In addition to marking a return to the core series,
Strange Journey returns the series to its traditional dungeon exploration roots. Similar to the original games (which never saw release in North America),
Strange Journey is a first-person dungeon crawl built on the
Etrain Odyssey engine. Although you'll spend a lot of time in combat, exploration is a big part of the experience. Early in the game, you'll earn something called a Forma Detector, which acts as a sort of radar. As you work your way through dungeons, you'll discover Forma, which you can then use to upgrade your suit, giving you access to new weapons and accessories. Throwing a little
Metroid into the mix, each new piece of equipment will allow you to unlock new sections of each dungeon. Additionally, new pieces of Forma will appear in already-visited dungeons, offering something new to find as you explore, and re-explore areas.
Negotiating with demons has always been a big part of the SMT series, and Strange Journey continues the trend by offering hundreds of new and familiar demons to recruit to your party. Each time you run across a demon, you can choose to fight them or negotiate, hopefully bringing them to your side. Bargaining with demons is tricky business and, if past games are any indication, should provide a bulk of Strange Journey's gameplay depth.