You can thank a bad Dungeons & Dragons DM for one of Shin Megami Tensei’s coolest mechanics
The article discusses the origins of one of Shin Megami Tensei’s signature mechanics: the ability to recruit and persuade monsters to join your party. According to the piece, this feature can be traced back to 1987’s Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, which allowed players to attempt to convince encountered monsters to lay down their arms and become allies.
Interestingly, the mechanic’s existence is partly attributed to a historical dispute—a British Doom reviewer was once mocked for lamenting that players couldn’t talk to monsters in the classic FPS. While the reviewer’s wish was never granted in Doom, it turned out that alternative games had already explored this concept years earlier, with Digital Devil Story pioneering demon recruitment mechanics.
The system has remained a core feature throughout the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and some of its spin-offs up to the present day. A recent interview with former Atlus staff provides further insight into how this design philosophy developed and evolved over time.