If you are searching for a unusual mature RPG you are absolutely right here!
+Great Dungeons
+Great,unusual Storyline
+Tactical Fights
+Unique Atmosphere
+Cler Game-Save for Ep 2 and Replaying
The Bad:
-A bit short
-Extremely hard last Dungeon
First off,I played Persona 1+2 from Atlus before,who are said to be Spin-offs to the Shin Megami Tensei-Series,so I´m pretty used to Atlus a bit unusual End-of-the-World-Style.
It´s not for everyone,but those who played SMT Nocturne (SMT Lucifer´s Call in Europe) get used to it pretty fast.
Not forgetting that the original title was Digital Devil Saga:Avatar Tuner,which means it´s no original SMT,but after all...who cares?
The Storyline is a bit hard to explain without giving too much info,so I just tell a little bit:
While two Groups of People are fighting,a big thing appeared in the middle of the Battlefield and killed many pople.In it was a unknown Girl which lost the knowledge of her mission,so your group of people takes her with them.
From now on your Characters and Enemys change to monsters and devour each other.The journey begins to solve that problem and finding out what happend with the Girl.
It get´s pretty interesting and open ended of course,since it´s only Ep 1,but definetly worth playing.
The Gameplay:
The Fighting itself is pretty old-school.It´s turnbased and pretty easy to get.The Special about it is that you get cursred pretty often and the enemxs got almost all strong and weak sides.
Sounds like in every other game,but it isn´t.Why?Because the have really STRONG sides.Some enemys Repel attacks.They often appear in mixed groups so you can´t make attacks on all enemys or get damaged pretty bad.In the last Dungeon even Enemys with physical Repel appear.You hit them and your Character is almost a goner.You have to learn every Strengh and weakness,so it get´s pretty tactical.
The rest of the Game is pretty much up to Dungeon-crawling.finding treasures...the Genre typical Stuff.Plus a few Puzzles.The switching between the places is through a List of places you can go.Pretty easy and you can go almost everywhere back till the end of the Game.
The Power-up-System is a bit like the Sphere-System of FFX and Job-System of FFT.You get normal Level Ups,but to learn new Techniques you have to move on a Board you can learn Special jobs if you reach the right point and have egnough money.
It´s pretty easy to get and every Character can learn every Technique.Pretty good to learn Element-Defense spells for the Characters.Everyone has it´s weaknesses,too
The Graphics:
The Game looks awesome in it´s cold,grey End-of-the-World-Style.There are little Details here and there and it runs smooth...all in all nothing to complain here.Exept if you want happy clorful Disney-Graphics like in FFX,then you´re absolutely wrong place.
The Sound:
The Music is a bit unusual here and there too.It fits perfect.It´s often a bit more E-Guitar,but with a bit of electro-music.Pretty hard to explain.The opening-theme is a bit Drum´n Bass-like,but not the original from the japanese Version.I liked it.
So...:
If you liked SMT:Nocturne or just want a unusual,more mature RPG you found absolutely the best one.
But,be warned,if you´re through you just have to buy Ep2,so hold a bit money back for it.