Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (Telenet)

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This article is about the video game developed by Telenet. For the Famicom game developed by Atlus, see Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. For other uses, see Digital Devil Story.

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
デジタル・デビル物語(ストーリー)　女神転生Digital Devil Story: Goddess Reincarnation
MSXPC‐8801X1FM‐7 Front cover of the MSX version Front cover of the PC‐8801 version Front cover of the X1 version Front cover of the FM‐7 version
Developer(s)	Telenet
Publisher(s)	Telenet
Genre	Action-adventure
Platform(s)	MSX PC-8801 Sharp X1 FM-7 CD-ROM
Release	MSX Japan July 1987 PC-8801 Japan August 1987 X1 Japan August 1987 FM-7 Japan September 1987 CD-ROM Japan April 25, 2006

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei is a 1987 action-adventure game for the MSX series of home computers. It was developed and published by Telenet and released in July of 1987. Following its initial release, the game was also ported to a number of other home computers that same year, including the PC-8801 and Sharp X1 in August, and the FM-7 in September.

The game was re-released by Kadokawa in 2006 as part of the PC-8801 mk II SR Game Revival Collection, which was a compilation of 15 games originally released on PC-8801.

To date, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei has not seen an official release outside of Japan. A fan translation for the MSX version was released on January 16, 2024.

Blurb

頭悩で挑むか、 アクションで攻めるか。

—

Will you tackle it with strategy or strike with action?

Synopsis

Akemi Nakajima, a student at Ten Saints High School, is a gifted programmer who creates a demon summoning program after being attacked by a school bully. Using the program, he summons the demon Loki, who demands a female sacrifice in exchange for granting him power.

Nakajima's classmate Yumiko Shirasagi becomes involved in the summoning and is taken by Loki into Makai, the Demon World. The goddess Izanami appears before Nakajima and warns him that the demons he summoned threaten the human world. Entrusting him with the sword Hinokagutsuchi, she urges him to stop the demons and save Yumiko. Nakajima then enters Makai.

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Gameplay

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Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei is a top-down dungeon crawler action game, similar to Dandy, developed by John Howard Palevich, and Atari’s Gauntlet. The player moves in four directions using the numeric or cursor keys, while combat supports rapid-fire and diagonal attacks; however, diagonal attacks require the player to remain stationary. Enemies, by contrast, can move and attack in eight directions.

Exploration and structure

The game is divided into 20 stages comprising a total of 160 floors, with each stage containing eight floors. This structure is derived from the concept of the Sefirot in the Old Testament, with each stage representing a Sephirah.

The stages are primarily organized within the Dimension of Good, Etz Hayyim (11 stages), and its counterpart, the Dimension of Evil, Qlipot (9 stages), which functions as a corresponding "dark" variant of Etz Hayyim. These two dimensions are connected by an intermediary area, the Dimension of the Abyss, Da'at, which serves as the eleventh stage of Etz Hayyim and does not have a dark counterpart.

With the exception of the starting stage, Malkuth, and Da'at, stages in Etz Hayyim have corresponding counterparts in Qlipot, effectively expanding the number of explorable areas.

Progression is non-linear, with multiple branching paths between stages. Rather than advancing through a strictly sequential structure, players explore interconnected dungeons and complete objectives such as defeating bosses, rescuing characters, and acquiring key items. Navigation is minimally guided, requiring players to discover routes and connections between areas independently.

Combat

Combat emphasizes positioning and movement, with players required to avoid enemy projectiles while attacking. The player can attack in multiple directions, though diagonal attacks require the player to stop moving. Enemies generally exhibit simple behavior patterns, such as charging toward the player or firing projectiles.

Boss encounters introduce more complex attack patterns and often require specific items or prior progression to defeat.

Weapons and items

The player controls Akemi Nakajima, who begins with the sword Hinokagutsuchi, a short-range weapon with no usage restrictions. Additional weapons, including ranged projectiles such as shuriken and other throwable items, can be obtained as item drops, from chests, or from a merchant. These typically have limited durability or ammunition.

Certain items can be combined with weapons to modify their effects, such as increasing damage or applying status effects. Other collectible items include keys used to unlock doors, consumables for healing, and special items that enhance combat abilities.

A merchant, Ni Hao, may appear within dungeons, offering items in exchange for Macca, the in-game currency collected from treasure chests.

Systems and interface

The interface displays information such as health, inventory, ammunition, and contextual messages, including alerts when enemies detect the player. A moon phase system is also present and changes as the player explores; changes in the moon phase affect enemy behavior and terrain.

The player can acquire a COMP that enables additional functionality, including accessing maps and managing inventory.

Allies and progression

As the game progresses, additional abilities and allies become available. The demon Cerberus can be acquired and temporarily grants invincibility, while Yumiko Shirasagi joins as an ally after being rescued.

Progression is tied to exploration and the completion of key objectives, including defeating major enemies and obtaining items required to access new areas.

Version Differences

PC-8801

• Introduces a level system, with levels increasing as enemies are defeated.
• Enemies often stop near walls, making them easier to defeat with diagonal shots.
• The overall difficulty is lower compared to other versions.
• Improved graphics

Sharp X1

• Footsteps are heard when Nakajima moves.
• Items that are collected do not respawn.
• Each floor has infinitely spawning demons.
• Nakajima can take damage when summoning Cerberus.
• Demon names and spellings differ from the original version.
• Items sold by Ni Hao differ depending on the area.
• In some areas, demons fire guided projectiles, which can be destroyed by intercepting them.

FM-7

• Diagonal movement for eight-directional control
• Improved graphics and enemy AI
• Shortened the Cerberus summon animation to nine seconds

Development

Author Aya Nishitani, who wrote Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, conceived the idea of a video game adaptation of his novel. His concept featured demons representing the surface, underground, sky, sea, and desert, alongside protagonist Akemi Nakajima, who wielded the Hinokagutsuchi sword and was accompanied by familiars, in a quest to rescue Yumiko Shirasagi. The known ally demons included Cerberus, Triton or Siren symbolizing the sea, and Garuda symbolizing the sky. Nishitani was later approached by Kazutoshi Ueda, who expressed interest in adapting the novel into a dungeon crawler. By chance, the CEO and producer of Telenet saw Nishitani’s concept art and decided to develop a game based on it.

Atlus is credited for Development Cooperation. Kazutoshi Ueda supported the game's development through the friendship between Naoya Harano and the CEO of Telenet.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	デジタル・デビル物語(ストーリー)　女神転生 Dejitaru Debiru Sutōrī Megami Tensei	Digital Devil Story: Goddess Reincarnation

Gallery

See Gallery