Atlus's Majin Tensei II is the strategy-RPG spinoff of Shin Megami Tensei that never left Japan, and this Excellence Sound Collection from 1995 is a massive, fully arranged album that treats SNES source material like a launchpad rather than a limitation.
Read more
The rearranged tracks, marked "REARR.," like "DEVIL DANCE" and "FLAME UP FRAGMENT," take the original chiptune compositions and blow them out into full studio productions. "EURYTHMIC BATTLE" is one of the standout combat themes, driving and relentless in a way that makes tactical RPG battles feel genuinely urgent.
"UNCOUNTABLE DIGITALIST" has this dark, electronic edge that fits the game's near-future apocalyptic setting. "DEJA VU" opens and reappears later, bookending the album with a sense of cyclical fate that mirrors the game's themes of time travel and demon negotiation.
The mix of English and Japanese track titles, from "PARTING.EXE" to "おもいでの詩" (Song of Memories), gives the whole thing this uniquely mid-90s Atlus flavor. "SOURPUSS," "SPANK," "OUTTALK" -- the naming conventions alone are a time capsule.
If you're into MegaTen deep cuts, this is essential listening.