One of the best...
SOUND: Excellent. Sound effects seem out of place first starting out. Some of the foes bark like farm animals, and magical attacks make the sound of machine guns, grenades, and bombs. Playing for a little while will help explain all this though.
The game is mixed with English and Japanese voice acting. The actors and actresses do a great job although the American voice actors should've been voicing the battles too and not just the cutscenes. It makes it seem like the fighters are out of character. It might not even be noticeable to some, but if there aren't any obligations holding the American voice actors from voicing the entire game, why not do it?
The soundtrack is the most enjoyable part of this video game. Some of the catchiest tunes you'll ever find in a video game are in Digital Devil Saga. I remember pausing for a moment just so I could listen to the music. Wasn't expecting so much work to be put into this soundtrack. This game definitely is up there with the best original video game soundtracks. It, alone, is worth buying.
GRAPHICS: Great. When I first started playing this game I thought the level design, and the grayish atmosphere was going to be a huge strain on my eyes. I'm glad my assumption was wrong. The game is beautiful. It stands up to a lot of video games today, artistically. The characters are mostly dressed in grayish uniforms, with colorful hair that stands out amongst the dreary world. Character designs, although weird, are well done. The layout of the levels does get a little repetitive every now and then.
GAMEPLAY: Good. The combat system is the same ol' standard way of gaming in most JRPGs. However, it requires more strategizing, and planning. If not careful in choosing which party members are most suitable for a given situation expect very difficult battles along with frustration. I was hoping I more than three players at once could be selected for battle, but only three characters at a time can be chosen. There are a lot of spells to choose from. The ability of in depth customization allows players to easily find a set that best fits them.
The biggest problem with Digital Devil Saga is the random encounters, which are very hard to avoid. Using a guesstimate I would say every 15-20 steps you can expect to be thrown into battle mode. Monsters also use status-effecting spells very frequently. Be prepared to stop and scroll through the menu options again and again to keep party members in good condition.
BOTTOM-LINE: It's a game unlike many others. Those who are growing tired of the teen-oriented JRPGs, will be glad there is a game like this. Hopefully in the future there will more "mature" JRPGs. It's an experience, a breath of fresh air, which most have been waiting for. If you're a JRPG fan, this a video game you cannot miss out on.