, many new demons to recruit, and a fresher story for the time. This remake doesn't change much from the original game; they simply balanced the bosses and demons, and there was a reduction in the encounter rate of demons... which is still just as high.
Oh, they also added an Easter egg with Jack Frost, if you follow the steps correctly, you'll be able to recruit very strong demons to make the final stretch a bit easier.
If you're curious and want to experience the origins of "Shin Megami Tensei," play Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei, the suffering isn't as intense, and in the end, you won't have the desire to gouge out your eyes and ears. Unfortunately, the remake clings too much to the original versions, so there are no changes in gameplay, making it feel quite outdated even for its release time.
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei 1:
The first Megami Tensei is a torture machine, it's a game so unfair in many ways that your own mental health ends up being affected by the pile of crap that hits you from all sides. In this remake, things change: demon levels are a bit more balanced, there's an automap, the game gives clearer hints, there are more healing and fusion zones, and they made it so that demons that drain experience levels don't use the spell as much. If you want to play the very first "Megaten," then try this remake, so you won't end up losing your mind and having mental wounds. That said, it's still just as tough, rough, and claustrophobic as the original version.
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei 2:
Megami Tensei 2 improves many things from its predecessor and adds elements that would later inspire the creation of the "Shin Megami Tensei" franchise. In this sequel, we are presented with a highly appealing open world, many new demons to recruit, and a fresher story for the time. This remake doesn't change much from the original game; they simply balanced the bosses and demons, and there was a reduction in the encounter rate of demons... which is still just as high.
Oh, they also added an Easter egg with Jack Frost, if you follow the steps correctly, you'll be able to recruit very strong demons to make the final stretch a bit easier.
If you're curious and want to experience the origins of "Shin Megami Tensei," play Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei, the suffering isn't as intense, and in the end, you won't have the desire to gouge out your eyes and ears. Unfortunately, the remake clings too much to the original versions, so there are no changes in gameplay, making it feel quite outdated even for its release time.
Comenzaré con el primer juego, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. En cuanto a trama, la verdad es que es bien simple ya que podría decirse que es una continuación chafa en juego de una serie de novelas. Para mí, el punto fuerte de este juego es su gameplay. Que a pesar de que en el sistema de combate es aún más simple que Shin Megami Tensei, la pasé muy bien explorando las zonas laberinticas del juego, al puro estilo dungeon crawler. Shin Megami Tensei tiene un mapa de mundo en el que entras a la zonas, pero TODO el primer Megaten es una mazmorra gigante que, para mi, fue muy placentera de explorar. También aún con la simplicidad de su trama, dentro de esta se presentaron pequeñas situaciones interesantes que mantuvieron entretenido el juego. El OST según recuerdo no es la gran cosa, pero en este remake los gráficos si se me hicieron muy bonitos
Paso ahora con Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II. Este título lo considero un balance entre lo bueno que es el gameplay del primer Megaten, y la trama de Shin Megami Tensei. Aunque en ninguno de estos apartados se compara a los juegos ya dichos, lo cual me hace tenerlo como el título más intermedio, pero a la vez más bajo. Al introducir el mundo abierto, pierde mucho de la chispa del dungeon crawling que me generó el primer Megaten. Pero olvidándonos de los otros juegos y enfocandome en lo que este me ofrece... También está chido explorar el Tokyo post apocalíptico en este título, se presentan situaciones muy interesantes que no tienen los otros títulos. Y no quiero hablar de más o spoilear, pero el trayecto final del juego es muy bueno y emocionante, sobre todo si te jugaste el anterior. Como me encantó esa batalla final
En fin, si tuviese que poner a los Megaten en un top, quedaría tal que...
1. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
2. Shin Megami Tensei
3. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Paso ahora con Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II. Este título lo considero un balance entre lo bueno que es el gameplay del primer Megaten, y la trama de Shin Megami Tensei. Aunque en ninguno de estos apartados se compara a los juegos ya dichos, lo cual me hace tenerlo como el título más intermedio, pero a la vez más bajo. Al introducir el mundo abierto, pierde mucho de la chispa del dungeon crawling que me generó el primer Megaten. Pero olvidándonos de los otros juegos y enfocandome en lo que este me ofrece... También está chido explorar el Tokyo post apocalíptico en este título, se presentan situaciones muy interesantes que no tienen los otros títulos. Y no quiero hablar de más o spoilear, pero el trayecto final del juego es muy bueno y emocionante, sobre todo si te jugaste el anterior. Como me encantó esa batalla final
En fin, si tuviese que poner a los Megaten en un top, quedaría tal que...
1. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
2. Shin Megami Tensei
3. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II