Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

PS2 review by Anthony Karge, published on Saturday 8th July 2006

The junkyard in Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (that’s quite a mouthful) doesn’t have rusted cars and a pitbull named Monster. Instead, the Junkyard is a bleak world, loosely inspired by Hindu beliefs, in which a group of emotionless factions are caught in an eternal battle. The losers pay with their lives while winners will be granted entry to Nirvana. These people know nothing of friendship, love, or hatred. All that matters is following the rules of battle and obtaining paradise.

At the onset of the game, the ante is upped, and the inhabitants probably wish they were living in a crappy salvage yard instead.

Hell breaks loose on the battlefield. In the opening cutscene, we’re introduced to the silent protagonist, Serph, in a fierce skirmish with his four closest subordinates fighting alongside their leader. As bullets and explosives rip through the landscape in slow-motion, a mysterious pod opens up to reveal a young girl inside. With this event the Junkyard changes forever. Serph and his allies transform into ferocious demons and literally devour the rival faction, complete with blood splattering on the screen.

Y-M-C-A…

Understandably, everyone in the junkyard is confused and horrified over this new power that has spread throughout the land. This “gift” is soon just seen as another weapon to use in battle, despite the objections of some who are disturbed by having to devour each other to achieve Nirvana. Almost as strange as receiving the ability to transform into demons and devour one another is the new emotions that everyone is now feeling. Previously unheard words such as “comrade” are now becoming part of the lexicon. However, this new sentimentality doesn’t do anything to stop the rampant bloodshed, so Serph and company must continue fighting, as both humans and demons, while unraveling the secrets of the girl that emerged from the pod.

Originality is one of the finest aspects of Digital Devil Saga. Not having to deal with crap like magical crystals, those all-knowing geezers, and lame heroes who are fully absorbed by the emo “culture” is a refreshing concept. However, the dark vibe and unique world, in addition to the tolerable characters and sharp cutscenes, isn’t what Digital Devil Saga is all about. The meat of the game lies in the many random battles throughout the labyrinthine dungeons. Thank God (or Shiva, considering the Hindu references throughout the game) that this works out much better than it sounds.

These bloody trains never run on time

Although Digital Devil Saga uses one of those seemingly tiresome turn-based systems, the battles actually turn out rather well. With a party of three characters, there are three turn icons to be used. If the enemy is strong to a certain type of attack element, an extra turn icon is lost. If they are weak to that element, an extra turn is given. This may all sound blatantly obvious, but as the game progresses, the genius of the battle system becomes fully realized. With the gradually increasing difficulty, exploiting weaknesses and defending attacks becomes absolutely vital. The bosses are fierce, so utilizing a precise strategy and a trial-and-error approach is the only way to beat some of the baddies. For a basic example, busting out Fire Repel each turn can stop almost all damage from a fire-based enemy and immediately put you on the offense. Further complicating things is that only a few skills can be equipped at a time.

There are many different skills needed throughout the game, and the skill system is another thing that satisfies. Thing of the grid system used in Final Fantasy X, only implemented better. Currency is used to purchase different sets of skills on a set path. As the path continues, the skills get ridiculously expensive. However, the skills also get ridiculously powerful. Even with the most expensive skills bought, progressing through Digital Devil Saga can still be a challenge if appropriate plans aren’t take. Since there are five main elements of spells, in addition to a host of other paths to take, only the best-rounded party will succeed. Mastering the many paths turned out to be an addictive and time-consuming process, but at the same time it was quite rewarding considering the benefits.

Woa. Dude. I’d checked that checked out, man.

Just having a fat wad of cash isn’t enough to learn new skills. After they’re bought, karma needs to be gained by fighting in battles. When enough karma is amassed, the skills can finally be equipped. Getting the money needed to buy the skills was taxing enough, but fortunately the newly-gained devour capabilities adds a strategic touch to obtaining loads of karma. If an enemy’s weakness is exploited enough, they become frightened. When one of the many devour techniques is used on the frightened monster, then a considerable amount of karma is gained. Once again, this proves how important well-rounded characters are. Just focusing on one skill will get you nowhere considering the wide array of strengths and weaknesses that the enemies posses.

As excellent as the skill and battle systems are, there’s still no reason why there should be such a ridiculous random encounter rate. Fights, although typically brief, occur far too often, and since many of the dungeons are lengthy mazes the fighting can sometimes wear thin. Perhaps if the dungeons weren’t so lifeless and static it would be more tolerable, but that isn’t the case here. These are perhaps the only things holding Digital Devil Saga from greatness. Well, I guess another thing would be the lackluster music. While a couple tracks are solid, the majority of the soundtrack sounds like elevator muzak played by electric guitars. At least it’s original, I suppose.

It’s a…it’s a…nope, I give in. What the hell is that thing?

Even though the many random encounters and lengthy dungeons pad out the game length to roughly 30 hours (not counting many sidequests), Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga is still one of the stronger PS2 RPGs. Just consider yourself forewarned: This is the first part of a two-game series. The ending is quite a cliffhanger, and immediately after I beat the game I sought out the second installment. Sadly, neither of the games are inexpensive. Consider that a testament to their quality.