i'd argue this game lives up to the first one though it fails to surpass it. in many ways this game is easier (thanks mostly in part due to a lot of qol and streamlining of tedium from the previous entry) and suffers from a weaker cast and less grounded story as a whole, but this title still has many redeeming qualities and remains one of my absolute favorite megaten games along with the first title.
atlus has robbed me of everything i love by not continuing this series. i want to hurt people.
atlus has robbed me of everything i love by not continuing this series. i want to hurt people.
Gameplay's still good. I'm leading with that because I just wanna get that out there before I say just how awful of a downgrade this game is from the first Devil Survivor, and that if you only care about gameplay, this is still a good game.
Unfortunately I loved DeSu1's story, and to see its themes not followed up on for the sake of some of the most generic anime shlock of all time is frankly depressing. Characters range from the most annoying tropes in existence personified to the dizzying heights of "this one's fun, actually", but mostly inhabit various ranges of mediocrity. The story's just some Evangelion ripoff, not to hate on Eva but it's not a good Evangelion ripoff. I dropped this game at the last phase of the final boss, that's how little I cared. Allegedly, the 3DS remake's new chapter actually improves the game a lot, but at that point, I just didn't care to try it.
Unfortunately I loved DeSu1's story, and to see its themes not followed up on for the sake of some of the most generic anime shlock of all time is frankly depressing. Characters range from the most annoying tropes in existence personified to the dizzying heights of "this one's fun, actually", but mostly inhabit various ranges of mediocrity. The story's just some Evangelion ripoff, not to hate on Eva but it's not a good Evangelion ripoff. I dropped this game at the last phase of the final boss, that's how little I cared. Allegedly, the 3DS remake's new chapter actually improves the game a lot, but at that point, I just didn't care to try it.
The seemingly more dire yet somehow more lighthearted follow up to Devil Survivor, DS2 is a mixed bag. Mechanically and game design-wise, it's much more solid than the first game, with expanded skill options, much improved demon types, and a much larger cast that are more available to use giving you much more interesting and flexible party compositions throughout the game. The story on the other hand is much more lighthearted and often takes the premise as a farce at many times, which can be a dividing factor for people. It is decently funny at times, but I do feel the overall narrative is weaker. Still, there's a lot to like here and it's a good companion to DS Overclocked if you wanted a more polished version of the tactical gameplay present there. Record Breaker ups the bonuses in the transition to the 3DS hardware by giving a whole extra story mode to play, which is very nice.