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Shin Megami Tensei: Devil SurvivorBy Marlon Esmeralda - 07-24-09 Print  EmailThe Nintendo DS is once again showing that it is the premier system for all things role-playing. My latest RPG experience comes in the form of a Shin Megami Tensei title. Much to everyone's surprise, this is not on a system with the words Playstation on it. With that alone, SMT: Devil Survivor for the Nintendo DS has already set itself apart from many of its predecessors. The console isn't only thing different for this game, as it sports a strategy RPG-like system with a mix of turn-based battling. It also has enough similarities that make it a worthy SMT title, like a dark storyline and demon summoning. Perhaps the biggest similarity it shares with its other counterparts, is that it provides a deep, memorable RPG experience. One of the things I always enjoyed about SMT games is the story. With Devil Survivor, it is no different. The story takes place in Tokyo where you play the typical high school student, who's spending a normal afternoon with his friends. You were called to meet up with your cousin, and instead receive a package full of COMPs, DS looking devices that seem to be the latest technological craze in Japan. As you soon find out, those COMPs aren't like the others as they suddenly summon demons to attack your group. After defeating the demons and binding them to a contract, you all soon realize that Tokyo is currently in a lockdown. What's worse is that there are signs showing that you got a week's worth of time to leave the area before your group, and all the other citizens who got caught, are all executed. The story may take a while to start as all these events just suddenly occur, and you are sitting there just as confused as your character in the game is. As the plot progresses, things start to become clearer, yet many mysteries await you. Devil Survivor's story is probably the main thing that will keep you going, and that's a great thing for an RPG. As you move on, you may be surprised at how dark(and disturbing) the game can be. The game sports many sudden twists to keep you on your toes, and in some cases, you may be responsible for those twists. As the silent protagonist, you will occasionally get opportunities to choose your reply to a statement, or answer to a question. It is through these choices that dialogue will change and even decide the outcome of major events. In Devil Survivor, time is key. Chapters of the game take on the form of days, where you live out each half-hour of the day. There's no areas for you to explore, all locations in the game are provided on a menu, where you select the location you wish to travel to. The events take a half-hour off of the current day, so you are encouraged to spend your time wisely. Why is this important? It's because at the start of each day you receive an e-mail to your COMP. This daily email predicts upcoming events of the day, telling things like when an explosion will occur, and even the death of a character. The predictions aren't set in stone, and this is where things get pretty interesting. On top of everyone's head is a number, and that number represents how many days they have left to live. Add that with the e-mails, and you can establish a good idea of when someone is about to meet their doom. Depending on the choices you make, and how you spend your time, could all make the difference between the saving or death of a particular character. The choices you make will also provide some long-term effects as the game provides multiple endings. With a story as interesting as Devil Survivor's was, I actually wouldn't mind at all going through it again. When an event is selected, you will either be met with dialogue or a battle. The battles are where all of the action will happen, as your group is placed onto a battlefield based on your current location. When the battle starts, the game will play like your usual strategy RPG with your guys moving a certain amount of squares. When you get close to an enemy unit and trigger an attack, that's when things change. The screen flashes and you are now fighting your opponent in a old-school first-person turn-based battling scheme. Once each party has dealt their share of attacks, the game will revert back to that of a strategy RPG. This hybrid of two simple gameplay mechanics works really well, and brings in a fresh feel to RPGs. It gets much deeper in strategy though, as each character is the leader of their own party. Each "unit" on the battlefield is a 3-man party, the leader and two subordinates. For the main character and his friends, it's them and their two demon comrades. This is where the extra strategy comes in, because taking out the leader of a group(the center character) will automatically disband the party. The game isn't all about taking out the leader either. You will be rewarded with more experience and macca(in-game currency) if you take out the two subordinates first, and the leader last. You will even earn more macca based on how well you performed in the battle. As always, it's all about the weak points. As hitting an enemy's weak point will not only do more damage, but you may also earn an extra turn. It really is a battle system that starts out simple at first, but as you play more you can see the amount of depth it really has with the countless combinations of the characters and their two demons. As with all SMT games, demons are the main tools for battling. No items or weapons will be found in this game, as it is all about spells and demons. This time around, you aren't obtaining demons by means of negotiation, but through an online auction. Simply select the auction from your COMP menu, and choose the demon you wish to buy. You will then be put in an auction with AI characters as you attempt to be the winning bidder, using the macca you obtain through battles. You can also choose to select the buyout price, and skip the whole auction process. The traditional fusion system is back, and is another way to obtain more powerful demons. It's much more easier this time around too, as you can select which skills get passed along onto the newly formed demon. The main characters in the story will also receive skills in the game, but not by leveling up. Before each battle, there is a "Skill Crack" option. This option lets you obtain skills for your characters by selecting a skill that a certain enemy may have. By defeating that enemy with the skill you have chosen, you will earn that skill for your team. The best thing about these skills, is that their completely changeable amongst all your characters, which adds more strategy in the mix. Like deciding on building a character with aggressive skills or one with all healing abilities. The same also applies to the demons you equip, as those are easily switched between the characters. So many choices to choose from, both in battle and in the story. It's this high amount of depth that makes SMT: Devil Survivor such a grand experience. It isn't no cakewalk either, as you will encounter many hard battles, with some having certain objectives like rescuing or killing someone. The objectives may also change on the fly so that you are forced to change your strategy around at the last minute. The boss battles in the game are also pretty difficult as well. Luckily there are free battles that you can encounter, which are battles that don't progress the story. These battles are a perfect way to level up your characters, and you may also obtain more powerful skills or macca to buy more demons, which you can then use to fuse into stronger ones. The strategy never really ends throughout the game, and you may just think twice on even the smallest of choices. And it really is a lengthy experience. You're looking at around a 20-30+ hour experience, and its solely based on how well you play, or what you do with your time. You can breeze through all the events if you're strong enough, or spend lots of time grinding, and fusing or buying demons. As I mentioned before, there are multiple endings for you to discover, so it is encouraged to play through the game again in the traditional New Game +. The graphics of Devil Survivor may not be as grand as it's gameplay, but they're not bad either. Sprites are used on the battlefield, with still images taking up the dialogue scenes. Nothing really animated here, but there are multiple images for each character to represent the proper emotions. It is kind of disappointing though that the low-chain of characters didn't receive any uniqueness to them, as the same character images are recycled for office workers, ladies, yakuza, and many others. Though that is something you typically see in a RPG. I am a big fan of the whole COMP layout though. It really does feel like you're using an actual device instead of playing a game. I thought it helped liven up the experience. Much of that experience is also brought to life thanks to the game's rockin soundtrack. Lots of hard rock, with plenty of guitar riffs to go around. You feel really pumped whenever that battle music kicks in. It's not always going to be high-octane fun though, as the game will smoothly transfer to a more mellow track when needed. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a welcomed addition to the SMT franchise. Featuring a simple, yet deep gameplay system that fuses a strategy RPG with turn-based battling, and making it into something that feels fresh and new. The story is very interesting and engaging with many plot twists and endings, all of which are affected by the countless choices you are faced with. One play through is already pretty lengthy, but I highly recommend playing through it all again to experience the most out of it. Due to the sheer depth of gameplay and overall memorable experience, you may just find yourself wanting to play through it again without much hesitation. SMT: Devil Survivor is not only another great RPG for a great franchise, but it is also one of the top RPGs for the Nintendo DS. Ratings |
 Select Choice Award |
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