Majin Tensei is a Turn-Based Strategy game for the Super Famicom, and the first game in the Majin Tensei series. It was released on January 28, 1994.
In the late 1990s, ethnic battles around the world result in a large amount of deaths and a large portion of the world being closed off. Decades later, in 202X, a boy living in Neider Tokyo in the area D-03 suddenly receives a mysterious Demon Summoning Program on his COMP from someone called TAKEUCHI, with demons appearing immediately after. After clearing a demon infestation in the Sada Laboratory and freeing the people held captive, he finds a young woman in cryogenic sleep, who decides to join him out of gratitude and after realizing she has amnesia.
A manga adaptation, Majin Tensei: The True Remembrance ran in Enix's Monthly GFantasy magazine from April 1994 to August 1996.
This work shows examples of:
- Amnesiac Hero: The Heroine is recovered from a laboratory, having lost all of her memories to the point that she can't even recall her own name.
- Angel Unaware: Etienne, the Frenchman you meet fairly early in the game, is eventually revealed to be the Archangel Uriel. Recruiting him allows you to recruit Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael later.
- Anyone Can Die: While the game will instantly end if either the Hero or Heroine falls in battle, anyone else can be Killed Off for Real.
- Background Music Override:
- Scene of Carnage
replaces both the Player Phase and the Enemy Phase music during levels with Tyrants. - Judex replaces both the Player Phase and the Enemy Phase music during the final level.
- Scene of Carnage
- Color-Coded Armies: Player-controlled units are blue, enemies are red, and neutral units are yellow.
- Earthquake Machine: Yggdrasil, the initial headquarters of the demonic forces, creates earthquakes, and is the source of the tremors seen in some early missions.
- Finish Him!: After defeating Astaroth and Lucifer, you're given the option of either finishing them off or sparing them. In both cases, the latter option is required for the Golden Ending.
- Game-Over Man: If you fail a level where you have to defeat a Tyrant, they'll appear on the game over screen to taunt you.Minotaur: You dare to challenge me with powers so feeble? You don't know your place!
Moloch: You may have defeated the Minotaur, but you won't be able to defeat me!
Medusa: I have most certainly claimed your life! Ohhh hoh hoh!
Belial: Sinful defiers of demons! I will roast you in the flames of Hell!
Balaam: It would take you a million years to defeat Lord Satan!
Astaroth: K'huh huh huh... Surely you knew it would turn out this way, foolish creature!
Lucifer: If you cannot defeat me, then how would you ever defeat Satan?
Satan: Those who oppose me will find only death! - God in Human Form: Minami, the leader of the Demon Suppression Squad, reveals themselves to be Zouchouten of the Four Heavenly Kings. Recruiting him allows you to recruit Koumokuten, Jikokuten, and Bishamonten later.
- Have You Seen My God?: If you spare Lucifer, he reveals that God abandoned humanity a long time ago, leaving behind Satan and his hordes of demons to finish them off.
- Heroic Mime: Subverted; unlike most Shin Megami Tensei protagonists, this one speaks and has his own dialog, starting on Mission 09 at Yggdrasil.
- Lady in Red: While the Heroine wears green in official art, her outfit is red in the game itself.
- Last-Second Ending Choice: Downplayed; how you conduct yourself during Scenario 51 (out of 59 total) determines whether or not you're locked into the worst ending. Getting the Golden Ending requires significantly more effort, but can still be ruined by making the wrong decision in that chapter.
- Mook Maker: Some maps have tiles that periodically spawn hostile demons. Luckily, they can be blocked by standing on them.
- Multiple Endings: Three of them.
- Normal Ending: After Satan dies, the Heroine sacrifices herself powering a machine that will enable the Hero to return to the surface. Overwhelmed by despair, the protagonist questions what purpose is left for him now that the war has ended. In The Stinger, the Heroine's spirit appears to him and encourages him not to dwell upon her demise.
- Bad Ending: The Heroine dies, Satan declares that humanity's sins are unforgivable, and the protagonist is confronted by a future version of himself who's been jumping between realities, searching for one where the Heroine survives. He upbraids his counterpart, informing him that all he's left in his wake is a trail of corpses. The protagonist then returns to the surface and learns that nuclear war has broken out, dying as ICMBs are dropped on Japan.
- Golden Ending: The Heroine shields the Hero from Satan's Dying Curse at the cost of her own life. After returning to the surface, any of the Hero's surviving allies bid him farewell as he swears never to fight again and deletes the Demon Summoning Program. Following the credits, The Stinger reveals that the Heroine returns to life.
- Mutually Exclusive Party Members: Unless specific prerequisites are met, you can only have one of either Uriel or Zouchouten join your party.
- Mythology Gag: The first two major bosses are Minotaur and Medusa.
- No-Harm Requirement: To complete Scenario 51, you need to get to the center of the map without killing any of the neutral demons. While there's technically nothing stopping you from killing anything, actually doing so will lock you into the worst ending.
- Secret Character: Asura appears in Scenario 44, and can be recruited if neither Uriel nor Zouchouten have joined the party.
- Taking the Bullet: Happens during the best possible ending, when the Heroine protects the Hero from Satan's Dying Curse.
- This Cannot Be!: Satan reacts this way to being defeated.
- Tomato in the Mirror: The Heroine eventually learns that she was created by Lucifier to help guide an Unwitting Pawn to fight against Satan.
