Digital Devil Saga es una re-imaginación de las mecánicas de SMT a un JRPG mas tradicional, remplazando el sistema de reclutamiento por el sistema Mantra (luego hablare de eso) y re utilizando el press turn que tiene Nocturne.

El juego aprovecha mejor la mecánica de press turn al poder usar ciertos movimientos ya relativamente poderosos cerca del inicio del juego, sacrificando todos los turnos, lo que da una mayor recompensa al arriesgarse, logrando diferenciarse de la mayoría de spin-offs de Megaten y mejorando el gameplay de Nocturne en cierta manera.

Pero algo que no lo mejora es el sistema de Mantra, cada personaje tiene un disque árbol de habilidades con cierto nivel, lo que permite personalizar mucho a los personajes, pero de ahí viene el principal problema del juego, los juegos de Megaten en general nunca han sido diseñados para subir de nivel rápido o grindear como loco y DDS no es la excepción, para conseguir diferentes mantras y no ser la típica build de un healer, un tanque y un buffeador tienes que poner un farmeo bastante jodido para tener un equipo variado, si tienes tiempo libre para completar RPGs al 100%, si es que vas a jugar DDS te pido PORFAVOR que te lo pases con todos los jefes, te ahorras mucho farmeo y se te hace mas amena la experiencia.

Otro detalle que me molesta es el hecho de que las formas humanas de los personajes son virtualmente inútiles, ¿con lo bien hecho que estaba el combate en serio no hicieron nada con el balance de los personajes e incentivar al jugador al usarlos?, y esto es molesto, ya que cada vez que entras a una pelea, es aleatorio si un personaje entra en su forma humana o en su forma de demonio, solo me hace que inmediatamente comenzar una pelea es transformarse en demonio en tu primer turno y nada mas, lo único útil para que es la forma humana es cuando hay enemigos débiles a armas.

Fuera de esos detalles, DDS 1 es un juegazo con un OST tremendo y muy bueno para empezar con Megaten, totalmente recomendado.

IS INSANE WHAT GRASSHOPER DID WITH SO LITTLE TIME AND THINGS TO WORK WITH

In all Grasshopper anime games so far they had a lot of material to work with and a bit more of time. Evangelion they had a lot of movies, an entire series, a lot of games and all they had to do was find a way to work their unique style with the style of the original work. Samurai Champloo they managed to capture the anime feel, writing style and just played an what if Suda and the boys from 25th Ward worked in some episodes from Samurai Champloo? But Blood +? They only had 7 episodes, and with that 7 the anime only introduced what the sinopse is. How the world works, how Saya fights, what the characters are and who is Saya was not even a thing they started to development in the anime. Is mostly a 100% original game and in only 4 months they did an entire game with it. AND SOMEHOW, IT'S WORKS! The core loop is very simple but fun, is what they are thinking to do with No More Heroes but not polish enough but hey its get the job done. Aoyama is a bit messy to play with but not enough to be a problem. The adventure segments are simple but work, the hub world works, like a genius once said: it's just works. The entire presentation is great, they manage to give a lot of personality to Blood + working with the same art style as Killer7, the story is a cool episode and the writing somehow mix well with anime, is Suda not doing much of his stuff but feeling like his work at the same time. The whole experience of playing this game is crazy

After finally reading the book and rewatching the movie, I decided to replay this classic after years without touching and man, glad that I did that.

If the Zone in the book is a place of horror and in the movie a place of "magic" in the game is chaos. You have to enter this chaos and walk amongst everything the Zone have all the time, the only time you have some peace is when you hear the sound of a guitar and even these moments are very short.

The whole point of searching for yourself and a chance of a wish is amazingly done. The atmospheric and immersion in the Zone is so well done that almost builds everything the game needs for the main quest and conclusion. And of course that the gameplays helps too, even with the strange system the gunplay and combat in general is amazing, the feeling of fighting for your life and using anything you can is amazing and returning with anything to sell is just way to much satisfying.

I really like the world building, the quest desing, the combat and just exploring the Zone. Is a hard place to live but is a nice place in the same way. Is not my favorite version of Roadside Picnic (the book become my favorite book so I doubt any adaptation can surpass for me) but now I like way more than when I was 14 years old.