This is the kind of RPG you'll wish to play among others if you don't own the DS.
- Fantastic story and likeable characters
- Interesting battle system which offers a lot of variety and is always fun
- Almost limitless skill customization
- Great dialogue and soundtrack
Negative
- Not enough places to play a random battle
- Excessive difficult when it comes to protecting others
- Enemy's joy is attack weaknesses is infuriating
Devil Survivor has everything an RPG needs to be a great RPG, which includes a memorable story with suspense, interesting characters, a difficult, strategic and fun battle system plus a superb presentation. It's just a shame it's DS only, because this is one of Atlus's best. It's fantastic throughout this lengthy quest; it can become infuriatingly difficult because of the brutal and sharp AI which punishes you for not having a great party, but in the end Devil Survivor is a game like no others, and even so it may be one of the best around.
I played several of Atlus's RPG and everything found an intriguing story and protagonist which never let down. Devil Survivor is no different and it still has an involving story with demons and gods and stuff. A series of mysterious accidents led the government to lock down that city. People have now been trapped unaware of what might really be going on. You are once again a part of a trio of high school students, which having received a "normal" looking COMP from your cousin, you are now fighting alongside demons to defeat other demons. You get to name your protagonist along with a nickname and you are allowed to manage skills and attributes. After receiving some disturbing predictions from someone through mail, the 3 friends; you, Atsuro Kihara a close friend and computer programmer, and Yuzu Tanikawa another friend since elementary. In the middle of the chaos in city, without electricity and everyone unable to escape the city, you will be locking for an escape route, before your number reaches zero and die.
Each character you'll meet in the game has a number near their head when they appear in the dialogues. Characters that don't have means that they have more than 6 days to live, but others which having, including your initial party has a number which is 0. It means that they would have to die that day. It is proven by them that their fate and the fate of others can be changed. This part can add some tension and suspense to the story. Only a few characters can see the numbers including the protagonist. The COMPs act as the main menu of the game. There is no exploration and no random encounter so all battles are pre-planned. You can place some optional battles which remain there and can be played as many times as you want, but there are so few and become repetitive if you need to do some grinding. You are always told where you have to go, so you can skip all unnecessary fighting. After a battle you can save and do other stuff. From the menu you can visit several places, and you have to option to: look around, talk to your party and talk to people there. There is no movement, you just get the dialogue of what is there but you won't see anything. Devil Survivor has zero exploration and most of the time these places are unnecessary since you don't actually have to do anything there.
The gameplay is simple fantastic, although sometimes overall too difficult. You can have up to 4 players in a battle, and each character can have 2 demons. The game plays differently than any Shin Megami Tensei I've played so far. You move very much like you do in Disgaea, with square boxes and a limit to your movement. You see a single enemy but when you attack, you enter a first-person view and more enemies will appear, up to 3 of them. Whether it is your turn or the enemy's turn, you both attack. Hitting critical or weaknesses may earn you extra turns. The area is normally big, so you have a fair amount of freedom to move in. You will always be outnumbered.
Thanks to the COMPs, you can make contract with demons and they will join your party. Each player can have up to 2 in battle, but if they are defeated others can be summoned. Aside from movement there are more options in battle. To attack you need to be in front, aside or behind. You can't attack from afar. The more demons you have the more chance you have to win. Almost all enemies come in a pack of three, and yes that includes bosses as well. Some demons have special properties that allow you to use spells such as dia, devotion, and devil speed outside battle to increase your chances. For example if you use devil speed you can move much further and dia can heal you. This depends on the demon you are using. Each character can equip any demon available, and there are many of them. You also will receive mail which tells how to use almost every option in the game. Practically the party is almost inside a game themselves.
A new addition to the series is the demon auction. After a battle pressing a button you open another menu where you can save and after some time you unlock the demon auction. It's nothing particular impressive, but you can bid for a demon and if you win you get it. You can just buy it immediately at full price though, making the bidding part totally useless. Playing more in the game unlocks the cathedral of shadows, where here you can fuse your demons to get new ones, along with inheriting spells. You can fuse and get demons which are at your level, and you cannot see what you can't have. Through battles you gain Macca (money) and EXP. Your characters can get new skills through the skill crack. Before dispatching your party in battle, you can choose skill crack, then choose a skill from the available ones which you might want and then choose from the available enemies to kill. If that characters and his demons manage to kill that particular enemy, that character gets that skill. The demons you have become more powerful as you progress. There are plenty of skills, including classic spells like dia and agi, and the return of zan instead of garu. The magnetizer occasionally appears when leveling up and allows you to add a skill to one of your demons.
The order of turns when facing the enemy is messed up big time. You choose the attacks of your party and then attack, but even if you choose the protagonist's attack first, the demon on your right may attack first. Also enemies may attack before you even if you made the move. When the enemy attacks you when outside the first-person view, they get the attack which may include any extra turn. Doing critical or attacking weaknesses may earn you an extra turn but same goes for the enemy. The enemies don't make movement when they attack like the other Shin Megami Tensei on the PS2, but you'll see something coming from the enemy to the target. Demons have weaknesses and strength to exploit. You can use that to your advantage but the enemy is smarter than you think. Humans don't have weaknesses and sometimes they deal more damage than demons. Sometimes you have to protect other people. There is a mission where you have to protect people, defeat the demons, and don't let demons escape. It was not clearly stated to protect the humans. These kind of missions are the most irritating you can find in the game.
Devil Survivor is a difficult RPG. It's not easy to progress through all the game without grinding. There are normally two stages for you to do some leveling up but they never change. The enemies in the stage do change however. The AI is incredibly smart and brutal. They tend to exploit your demons weaknesses and attack them first. In bosses there will be other demons alongside him. Dealing with the boss is already a chore itself, but having his henchmen around is a bigger chore. When fighting other humans with COMPs, you can defeat the human so you can end it quicker. The enemy is merciless most of the time, and likes to use buff spells like devil speed, sometimes dia and definitely bind. It is always indicated whether the area you should visit has a battle or not, but most of the time you will go there and talk to someone.
The bottom screen if mostly used and can't do without. If the bottom screen you will be seeing the dialogue and battles, while the upper screen is used for seeing enemy status and the map of the area. The game is full of dialogue, but not same old boring dialogue. They can't be skipped, since you have to choose some answers when displayed which can impact the game. There are multiple endings worth of multiple play through. Sometimes you have multiple options to go where there are people, and if you go to one the other may not be there. The gameplay requires strategy and focus, since a simple careless mistake can cost you your life.
It's my first DS review, so I may hit rock-bottom. The graphics are simple but the game looks great. The backgrounds are great looking in battle. The dialogue is well done and you'll never get tired of seeing it. The character models in battle look small, but I shouldn't complain about it. Every place you'll visit is full of detail. Too bad there is no freedom of exploration. You should expect no voice acting but you do get some awesome background music and great sound effects. Music gets repetitive though.
Devil Survivor is a great RPG in every field, but series fans shouldn't buy the DS for this game only. Yes it is a shame that it is only on the DS but that is how Atlus rocks. This turn-based RPG is very challenging thanks to some smart and brutal AI, but plays fantastically. There are hours worth of gameplay and multiple play troughs, with several endings. Just like most Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Survivor is a worth edition to this series, and this is the kind of game you should if you are starting to hate those like fantasy RPGs.
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Graphics = 8.7
Looks simple but good. Some very good looking backgrounds and demons.
Sound = 8.5
Don't expect any voice acting, but the soundtrack rocks. It may get repetitive over time but you'll enjoy it for some time.
Presentation = 8.9
Well presented dialogue and production values. Top screen is not used as much, and could have used some exploration. The menu is terrific, keeping you absorbed in the game. Great suspense and atmosphere.
Gameplay = 8.7
Strategic, challenging, sometimes frustrating and fun, Devil Survivor delivers an experience like no other Shin Megami Tensei. The square box movement and then first-person view, numerous demons, skill customization and plenty of characters. Plus you get the demon auction and cathedral of shadows. Need for freedom and more battles. The AI is brutal most of the time.
Story = 9.0
Atlus always presents a great story, and Devil Survivor is no exception here. Multiple endings, and a secret boss, plus many things that will keep you for quite a while.
OVERALL = 86 / 100
This is the kind of RPG you'll wish to play among others if you don't own the DS.