One of my all-time
favorite games for the DS was 2009's Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor. True
to form for the SMT series, the game revolved around a group of young people
who become embroiled in an otherworldly conflict. In the first game, characters
used special DS-shaped devices called COMPs that could be used to summon
demons. When you were a demon tamer, you would also gain the ability to see how
many days someone had left to live. Events in the game could either increase or
decrease the amount of days a chosen character had left, so it was up to you to
make the right decisions and survive until the bitter end of the crisis. The
game featured all of the tropes you might expect from a JRPG, but it added several
modern twists to the formula. Demon collecting, social missions, and branching
character growth made it a game that JRPG fans just couldn't miss.Devil Survivor 2
features much of the same structure and tropes as the first game. Players will
again be in command of a gang of three young people who find themselves
unwittingly at the center of an occult crisis. Blackouts, lockdowns, and shady
non-governmental organizations all play roles here, and the story gets complex
very quickly. The game does assume some familiarity with the SMT universe, and
doesn't really go into depth about where the demons came from or how demon
taming actually works. You simply have to accept the rules of the universe and
enjoy the ride from there. If this is your first time with an SMT game, be
warned that these games are all very text-heavy, and it's not uncommon to flip
through text for ten or more minutes between battles.
Though the structure is
almost the same, there are some key differences in the story this time around.
COMPs no longer exist, and our new heroes use their smartphones to summon and
manage demons. The countdown clocks have also been replaced, and threatening
situations are now delivered via updates to a website that postspredictive
video clips of your friends' deaths minutes before they actually happen. It's
sort of like a morbid Facebook-meets-YouTube thing. (If you're guessing that
the game is using this fictional website to make some kind of statement on our
hyper-connected world, you're absolutely right.) Like many JRPGs, the story
gets a bit preachy at times, but if you've ever played an SMT game, you know
this is par for the course.
Much like the original
game, the story branches off in several directions, and your actions and
decisions will determine not only key events in the game, but also who lives
and who dies. You have to think about everything you do in the game, and if you
don't play it smart you can get yourself into a very tough spot fairly quickly.
However, smart players will recognize when they are heading down a losing path
and take one of the game's few cues to get out before they are totally screwed.
The battle system is
nearly identical to the one in the first game, relying on your ability to
collect, equip, and create demons with the largest amount of elemental
strengths and the fewest amount of weaknesses. Most of the demons in the game
will be immediately familiar to players of the original, but as you progress
you will see at least a few new faces on the demon roster. I would have liked
to have seen a little bit more variety here, as collecting the same old demons
feels a bit cheap at first, and using the same old attacks is a bit of a
letdown. However, the battle system from the first game still feels relevant
and modern, despite being recycled three years later.
Visuals are also on par
with Devil Survivor, although the sequel boasts more animated plot scenes than
the original. However, in-game visuals, even down to demon animations and NPC
silhouettes, are completely unchanged. This is also a bit of a disappointment,
as I would expect completely new assets to be produced for a high-profile
sequel like this. The lack of production value is a bit sad, especially when
the game itself is so good. It deserves to have as much new content as
possible, and, unfortunately, that doesn't translate to the visuals
