Reviews from

in the past


i like how stylistically different this is from pretty much all of atlus' output. this feels almost like a game i'm not supposed to be playing, like forbidden original xbox vaporware that's been neglected. while the music is really solid, mechanically this game is a mess, with strange level scaling and combat. i can't recommend this to most people, even hardcore megaten fans, simply because it plays so differently from anything in that series.

The ninth game in the Shin Megami Tensei series is a bit more of an uncut gem, but a brave enough heart will perservere and find the gold in there them mountains.
It's a tale of the young [name and gender here] who spends their days leisurely in the metaverse because the real world outside? Hoooo boy. Nothing but the ominous windy ambience down there in the fallout shelter.
And yeah that's basically the game, the [male] protagonist just has some fun on the metaverse with his two girlfriends, and vice versa for the [female] option. Sometimes you do some extremely fun hacking sections, just for fun. Just because of how fun they are. The developers made all the dungeons look the same, just so they could use the time they saved to put more fun in the game instead! I wish i could give six stars but alas.

what the fuck how did they release smt9 before 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

Hey l actually bought an Japanese xbox and this game when l was in akihabara. And l do know this actually has one of the most weird and interesting plots out of the series its gameplay is kinda fine l guess. But its a game worth checking out if it ever gets translated


This game SUCKS but ost slaps

My experience with Shin Megami Tensei: Nine was a mixed bag. Thanks to Alexander Hollins' translation and guide, I managed to make it halfway through the game. However, I eventually hit a roadblock due to the increasing difficulty, particularly during the two RTS games in chapters 4 and 5. While the combat mechanics themselves were manageable, these segments proved to be exceptionally challenging, leaving me unsure of how to proceed. Typically, when faced with such challenges, I would resort to grinding and leveling up, but this approach was rendered ineffective due to the absence of an XP system in the game. Consequently, I made the difficult decision to discontinue my playthrough.

Despite this setback, I must commend Shin Megami Tensei: Nine for its compelling storyline. The narrative was genuinely captivating, and it was this engaging plot that motivated me to push forward despite the language barrier. Had it not been for the intriguing story, I likely would not have persevered as diligently.

As a result of my incomplete playthrough, I find it difficult to assign a definitive grade to the game. While the story impressed me, the formidable difficulty spikes hindered my progress and enjoyment.

I downloaded this game because i was curious if it was an underrated gem or a shitty game but really what the hell is this?

Shin Megami Tensei NINE is a psychological horror game about a guy who gets attacked by a giant angry scrotum at a Taylor Swift concert, and then spends several months facing horrific hallucinations from the resulting PTSD. There are no rules in this game. In the first five minutes you shatter the boundaries of space and time when you try to leave this flower shop only to realise that you're trapped as this lady and her lesbian furry lover crawl on two planes of existence at once as she seemingly goes down the wall and towards the screen at the same time. The only way out is through this table down here and then you're back on the street where this guy yells at you, as if you just did all that shit on purpose. Sometimes when you walk down the street you literally walk down into it. I mean this looks like some kind of surrealist painting. Trying to imagine the perspective on this destroys the human mind so just don't think about it too much. Almost every building is empty and plays mildly disturbing music, except for this one where Jack Frost says welcome and promptly shows you a series of menus with no text. The whole game feels like you aren't welcome in its presence. It almost feels like the software is sentient and it's watching, trying to figure out why you're playing a Japanese Xbox game. I truly do believe that if demons can manifest themselves in lines of code, there's almost certainly one hiding in here somewhere. Oh yeah, and the battle system you can't really do anything it's like a movie. You can smack that ballsack all you want, but it's just not gonna go away. Overall, I have to say it's about as good as Persona 5 so check it out when you get the chance. See ya

A very bizarre game that I very much like. As the game was supposed to be an MMO, everything is in real time, there are some spaces that are just empty that you can tell were meant to be meeting spots, the end-game demons have so much room left in their stats bars for higher numbers, it's a very strange and unique atmosphere.

The gameplay is your standard MegaTen fare despite being in real-time. It's basically if SMT1 ran on a Final Fantasy style ATB, though teams still act all at once rather individually. Negotiation is also real-time but it is very generous and even as a non-native speaker of Japanese I was given plenty of time to read over what the demons were saying. It is actually one of the better written demon negotiation systems from what I have played/remember.

There is also a very strange "RTS" battle system for certain events in the game. It is node based and has surprising depth. With that depth, I get the feeling more was planned for it past the difficulty of the battles appearing in this version of the game. Sadly whatever they had in mind did not come to be.

While the pre-rendered backgrounds of the virtual Tokyo are very fantastic to look at, the dungeons are the exact opposite. All of them are drab-square hallways with literally nothing in them except random encounters, not even chests. Definitely the most disappointing aspect.

The story is actually one of the highlights for me. Taking place in a virtual recreation of Tokyo after a nuclear apocalypse forces the last of humanity underground into bunkers. You play as a debugger/hacker working for the government, essentially taking the role of police in the virtual Tokyo. It is presented very flatly, which while it is not great, does lend to a sort of eerie vibe the game has. It does bring up some interesting concepts near the end and I will say the variance possible in the final dungeon legitimately impressed me. I do not think any other MegaTen game has that many possible ways the final dungeon can play out.

Overall, just an odd experience and it had some dull moments but I am absolutely glad I played it because it was very unique.