Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

"A Benchmark for all RPGs"

The world of the RPG has begun to stagnate. After Final Fantasy 10, what have we had in terms of great single-player RPGs? Very little. Sure, there was X-2 (good game, mostly fan service), and then all those MMO's (darn you Square for hanging us out to dry, XII had better be darn good), but I would hardly call these RPGs as we would have defined them in the 90's. Honestly, we were spoiled kids. The RPG was, has been, and will be a fairly steady market for games, but now as we expand outwards into the bounds of the internet, the RPG is a dying breed.

Some of our japanese friends, however, seem to have set their goal to invalidate me and my dire predictions with the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. Embodied in this game is not just a good, formulaic RPG, but exciting and challenging innovation. Rejoice, RPG fans: this is a game to play!

As a bit of background, for anyone who doesn't know, Shin Megami Tensei (also called MegaTen here) is a long-running series of not neccesarily connected games that date back to your Saturn days. Over time, they've built nothing short of a cult following, and within your first 30 minutes of Digital Devil Saga, it's easy to see why.

Keeping with their general theme of demonic intervention, the basic plotline is that you're the leader of a group called the Embryon, fighting on a vast battleground known as the Junkyard for supremacy and the right to rise into Nirvana. This all goes on very well, until, while in the middle of the battle, you find an egg which seeds within you demonic powers, and opens to reveal a mysterious girl. Everyone else is also given these powers, and now the race to enter Nirvana has stepped up to a whole new level.

Storywise, as most other MegaTen games, Digital Devil Saga founds its premise in ancient mythology (Hindu in this case) and fills the game with small philosophical questions as well as a fair amount of mystery. The game's atmosphere fits with this mythos very well, and goes a long way to creating a sort of grim, embattled mood. For instance, in the Junkyard, it's always raining, and there is thought of nothing but conflict until the whole lot of them become devils.

I should note that although the story is interesting, there aren't hours of long cutscenes as with Xenosaga, or any kind of attachment to a character that's likely to make you cry as you watch them die. What it does give you is a desire to know more. Because this is the first part of a part series, many, MANY questions are left unanswered, and it only enhances the game.

The gameplay is where this game comes into its own.

ADVANCED WARNING: This game will OWN YOUR SOUL

That having been said, there is little, if any, room for error. The battle system is turn-based, operating on a system where if you take advantage of an enemy's weakness or gain a critical hit, you get one extra turn. Also, if your attack hits an enemy who absorbs it, is immune to it, etc, you LOSE turns. These same principles apply to all your enemies. With this in mind you have to start learning to take advantage of enemy weaknesses and your own shielding magic if you want to have ANY hope of completing the game.

As I said, this game will easily take you to school. ONE carelessly thought-out attack can cost you an entire battle, give you a game over, and make you start over from the beggining. Sometimes it seems like you're just trying to cling to life until you find the next save point. Having said the challenge is strong, the system isn't at all complex, and the game is far from impossible. One simply must be cautious.

In terms of the game's visuals and sounds, both only a little above standard, even if I do love the guitar work on the game's soundtrack. Each area has its own track, certainly, but mind these are large areas, and with so many battles, after awhile you may want to turn the music down. On the other hand, there are also tracks that you can't get enough of, such as when you walk into the Karma Temple and you hear a guitar solo start playing. All the music is grounded firmly in a hard rock mentality.

The graphics are decent, and all has its own semi-cell-shaded look to it. It's odd, until you realize how easy it is to sink into it and absorb it. Certainly, it doesn't look natural, but it's easy on the eyes and entirely possible to lose yourself in at times. In keeping with the theme of Hindu mythology, some areas, such as the internal areas of some bases, are carved in reliefs of Hindu gods, which is a nice touch.

To conclude:

8/10 Story
+Interesting, highly visible character development
+Mystery that keeps you wondering and wanting to play on
-Little character bonding/meaningful interactions between characters
-The ending will make you run out to grab the next game, which is exactly what they want

9/10 Gameplay
+Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay
+Variety of battles and enemies presenting different challenges
+No one strategy will dominate all monsters, so you have to be balanced
-Punishes silly errors brutally
-WILL OWN YOUR SOUL

6/10 Audio
+Pretty cool, nonstandard guitar work
+Excellent mixing to match moods
-Repetitive as all get out after 50 battles

7/10 Visuals
+It's in the small things
+Cool cel-shaded look
+Good atmosphere
-No massively impressive scenery or battle effects
-Character models are interesting but repetitive in their actions

9/10 Overall
The gameplay easily makes up for all the other negative aspects. The game will easily keep you busy and on your toes, and leave you swearing after you press the wrong attack just that one time. :D

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/05