In typical Atlus USA fashion, all launch copies of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey will come in a collectible box containing the game and a bonus soundtrack CD showcasing the latest work of composer Shoji Meguro. The music in Strange Journey is described as “an ambient experience, combining elements of synth and electronica with ominous Gregorian-style chanting to heighten the sense of desolation and apprehension that the player experiences exploring the mysterious void.”

SMT: Strange Journey has also been given a ship date of March 23, 2010. The full official website is coming soon as well — it was actually supposed to go live with this announcement but Atlus ran into a “few snags” that have delayed the website launch for a short time — so watch out for that at www.atlus.com/strangejourney. New screenshots just became available too, and you’ll find those on the jump.

Atlus is taking the Shin Megami Tensei franchise in a bold new direction with the next installment, subtitled Strange Journey, and I, for one, simply can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Already released in Japan to high praise and now slated to ship in North America during Spring 2010 (March according to the game’s website), Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a first-person sci-fi RPG for the DS that pays tribute to the classic SMT game Nocturne with its tough dungeon-crawling play style and 300+ different types of demons to haggle with, while also breathing new life into the franchise with a refreshing sci-fi storyline said to tap into “mature themes of morality and introspection.”

Piqued your interest yet? Good! Now hit the jump for additional details, screenshots and concept artwork.

About SMT: Strange Journey:
When the black spot appeared in the Antarctic, mankind became nervous; when it began to spread, that anxiety turned to panic. The Joint Project, convened to discuss how to deal with the expanding anomaly, decided to send in four ships carrying humanity’s finest soldiers and most cutting-edge technology. The mission: to investigate what lay on the other side of what had been dubbed the Schwarzwelt and find out if there was a way to stop it from eventually covering the Earth.

You are an elite soldier hand-picked for the Strike Team, outfitted with a Demonica environment suit and posted to the Red Sprite under Commander Gore. Upon entering the Schwarzwelt, the crew finds itself forced to deal with harsh conditions, supernatural interference, and throngs of demons populating the bewildering world. What exactly is the Schwarzwelt? What awaits at the end of this strange journey? It is entirely in your hands to find out…

Key Features:

* Shin Megami Tensei goes beyond — Strange Journey’s game mechanics represent a return to the proud tradition of the all-time dungeon-crawling classic SMT: Nocturne, while its story takes players into the near future on a mission to save Earth and to understand humanity’s position within the larger universe.

* A dark turn into science fiction — Who or what is causing the black hole that is engulfing the Earth? A mission to investigate the cause uncovers a whole world of demons that humans knew nothing about. Do they seek your destruction or will you seek theirs? Will you decide to save Earth or choose another path for humanity?

* Team up with demons — Demons may be friends or foes depending on your ability to negotiate, bribe, and coerce them to join your party. With more than 300 types of demons, you’ll have a huge variety of battlefield encounters and an equally large base of options on which to build your party strategy.