Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
Posted January 12, 2006
Nearly a year ago, I reviewed Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, a satisfying roleplaying title from Atlus. Although the game could be ridiculously
difficult, its concept – transforming into demons and eating your enemies – was innovative and perversely entertaining, and the story was mysterious and well-done, too, if a little thin. I gave it four stars and looked forward to getting some answers in part two.
Well, be careful what you wish for. Digital Devil Saga 2 picks up right where the first game leaves off, but a nonsensical story and virtually unchanged gameplay make it feel like an inferior version of the first game.
Initially, the story promises to move in a very cool but dramatically different direction. Serph, having defeated Angel in the Junkyard with the help of his comrades, has been taken to a place that is very definitely not Nirvana. It's the real world, except with yellow skies, lots of statues in the street, and soldiers who have the power to turn into demons. It seems that five years ago the sun turned black and began emitting "bad data," changing most of the planet's population into stone. See, God lives in the sun, or he is the sun, and he's dreaming, I think, and anyway, he was mad at mankind for some reason. At first, scientists scrambled for a cure, but then they decided that it would be more fun to fulfill their ambitions for world domination, and so they seized power and hired lots of soldiers in white outfits. Unfortunately, this failed to address the whole "angry deity" issue, so that becomes your job, by way of – yes, you guessed it – sending data from a network of satellites to the sun.
Yeesh. The story in the first game may have been simple, but at least it was comprehensible. The sequel, on the other hand, is full of this pretentious, pseudo-intellectual babble about God and the nature of data. The first game had hints of that, but strong gameplay and a clear objective made it a solid experience. The sequel isn't quite as fortunate, and I couldn't help but think as I played Digital Devil Saga 2 that I would rather be spending my limited free time playing Dragon Quest VIII instead.
Gameplay:
One thing that game and this one both got right, however, is the emphasis on gameplay. At the heart of the Digital Devil Saga series is a solid, turn-based battle system that relies on exploiting enemy weaknesses. Use ice on an enemy with an ice weakness and you gain a turn; use ice on an enemy that is strong against it and you lose one. That said, this is not a beginner's RPG. At its heart it is a dungeon-crawler, with very long levels, a high encounter rate, and battles that can go south on a dime. Even random fights can wipe out a well-prepared party. As in the first game, playing smart and defensively is the order of the day.
Gamers curious about the in-depth specifics should read my original review; only minor changes have been made to the formula. The most obvious change is the berserker mode, which only appears during certain periods of "solar noise." Your characters play these battles in an ultra-powerful half-human, half-demon state. All attacks you land are critical hits, but because you're out of control, your accuracy is low, your defense is nonexistant, and you can't use your skills, except those of the carnivorous variety.
The game promises the ability to unlock something extra if you have a completed saved game from the first, but it wouldn't work with mine (apparently due to the fact that it was also a review copy). Suffice it to say, you cannot import your party, levels, or skills into this game – there's an incidental remark early on about this.
Graphics:
As in the first game, the simple, stylized cel-shaded graphics look good, but they're not jaw-dropping. In keeping with the depressing tone of its predecessor, pretty much every surface in Digital Devil Saga 2 is gray, black, white, or brown. Gone, too, is the neat Hindu-themed architecture of the first game. Now that we're in the real world, all structures are cold, metallic, and boring – including the Karma Society's head office, which is, quite literally, an office building. Complete with cubicles.
Except for a few additions, the characters are the same as before, and their look is the same. The same goes for
most of the enemies, which appear here unchanged.
Audio:
The music in the first game was pretty good, and it's actually one of the few things that's improved in the sequel – especially the intro song, which I like quite a bit more than the first game's (even though that one wasn't too bad). It's all repetitive techno and dance, and most of the time just exists in the background, which is perfect for an RPG. The music for boss battles is a lot of fun.
The voice acting was good in the first game also, and it remains just as engaging this time around, with one exception – those who have played the game will know who I am referring to. Unfortunately, the dialogue is about the story, and it should be apparent what I think of that. The fact that the acting remains sharp in spite of having to spout gibberish is a credit to the actors involved.
Conclusion:
The teaser at the end of Digital Devil Saga asked, "Are you ready for the real world?" Apparently I wasn't. In contrast to the first game's relatively elegant and simple plot, the sequel's story is a mess. Far from "defeat the villain and rescue the princess," the villains are never really clear, and throughout the game you're in the dark as to what exactly you're trying to accomplish. While the gameplay remains just as solid as before, with very little new, the game just feels like a 35-hour rehash. Rent it.
difficult, its concept – transforming into demons and eating your enemies – was innovative and perversely entertaining, and the story was mysterious and well-done, too, if a little thin. I gave it four stars and looked forward to getting some answers in part two.Well, be careful what you wish for. Digital Devil Saga 2 picks up right where the first game leaves off, but a nonsensical story and virtually unchanged gameplay make it feel like an inferior version of the first game.
Initially, the story promises to move in a very cool but dramatically different direction. Serph, having defeated Angel in the Junkyard with the help of his comrades, has been taken to a place that is very definitely not Nirvana. It's the real world, except with yellow skies, lots of statues in the street, and soldiers who have the power to turn into demons. It seems that five years ago the sun turned black and began emitting "bad data," changing most of the planet's population into stone. See, God lives in the sun, or he is the sun, and he's dreaming, I think, and anyway, he was mad at mankind for some reason. At first, scientists scrambled for a cure, but then they decided that it would be more fun to fulfill their ambitions for world domination, and so they seized power and hired lots of soldiers in white outfits. Unfortunately, this failed to address the whole "angry deity" issue, so that becomes your job, by way of – yes, you guessed it – sending data from a network of satellites to the sun.
Yeesh. The story in the first game may have been simple, but at least it was comprehensible. The sequel, on the other hand, is full of this pretentious, pseudo-intellectual babble about God and the nature of data. The first game had hints of that, but strong gameplay and a clear objective made it a solid experience. The sequel isn't quite as fortunate, and I couldn't help but think as I played Digital Devil Saga 2 that I would rather be spending my limited free time playing Dragon Quest VIII instead.
Gameplay:
One thing that game and this one both got right, however, is the emphasis on gameplay. At the heart of the Digital Devil Saga series is a solid, turn-based battle system that relies on exploiting enemy weaknesses. Use ice on an enemy with an ice weakness and you gain a turn; use ice on an enemy that is strong against it and you lose one. That said, this is not a beginner's RPG. At its heart it is a dungeon-crawler, with very long levels, a high encounter rate, and battles that can go south on a dime. Even random fights can wipe out a well-prepared party. As in the first game, playing smart and defensively is the order of the day.Gamers curious about the in-depth specifics should read my original review; only minor changes have been made to the formula. The most obvious change is the berserker mode, which only appears during certain periods of "solar noise." Your characters play these battles in an ultra-powerful half-human, half-demon state. All attacks you land are critical hits, but because you're out of control, your accuracy is low, your defense is nonexistant, and you can't use your skills, except those of the carnivorous variety.
The game promises the ability to unlock something extra if you have a completed saved game from the first, but it wouldn't work with mine (apparently due to the fact that it was also a review copy). Suffice it to say, you cannot import your party, levels, or skills into this game – there's an incidental remark early on about this.
Graphics:
As in the first game, the simple, stylized cel-shaded graphics look good, but they're not jaw-dropping. In keeping with the depressing tone of its predecessor, pretty much every surface in Digital Devil Saga 2 is gray, black, white, or brown. Gone, too, is the neat Hindu-themed architecture of the first game. Now that we're in the real world, all structures are cold, metallic, and boring – including the Karma Society's head office, which is, quite literally, an office building. Complete with cubicles.
Except for a few additions, the characters are the same as before, and their look is the same. The same goes for
most of the enemies, which appear here unchanged.Audio:
The music in the first game was pretty good, and it's actually one of the few things that's improved in the sequel – especially the intro song, which I like quite a bit more than the first game's (even though that one wasn't too bad). It's all repetitive techno and dance, and most of the time just exists in the background, which is perfect for an RPG. The music for boss battles is a lot of fun.
The voice acting was good in the first game also, and it remains just as engaging this time around, with one exception – those who have played the game will know who I am referring to. Unfortunately, the dialogue is about the story, and it should be apparent what I think of that. The fact that the acting remains sharp in spite of having to spout gibberish is a credit to the actors involved.
Conclusion:
The teaser at the end of Digital Devil Saga asked, "Are you ready for the real world?" Apparently I wasn't. In contrast to the first game's relatively elegant and simple plot, the sequel's story is a mess. Far from "defeat the villain and rescue the princess," the villains are never really clear, and throughout the game you're in the dark as to what exactly you're trying to accomplish. While the gameplay remains just as solid as before, with very little new, the game just feels like a 35-hour rehash. Rent it.