The science-fiction story in Strange Journey Redux is among the best in the Shin Megami Tensei series. It's a clever commentary on human greed and lust for power, and speculates on the ways the planet can end up suffering from our excess and wastefulness. It starts off with you as part of a team investigating the Schwarwelt, a huge black hole eating away at the South Pole, that leads to several different dimensions filled with demons. Each of these dimensions and the demons within show what could possibly happen if humans let their vices overtake them. It's chilling because of how real everything feels, even in the realm of "impossible" demons and alternate dimensions.

The battles in the Shin Megami Tensei series are unforgiving in how difficult they are, and Strange Journey Redux is no exception. You fight with a party of demons you collect, aiming to pinpoint your enemy's elemental weaknesses and exploit them. Once you find the weakness, the demons in your party who share your moral alignment (Law, Chaos, or Neutral) will team up for extra damage through a co-op attack. If you don't look up a guide, then finding weaknesses is a matter of trial and error, and hoping you don't die while you figure things out.

Most of the opponents you come across hit for a ton of damage, so you absolutely need to take advantage of their weaknesses for co-op attacks. And as you get farther along in the game, you get access to buffs to your party's attack, defense, evasion, and more, as well as debuffs to debilitate your foes. As you get better with the combat and earn some tough victories, the sense of satisfaction you get helps you to keep pushing forward.

Your choices throughout the game determine which of the three alignments you fall under. Whether you lean toward Chaos with the demons, Law with the angels, or the Neutral alignment that rejects Law and Chaos, the later segments of the game change to reflect your views. Characters who were once your allies can become antagonists, or vice-versa, depending on which path you follow. Schwarzwelt and, in-turn, the world, shapes itself in drastic ways through your choices, leading you down different branches, each with their own powerful bosses to defeat, and unique endings that follow.

Demons and angels act as your party members in battle. While fighting, you can recruit almost any enemy demon or angel as long as it's at your level or below, through a process called demon negotiation. You barter with them through a conversation before asking it to join you; if it likes you, and if you give it the items, money, and whatever else it asks you for, it may join your party. You can then fuse angels or demons together to create stronger allies with better abilities. And there are hundreds of different types of demons and angels with their own fitting designs and relevant mythological lore, ranging from familiar names like Shiva, Lilith, Valkyrie, Phoenix, Raphael, and many many more.

In the best ways possible, the music ranges from grave and serious to majestic and elegant. Regular exploration themes have deep, booming choruses backed by relentless military drums, keeping you on-edge throughout the many hours you spend dungeon crawling. Boss battles are as foreboding as the enemies you face, with a range of blaring brass sounds that ground the tone and elevate your experience: even the period of silence in "Vehement Rage" conveys plenty of weight and importance.

Major boss battles are even more impressive, fitting their Law, Chaos, or Neutral alignments in creative ways, with "Holy Miracle" bringing all the classical grandeur of a battle against a true being of Law. And the song that plays in the final dungeon, as well as the end credits theme, are both particularly special, with an unexpected tone that perfectly captures the end of such a strange journey.

The dungeon crawling in Strange Journey Redux isn't for the faint of heart. It's a real test of your endurance, on top of the added difficulty of the random battle encounters. You play in first person, trekking through the dimensions of Schwarzwelt in search of a way back to Earth, searching through the areas to find upgrades to your gadgets and your ship. You have to deal with several puzzles, hidden doors, riddles, and different types of traps in your path, all in uncharted land with only your wits to guide you. If you're the type who craves a serious challenge, then this just might be the game for you.

Strange Journey Redux is an updated re-release of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS. There are some brand new additions to bring in both new players and existing fans of the original, mainly the new character, Alex, who seems to oppose you and your team at every turn.

Fighting her leads you to the new dungeon, the Womb of Grief, with several winding puzzles and bosses; completing this dungeon unlocks an enlightening perspective for whichever alignment-ending you earn. There are also plenty of other changes, such as updated character models and art, Japanese voice acting to replace the original's text-only story, and new apps for your gadgets that can ease the difficulty of battles and dungeon crawling.