The Megami Tensei series has some of the best monster designs in all of video games.

In Western countries, the Megami Tensei JRPG series is largely unknown. This is primarily due to the fact that the original Megami Tensei games were exclusively for Nintendo consoles and ran afoul of Nintendo of America's '90s-era "no religion" policy. Thus, while its contemporary JRPGS, including the early Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy titles, became popular with early Nintendo gamers, the Megami Tensei franchise never received the same exposure (although on of its multiple spin-off series, Persona, became incredibly popular in its own right).

Then, in 2003, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Noctourne debuted on PlayStation 2, bringing the franchise to English-speaking audiences at long last. Essentially a very adult version of Pokemon (although the Megami Tensei franchise predated Pokemon by nearly a decade), Shin Megami Tensei 3 revolved around an unnamed protagonist traversing through a post-apocalyptic, demon-infested Tokyo. During battle, the protagonist had the option to fight demons; but, if he so chose, he could also engage with them in conversation and potentially convince them to join him. It was a strange, fantastic game.

Now, 13 years later, Shin Megami Tensei 3 is being remastered for Nintendo Switch, and Shin Megami Tensei 5 is set to be a Switch exclusive. In celebration, we're taking a look at the best monster designs in shin Megami Tensei 3.

Shadow

  

Atlus

According to the Shin Megami Tensei 3 bestiary: ""It can transform into any person it sees. It is said that whomsoever meets it will die within a few days, and much folklore stems from this creature. They may also become physical incarnations of psychological ailments."

The idea of a twisting mask creature (almost certainly influenced by the Jungian concept of "Persona") that exists as a physical representation of mental illness is so clever and simultaneously horrifying, that the Shadow might be one of the best video game demons ever designed.