Shin Megami Tensei (Franchise) - TV Tropes What will you do? Burn a path of Chaos with the flesh of the lawful, pave a road of Order with the blood of Demons, or create your own future? Shin Megami Tensei (translated True Goddess Reincarnation), also known as Mega. Ten, is a long- running series of JRPGDungeon Crawlers and spinoffs developed and published by Atlus. In Japan, it has been a direct competitor to Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy for decades, while in the west it only gained real popularity with Persona 3 in 2.
Originally based on a novel series called Digital Devil Story, the games tend to involve using technology to summon and control mythological figures from nearly every culture on the planet, as well as the end of the world, deconstructions of common RPG storylines and far- out monster designs. Thematically, the series emphasises following your own beliefs: plots tend to revolve around the forces of Order and Chaos battling it out for supremacy, and you are generally given complete freedom in deciding which side is . If neither side takes your fancy, you can even kick both their butts and declare yourself as supreme ruler. Depending on the game, there may be other options.
The games also tend to be Nintendo Hard. Elemental affinities, buffing and debuffing are far more effective than in most JRPGs and can make or break battles.
In an aversion of Useless Useful Spell, instant death and ailment attacks are both effective and encouraged repeatedly. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne further introduced the Press Turn battle system to the series, where hitting an enemy's elemental weakness would reward you with more actions while hitting their elemental strengths would cost you actions. Watch J. Edgar Streaming there. Variations of Press Turn would go on to be adopted in multiple later Mega. Ten games, such as the . The Persona, Devil Summoner, Digital Devil Saga, and Devil Survivor series are the best- known of these spinoffs in the US.
Regardless, many include references to other Mega. Ten games and intra- franchise character cameos. Has an unofficial translation of the Super Famicom version. Shin Megami Tensei. Last Bible sub- series. Last Bible (1. 99.
Game Boy Color port was localized as Revelations: The Demon Slayer in 1. Last Bible II (1. Japan only)Another Bible (1.
Drama: You Are The Best! Running 9 ways to cure (and prevent) shin splints Stay injury-free so you can coast into running season faster and stronger.
Japan only)Last Bible III (1. Japan only)Last Bible Special (1. Japan only)Majin Tensei sub- series. Devil Summoner sub- series. Jack Bros. A Crossover where Atlus basically made a Mega.
Ten spinoff using the mythology of Intelligent Systems's Fire Emblem franchise. The Lone Marebito (2. Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner (2. Persona x Detective NAOTO (2. Devil Survivor 2 The Animation: Cetus's Prequel (2.
Shin Megami Tensei IV DEMONIC GENE (2. Shin Megami Tensei IV - Prayers- (2. An extensive article about the games in the series can be found here. A quick reference and a recommended playing guide is here. There's also a comprehensive database of all the games in French here. Also has a massive character sheet is under construction. Absurdly Spacious Sewer: The series has a habit of featuring Sewers big enough to house entire cities.
Particular offenders include the Great Underpass of Ginza in Nocturne and the Anahata Waterways in Digital Devil Saga. Academy of Adventure: High schools in Mega. Ten games usually turn out to be built on a Hell Gate or a front for an Ancient Conspiracy. Adaptational Heroism: The various demons change morality from installment to installment to suit the story but one that consistently gets this trope is Ishtar. In real- life Mesopotamian Mythology she was an exceedingly unpleasant deity even in comparison to Old Testament YHVH who frequently killed people, sent natural disasters to them, or turned them into animals for fun. At one point in The Epic of Gilgamesh she threatens to raise the dead and have them eat the living, in the earliest known reference to a Zombie Apocalypse in human history. Her only totally altruistic quality was her love for her husband Tammuz (despite frequently cheating on him), whom she saved from Nergal every year to bring spring to the world.
In SMT she's a helpful, nurturing mother goddess who is frequently abused by YHVH essentially just for being from a competing pantheon, and often ends up being forcibly turned into the demon Astaroth by Him. Affably Evil: Most demons are happy to talk with you in the middle of a battle about their lives and interests; however, this won't stop them from tearing you limb from limb if you piss them off. Alice Allusion: Alice, the Cute Ghost Girl who has been a Recurring Character since Shin Megami Tensei, regularly makes Shout Outs to Alice in Wonderland. The Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, Trump Soldier, and March Hare have also made appearances in the franchise.
Alignment- Based Endings: Most games have a choice between Order, Chaos or Neutral endings. All Myths Are True: All mythical creatures from various folklore and religions are real in one form or another, including God and Lucifer. Alternate Continuity: The franchise has multiple conflicting continuities running through its numerous games. SMT I, NINE, Imagine and SMT II occur in one of these universes. Shin Megami Tensei if.., Nocturne, Strange Journey, SMT IV, Final and the first Devil Survivor occur in various Alternate Universes.
And the Raidou Kuzunoha games occur in an Alternate Timeline of the original SMT continuity due to a number of factors. Devil Summoner and Soul Hackers take place in their own even more Cyber Punk universe, though some version of events in the Raidou Kuzunoha games also occured here. The Persona continuity, which involves various Anthropomorphic Personifications of the Collective Unconscious interfering in humanity's affairs.
Persona 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and the various other Persona spinoffs happen here. Alternate versions of the events seen in Shin Megami Tensei if.. A long line of . And a few one- shot alternate continuities, such as Devil Survivor 2 (which is completely separate from Devil Survivor), Giten Megami Tensei and Catherine. Ambadassador: Most characters become this once they get the hang of demonic contracts and negotiation. American Kirby is Hardcore: The first SMT game to come to the US, Jack Bros., had realistic versions of the titular characters on the cover, rather then the cartoon ones seen in- game and on the Japanese cover. Amnesiac Dissonance: Zayin in Shin Megami Tensei II and Serph in Digital Devil Saga 2 find out they're much worse people than they thought they were after regaining their lost memories. Anti- Grinding: The Trope Codifier for getting less EXP from a given enemy as your level gets higher.
That doesn't stop Gabriel from being the Only Sane Man in the group and being the only one to decide, along with Satan, that YHVH has finally crossed the Moral Event Horizonand needs to be stopped. Armless Biped: The recurring demon Take- Minakata is a demonic human with no arms.
Reportedly, he is also Kazuma Kaneko's favorite demon. Armor- Piercing Attack: The Pierce skills turn certain moves into this.
Almighty is rarely ever completely defended against. Ars Goetia: Many demons from this grimoire have appeared in the series since Shin Megami Tensei I, like Ose, Eligor, Forneus, Decarabia and Astaroth. The Artifact: The SMT version of Cerberus, excepting the Soul Hackers and Persona 3 incarnations, looks nothing like the Greek myth it's supposedly based on, looking more like a lion- maned wolf with a segmented, serpentine tail, and often with shell- like armor.
This is because the original novel, and the anime based upon it, gave him this appearance, which was then followed by the Famicom Megami Tensei games. Watch City Hunter Online Ibtimes. The first Super Famicom SMT game then paid homage to this design by allowing you to fuse Pascal, the protagonist's loyal Husky, with any demon in your stock, resulting in a . Many other games in the franchise continued in this vein, with minor differences between one another.