God is in the final boss slot. Shin Megami Tensei II asked whether you agreed with him. This was 1994, in Japan.
Shin Megami Tensei II opens in Center, a domed city built over the ruins of post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where an amnesiac gladiator named Aleph fights for the amusement of a society governed by a theocratic Church. As the game progresses, the world beyond Center opens: the ruins of Tokyo, contested between angelic forces of Law and demonic Chaos. Aleph recovers his past. The stakes expand. What SMT II was willing to do that almost nothing else in gaming would attempt: it placed the God of the Abrahamic traditions — referred to by the Hebrew name YHVH — as a character whose motivations and interests the player would eventually need to evaluate. Not worship. Evaluate. The Law ending leads to a confrontation with YHVH that asks whether divine authority, unchallenged, produces something worth serving. The Chaos ending asks the opposite question. The Neutral path asks you to reject both. The game was never officially released outside Japan. Its refusal to assign heroism to any faction — including God — was also the reason it remained untranslated for decades. What Atlus built in 1994 was less a fantasy RPG than a philosophical exercise in a cartridge: a machine for generating the question of whether the powerful are good by virtue of their power, and what to do if the answer is no.
About this game
Shin Megami Tensei II is a 1994 Super Famicom RPG set in a domed city called Center, built over the ruins of Tokyo after the apocalypse depicted in the first game. The protagonist is Aleph, an amnesiac gladiator who fights for entertainment in a society controlled by a theocratic organization called the Messians. As Aleph recovers his past, the game's narrative moves through a post-apocalyptic world where angelic forces rule through a totalitarian Church, demonic Chaos opposes them, and the player must navigate between Law, Chaos, and the neutral path of personal judgment. The game expands on the first game's mechanics with new demon negotiation options and a larger world.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Shin Megami Tensei II arrived two years after the first game, in March 1994, and deepened the series' most provocative philosophical territory. Where Shin Megami Tensei I had presented the conflict between Law and Chaos as a genuinely ambiguous choice — neither the angels nor the demons offered a clearly better world — the second game pushed further, introducing YHVH (the God of the Abrahamic traditions, referred to by the Hebrew name) as a character with motives and interests that the player would eventually need to evaluate. The depiction was controversial in ways that set the tone for the franchise: Atlus was willing to treat religious figures from world traditions as subjects of critical examination rather than objects of reverence. The post-apocalyptic Tokyo of SMT II is a surveillance society. Center, the domed city, is administered by a church that claims divine mandate, monitors its citizens, and suppresses dissent in ways that would be recognizable to any reader of dystopian fiction — but rendered with a specifically Japanese sensibility about institutional authority and the costs of obedience. The game's critique was not of any specific religion but of the structure of totalitarian power dressed in sacred clothing. SMT II never received an official English localization. The themes that made it significant — the critical treatment of institutional religion, the depiction of YHVH as an antagonist, the refusal to assign clear heroism to any faction — were also the reasons it remained untranslated for decades. Fan translations eventually made the game accessible to English-speaking audiences, and an official localization finally appeared in 2023 via the Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remaster release on modern platforms.
Tricks & Tales
SMT II introduces a mechanic not present in the first game: the main character Aleph has a canonical name and a more defined backstory than the unnamed protagonist of SMT I, moving the series toward a balance between customization and authored narrative. The game's central reveal — the true nature of Aleph's identity and his relationship to the Messiah figure — was considered shocking by players at the time, and remains one of the more audacious plot turns in the franchise. The YHVH boss fight, which occurs on the path of the Law ending, was controversial enough that the game received attention from religious groups in Japan after release. Atlus did not alter the content.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan-only. Never officially localized into English for the Super Famicom. The game's treatment of religious themes — specifically the depiction of YHVH as an antagonist — contributed to the decision not to localize. Fan translations exist for emulators. The game was included in the Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne HD Remaster digital release on modern platforms with an official English translation appearing in 2023.
Maintenance Tips
The 72-pin cartridge connector is the most common maintenance point. Clean the gold-plated pins on cartridges with a cotton swab and 90%+ isopropyl alcohol; never use abrasive erasers on cartridge contacts. The connector slot on the console itself can be cleaned by inserting and removing a cartridge several times, or with a dedicated pin cleaner. For video output, S-Video provides significantly cleaner image quality than composite and uses the same multi-out port -- a passive adapter cable is all that is required. On early SHVC board revisions, a capacitor near the power LED can leak; inspect the board if the console shows instability. Use the original AC adapter or a verified equivalent: the SFC runs on 10V DC and is not compatible with Famicom or NES power supplies.
Going deeper
More on keeping a Super Famicom / SNES alive, and what to check before you buy one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Shin Megami Tensei II copies regularly.
Is there an English version of this game?
No official English Super Famicom cartridge was ever produced. The game was included in a digital compilation on modern platforms (PC, PS4, Switch) that included an English translation, but no physical English cartridge exists. All Super Famicom copies are Japanese.
Is this game related to the Persona series?
Yes. Shin Megami Tensei II is part of the Megami Tensei franchise from Atlus, which also includes the Persona series. SMT II is a mainline entry — darker, more difficult, and more philosophically confrontational than Persona. The Persona series is a spin-off from the same franchise that began with the original Megami Tensei Famicom game in 1987.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Shin Megami Tensei II
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.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
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