A more accomplished Majin Tensei sequel, better written and tactically deeper. Essential for Atlus strategy lovers.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player16+
Description
Sequel to Majin Tensei blending SMT universe demons with enriched tactical strategy. Published by Atlus, released in Japan in 1995. More developed spiral scenario, more demons to recruit and deeper tactical mechanics. Second Majin Tensei, a tactical spin-off of the SMT series.
Majin Tensei II - Spiral Nemesis review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The tactical branch of the series moves the house demons onto an isometric grid, and the contrast works: tiny figures on a concrete chequerboard, then illustration close ups when the creatures appear. The maps reuse recognisable urban locations, schools, stations, business districts, turned into battlefields.
The score applies the house recipe to the tactical format: cold synthesiser loops during deliberation, a dissonant rise at engagement, repeated figures that circle for a long time without tiring. The summoning themes deliberately stand out by their emphasis, and that regular break cuts a session into clearly identified sequences.
The story keeps the series' alignment system but applies it to an urban war: several factions fight over an overrun city, each proposing a coherent and detestable vision of the order to come. You choose a side through your acts rather than through a line of dialogue, and the game spares you none of the consequences.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Deepening the tactical mechanics and widening the roster of recruitable demons naturally lengthens every engagement, all the more as the more developed "spiral" story piles on missions to carry out. Building a varied army through negotiation, then optimizing it map after map, takes time and method. A direct sequel to the first Majin Tensei, this installment keeps the reputation of a dense, tough SMT tactical game built for patient strategists.
Technical info
💾1,9 MB📅24/02/1995
Published by Atlus
Majin Tensei II - Spiral Nemesis (SNES) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Alert active — budget
$
Collector interest
The tactical sequel to the Majin Tensei spin-off, set in Atlus's demon universe (Shin Megami Tensei). Published by Atlus in Japan only, it is prized by SMT strategy fans for writing and tactical depth surpassing the first. With no period localization, it remains a Japanese hunt in its SFC card box. Desirability rests on the SMT brand aura, its standing as the more polished sequel and the enduring demand among Atlus collectors for a complete copy with spine card.
A questionable morality
Recast as a strategy game, the principle comes down to summoning an army of demons you deploy across the grid like plain units, ready to sacrifice them without a second thought when tactics demand it. You plan your moves with a general's detachment, these creatures negotiated one by one gradually shrinking into interchangeable pawns pushed across the board.
Is Majin Tensei II - Spiral Nemesis still worth playing in 2026?
A sequel that clearly improves the demonic tactical RPG, with a cleaner interface, better-designed maps and branching narration along the alignments dear to Shin Megami Tensei. Managing an army of recruited and fused demons reaches its full strategic scope here. The mature mood and moral choices deepen the appeal. An excellent overlooked Japanese SRPG, best kept for Japanese readers who enjoy dark, demanding strategy.
