"Do you have what it takes to survive?"

I was first introduced to the Shin Megami Tensei series last year, when I purchased Nocturne for the PS2. To be technical, I had watched the game Persona being played before, but it wasn't until later that I remembered that I was watching it. Anyway, I was extremely pleased with Nocturne. I then went further and picked up Persona 3 this year, which was another outstanding RPG. While browsing on Amazon one day many months ago, I found that there was a planned Shin Megami Tensei release for DS, namely, Devil Survivor. This year, my brother bought me the game for my birthday. And I couldn't be more pleased with it.

Graphics - Anyone who knows me knows that I do not believe graphics are what makes a game great. Great graphics to me is simply eye candy that makes a game pleasing to look at. However, since I know there are those of you out there that want my take on it, I will give you the lowdown on what I think about the graphics.

The graphics for this game are not bad at all. If you aren't the kind of person who is really into anime, then you might not be too impressed with the close-up character models (such as when characters are speaking to one another), which greatly resemble manga character models. However, the 3D sprites on the battlefield look very well done for a DS game, and the in-battle graphics are a sight to behold, too. It really looks like the developers put a lot of care into the creation of the graphics of this game, as all the graphics are pleasing to the eye.

Story - With my experiences with the Shin Megami Tensei series, I have experienced a couple of complex, crazy, and incredibly dark storylines. I would say this storyline is right up there with those of the other two aforementioned games at the top of the review. Seriously, I found this storyline even darker than that of Persona 3, and to me, that is saying something. It starts out almost right away, when you and two of your high school buddies receive three COMPs (communication devices that greatly resemble DS game systems), each one with the same strange e-mail on it that ends the same way...saying to you, "Let's survive." As if that wasn't enough, shortly after, you experience your first battle with demons, the COMPs acting to summon them to battle you! From there, it only gets darker, with something called the Laplace Mail System, and another element, which you see almost all the time in conversations with others, called the death clock, which is a number above the heads of people all over the city (including your own) that shows how many days a person has left to live before they die.

But anyway, after the city is locked down, you literally have to find a way out, demons blocking your every path, along with the Self-Defense Force (or SDF). If you want to know what else happens...you'll just have to play the game yourself. The story is too great and too dark to explain all at once, and I don't want to spoil the whole thing for you. I just want to give basics behind the story.

Gameplay - The gameplay really stands out from Nocturne and Persona 3. In this game, the gameplay comes in three different stages. First, there is the exploration. To some, the exploration factor might be a slight disappointment. There is hardly any exploration involved at all. The exploration includes a list of the different sectors of the city, and you choose where you want to go, then choose to listen to the people around, check around the area (this can be slightly dark, since the descriptions of the area after the lockdown can be really dark, such as once bustling areas of the city now being almost completely barren), or get into a battle (these will be listed). You can also listen to storyline characters that might happen to be around. Though you have to choose who you listen to with a little thought. This is because sometimes, when you talk to one person, other people who might have been around to listen to will disappear (since talking to someone takes up time, and not everyone will stand around waiting for you to all hours of the day).

The second thing you can do is go to the menu to do a few things there. However, things like items are no longer here, which you can perceive as either a blessing or a curse. But the main thing you will do here in the menu is switch up your teams, and attend the demon auction. The demon auction is where you will place bids, or outright buy, any demon that is listed in the market (it is easier to just buy demons right off the bat, since bidders can list some crazy bids sometimes). Once a demon has been purchased, they will enlist themselves in your little army of combatants and demons. Of course, you can still fuse demons together to get something stronger. A huge plus about demon fusion in this game is that it can be customized any way you want. Instead of skills received from fusion being randomized, you select skills of demons being fused to be crossed over to the new demon that will be fused. So, if the new demon does not originally have a fire spell, a healing skill, or a support skill that will raise their maximum MP, you can give them these skills, just so long as either of the demons being fused together have them. This, in my opinion, is a massive plus from the game.

And, of course, there are battles to be fought. At first glance, battles seem more like those of tactical RPGs. You will set your party on the field and move them according to turn order. Then, you will move up to your enemies, or they to you, and will attack. From there, though, things will change dramatically. From there, it is more along the lines of a standard RPG. These battles become fearsome 3-on-3 fights. But, to add to that, there is an element of strategy you have to employ. You see, if you eliminate the middle creature, which is the leader, then the team will be defeated. However, the leader, as long as his wingmen are still alive, will have enhanced defense, and will thus be harder to take out. These battles start off relatively easy. However, not to long afterwards, you really need to start thinking about how you fight your enemy, as you may have to try and take them out quickly, or their power may prove to be overwhelming for just one ally. And, after a certain point of the game, you will receive bonus Macca depending on how you fought your enemy.

But there is more to the battle system than meets the eye. There is also something introduced here called the Skill Crack. At the beginning of fights, you can select allies that you want to crack skills. Select the skill you want to crack (assuming you have met the requirements to crack it), Then, have the ally you want to crack that skill move in and defeat the monster for the skill crack. Once you defeat that monster, your ally will crack the skill, which means they can now employ that skill in battle. However, keep in mind that to successfully use the Skill Crack ability, the ally you want to crack the skill has to be the one who defeats the monster who's skill they are cracking. So, for example, if you want to have the hero crack something like the Watchful skill of Garm, if any of your other allies defeats that Garm, then you will not crack the skill. The team who's leader is cracking the skill has to be the one to defeat that monster. It all sounds complicated at first, but it becomes easy, and almost natural, after the first few fights of being able to Skill Crack.

And finally, there is Magnetite. This is essentially skill cracking for demons. The more you battle with a team, the more Magnetite that team will build up. When it reaches it's maximum limit, you will be able to teach any one demon in your team a command skill that you have cracked. For example, if you want to teach your Bilwis the skill Agi, as long as you have cracked it, you can copy the skill onto his command skill set. Like Skill Crack, this might take a bit of time to master, but after a few uses of it, it will seem second nature.

The battle system really makes this game shine. You will decide for yourself whether or not you like the other elements of the game when you play it. However, the battle system may be the thing that really catches your eye.

There are also multiple routes of the game you can take, each one differing from the other, and some harder, or even much harder, than others. Which route you take through the game depends on the choices you make throughout the game. Make your choices carefully...it will affect you in the long run.

Characters - Another thing I really look for in a game is good characters. While this may not seem like much to some people, to me, it is a real factor that can influence the story. Why? Because if a character is flat and uninteresting, they have a tendency to remain that way, but if too many of them are flat and uninteresting....but thankfully, none of them here are.

The characters in this game are incredible. Each character has their own personality and backstory that really sets them apart from the rest. Of course, the personality of the hero will depend on the things you say to others. But the others each has their own personality that really sets them apart from the others.

For example, one of your school buddies has a real knack for computers, knowing almost everything there is to know about them, while the other really struggles with them and does not know the computer lingo the other one uses. Another person has a singing career and uses that to hide something about herself. Another character acts tough, but really has a big heart and helps others when he gets the chance. And yet another character is really happy-go-lucky, and an anime cosplayer! As you can see, there are just so many characters with so many different personalities. You will find yourself being drawn to at least one of them, and the backstories for some of them can be so depressing at times that you just feel sorry for them. What are these backstories? Again, I think if you really want to know, you should play the game and find out for yourself.

I really enjoy these characters, and in my opinion, this game has one of the most interesting casts I've ever seen.

Soundtrack - While there is not much in terms of a soundtrack (there are not many songs within the game), what there is of one is incredibly well done. As if it wasn't enough that the opening theme rocks, the in-game soundtrack is extremely catchy and very memorable. There are things like rock and roll for the opening and battle themes, a sort of street-beat riff for exploring the city, and a depressing song that plays at night (this day is over...but what happens tomorrow?). The soundtrack I feel is genius, and it is composed by Takami Asano. I expected Shoji Meguro to be behind the soundtrack, like he was for Persona 3, Persona 4, and Nocturne, but just because he isn't the genius behind this soundtrack, don't let that influence whether or not you like it. Instead, give the soundtrack a listen, and see what you think of it then.

My Final Words - Devil Survivor, I feel, is an excellent addition to the series, and a real heavy-hitting RPG for the DS. Should you rent or buy? It really depends. If you are new to the game series, I suggest renting it first. However, if you are already a fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series, I highly recommend buying it, as this is a game that just can't be missed. So, I'll leave you with these words...

Tokyo is in full lockdown...demons are everywhere...can you survive through the madness?

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/09

Game Release: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (US, 06/23/09)