Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei is a first-person RPG, similar to many older role playing games such as the Wizardry series. The player navigates through dungeons with a party of up to six characters. The combat is turn-based in a representative field of vision that resembles Wizardry in that it is first-person.
The game features two types of characters: Humans and Demons. A key facet of gameplay involves collecting demons. The human Hero acquires these demons via negotiation, bribing and coercion during battle. Once acquired, they can be stored in the party's portable computer and summoned for a small amount of money to be used in battle, and a constant feed of Magnetite (a secondary currency in the game) to be maintained outside of combat. If a demon is defeated during a battle, they must be revived before they can be used again.
A notable aspect of the game is that the player can combine two or three demons and create a more powerful demon. This system is called "Akuma Gattai" which can be translated as "Demon Fusion". This system was passed on from the first game of the series, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei and used in later installments.
Human characters can equip firearms with special ammo, melee weapons, and multiple pieces of armor from helmet to boots, although certain weapons can only be wielded by a character of a specific alignment. Humans are also the only ones capable of leveling up and having their Stats upgraded at the discretion of the player.
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