On release, "Famitsu" magazine gave the original Super Famicom version a score of 36 out of 40, with all four reviewers giving it a 9 out of 10. This made it one of their three highest-rated games of 1992, along with "Dragon Quest V" and "World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck". "Shin Megami Tensei" was also one of only eleven games to have received a "Famitsu" score of 36/40 or above up until 1992. For subsequent console ports, "Famitsu" gave scores of 25/40 (PCE), 28/40 (MD), 30/40 (PS), and 27/40 (GBA). The website "TouchArcade" said that they loved the game, and that it was one of their favorite role-playing games on iOS. They did however think that the game was bad at explaining things, including the system of saving one's progress. Pocket Gamer, too, thought that things were not explained enough. For instance, they said that the game does not guide players from point A to point B, and often does not even let players know where to start looking for point B. RPGFan echoed this, and said that it is not uncommon for players to wander around, wondering where to go. Gamezebo said they did not think the battle system was particularly exciting, but appreciated how the conversation system and the demon fusion adds elements of risk and reward to the game. The British newspaper "Metro" found the game more entertaining than most role-playing games from its time. Gamezebo found the iOS version's touch screen-based virtual buttons clumsy to use, while Pocket Gamer found the interface to work "reasonably well" while using the landscape mode, and RPGFan found the interface to be excellent. Both Gamezebo and "TouchArcade" wished the game had been a "universal app", so that it could have been played on other devices than iPhone and iPod Touch without having the graphics upscaled. Several reviewers appreciated the game's plot. Gamezebo said that it was an aspect of the game that stood out in a positive way, and pointed out how good they thought the English translation was. "TouchArcade" called the story one of the game's strengths, and said that it was impressive, despite how it had a tendency to be "ham-fisted". "Metro" appreciated how the game avoided role-playing cliches, such as how it took place in a modern Japan rather than in a "Tolkien-esque fantasy world"; they also liked its "unrestrained style of storytelling".