Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

With a strong narrative chocked full of fascinating characters and choices, DS2 ably sprints ahead with the torch passed on from the first game. Simply, those underwhelmed by the first game will not like this installment, while those who lauded the former only have to decide if the safety and security of structured, neat opportunities and a lack of tension hinder the experience.

The story is interesting, the combat is well executed and the concept is easy to understand and enjoy. I really wish the game would have branched out a bit more in gameplay and maybe toned down the difficulty a bit so I would have to level grind so much, but those are minor issues.

The reliance on story as a driving part of the experience, the cruel difficulty, and many similarities to the first game might put some fans off. But engaging combat, addictive demon collecting, and gameplay that can only be rivaled by the first entry make Devil Survivor 2 a worthy title in the Shin Megami Tensei series.

If you liked the first game, it's pretty hard not to like the second, but if you didn't care for the original, not much here will change your mind.

Enthralling combat and a potent story make Devil Survivor 2 a great strategy role-playing game.

As both a strategy RPG player and a Shin Megami Tensei series fan, the original Devil Survivor sent me to spin-off heaven. I'm pleased to report that Devil Survivor 2 is more of the same, this time bringing an even better story, better characters, more demons to collect and a bunch of gameplay improvements.

It's just a shame that so much of the sequel feels more like a second playthrough, rather than a new game.

An excellent game, identical to the original in many respects, but bigger and more engrossing. [June 2012, p.75]

Another excellent portable Shin Megami Tensei title and one of the best strategy role-players on any format.

It's a precarious house of cards. [Issue#121, p.108]

More a data disk than a real game, but it nonetheless offer a great combat system and plenty of customization. Just don't expect anything really new.

Devil Survivor 2 improves on the original formula with a better campaign, more demons, and more skills. Fans of tactics games shouldn't pass up Devil Survivor 2's interesting take on the genre.

Devil Survivor 2's sense of humor is worth an awful lot. The same goes for replay value, and this game has plenty. [March 2012, p.87]

The story is long and branching, and will take at least 20 hours the first time you play through.

As it stands it's a largely enjoyable and well-made SRPG that represents the SMT style extremely well, but if you weren't blown away by the first title, the second entry will do little to change your mind.

Much of Devil Survivor 2 is a close replication of a handful of solid concepts. Losing time in its fundamentals and the sheer amount of subsequent content-a package structured across dozens of hours-is as easy as it is rewarding, but enjoyment of that concept will likely vary depending on how long and how many times you've traveled that road.

As a first foray into SMT games, Devil Survivor 2 was both inviting and discouraging. I liked the premise, in that it kind of reminded me of my favorite DS game, 9-9-9, and I also like dialogue sequences that mean something. On the other hand, the slow-paced, harsh difficulty made this one tough to stick with and easy to put down. Naturally, fans of the genre and SMT games are going to get better mileage than I have, and while I may have my reservations about the game, I'm able to respect and appreciate its quality.

Everything is thrown at you, ramping up the already shocking difficulty level. [Apr 2013, p.90]

Devil Survivor 2 remains an addictive experience for a large chunk of its length.