With plentiful customization options and a unique story, Devil Survivor 2 solidifies its place with the strategy greats.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 takes place in modern day Japan. A typical day turns disastrous when a massive earthquake occurs and demonic creatures escape to cause havoc across the city. Players take control of another unnamed protagonist and his school friends to defeat the demons and re-secure the city over the course of one week. Very much like past games in the Shin Megami Tensei series, the main character establishes relationships with the other members of his team, like laid-back friend Daichi and strong-hearted female Io. There are definitely some characters that will resonate better with the players than others, but being able to choose certain dialogue choices brings the Fate System into effect. Very similar to Persona 3's Social Links, certain dialogue will improve characters' morale, increase stats, or even unlock new abilities or allies. Sadly, the overall setting can feel less fleshed-out than past games in the series. Though the disaster area has urgency on its side, compared to a school or local neighborhood, Devil Survivor 2's setting has a noticeably different vibe, which is a bit disorienting. Fortunately, the characters do the heavy lifting and the dialogue alone is exciting enough to continue through Devil Survivor 2.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 is a turn-based strategy game in the vein of handheld classics like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance or Fire Emblem. Each character battles in a team with up to two other demons in tow. Each leader has specific abilities, as do the different demons. Move around the grid-based board to fight enemies. Defeat them all to win the battle. Though the game has some rather straight-ahead mechanics, learning the ins and outs of battle isn't difficult to get together. Leveling up helps your player and his buddies earn higher skills, but players can even use the Skill Crack option to earn skills from defeated enemies. Taking on another team is fast and fluid, with good use of skills earning Extra Turns to double the amount of attack rounds for your player. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 may seem like your typical strategy game, but its mechanics flow so well together that it's incredibly hard to put down.
But as seen in other Shin Megami Tensei games, specifically the successful Persona sub-series, the big fun lies in the different demons you can enlist to fight by your side. Using the demons in battle offers some serious strategy that stretches beyond the typical "weak-against-Fire, strong-against-Ice" idea, putting the collectability of the different creatures on Pokemon level. With stats to track for all of your demons, assigning moves initially appears to be straightforward. In comes the Auction application. Players can use money earned to bid on new demons to fight with, either making a deal or making a fool of yourself amongst the other bidders. Even better is the Fusion application, which allows the player to combine two different demons to make stronger ones with better skills or even skills you can only get through fusion. Very much like Nintendo's Pokemon, getting your demonic army together is incredibly addictive. You'll find yourself shelling out your hard earned cash to get a new demon, just to fuse them into a brand new form. Customization is a big part of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2's appeal; prepare to spend upwards to hours getting that perfect battle combination just right. Organizing your team into a demon-slaying behemoth is simple enough to get into, but addictive enough to keep your experimentation on a crucial high.
Devil Survivor 2's events take place in a calendar of sorts over the course of seven days, where some of your actions will require you to skip other events in order to proceed with a story. You might talk with a teammate to improve morale (maybe even increase their stats a bit) or you can simply progress through the story yourself. An available Free Battle mode lets you try out new demons without wasting precious event slots. The replay value most comes being able to customize your team while picking different strategies and managing the available time remaining during each session. It's a great portable-focused game, where you can dive into a quick mission, complete it, save, and close up your DS easily. The pacing is perfectly tuned for a handheld game, though the engrossing auction and team mechanics are bound to keep many players occupied.
Graphically, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 doesn't do too much out of the ordinary. There are some cool cutscenes, along with nice depth and texture effects, but battles aren't animated with much intensity. The static enemy designs during confrontations can overstay their welcome and attack animations rely on simplistic visual effects. It's a serious shame; Devil Survivor 2 doesn't have much flair to match its gameplay creativity. With minimalist sound design and scrolling text, Devil Survivor 2 doesn't have much on the side of audio either. The musical themes are respectable, but compared to other RPG's on the system, they're less catchy. Though it has an interesting premise and stellar gameplay design, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 doesn't flex its muscles much, whether that's technically or artistically. On the whole, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2's presentation just looks dated.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 manages to overcome its weaknesses with creative and customizable gameplay that really makes a lasting impression. The story may not reach the immense heights of the Persona subseries, but the characters are entertaining and build up plenty of interesting moments over the course of the game. A highly addictive demon fusion and leveling system is sure to keep players mixing and matching to reach their ideal demonic team. But even with such varied and interesting team construction elements, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 doesn't feel intimidating. Simple battle gameplay masks a remarkable amount of depth, whether you're stealing enemy techniques or unleashing critical hits on your foes. However, a slim presentation manages to creep into the game. As a DS game in a 3DS world, Devil Survivor 2 doesn't show much effort in making the DS's technical factors still relevant in this day and age. These gripes aside, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 is a fantastic strategy RPG with a lot to offer when it comes to playing your way. If you need a handheld RPG fix, prepare for one hell of a ride in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2.