Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Coming West

Atlus has announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey will hit the DS on 10 March.

That's the DS in America, anyway, as no European launch has yet been announced. As we're still waiting for the European releases of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey and Persona PSP, you might not want to hold your breath. Good thing the DS is region free, eh?

Anyway. Strange Journey is billed as the "true successor" to Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, the PS2 RPG renamed to Lucifer's Call in Europe, and that looks to be in terms of style rather than plot.

As we've reported before, players take the role of a member of a special team sent in to investigate weirdness in Antarctica, which seems to revolve around a black hole that's gradually expanding to engulf the Earth.

Players explore from what looks like a first-person perspective with the touch screen taking the form of a map. As usual, you'll be battling and recruiting demons in order to strengthen your own forces while trying to find out who or what is behind the black hole, and whether it's antagonistic or not. The blurb mentions a mission to "save Earth," so we're guessing so, although it does also mention players will start "to understand humanity's position within the larger universe."

Strange Journey scored a 36 from Japanese mag Famitsu (10/9/9/8, with their four reviewer system), which is the highest the mag has ever awarded a Shin Megami Tensei game, so colour us an excited pink. If you're curious for more, have a look at the Japanese trailer over here.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is due out in America, for Nintendo DS, on 10 March.