Among all the different approaches Atlus has had to Megami Tensei since 1987, Digital Devil Saga has to be the most interesting one, it already differentiates itself from the mainline games heavily and builds its own identity by focusing the teological themes and references on Hinduism, everything from the architecture, names to even in-game systems draw heavy inspirations from those beliefs, and the more well-versed you are on that, the more meaning Digital Devil Saga will have, the game makes really intelligent parallels and references to Hindu religions.
But a game can't live on just symbolism, and it's in the gameplay part that Digital Devil Saga starts to show its flaws, they tried a different take on levelling and demon summoning, here, you no longer fuse and summon different demons, but instead, each party member has a set entity they can transform into, which in and off itself is a interesting idea, but the effect it had on levelling up is massively negative, because you no longer change demons (or magatamas) they had to implement a new system for skill learning, or the game would become very staple and with little variety if you could only learn pre-set skills to those entities, and this system comes in the form of Mantras, which is kinda like the magatama system from Nocturne, as in both revolve around different "equipment" that you can equip on the human characters and each one will have a type of skills for the player to learn while they level up, the problem is: in DDS, it becomes very grindy, especially if you want to defeat the optional bosses, in Nocturne, you still needed to grind if you wanted a specific skill, but as long as you had a general idea of how you wanted to build the Demi-Fiend you could just equip Magatamas that teach the types of skills you needed and have almost no need to grind, but in this game, if you want to make every party member you use somewhat decently strong, you must grind different mantras for each skill you want, and it quickly becomes tiresome.
The other major gameplay factor in Megami Tensei games are the dungeons, and i like the ones present here, they aren't as complex as the ones in Strange Journey or as trap-filled as the ones in Nocturne, instead, they have a more puzzley approach, and are pretty well thought out, i understand the criticisms some have towards them, but i personally like it.
It's hard to write about only DDS1's story without taking the second game into consideration, since everything seen here is just build up and character development for the REAL events that take place in the sequel, but for what it does, the world building is quite interesting, you get to see a bit of each faction of the Junkyard and how they operate, and the characters, both main and side, are very good and don't take long to capture your interest, it's a good story as it is, but i don't like the idea of making a whole game just to build up the sequel.
The soundtrack here (as usual in Atlus games) is amazing, super atmosferic and distinct, i think this duology's OST might be my favorite works from Shoji Meguro, and that's saying a lot, considering i really like most of his music, the visuals are also very good for the PS2 and the art direction is one of the best in gaming.
Overall, Digital Devil Saga is a solid game and a respectable attempt at a new take on Megami Tensei, even if it has major flaws, it's still an experience i enjoyed a lot, my rating is a 4/5 for the reasons i mentioned above, but i can easily see it being a 4.5 or even a 5.
But a game can't live on just symbolism, and it's in the gameplay part that Digital Devil Saga starts to show its flaws, they tried a different take on levelling and demon summoning, here, you no longer fuse and summon different demons, but instead, each party member has a set entity they can transform into, which in and off itself is a interesting idea, but the effect it had on levelling up is massively negative, because you no longer change demons (or magatamas) they had to implement a new system for skill learning, or the game would become very staple and with little variety if you could only learn pre-set skills to those entities, and this system comes in the form of Mantras, which is kinda like the magatama system from Nocturne, as in both revolve around different "equipment" that you can equip on the human characters and each one will have a type of skills for the player to learn while they level up, the problem is: in DDS, it becomes very grindy, especially if you want to defeat the optional bosses, in Nocturne, you still needed to grind if you wanted a specific skill, but as long as you had a general idea of how you wanted to build the Demi-Fiend you could just equip Magatamas that teach the types of skills you needed and have almost no need to grind, but in this game, if you want to make every party member you use somewhat decently strong, you must grind different mantras for each skill you want, and it quickly becomes tiresome.
The other major gameplay factor in Megami Tensei games are the dungeons, and i like the ones present here, they aren't as complex as the ones in Strange Journey or as trap-filled as the ones in Nocturne, instead, they have a more puzzley approach, and are pretty well thought out, i understand the criticisms some have towards them, but i personally like it.
It's hard to write about only DDS1's story without taking the second game into consideration, since everything seen here is just build up and character development for the REAL events that take place in the sequel, but for what it does, the world building is quite interesting, you get to see a bit of each faction of the Junkyard and how they operate, and the characters, both main and side, are very good and don't take long to capture your interest, it's a good story as it is, but i don't like the idea of making a whole game just to build up the sequel.
The soundtrack here (as usual in Atlus games) is amazing, super atmosferic and distinct, i think this duology's OST might be my favorite works from Shoji Meguro, and that's saying a lot, considering i really like most of his music, the visuals are also very good for the PS2 and the art direction is one of the best in gaming.
Overall, Digital Devil Saga is a solid game and a respectable attempt at a new take on Megami Tensei, even if it has major flaws, it's still an experience i enjoyed a lot, my rating is a 4/5 for the reasons i mentioned above, but i can easily see it being a 4.5 or even a 5.
Release the Beast
Digital Devil Saga is made for the classic and true to the heart RPG fans more so than the usual SMT titles with monster/demon collection involved. If Devil Summoner is SMT x Digimon, and if Persona is SMT x Tokimeki Memorial, Digital Devil Saga is SMT x Final Fantasy. Still retains every single bit of what makes a SMT title special and unique but the mechanics are what set it apart from the rest as per usual with Atlus titles that don't follow the "SMT" brand.
We play as the leader of one of the factions found in the Junkyard, Serph. He is the leader of the Embryon faction, which is basically one of many found in the Junkyard. These factions are bound to fight in a endless war which at the start of the game we don't see really the reason why. After several confortations, a revelations in the form of a human is presented to the group. This is where they awaken their demon forms and start the feel for hunger to survive. Nirvana and the human are the key to escape from that curse.
As I was saying, Digital Devil Saga takes some inspiration from Final Fantasy. The 10th numbered title to be exact, which shaped some aspects in the combat system. Most crucial of them all is the "Skill Tree" similar to the grid that can be found in Final Fantasy X. It's honestly a great concept that falls short due to characters already being specialized in one of many skill branches from the start, so there is no real rason to start and wasting macca on skills that aren't totally necessary at large. Only Serph, the main character can totally take advantage of the skill tree since his attributes aren't locked and can be changed at will after leveling up.
In case you have played Nocturne, this looks and feels very similar when it comes to presentation. At least from an outsider perspective or just at first glance. It's production value is a huge step-up from Nocturne, specially when it comes to cutscenes and...voice acting! It's really good and Atlus USA did their homework with this one. The enviroments while not many in rough quantity were really immersive and interesting.
Talking about levels, the dungeons were really fun. I don't usually have enough patience to deal with JRPG silly dungeons mechanics in general. Though I do make exceptions every now and then and DDS dungeons were simple and fun to explore. One thing does ruin it though, wich is the rate encounter. It's very high if you don't use something like Estoma Spray. And it's even harder to know when they are about to come since there is not a rough indicative bar like in Nocturne.
But I can't be that mad, the combat is solid and the Press Turn System will never not be fun. The upgrade system let's you exploit the game in ways it clearly wasn't intended to. Hell, it's possible to clear the final boss in a bunch of minutes if you are well prepared, even being several levels under from what is required or recommended at that point of the game. So, use choose the skill you need wisely and develop your team as much as possible. It's not a hard game honestly, but it gets really tough at some sections specially towards the final dungeon.
One thing I did noted is that the pace of the story is abormal and rushes the events like there is no tomorrow. I didn't found myself that interested in the story because of it, even if it handles the pacing like most JRPGs do at the end of the day. It sort of feels, out of nowhere and the ending scream sequel bait which I already fall for. Honestly more than anything feels like Part 1 of a larger series of events that will culminate on Part 2. Not a fan of that, so that is why I lowered the score. But this doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this game, far from it.
More than anything, Digital Devil Saga left me wanting for more, with more answers than questions. Which I assume will be answered in the sequel. It is a great game on it's own but I can't safely say I'm totally satisfied with the end result, it isn't even that long too about 30 hours or so. The story was just starting to get good until it totally stopped.
Digital Devil Saga is made for the classic and true to the heart RPG fans more so than the usual SMT titles with monster/demon collection involved. If Devil Summoner is SMT x Digimon, and if Persona is SMT x Tokimeki Memorial, Digital Devil Saga is SMT x Final Fantasy. Still retains every single bit of what makes a SMT title special and unique but the mechanics are what set it apart from the rest as per usual with Atlus titles that don't follow the "SMT" brand.
We play as the leader of one of the factions found in the Junkyard, Serph. He is the leader of the Embryon faction, which is basically one of many found in the Junkyard. These factions are bound to fight in a endless war which at the start of the game we don't see really the reason why. After several confortations, a revelations in the form of a human is presented to the group. This is where they awaken their demon forms and start the feel for hunger to survive. Nirvana and the human are the key to escape from that curse.
As I was saying, Digital Devil Saga takes some inspiration from Final Fantasy. The 10th numbered title to be exact, which shaped some aspects in the combat system. Most crucial of them all is the "Skill Tree" similar to the grid that can be found in Final Fantasy X. It's honestly a great concept that falls short due to characters already being specialized in one of many skill branches from the start, so there is no real rason to start and wasting macca on skills that aren't totally necessary at large. Only Serph, the main character can totally take advantage of the skill tree since his attributes aren't locked and can be changed at will after leveling up.
In case you have played Nocturne, this looks and feels very similar when it comes to presentation. At least from an outsider perspective or just at first glance. It's production value is a huge step-up from Nocturne, specially when it comes to cutscenes and...voice acting! It's really good and Atlus USA did their homework with this one. The enviroments while not many in rough quantity were really immersive and interesting.
Talking about levels, the dungeons were really fun. I don't usually have enough patience to deal with JRPG silly dungeons mechanics in general. Though I do make exceptions every now and then and DDS dungeons were simple and fun to explore. One thing does ruin it though, wich is the rate encounter. It's very high if you don't use something like Estoma Spray. And it's even harder to know when they are about to come since there is not a rough indicative bar like in Nocturne.
But I can't be that mad, the combat is solid and the Press Turn System will never not be fun. The upgrade system let's you exploit the game in ways it clearly wasn't intended to. Hell, it's possible to clear the final boss in a bunch of minutes if you are well prepared, even being several levels under from what is required or recommended at that point of the game. So, use choose the skill you need wisely and develop your team as much as possible. It's not a hard game honestly, but it gets really tough at some sections specially towards the final dungeon.
One thing I did noted is that the pace of the story is abormal and rushes the events like there is no tomorrow. I didn't found myself that interested in the story because of it, even if it handles the pacing like most JRPGs do at the end of the day. It sort of feels, out of nowhere and the ending scream sequel bait which I already fall for. Honestly more than anything feels like Part 1 of a larger series of events that will culminate on Part 2. Not a fan of that, so that is why I lowered the score. But this doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this game, far from it.
More than anything, Digital Devil Saga left me wanting for more, with more answers than questions. Which I assume will be answered in the sequel. It is a great game on it's own but I can't safely say I'm totally satisfied with the end result, it isn't even that long too about 30 hours or so. The story was just starting to get good until it totally stopped.
Que obra de arte y genialidad
AME las dungeons, la forma de poner habilidades, los jefes, la curva fe dificultad, la historia, la estética, el ost, es un maldito 10 y lo amo
Lo poco que me disgusto es el combate de pistolas, las skills de los jefes secretos no se disfrutan como se debería y no mucho, uno de los mejores RPG que he jugado
AME las dungeons, la forma de poner habilidades, los jefes, la curva fe dificultad, la historia, la estética, el ost, es un maldito 10 y lo amo
Lo poco que me disgusto es el combate de pistolas, las skills de los jefes secretos no se disfrutan como se debería y no mucho, uno de los mejores RPG que he jugado
O jogo tem uma das melhores histórias da franquia no ps2, mas o combate é tão, mas tão injusto tem horas. Chega a ser mais injusto que o Nocturne, com inimigos que spammam hitkill e com o longo e interminavel grind que, apesar de eu gostar, chega me irritou la pro final do jogo
O jogo é bom, talvez por ser o primeiro da duologia ele tem mais problemas, mas ainda sim eu recomendo pela ótima história.
O jogo é bom, talvez por ser o primeiro da duologia ele tem mais problemas, mas ainda sim eu recomendo pela ótima história.
Digital Devil Saga doesn't reach the mechanical or narrative heights of other Shin Megami Tensei games, but it's a super consistently enjoyable game. I adore the game's early 2000s techno aesthetic, which is bolstered by the game's excellent soundtrack which is some of Shoji Meguro's best work.
I'm not sure what it is, though, but I'm not really sold on playing a second game's worth of Digital Devil Saga. I feel like I've already gotten what I want out of the duology despite only playing the first entry. I liked the narrative and characters well enough, but they didn't really capture my interest beyond a simple "oh, this is cool". I'll get around to playing it one day, though.
Also, the English opening is dope as fuck.
I'm not sure what it is, though, but I'm not really sold on playing a second game's worth of Digital Devil Saga. I feel like I've already gotten what I want out of the duology despite only playing the first entry. I liked the narrative and characters well enough, but they didn't really capture my interest beyond a simple "oh, this is cool". I'll get around to playing it one day, though.
Also, the English opening is dope as fuck.
Replayed this game awhile back and it still is one of my fav SMT titles ever. I always come back for the embryon and their character arcs. Also best SMT soundtrack imo especially because I loved Danger by Etro Anime so much.
The theme of wild instinct taking over human morals is so cool to me. I really appreciate that with the introduction of their demonic abilities their emotions also brings an instability within the characters. Seeing a world where 'culture' doesn't exist and watching the characters experience all of these emotions was really intriguing.
Something I've always enjoyed about SMT is that it's the first game franchise I've seen that's handled morality choices in a way that isn't corny or overplayed. Your first party members being Heat and Argilla serve as the duality of differing morals within the game; Heat believing in adaptability in order of survival whereas Argilla believes in the chance to regain humanity without sacrificing their morals and comrades. It would be easy for them to be oversimplified as good vs. evil but you can see their actual intentions with dignity.
Gameplay wise, I really enjoyed having your party BE the demons and utilize their abilities to kill off your enemies. I especially loved the meta of the hunger mechanic in battles and how your party goes into a berserk status making it easier to mow down your enemies and the chance to instantly 'devour' demons if they have the 'fear' status.
I also thought DDS had the coolest visual design and background setting ever from SMT, just because I really enjoyed the crossover of futuristic cyber elements and traditional buddhist imagery and architecture. I think kaneko has always been successful in using unconventional inspirations to create original 'cyber' designs.
The theme of wild instinct taking over human morals is so cool to me. I really appreciate that with the introduction of their demonic abilities their emotions also brings an instability within the characters. Seeing a world where 'culture' doesn't exist and watching the characters experience all of these emotions was really intriguing.
Something I've always enjoyed about SMT is that it's the first game franchise I've seen that's handled morality choices in a way that isn't corny or overplayed. Your first party members being Heat and Argilla serve as the duality of differing morals within the game; Heat believing in adaptability in order of survival whereas Argilla believes in the chance to regain humanity without sacrificing their morals and comrades. It would be easy for them to be oversimplified as good vs. evil but you can see their actual intentions with dignity.
Gameplay wise, I really enjoyed having your party BE the demons and utilize their abilities to kill off your enemies. I especially loved the meta of the hunger mechanic in battles and how your party goes into a berserk status making it easier to mow down your enemies and the chance to instantly 'devour' demons if they have the 'fear' status.
I also thought DDS had the coolest visual design and background setting ever from SMT, just because I really enjoyed the crossover of futuristic cyber elements and traditional buddhist imagery and architecture. I think kaneko has always been successful in using unconventional inspirations to create original 'cyber' designs.
This review contains spoilers
Kingdom Hearts y la película de Dragon Quest V si fuesen buenos
Even tho this game just establishes the questions for the sequel to answer, I’ve enjoyed it VERY much.
The Press and Turn combat system is one of my favs of all time and the hunting is fun.
I’ve only wished for Serph to be a bit more talkative, as the rest are so charismatic, but is a trope in this kind of game, so its not a big deal.
Cant wait to see what DDS2 has in store for me!
The Press and Turn combat system is one of my favs of all time and the hunting is fun.
I’ve only wished for Serph to be a bit more talkative, as the rest are so charismatic, but is a trope in this kind of game, so its not a big deal.
Cant wait to see what DDS2 has in store for me!
This review contains spoilers
An awesome fucking game. Really dope atmosphere with a really creative concept. The game features a cast of characters you grow pretty attached to as they slowly gain their emotions and learn to be human. My personal favorite is Gale who starts off as the human equivalent of binary code to becoming a pseudo-leader in the sequel. The press turn system is always a welcome addition and I really loved how the mantra system worked. Reminds me a bit of FFX's sphere grids. I love when games give you on the fly customization. I also had a blast with the postgame content. Bringing Demi-Fiend down was a special type of euphoria.
I don't think I've ever seen a game TRY to make you hate it. Its full of BS, Psycho Rage, Panic, Stone, Random Elemental Skills no one has heard of, Invisible Bosses, Calm Sleep, bosses spamming Mudo skill 6 times in a row, etc. there are so many mechanics that are near impossible to maneuver and avoid it can make the game extremely frustrating in its difficulty. But behind that makes it a fun game both in difficulty sense and other aspects. While it can be frustrating, finding different strategies and changing movesets on the fly was something that I appreciated and something new to me (I think unless im forgetting another game I've played does that) and added a new degree to it. The story set up pretty nicely, would've liked a little more interaction between the group of 5/6 main cast but what was there was fine and sequel seems it could be something more. Serph was an alright silent protagonist, I think there's a lot more that could've been done with him cuz he does feel a bit bland or underwhelming
It's PEAK
no entiendo por qué Digital Devil Saga tiene una calificación tan alta en esta página... digo, no es una basura, pero tampoco es como que destaque en algo...
su historia no es nada del otro mundo y llega un punto donde deja de tener sentido y se siente como si le faltaran partes a la historia en medio, es sumamente corto, la dificultad es un chiste (cuando el rng no hace que el enemigo tenga 8 turnos seguidos o te oneshote apenas empieza el combate), no hay un sistema de fusiones lo cual no es malo per se, pero hace que la experiencia sea más lineal aunque tengas un árbol de habilidades ya que igual es demasiado lineal, no hay ningún tema de su ost que destaque, sus personajes son interesantes pero tienen casi nulo desarrollo real, etc...
aun con todo eso, es un juego que recomendaría jugar para todos esos que solo han tocado Persona 4, 5 o Reload y que quieren jugar un SMT debido a siento que se sentirán cómodos empezando por este juego a comparación de otros como Nocturne los cuales puede que les resulte estresante y frustrante por el tema de la dificultad.
por cierto, tiene un parche undub, háganse un favor y úsenlo porque la versión occidental solo tiene el asqueroso doblaje en inglés.
su historia no es nada del otro mundo y llega un punto donde deja de tener sentido y se siente como si le faltaran partes a la historia en medio, es sumamente corto, la dificultad es un chiste (cuando el rng no hace que el enemigo tenga 8 turnos seguidos o te oneshote apenas empieza el combate), no hay un sistema de fusiones lo cual no es malo per se, pero hace que la experiencia sea más lineal aunque tengas un árbol de habilidades ya que igual es demasiado lineal, no hay ningún tema de su ost que destaque, sus personajes son interesantes pero tienen casi nulo desarrollo real, etc...
aun con todo eso, es un juego que recomendaría jugar para todos esos que solo han tocado Persona 4, 5 o Reload y que quieren jugar un SMT debido a siento que se sentirán cómodos empezando por este juego a comparación de otros como Nocturne los cuales puede que les resulte estresante y frustrante por el tema de la dificultad.
por cierto, tiene un parche undub, háganse un favor y úsenlo porque la versión occidental solo tiene el asqueroso doblaje en inglés.
This game proves atlus can make banger fantasy Rpgs and i wish they would make more game like this and its sequel (project re fantasy wink)
I've played DDS1 but not DDS2, I think the skill tree was a bit refreshing for SMT standards, it significantly relieves RNG unlike SMT: Nocturne which required you to go back in forth in the fusion menu to see what skills were being transferred post fusion.
It's hard to even call this mediocre it's just really fucking below average and just bad outside of my SMT rating system.
It's hard to even call this mediocre it's just really fucking below average and just bad outside of my SMT rating system.
Fantastic.
Played time: 15hrs
Played time: 15hrs
REND
SLAUGHTER
DEVOUR YOUR ENEMIES
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO ESCAPE YOUR HUNGER WARRIORS OF PURGATORY
Ain't got much to say other than this is still my 2nd favorite megaten game an im glad i finally got my self a physical copy an did this replay
Edit: K maybe i do have a bit to say at least in terms of how well dds 1 does it's sorta melancholy atmosphere using the really a muted color palette compared to most of the ps2 megaten games it's music also amplifies (i think this the right word to use) it's atmosphere with the constant guitar twang i guess would be the right way in describing it making it almost seem like the guitar is crying (tho granted a lot of shoji meguros ps2 megaten tracks that use a guitar sound like that) that's all i got to say really play the game if you haven't is a damn good one
SLAUGHTER
DEVOUR YOUR ENEMIES
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO ESCAPE YOUR HUNGER WARRIORS OF PURGATORY
Ain't got much to say other than this is still my 2nd favorite megaten game an im glad i finally got my self a physical copy an did this replay
Edit: K maybe i do have a bit to say at least in terms of how well dds 1 does it's sorta melancholy atmosphere using the really a muted color palette compared to most of the ps2 megaten games it's music also amplifies (i think this the right word to use) it's atmosphere with the constant guitar twang i guess would be the right way in describing it making it almost seem like the guitar is crying (tho granted a lot of shoji meguros ps2 megaten tracks that use a guitar sound like that) that's all i got to say really play the game if you haven't is a damn good one
i killed the final boss with agi
A game I hyped so much. Everything caught my eyes. The Kaneko designs, cel-shaded graphics, Meguro music, all that good shit. And while it had all of that, I had placed a little too much hope in actually liking what I played. The gameplay system has potential but just feels overall clunky to play today but I do like the devouring system. The music is one of the saving graces, Shoji Meguro is a mastermind. Every ten steps is a random encounter, kind of annoying and you need to grind in this game, even when you fight every encounter. A lot of this is fixed in the sequel but this game would definitely benefit from a remaster with quality of life changes such as a reduced encounter rate, toggle on/off, and fast forward. Knowing Atlus, one or none of those will be included, but we can hope.
let's get serphy
É um bom jogo, com certeza o grande chamariz é o sistema de skills, é ótimo tu criar tua própria build com os personagens e tal, mas existem 2 grandes problemas, primeiro, o mais óbvio, é ser um jogo pela metade, inclusive acaba com um cliff hanger tipo Code Geass da vida, o outro é o fato da experiência completa ser só com o NG+, todas as áreas tem um lugar fechado que só libera com o NG+, sem contar que só com ele tu consegue chegar no nível máximo, conseguir todas as skills e enfrentar o Demi-Fiend.
I played this game to completion over a decade ago, and was curious to see if it held up. I think it's still pretty good!
The aesthetics, battle system, and music are all fantastic. I really vibe with where the SMT games were at in this era.
This is also the only game in the Megaten franchise that I'm aware of that dispenses with demon negotiation and fusion, and instead has you building and customizing skills and builds for a core cast of characters.
It's interesting to compare this to mainline SMT games, since the opening hours remind me a lot of of a "normal" SMT game. The storytelling is sparse at first, and leaves a lot about the world and setting unsaid initially. The characters are intentionally cold and robotic for the first few hours of the game. The plot and characterization ramps up by the midpoint of the game, but it's not really until the next installment (Digital Devil Saga 2, which is really just part two of the same story) that things really take off.
My two major complaints: I feel like the game drags in the last two dungeons, and also I have no idea what was going through the localization director's head with what they decided to do with one your main party members, Cielo. He is voiced by a white guy doing the most inappropriate and offensive fake Jamaican accent you can imagine. It's like they took some of the most questionable design decisions of the character and doubled down on them as a joke. Playing with an undub mod is recommended just for this reason alone.
If you're a long-time SMT head and haven't played this game yet, I think it's worth your time. It's not quite on the same level as Nocturne for me, but it's close.
The aesthetics, battle system, and music are all fantastic. I really vibe with where the SMT games were at in this era.
This is also the only game in the Megaten franchise that I'm aware of that dispenses with demon negotiation and fusion, and instead has you building and customizing skills and builds for a core cast of characters.
It's interesting to compare this to mainline SMT games, since the opening hours remind me a lot of of a "normal" SMT game. The storytelling is sparse at first, and leaves a lot about the world and setting unsaid initially. The characters are intentionally cold and robotic for the first few hours of the game. The plot and characterization ramps up by the midpoint of the game, but it's not really until the next installment (Digital Devil Saga 2, which is really just part two of the same story) that things really take off.
My two major complaints: I feel like the game drags in the last two dungeons, and also I have no idea what was going through the localization director's head with what they decided to do with one your main party members, Cielo. He is voiced by a white guy doing the most inappropriate and offensive fake Jamaican accent you can imagine. It's like they took some of the most questionable design decisions of the character and doubled down on them as a joke. Playing with an undub mod is recommended just for this reason alone.
If you're a long-time SMT head and haven't played this game yet, I think it's worth your time. It's not quite on the same level as Nocturne for me, but it's close.
its cielover, the embryon has fallen, billions must die
O mundo ambíguo e suprimido de respostas de Digital Devil Saga intriga, e todo o simbolismo hinduísta e budista presente na história e lugares do jogo complementam esse processo (sendo importante ter um conhecimento sobre eles pra uma compreensão melhor do enredo, inclusive). Obviamente é cedo demais pra analisar os personagens por inteiro só com este jogo, porém gosto de como pouco a pouco eles vão mostrando suas falhas e se questionando sobre seus propósitos.
Um ponto importante que é bom ter conhecimento prévio é que este jogo é só a metade de uma história, além de ser curto (cerca de 30 horas) e, francamente, que bom que ele é assim. DDS 1 foi mecanicamente muito mais simples do que eu esperava, o que não é um problema já que é um jogo sólido, compacto ao seu tamanho, se isso aqui tivesse mais horas facilmente ficaria tedioso. E ainda tem um side content decente pra se fazer, em questão de gameplay isso definitivamente serve como um jogo solo.
Kaneko já tinha pensado anteriormente em uma mecânica de devorar adversários pra SMT 1 e resolveram encaixar isso aqui, é simples, mas estimula o jogador a ficar constantemente caçando encontros. Conseguir devorar uma grande quantidade de inimigos e ver aquela barra de Mantra subindo até o além gera doses de dopamina satisfatórias. Falando nos Mantras, eles cumprem bem seu papel, te dão a liberdade necessária pra sentir uma experiência próxima a um SMT convencional, monte a party com as skills que quiser e com as combinações que quiser, você só não terá controle dos stats (tirando o Serph). O grande problema deste sistema é o alto grind e preço dos Mantras high-level.
Field Hunts são criativos e uma boa forma de variar o gameplay, mas a execução deles é bizonha, mal são presentes durante a playthrough e ficam em áreas totalmente random. Torná-los mais presentes e acessíveis seria melhor do que serem meros spots de grindind que ficam isolados nos cantos do mapa e que eu só vou realmente usar pra grindar Mantras pros side-bosses. Algo engraçado é que o cooldown de 5 ciclo solares é meio grande então quando eu cheguei no 2° Field Hunt da última dungeon ele ainda não tava funcionando.
e receba fi o boss mais pau no cu de todos os tempos, aka demi-fiend.
Um ponto importante que é bom ter conhecimento prévio é que este jogo é só a metade de uma história, além de ser curto (cerca de 30 horas) e, francamente, que bom que ele é assim. DDS 1 foi mecanicamente muito mais simples do que eu esperava, o que não é um problema já que é um jogo sólido, compacto ao seu tamanho, se isso aqui tivesse mais horas facilmente ficaria tedioso. E ainda tem um side content decente pra se fazer, em questão de gameplay isso definitivamente serve como um jogo solo.
Kaneko já tinha pensado anteriormente em uma mecânica de devorar adversários pra SMT 1 e resolveram encaixar isso aqui, é simples, mas estimula o jogador a ficar constantemente caçando encontros. Conseguir devorar uma grande quantidade de inimigos e ver aquela barra de Mantra subindo até o além gera doses de dopamina satisfatórias. Falando nos Mantras, eles cumprem bem seu papel, te dão a liberdade necessária pra sentir uma experiência próxima a um SMT convencional, monte a party com as skills que quiser e com as combinações que quiser, você só não terá controle dos stats (tirando o Serph). O grande problema deste sistema é o alto grind e preço dos Mantras high-level.
Field Hunts são criativos e uma boa forma de variar o gameplay, mas a execução deles é bizonha, mal são presentes durante a playthrough e ficam em áreas totalmente random. Torná-los mais presentes e acessíveis seria melhor do que serem meros spots de grindind que ficam isolados nos cantos do mapa e que eu só vou realmente usar pra grindar Mantras pros side-bosses. Algo engraçado é que o cooldown de 5 ciclo solares é meio grande então quando eu cheguei no 2° Field Hunt da última dungeon ele ainda não tava funcionando.
e receba fi o boss mais pau no cu de todos os tempos, aka demi-fiend.
My first play through was casual but the second was much more in depth, i fought almost every optional boss in the game minus Huang-Long. This and the second game are probably the peak of megaten on the PS2. Even though nocturne and DDS1 were only a year or two apart, nocturne feels 15 years older in comparison. It's a really interesting creative work that doesn't get the attention it deserves for some reason when I would say that it's more palatable for modern RPG or JRPG players these days than nocturne, which got a "full" HD remaster not so long ago. You can absolutely power though every dungeon in this game and solve every puzzle yourself without a guide, when in noctutne it just confuses me how anybody was supposed to figure half of them out in the first place. This game is probably tied with the second one for my favourite game of all time and I'd love to be able to play it in actual HD some day.
Essa foi uma das melhores experiências que eu já tive com um RPG..... (e ele me obrigou a grindar pra caralho, o que eu normalmente consideraria um problema mas tá tudo bem foi peak...)
This was truly a unique experience, I've never played anything like it. From the very start hearing this almost light breakcore beat with entrancing vocals while scenes are carnage, birth, and longing are shown immediately brought me in. I love games that start immediately in the action and start your journey from there giving you the opportunity to fill in the blanks yourself. One thing this game does exceptionally well is the tasteful lack of explanation for the world. You simply exist in it and follow it's rules, you have no reason to ask why. You aren't told the backstories and motivations for each character because that's something you need to gather yourself by watching them throughout the story, the game doesn't treat you like you're stupid. Of course this is all for narrative reasons but still it's nice. The story itself is very interesting and quite metaphorical as is expected with SMT or SMT adjacent games. The whole atmosphere is great, the visuals are expertly stylized with Kaneko's art and the environments are desolate when desired and intricate when needed. The music as well, my god. I heard that this was the first game where they told Shoji Meguro that he could compose whatever he'd like and honestly I believe it because the music is so raw and ethereal and driven it really feels like it came from the soul. The characters were great, I especially liked Argilla and her Atma Avatar is very interesting. Another thing that really amplifies the atmosphere and the identity of this is the significant and deep Hindu influences, there's so much to learn and explore if you dive into the religion and mythology and connect it with the game. I did find a few scenes to fall a little flat with some wonky character writing and voice acting but that doesn't detract much from the overall experience and how I viewed the characters. That ending was certainly unexpected but welcome because I can't wait to play the sequel.
i think this game has some of the most annoying dungeon and boss designs, but i have no stance to judge it because i love classic smt dungeon crawlers that are arguably worse. also serph sucks and is boring. but aside from the bonus content it's also a pretty damn easy game so again im not complaining
what i will say is this is some of the coolest storytelling ever, it has some crazy emotional moments. this buddhist matrix shit is serious, im invested.
what i will say is this is some of the coolest storytelling ever, it has some crazy emotional moments. this buddhist matrix shit is serious, im invested.
i loooove the world of the story. the mix of hinduism/buddhism with the desolate violent world of quite literally dog-eat-dog, and how it builds on from there in the next installment is just a crazy mishmash of genres and aesthetics, and it works! i do think this suffers quite a bit from being "part 1", but it's still quite good. the dungeons can get lengthy and some of them are quite bland but eh. argilla/jinana my beloveds <3
Alongside SMT 4, this is one of the best SMT games you can start with.
Alongside not having you deal with demon negotiation and fusion like the mainline/devil summoner games, instead having you upgrade a regular party throughout the game; it's also one of the easier games in the series, with the bulk of the difficulty being learning how the press-turn system works and how to best take advantage of it.
...it's also a great starting point because it's one of the best games in the series! The character dynamics are genuinely wonderful, the story is esoteric and you always want to know what happens the next, the environments are an amazing mixture of post-apocalyptic with religious undertones, and the music is some of the best in the franchise as well!
This is one of the best JRPGs ever made as far as I'm aware, it's aged wonderfully well and is still a joy to play!
Alongside not having you deal with demon negotiation and fusion like the mainline/devil summoner games, instead having you upgrade a regular party throughout the game; it's also one of the easier games in the series, with the bulk of the difficulty being learning how the press-turn system works and how to best take advantage of it.
...it's also a great starting point because it's one of the best games in the series! The character dynamics are genuinely wonderful, the story is esoteric and you always want to know what happens the next, the environments are an amazing mixture of post-apocalyptic with religious undertones, and the music is some of the best in the franchise as well!
This is one of the best JRPGs ever made as far as I'm aware, it's aged wonderfully well and is still a joy to play!
SMT 3 Nocturne, but good!