Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, the next title of the Megaten franchise, has been confirmed to be in development for Nintendo’s portable console, the Nintendo DS. Megami Ibunroku Devil Survivor’s success was a big hit, and appears to have inspired Atlus to develop their next game for the same console. This time around, Kazuma Kaneko will be taking the lead as the character & devil designer and producer. Other development team members include: Eiji Ishida (Director) - Shogo Isogai (Scenario) - Shoji Meguro (Composing)
As for story, this time you are a soldier enlisted on an expedition to investigate the dimensional rift at the south pole. There are 4 distinct crews in this exploration team, each in a different ship: Red Sprite No. 1’s crew are the commanders; Blue Jet No. 2 & and Gigantic No. 4 specialize in battle, and Elves No. 3 are scientists.
In order to survive in this alternate realm, the scientists have created Demonica Suits; armor that improve abilities and can be customized. Allied explorers will also play a part in the story; you cannot win alone. Your interactions with your teammates will affect the progression of the story.
With approximately 300 devils, including some new designs by Kaneko never seen before, battles will be far from dull. These devils will be obtainable as allies mainly through negotiation and fusion. Allied devils are able to give quests to find rare items, and cooperate with one another to perform extra-special maneuvers.
The game will be released on October 8th, of 2009 in Japan; no scheduled release date is confirmed elsewhere as of yet. It will be a Nintendo DS first-person view RPG with a retail price of 6,279¥. No word yet on any “innovative” stylus/touch screen features. Stange Journey hasn’t a “IV” in sight, so this is not the “next-gen” SMT game fans have been waiting for, but regardless looks to be a fantastic new addition to the Shin Megami Tensei series.
The teaser website is to be replaced by the actual official website soon, so be ready to visit once it’s open to the public.
Sources: Silconera, Wii @ Everyday, Atlus USA forum
Megami Ibunroku Persona “Be Your True Mind”