<s>
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
post-apocalyptic	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atlus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
in	O
1994	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
ported	O
to	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
series	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
subset	O
of	O
the	O
larger	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
set	O
decades	O
after	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
in	O
the	O
encapsulated	O
city	O
Tokyo	O
Millennium	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
ruled	O
by	O
the	O
religious	O
Messians	O
from	O
a	O
unit	O
called	O
the	O
Center	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
not	O
have	O
direct	O
connections	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
to	O
ensure	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
interesting	O
independently	O
;	O
this	O
led	O
character	O
designer	O
Kazuma	O
Kaneko	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
story	O
vaguely	O
based	O
on	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
takes	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
gladiator	O
Hawk	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
demons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
:	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
controlled	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
the	O
player	O
exploring	O
dungeons	O
and	O
navigating	O
outdoor	O
areas	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
presented	O
as	O
2D	O
maps	O
seen	O
from	O
a	O
top-down	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
"	O
20XX	O
"	O
,	O
decades	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
where	O
a	O
war	O
between	O
angels	O
and	O
demons	O
was	O
fought	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Atlus	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
done	O
this	O
before	O
,	O
first	O
during	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
;	O
after	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
staff	O
members	O
got	O
robbed	O
,	O
they	O
decided	O
to	O
do	O
it	O
regularly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inspiration	O
to	O
do	O
this	O
came	O
from	O
Go	O
Nagai	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
exorcised	O
a	O
spirit	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
Hariti	O
while	O
writing	O
the	O
manga	O
Devilman	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
planning	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
decided	O
that	O
it	O
should	O
not	O
be	O
directly	O
connected	O
to	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
ensuring	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
hold	O
interest	O
independent	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
;	O
because	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
Kaneko	O
envisioned	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
story	O
loosely	O
based	O
on	O
Shin	O
Megami	O
Tensei'''s	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
had	O
different	O
ideas	O
about	O
the	O
timeline	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
but	O
eventually	O
decided	O
to	O
set	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
several	O
decades	O
"	O
after	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
thought	O
the	O
original	O
mythology	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
Old	O
Testament	O
,	O
and	O
therefore	O
considered	O
YHVH	O
the	O
folkloristic	B-Application
base	O
of	O
all	O
gods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
casting	O
YHVH	O
as	O
the	O
antagonist	O
,	O
Kaneko	O
noted	O
that	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
intend	O
for	O
YHVH	O
to	O
be	O
evil	O
incarnate	O
in	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aleph	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
embody	O
the	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
world	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
reflected	O
in	O
his	O
character	O
design	O
:	O
he	O
has	O
a	O
portable	O
computer	O
and	O
a	O
visor	O
that	O
he	O
controls	O
demons	O
with	O
,	O
and	O
carries	O
swords	O
,	O
guns	O
and	O
armor	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beth	O
and	O
Daleth	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
look	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
Heroine	O
and	O
Hero	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
colors	O
blue	O
and	O
green	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
designed	O
Lucifer	O
in	O
accordance	O
with	O
portrayals	O
of	O
him	O
as	O
a	O
beautiful	O
twelve-winged	O
angel	O
,	O
but	O
gave	O
him	O
six	O
wings	O
instead	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
twelve	O
across	O
his	O
appearances	O
in	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
and	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
character	O
designs	O
were	O
created	O
with	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
hardware	O
limitations	O
in	O
mind	O
:	O
Kaneko	O
designed	O
three	O
different	O
poses	O
for	O
the	O
Twelve	O
Heavenly	O
Generals	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
combined	O
in	O
various	O
ways	O
with	O
graphics	O
for	O
different	O
heads	O
and	O
held	O
items	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
different	O
color	O
palettes	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
twelve	O
different	O
combinations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
their	O
reviews	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
versions	O
,	O
they	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
still	O
holds	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kurt	O
Kalata	O
and	O
Cristopher	O
J	O
.	O
Snelgrove	O
of	O
Hardcore	O
Gaming	O
101	O
appreciated	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lowered	O
difficulty	O
compared	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kalata	O
and	O
Snelgrove	O
did	O
not	O
think	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
started	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
pizzazz	O
"	O
as	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
;	O
they	O
thought	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
amnesiac	O
savior	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
"	O
lame	O
cliche	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
idea	O
that	O
Western	O
religion	O
is	O
evil	O
has	O
been	O
worn	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
did	O
however	O
also	O
say	O
that	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
came	O
out	O
before	O
these	O
elements	O
were	O
overused	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
undoubtedly	O
"	O
were	O
fresh	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
book	O
Game	O
Magic	O
:	O
A	O
Designer	O
's	O
Guide	O
to	O
Magic	O
Systems	O
in	O
Theory	O
and	O
Practice	O
,	O
Jeff	O
Howard	O
used	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
with	O
allusions	O
to	O
Kabbalah	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
Hebrew	O
letters	O
as	O
character	O
names	O
;	O
he	O
said	O
that	O
this	O
contributes	O
to	O
the	O
atmosphere	O
,	O
and	O
gives	O
a	O
feeling	O
of	O
depth	O
or	O
mystery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
found	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
well	O
made	O
,	O
but	O
worse	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Famitsu''	O
thought	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
's	O
graphics	O
looked	O
"	O
cheap	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
