If you’ve spent any time in the Shin Megami Tensei fandom, you know the drill. People talk about Persona for the social links and the vibes, or they argue about whether SMT III: Nocturne is the peak of the franchise. But then there’s the Schwarzwelt. It’s this massive, terrifying anomaly in Antarctica that’s eating the world, and honestly, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is probably the most claustrophobic, oppressive, and rewarding experience Atlus has ever put on a handheld.
It’s weird.
It doesn't use the Press Turn system you’d expect from a modern SMT title. Instead, it goes back to basics—first-person dungeon crawling and a demon co-op system that rewards you for actually paying attention to alignments. When the original launched on the DS in 2009 (2010 in the West), it felt like a love letter to the 1990s era of the series. Then the Redux version hit the 3DS in 2017 (2018 globally), and it added a new character, Alex, a whole new dungeon called the Womb of Grief, and several new endings. It’s the definitive version, but it’s also a version that some purists still argue about because of how it shifts the game's original, bleak philosophy.
The Schwarzwelt Is Not Your Friend
Most RPGs want you to feel like a hero. This game wants you to feel like a survivor in a high-tech environmental suit called a Demonica. You are part of the Joint Project, a task force sent into a growing void in Antarctica. It’s sci-fi. It’s horror. It’s basically The Thing meets Interstellar, but with more demons.
The gameplay is a grind. A literal, floor-by-floor mapping of hellish sectors named after the Seven Deadly Sins. You’ll spend hours in Sector Eridanus dealng with teleportation tiles that make you want to throw your 3DS across the room. It’s frustrating. It’s meant to be. The dungeon design in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is built to wear you down. You aren't just fighting monsters; you're fighting the architecture of the abyss itself.
Unlike SMT V or IV, where you can see enemies on the map, here it’s random encounters. You’re walking through a dark corridor, the music is a chanting, oppressive orchestral swell, and suddenly—boom. You’re fighting a group of Oni that can wipe your party if you miss a single buff. This is why the Demon Co-op system matters so much. If you hit a weakness and your party members share your alignment (Law, Chaos, or Neutral), they all chip in for an extra attack. It makes party composition feel less like "bring my favorites" and more like "bring the guys who won't get me killed."
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What Redux Actually Changed (And Why It Polarized Fans)
The "Redux" subtitle isn't just a shiny coat of paint. It changed the fundamental DNA of the game's narrative. In the original, you were forced into three very distinct, very grim endings. Law meant losing your humanity to a hive-mind peace. Chaos meant a world of endless slaughter where the strong eat the weak. Neutral was basically just kicking the can down the road.
Redux adds "New" versions of these endings.
They’re a bit more optimistic. Some fans think this ruins the "Strange Journey" vibe, which was originally about the inevitable cycle of human failure. Others think it’s a relief to finally have a "good" path. Alex, the new girl who keeps trying to murder you, is the catalyst for all this. Her story involves time travel and a lot of grudge-holding, and honestly, the Womb of Grief—the dungeon tied to her—is some of the best level design in the entire game. It's optional, but if you skip it, you're missing out on the most powerful demons and the most nuanced story beats.
The Demonica and the "Old School" Feel
You’ve got to appreciate the aesthetic. While the rest of the series went for edgy teen protagonists or samurai in high-tech Tokyo, Strange Journey Redux sticks you in a bulky suit of power armor. You feel like a soldier. The Demonica (DEMOnnic Neure-Integrated Cognitive Assistant) is your lifeline. You upgrade it with "Apps" to find rare items, heal while walking, or increase demon talk success rates.
Speaking of talking—negotiation here is brutal. Demons in the Schwarzwelt are jerks. They’ll ask for your HP, your MP, and half your money, then laugh and run away. It’s classic SMT. But in Redux, they added some quality-of-life features that make this less of a headache. You can save anywhere now. That’s a game-changer. In the original DS version, if you died three levels deep in Sector Carina, you lost everything. Now, you can save right before a boss door. It’s "easier," sure, but the bosses still hit like a freight train.
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The Alignment Trap
Most people play these games trying to be the "Good Guy." In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, the "Good Guy" is Law, and Law involves serving angels that want to lobotomize humanity for their own safety. It’s a hard sell. Neutral is often the "canon" or preferred path, but it's the hardest one to achieve because you have to balance your choices perfectly.
The game tracks your alignment based on dialogue choices and certain side quests. Your name in the menu changes color: Blue for Law, White for Neutral, Red for Chaos. This isn't just flavor text. It dictates:
- Which demons will join you easily.
- How your Demon Co-op attacks trigger.
- Which gear you can equip.
- The final third of the game’s entire plot.
If you go into this thinking it’s a standard "save the world" story, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a "decide what kind of hell you can live with" story.
Is It Better Than SMT IV or V?
It’s different. Honestly, if you prefer the 3D exploration and the Press Turn system of the mainline numbered entries, Strange Journey Redux might feel like a step back. It’s a grid-based crawler. You move one square at a time. But the atmosphere? It's unmatched. The sense of isolation is real. You are stuck in a hole in the ground at the bottom of the world with a bunch of scientists and soldiers who are slowly losing their minds.
The music, composed by Shoji Meguro, avoids the J-rock and pop of Persona. It uses deep male choirs and brass. It sounds like a funeral march. When you enter a new sector and that theme kicks in, you feel the weight of the mission. It’s not about "leveling up"; it’s about making it back to the ship alive.
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Technical Improvements and Voice Acting
One of the biggest draws of the Redux version is the full Japanese voice acting. It adds so much personality to characters like Jimenez and Zelenin. Jimenez is the hot-headed Chaos representative who bonds with a demon named Bugaboo. Zelenin is the rigid Law representative who eventually finds solace in the song of the angels. Seeing their slow descent—or ascent, depending on your view—into their respective ideologies is much more impactful when you can hear the strain in their voices.
The graphics also got a boost, though they kept the 2D sprites for demons. Some people hate this. They want 3D models. But there’s a charm to the high-res 2D art. It looks like a gritty 90s anime. The character designs by Masayuki Doi are sharp, though they lack the ethereal "alien" quality of Kazuma Kaneko’s original work. It’s a trade-off.
Survival Tips for the Schwarzwelt
If you’re actually going to dive into this, don't go in blind. You will get stuck.
- Prioritize the "March" Apps. Get anything that helps you recover HP or MP while walking. Resources are everything.
- Don't get attached to demons. SMT is about fusion. If your favorite demon is three levels behind, fuse it. Use its essence to make something better.
- The Womb of Grief is worth it. Even if you don't want the new endings, the experience and demons you get there make the main game much more manageable.
- Buffs and Debuffs are mandatory. This isn't Final Fantasy. If you don't use Sukukaja (accuracy/evasion) and Tarunda (attack down), the bosses will turn you into a red smudge in two turns.
- Watch your alignment. If you want to use the most powerful Co-op attacks, make sure your party matches your alignment color. A Neutral player with a Law demon and a Chaos demon is only doing 1/3 of the potential damage.
The Verdict on Strange Journey Redux
This game is a masterpiece for a specific kind of player. It’s for the person who wants a challenge that feels fair but punishing. It’s for the player who likes a sci-fi story that actually asks hard philosophical questions instead of just giving you a power fantasy.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux stands as a testament to why the first-person dungeon crawler shouldn't die. It’s a dense, complex, and often cruel game that rewards patience and strategy above all else. Whether you’re a series veteran or a newcomer looking to see what the "hard" SMT games are like, this is the one to beat.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the 3DS eShop status: Since the eShop closed, you'll need to find a physical copy or look into "alternate" ways to play on original hardware. Physical copies have spiked in price, so keep an eye on second-hand markets like eBay or local retro shops.
- Download a Fusion Calculator: The fusion mechanics in Strange Journey can be obtuse. Use an online tool like the SMTIV/SJ Fusion Tool to plan your team before you waste your Macca.
- Commit to an Alignment Early: While you can change your mind mid-way through, your life will be much easier if you pick a philosophy (Law, Chaos, or Neutral) and stick to it for the first 30 hours to maximize your Co-op damage.