Summary
No demon conversations...but a great game nevertheless!
The Good
Introduction
This season has been a prolific one for Megaten games. As if one of Megaten deities answered the prayers of the fans, the great franchise that was almost entirely neglected by non-Japanese publishers suddenly started gaining attention. The breakthrough was the release of
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, the third mainstream Shin Megami Tensei game (which is the most important Megaten series) in the US. Shortly afterwards, Atlus USA decided to translate the first (and hopefully, also the second) part of a Megaten side series called "Digital Devil Saga". The "Shin Megami Tensei" title that was added in the US version is somewhat misleading; while incorporating a lot of classic Shin Megami Tensei elements (particularly in style and atmosphere), this is an independent side series which in fact resembles more the wonderful
Persona series (which is also side series within Megaten universe). Despite the surprising lack of demon conversation, which has always been the trademark of Megaten, "Digital Devil Saga" delivers a typically dark and atmospheric experience that can be compared to the best examples of the glorious franchise.
Style
"Digital Devil Saga" is set in a unique world - in a most unlikely world particularly for an RPG. The setting of "Digital Devil Saga" could be used for a survival horror game. Junkyard is a closed, grim, desolate place, and since there is no other world but Junkyard for the heroes, this atmosphere penetrates the entire game. To set a whole game in only one place is typical for Megaten. In most mainstream Megaten games, there are no "world maps", no traveling; everything takes place in one city. Lack of traveling is compensates by the exceptional atmosphere of one finely crafted location. Same happens in "Digital Devil Saga", only here the location is perhaps even more original and unusual than in other Megaten games.
Megaten games are famous for their rich mythology. A Megaten game usually features plenty of references to various religions, and in fact religion itself is often the main point of its story. Judaism and Christianity traditionally enjoyed the biggest popularity, but Hinduism also played an important role. In "Digital Devil Saga", Hinduism became the central cultural influence of the game. Basically, the whole game is based on the concept of karma, i.e. results of deeds. You even earn karma points instead of experience points in battles. While that may seem just a fancy, meaningless terminology, it is in fact connected to the game's story. The setting has a distinct Indian feeling to it. The architecture resembles very much Indian palaces and temples of Hindu gods. There are more Hindu demons in the game compared to other Megaten games. This "Indian setting" is something totally new to Megaten universe, since its games are usually set in modern or post-apocalyptic Japan. This bizarre world of never-ending rain, desolate landscape, and Hindu sculptures is decidedly one of the most original settings ever to grace a Japanese RPG.
The game's graphics are very similar to those of "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne". You'll immediately recognize the demons from "SMT: Nocturne" in the foes you encounter in the game - they are exactly the same models. For the characters, cel-shaded technique is used, and the result is the same stylish and artistic graphical appearance that distinguished "SMT: Nocturne". "Digital Devil Saga" looks perhaps even better than the great classic, it is easily the most beautiful Megaten game. The Hindu architecture add a lot to the beauty of the backgrounds, and there are way more character models in the game (instead of the same faceless "ghosts" in "SMT: Nocturne"). The animations are very good, and character expressions are quite convincing. The cut scenes are, as always, impeccably directed, and advance the story the best possible way. The music is the usual Megaten "new age" kind of stuff. I can't say I'm a big fan of such music, and I certainly would never listen to it outside of the game, but it fits the eerie, "unreal" atmosphere of the game very well. But the coolest part is the voice acting! That's right - this is the first Megaten game with real voice acting (if we ignore the few badly recorded and unclearly spoken lines in Persona games). Every cut scene is voiced in this game. What's more, the voice acting is surprisingly good! I honestly didn't expect such a quality. Everyone delivered their lines with emotion and precision at the same time. Argilla was really excellent, I loved the "tears" in her voice - great job done by the voice actress! If only
Baten Kaitos had such voice acting...
Story
The story of "Digital Devil Saga" is most unusual for several reasons. First of all, the game is just the first part of the story. Only in
Digital Devil Saga 2 will the story be concluded and explained. It is almost as hard to judge the story as it is, for example, in case of
Xenosaga Episode I or
Shenmue. But something can already be said about this story - it is quite untypical for a Japanese RPG. There is hardly a Japanese RPG in which your goal is not to stop an evil somebody and to save the world. This is like a required ingredient for the genre. The first Shin Megami Tensei game made a revolution in Japanese role-playing, presenting two equally menacing cosmic parties fighting each other instead of the usual "good vs. bad" confrontation, and allowing you to join any of them, or to act against both, thus not "saving" the world, but
shaping it. "Digital Devil Saga", on the other hand, is not about the world at all, it is about the heroes of the game, and
only about them. The objective of the game is to defeat all other Junkyard leaders in order to escape this place and to reach the promised land Nirvana. The goals of the heroes are totally selfish. They are not interesting in saving the world; they are interested in saving themselves. They are not fighting against evil; they are fighting against people who are their enemies. Of course, later in the game the protagonists take a higher moral ground than the others, but they are still very, very far from world-saving, evil-slaying ideal. They are human beings who were left with no other choice but to fight for their lives. In the game, you are turned into demons, and so are your enemies. "You are no different than us", - says the traitor Bat to Argilla. Of course, you
are different. But the game constantly emphasizes the cruelty of the world you live in, and the involuntary cruelty of your own deeds. This is where the concept of karma is shown in its most merciless incarnation.
The story is built in such a way that since the very beginning we plunge into an atmosphere of deep despair, and this feeling remains with us until the end. "Digital Devil Saga" is one of the most tragic, hopeless, even macabre games around. There are no real horror scenes, but horror emanates from the very situation the heroes of the game are found in. Even though many Japanese RPGs contain tragic or melancholic scenes, they are usually surrounded by cheerful and optimistic ones. In "Digital Devil Saga" everything is tragic, from the beginning to the end. Such scenes as Lupa's death are shocking in their inevitability.
The plot itself is very intriguing, to say the least. Once again - the way the game handles the plot is not at all typical for Japanese RPGs. You are thrown into the world of Junkyard without any explanation. What is Junkyard?
Where and
when is it? Who are the protagonists of the game? Why are they there? Those questions remain unanswered and will be probably given explanation in the sequel, although there is enough room for guesses (especially if you think about the concept of karma and how it is related to the plot). The only thing you know is that you have to fight in order to survive. What prevents such a story from being totally cold and impersonal is the excellent character cast.
In character department, the relation to Persona series becomes most evident. "Digital Devil Saga" is closer to Persona (and to traditional Japanese RPGs in general) than to mainstream Shin Megami Tensei because it deals first and foremost with characters, not with a general moral idea. The characters are not at all the same intimidating creatures you meet in Shin Megami Tensei, not abstract bearers of ideals, but real people you can associate with and care for. Although you know next to nothing about their real lives and how come they ended in Junkyard, being half-demons and having no memories, the characters are surprisingly appealing and are anything but cold or impersonal. Serph is not an issue, because he is a silent protagonist, which means he has no personality and you are free to imagine him to be the way you want. But the other party members are great. Argilla is easily one of my favorite female video game characters of all times, a young woman who is full of compassion and understanding, without being too "soft" at the same time. The "intellectual" Gale with his strategies and the constant "I do not comprehend" is the Junkyard equivalent of a "nerd". Heat is in many ways a detestable character, but his uncontrollable dark passion makes him much more interesting than the usual "antagonist" type (like Seifer from
Final Fantasy VIII). There is one particular scene between him and Sera in the middle of the game, of a kind you'll rarely see in video games. And the ever-friendly Cielo with his Jamaican accent and naive remarks is almost a comic relief, so much needed in this dark game.
Other characters are as interesting as your party members. Every Junkyard leader has his own personality. Particularly impressive are the noble Lupa and the enigmatic Colonel Beck. There are no true villains in the game, no evil that tries to conquer or destroy the world. Maybe the only entirely negative character in the game is Bat, a scheming traitor whom you'll have to face several times. The mysterious girl Sera unfortunately fits too much into the comfortable "innocent girl with special powers" cliché, but the air of purity and vulnerability that surrounds her makes her one of the best examples of this kind. Every self-respecting male player will immediately swear to protect her at all costs!
Gameplay
Now to the gameplay. It is a known fact that while many Japanese RPGs were accused (and in some cases, rightfully) of having shallow gameplay, Megaten games have always stood out as examples of depth and complexity. Unfortunately, the very heart of Megaten gameplay - demon conversations - is missing in "Digital Devil Saga". It was replaced by "hunt" combat commands, which allowed you to devour the demon you were facing. Devouring sounds interesting and in fact it is, but it can't be compared to talking and negotiating. But with the exception of this essential ingredient, "Digital Devil Saga" delivers a rock-solid, hardcore Japanese RPG gameplay, challenging both in "old" and "new" ways.
Oldschool Japanese RPGs were challenging because you had to level up before facing tougher foes. This is not quite the kind of challenge you'll encounter in "Digital Devil Saga": you can finish the game even at a low level if you play your cards right. What awaits you in the game, however, is something very typical for Megaten games: long and complex dungeons. Dungeons you'll literally spend hours in, claustrophobic places that only add to the atmosphere of despair. Basically, Megaten games are dungeon crawlers by default (the best dungeon crawlers in existence, in my humble opinion). But one thing has always made them less horrifying: automap feature. Everything is mapped, so you cannot get lost. All you need to do is to survive until you reach the next save or healing point. I must say that for a Megaten game, "Digital Devil Saga" is not that intimidating dungeon-wise. The dungeons are much,
much more forgiving than in Shin Megami Tensei games (even than in the recent SMT: Nocturne). There are no offline areas, no dark areas, and the traps are few and can be seen before you step into them. Save points are allocated much more conveniently than in SMT: Nocturne, let alone the first two Shin Megami Tensei games. Life terminals appear just when you need them. In short, everything is done to be as user-friendly as a Megaten game can only be.
The battles themselves also became easier, because the hero's death is no longer instant Game Over. That said, additional challenges appeared in the game. Your party is restricted to three active combatants, instead of the classic Megaten six (four in SMT: Nocturne). You can't choose your allies, you have a pre-determined party of five people, instead of the unlimited possibilities of summoned demons in Shin Megami Tensei games. Battle system is almost exactly the same as in SMT: Nocturne, which is in my opinion one of the best Japanese RPG systems around. Hitting an enemy's weak point not only causes more damage, but grants you an extra turn. Of course, same happens to the enemies if they do that to you. So if you fight a boss who casts fire spells, don't bring in a character who is weak to fire... That sounds simple, but in reality it is not, as there is an abundance of spell types, and random enemies are
very smart. They will mercilessly exploit your weaknesses, casts protecting shields on themselves (for example, an enemy who is weak to earth will often cast an earth-reflect shield), and come in mixed groups, preventing you from hitting them with a multi-target spell. On the other hand, the bosses became more mild in this game compared to the ferocious creatures of SMT: Nocturne. There are, however, optional bosses, among them one who has been proclaimed the hardest RPG boss ever.
Substituting demon conversations is the Mantra system, which is quite similar to the Persona system in Persona games. Only instead of collecting cards to gain new sets of skills, you pay money and "download" those sets at save points. When you have such a set, you have to master it before you are able to use the skills. You gain atma points from fighting (devouring your enemies gives you more atma points than simply killing them), and when you have gained enough of them, you have mastered the mantra. This is an excellent system, which I found very rewarding and addictive. Basically, you build your characters the way you want to. You can make all-around fighters, mages, physical attackers, healers, and whatever you like. You can't just gain any mantra at any time; the mantras are placed in such a way that you can gain stronger ones only after you have downloaded weaker ones. Still, there is more than enough room for experimenting of all kinds.
The Bad
I suppose some modern Japanese RPG players, spoiled by the easiness of most of them, might find the long dungeons and the challenging random battles frustrating. In reality, "Digital Devil Saga" is more comfortable to play than most other Megaten games (maybe except Persona series). If you learn how to exploit enemies' weaknesses and develop your characters intelligently, you won't find the game frustrating at all.
"Digital Devil Saga" is really almost impeccable product, but... there was one thing that bothered me. Actually, most players won't even notice it. But a die-hard Megaten fan (such as myself) will surely not be able to ignore it. The thing is, there are no demon conversations in the game. Which means that one of the most important (if not
the most important) trademarks of Megaten is gone. Sure, the game has a total Megaten feel in everything - story, style, atmosphere, and most gameplay elements - but one thing I really missed were demon conversations. Nothing could ever beat the joy of successfully negotiating with a demon and getting it into your party (or making it give you cards, which you used to summon demons, like in Persona games). In "Digital Devil Saga", there is no sign of that. I had a very strange feeling fighting the demons in this game. They are all traditional Megaten demons, and they look exactly the same as they did in "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne". But... I couldn't talk to them! They suddenly seemed so hostile. I would really prefer to at least obtain Atma Points through negotiating rather than through devouring or simply fighting a lot. Also, it's a pity they didn't make the Mantra system like the Persona system. The Personas were still demons, and although they couldn't become playable characters, at least they had names, faces, personalities, and all the rest. The Mantras, on the other hand, are just skill sets. Sure, they have names like "Death Emperor" or whatever, but why can't I see this Death Emperor or hear a few words from him before he grants me his powers?
The Bottom Line
The only thing to dislike about this game is its lack of demon conversations - a flaw that can be considered serious only by hardcore Megaten fans. Other than that, it is an awesome RPG with intelligent gameplay, fantastic setting, and a very dark, original, atmospheric story in the best tradition of Megaten.
I'm hungry for the sequel!
