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.