You explore a ruined, sand-covered version of Tokyo, recruiting demons through conversation instead of always fighting them, then fusing pairs of demons together to create stronger allies. Battles are turn-based and punish sloppy play hard, since enemies can chain extra turns if you hit their weakness. It is one of the tougher games on this list, aimed at players who want a real challenge.
Gameplay video
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Screenshots & review notes
The verdict
This is Atlus at its most punishing and its most confident, refusing to hold your hand through demon negotiations that can turn brutal in an instant. Not for the faint of heart.
The mechanics
Combat rewards careful demon fusion and exploiting elemental weaknesses, and one careless turn can wipe your party. The open desert areas add welcome pacing breaks between fights.
Presentation
Ash-grey ruins and towering monster designs create an oppressive, memorable atmosphere that suits the tone perfectly. It is a great-looking game that occasionally shows some texture pop-in on Switch.
Staying power
Multiple endings and demon compendium completion give dedicated players plenty to return to. Best suited to series veterans rather than RPG newcomers looking for something gentle.
Frames captured from the gameplay video above; notes are our own take on the game.
What it's like to play
You wake up as a fused being called a Nahobino in a version of Tokyo that has crumbled into a sandy wasteland full of ruined buildings, and you explore this open area on foot, running, jumping, and climbing over debris while demons wander around you in plain sight. Combat triggers when you touch one of these demons or they touch you, dropping you into a turn-based battle where hitting a demon's weakness earns you an extra turn, and missing or getting hit costs you one, so every choice on the menu matters. Instead of just fighting, you can also open a conversation with an enemy demon mid-battle, asking it questions, giving it money or items, and trying to convince it to join your side instead.
Most of your playtime is spent wandering these open zones looking for hidden chests and side objectives while building a roster of recruited demons, then fusing pairs of them together at a place called the Cathedral of Shadows to create stronger demons that inherit skills from their parents. The story pushes you between a few large hub areas, each one bigger and more dangerous than the last, with tougher demon packs and boss fights that will punish you hard if you walk in without checking elemental weaknesses first. A single boss fight can take you several tries as you relearn what it resists and what it is vulnerable to.
Session to session this feels like careful, methodical exploration broken up by battles that can turn from routine to lethal in one bad turn. What may frustrate newcomers is that early difficulty spikes hit fast and the story is told sparingly, favoring atmosphere and systems over long cutscenes and character drama. This suits people who enjoy tinkering with builds and collecting monsters more than people looking for a story-heavy adventure.