By Jim Drewes - November 11, 2005

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Overview

It is unfortunate that in the realm of role playing games, the qualities that make one game better than another are often quite subjective.  Was the battle system good?  Was the storyline interesting?  Were the realms, weapons, and spells creative?  Few games are definitively "good," while a few more are definitively "bad," but most of the RPG titles that hit the shelves fall somewhere in-between.  Whether or not the title gets a high-scoring review is then subject to the personal preferences of the reviewer.  Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 is one of those games that falls in the gray area, which is evidenced by the wide-ranging scores the title has received from around the web.  No doubt, this review will most likely be no more objective than most other reviews of DDS2.

Digital Devil Saga 2 starts out with a cinematic introduction to the storyline.  Those gamers who are familiar with the first DDS will find it easier to pick up on the plot, although there is enough intrigue and mystery to keep a first-timer interested long enough to understand what is going on.  We could go into the details of the beginning of the storyline, but its best to just experience it for yourself.  The plot, while interesting and engrossing most of the time, also comes across as poorly written at times.  Basically, the make or break element to DDS2 is not the storyline.

The constant challenge that RPG designers face, is how to make the tired old concept of weapons, armor, spells, and health, into something unique.  DDS's solution is to handle it through an odd combination of mantras and skill downloading.  Mantras are downloaded from karma terminals using a money system, so its an interesting blend of digital, magical learning, and classic shopkeep purchasing.  Your collection of mantras is then displayed on a mantra grid, which guides what skills your character can learn next.  The grid is a honeycomb-like construct, with each mantra falling into a cell.  To learn the skills of other cells, you must first master the skills of a cell next to it.  As complex as it may sound, it becomes much more intuitive when you actually start playing.  In addition to providing skills to your characters, each of the members of your party can take on two forms - a human form and a demon form.  This duality allows for a much more strategic battle mentality.

Battlefield tactics and strategy is where Digital Devil Saga 2 really shines.  Because of the number of variables to determine the outcome of a battle, players are forced to think in order to beat their opponent.  Enemy strengths and weaknesses are important to learn.  Balancing the strengths and weaknesses of your team members to create the most powerful and dynamic combination of skills is equally important.  It is always nice to see when an RPG successfully masters the art of creating a game that requires gamers to be strategic, rather than just level up their characters and buy the biggest, baddest weapon they can find.  If battles aren't your thing, find a different game.  The encounter rate while traversing the various realms is ridiculously high.  Sometimes it becomes pretty annoying how frequently you are forced into fights with the enemy, especially since sometimes you just want to get somewhere.  The worlds are a little drab, repetitive, and slightly boring, so gamers will either see the number of battles as a much needed way to break up the monotony, or as an annoying hindrance to progressing through the worlds.

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1: Overview 2: Conclusion