Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor... A Remarkable Game

When it comes to the JRPG one thing is for sure, it's definitely got a home on the Nintendo DS. There are tons to choose from and the good news is that most of them are actually really good. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor may actually be among the best you can get on the Nintendo DS. It's got a good story packed with a lot of addictive gameplay that works out really well, and happens to be slightly different than what some are used to.

Lately Atlus has been no stranger to producing anything to the Nintendo DS. They've released several. Some are really good, some are average but very few have been mediocre. In terms of strategy RPG, Atlus rarely disappoints, and Shin Megami is no different. It's a wonderful game.

As usual, the story in Shin Megami happens to be pretty good, with a lot of really well written dialog in there for good measure. However, as is the case with most games in the series, it's very text heavy. There are many times when you'll find yourself reading through the story and the text. It's a dialog heavy game, but at least the story is good.

Where the game begins to show its stuff is when you're actually playing. While the moments between battles can be long, when you actually get to do some battling, it's a lot of fun. At first it seems like your typical traditional strategy RPG. You move one character from one place to another. However, when you actually confront your enemy it switches to being a more traditional RPG. First and foremost, there are tons of demons that you can get a hold of throughout your travels. And they all have their own set of abilities and can even be combined and customized in many different ways. There are tons of demons but also a lot of things you can do. You more or less fight "groups" whenever you get into a battle, usually consisting of a leader and two demons you have to take on. These moments play almost exactly like a traditional RPG.

Even better is "The Observer". This is more or less your base of operations. "The Observer" knows the future. This lets you know when you can go into battles and when you can do certain events. Also, you'll know when certain characters will die. Part of your job is to change the future in these instances. If you fail to do so you do lose characters. At the very least you get a pretty sizable party and plenty of demons to move around with.

Graphically, Atlus is not exactly the cream of the crop. Most of their games have unique art styles at least. The same can be said here. The art style is definitely great, although the graphics themselves aren't fantastic. That's not to say they aren't good. For the most part the visuals are. Particularly in battle. However you're mostly treated to those story cutscenes with the sprites. These still look pretty good in and of themselves though. Also, most RPGs on the DS are about style over substance, especially SRPGs. Style is definitely something Devil Survivor has. Yet even better is the games soundtrack, which is composed of some pretty fine tunes, several of which you'll remember long after you've turned the game off.

Perhaps the only real problem with Devil Survivor is that it's not an especially long game. The story itself is relatively short (despite some long exchanges throughout). Yet even with being short, one is bound to get a ton of gameplay out of it.

Atlus has given us quite a gem here. It's a very fun game with a very involving story and fantastic gameplay. The DS already has a number of RPGs to choose from, and it's a good thing Devil Survivor is among them. It's a fun game that nearly an RPGer can enjoy.

FINAL RATING: 10/10