Kouji Okada went to Namco's founder and asked to release this game under Atlus's own name. Masaya Nakamura said yes.
Okada had made the two Famicom Megami Tensei games at Atlus, and both had come out under Namco's name. Atlus president Naoya Harano went with him, and the two of them asked Nakamura, "Please let Atlus release it."
Okada says:
"I don't know for certain why he allowed it. All I can say is that I think it was because Atlus held the Megami Tensei trademark, and because Mr. Harano and Chairman Nakamura trusted each other."
About this game
On October 30, 1992, Shin Megami Tensei went on sale on the Super Famicom, the Japanese Super NES. Okada had felt that demon fusion was only fun with a lot of demons, but Famicom cartridges did not have the room. He says:
"With the Super Famicom Shin Megami Tensei, we could finally fit in more than 200 kinds of demons, so I researched all sorts of religions. I'd never picked up a Bible before, so I read the Old Testament and went, 'Huh, why doesn't Christ show up?' (laughs)"
The story begins in Kichijoji, Tokyo, in the year 199X. A demon-summoning program arrives on the hero's computer, and his everyday life comes apart: a murder, then martial law, then demons in the streets. Two friends walk with him. One goes toward Law, the other toward Chaos, and the player decides where the hero stands.
Key Features
Inside buildings you move in first person; outside, you travel across Tokyo on an overhead map. You can talk to the demons you meet, and a conversation can bring one into your party, get you an item, or go wrong and end in a fight. You can fuse the demons in your party into new ones. What you choose moves the hero toward Law, Chaos or Neutral, and the story branches with it.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Okada was born in Moto-Asakusa, Tokyo, and was still living there in 2022. Kazuma Kaneko drew the game's characters and demons. Okada says of himself and Kaneko:
"The worldview has something religious at its base, but because we were both born and raised in Tokyo, we really put the Tokyo of that time into the game. Look around the world and there's no city that has changed as much. In a hundred years it went through the Meiji Restoration, the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Tokyo air raids... It came back from almost nothing and became this huge city."
Megami Tensei began in 1987 as a Famicom game based on Aya Nishitani's Digital Devil Story novels. With the second game, Okada had already built a world far from the novels. For the Super Famicom he reworked the setting once more and changed the title to Shin Megami Tensei.
Tricks & Tales
In staff interviews from 1992 (available in English as a fan translation on shmuplations), Okada said player feedback showed no strong lean toward either Law or Chaos, and that a lot of players had taken the Neutral path. Producer Yosuke Niino said a scene in which the hero's mother is eaten by a demon did not make it into the finished game.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Super Famicom version was released only in Japan, and all of its text is in Japanese. The first official English version was an iOS port released in 2014.
Maintenance Tips
Shin Megami Tensei saves to battery-backed memory inside the cartridge, and the original batteries are now more than 30 years old. With a used copy, save once, leave the console off for a while, and check that the save is still there. If it is gone, the battery needs replacing, and that takes a soldering iron.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Shin Megami Tensei copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Super Famicom cartridge work on a North American Super Nintendo (SNES)?
Not straight out of the box. Two plastic tabs inside the North American SNES cartridge slot stop the differently shaped Super Famicom cartridge from going in. The two systems use the same lockout chip, so once the cartridge fits (through a pass-through adapter, or with the tabs removed), Japanese games generally run. PAL Super Nintendo consoles use a different lockout chip, and removing the tabs is not enough there.
How should I clean a Super Famicom cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated edge contacts visible inside the cartridge's connector slot. Never blow into the cartridge. If the shell needs to be opened for deeper cleaning, Super Famicom cartridges are closed with 3.8 mm security screws. A standard Phillips screwdriver will not fit and will strip the screw heads. Let the contacts dry fully before reinserting the cartridge.
Is there an official English version of Shin Megami Tensei?
No official English version of the Super Famicom cartridge exists. It was sold only in Japan, with Japanese text. Atlus released the game in English in 2014 as an iOS port.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Shin Megami Tensei
A short checklist for buying a used Super Famicom cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Super Famicom cartridge; its shell is shaped differently from the North American SNES and will not fit without modification.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Cite this page
Taisei Shimizu. "Shin Megami Tensei." Enjoy Game Japan Museum. Updated July 3, 2026. https://museum.enjoygamejapan.online/en/games/shin-megami-tensei/