Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

 DS
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: Jun 23, 2009
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 286 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 141 out of 286
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 286
  3. Negative: 140 out of 286
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  1. BoyMcBoy
    Sep 10, 2009
    9
    The story is quite compelling and unique, and, while the majority of the story is fixed, your choices can affect the survival of your allies, and the final outcome. The core of the game is the combat system, which is a combination of tactical grid based movement, and old school 3 on 3 attack/magic/defend combat. I was worried the grid based part of combat would be extraneous, but it turns The story is quite compelling and unique, and, while the majority of the story is fixed, your choices can affect the survival of your allies, and the final outcome. The core of the game is the combat system, which is a combination of tactical grid based movement, and old school 3 on 3 attack/magic/defend combat. I was worried the grid based part of combat would be extraneous, but it turns out to be important in some battles, and in no way detracts from the gameplay. The 3 on 3 combat is solid. Your choice of parties and equipped magic can be very important (although usually pretty obvious). In the few cases where the combat starts to seem a bit monotonous, the ridiculously lively music/graphics/fast paced combat keep things going. You have a good amount of control over the parties you bring into combat, but there is some room for improvement in this regard - i.e. a better skill / leveling system.… Expand
  2. patrickcrosby
    Sep 1, 2009
    10
    Man what can i say about this game. This is my first inition into Shin Megami Tensei and all i can say is where has my life gone without an RPG thats challenging with a well laid plot. The only flaws that i can conjure is the lack of a world map similar to TWEWY and some anime character archetypes but all in all, each character is unique. If you're sceptical about buying this game,Man what can i say about this game. This is my first inition into Shin Megami Tensei and all i can say is where has my life gone without an RPG thats challenging with a well laid plot. The only flaws that i can conjure is the lack of a world map similar to TWEWY and some anime character archetypes but all in all, each character is unique. If you're sceptical about buying this game, all i can say is ignore reviewers that labeled this game with an 8 . sumthin, if you're a legit RPGist, this game is a beautiful concoction of fire emblem and dragon quest that sheds its familiarity with these games and births an epic of its own.… Expand
  3. Treima
    Sep 23, 2010
    6
    What little this game offers for innovation (and the truly fascinating story) is stifled by enemies who rely less on tactics and more on cheap abilities to win. What could have been a handheld tour de force is instead just another dime-a-dozen JRPG.
  4. seieko_pherdo
    Mar 16, 2012
    6
    We have a sorting hat problem here. How to rate this game has proven to be difficult. For starters the story is fantastic and so are the people in it. The atmosphere created by trying to survive in an awful situation that only gets worse is stellar and if we could see it on say the Playstation 2 that would be absolutely fabulous. And while at first the choices you make don't seem toWe have a sorting hat problem here. How to rate this game has proven to be difficult. For starters the story is fantastic and so are the people in it. The atmosphere created by trying to survive in an awful situation that only gets worse is stellar and if we could see it on say the Playstation 2 that would be absolutely fabulous. And while at first the choices you make don't seem to matter much near the climax those choices of yours will decide which of the many endings you will receive though and the game can be very vague about which choices decide which outcomes. But the game has a big problem being the combat system is too grind-tastic. It doesn't help that unlike many other games there is no demon compendium which means getting the right demons for the sudden situations you'll be thrown into takes far longer than it should, which in turn slows down the pace of the story.… Expand
  5. neokarny
    Nov 18, 2012
    9
    The story is absolutely amazing and the characters are great. This was the first game of this calibur I played on the DS, and I'm still struck by it a couple years later. This was my first game in the SMT world, and it opened them up to me. The demon system is really fun, and the combat system is pretty smooth and refined. The only complaint I have is that it can be pretty rage and grindThe story is absolutely amazing and the characters are great. This was the first game of this calibur I played on the DS, and I'm still struck by it a couple years later. This was my first game in the SMT world, and it opened them up to me. The demon system is really fun, and the combat system is pretty smooth and refined. The only complaint I have is that it can be pretty rage and grind inducing at times - when you don't have the right demons and right strength for a certain boss, for example, and lose several times before you go and grind for an hour. I'm not a fan of grinding, but I can tolerate it and this game certainly pushed that at times. Regardless of any frustration on that front, it was all worth it with how great of a story and cast of characters this game had. Hands down this easily competes to be the best DS game, and is definitely the best DS RPG, on the market.… Expand
  6. Setsuna86
    Mar 2, 2012
    10
    If you like Atlus RPG games of the Shin Megami Tensei serie, you will love this one. The game mechanics are a DS-tactical adaptation of the old SMT PS2 games, but what really shines is the story: very deep, with the typical japanese style. You can finish the game in a wide variety of ways (i.e. different endings) and you'll have quite a bit of hard battles in the end, depending on yourIf you like Atlus RPG games of the Shin Megami Tensei serie, you will love this one. The game mechanics are a DS-tactical adaptation of the old SMT PS2 games, but what really shines is the story: very deep, with the typical japanese style. You can finish the game in a wide variety of ways (i.e. different endings) and you'll have quite a bit of hard battles in the end, depending on your choices. Definitely a 10 for me, and now I just ordered the sequel, Devil Survivor 2, which looks to be even BETTER than this one!… Expand
  7. 6xdandangp
    Dec 31, 2012
    10
    Amazing story, gameplay, and characters. Multiple endings add a ton of replay value and this game truly does the series justice. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great SRPG.
  8. EdwardL
    Jul 7, 2009
    5
    Clunky combat system makes what would otherwise be a very fun tactical battle game into a bit of a time consuming, dull mess. The poorly designed skill selection system also removes much of the RPG side of the game, as does the lack of control over NPC stat increases. Characters and art are of decent quality, although the dialogue is generally poor and unnecessarily verbose, with many Clunky combat system makes what would otherwise be a very fun tactical battle game into a bit of a time consuming, dull mess. The poorly designed skill selection system also removes much of the RPG side of the game, as does the lack of control over NPC stat increases. Characters and art are of decent quality, although the dialogue is generally poor and unnecessarily verbose, with many completely pointless dialogue options and frequent choices that lead to the same result. Sadly, had all the makings of a distinctly above average game, but is let down in too many areas by too many flaws.… Expand
  9. EricL.
    Sep 9, 2009
    5
    I love the series, but this game really fell flat. It feels like they were trying to put some elements of Persona games into this, such as having a limited amount of time per day, and spending a lot of it talking with NPCs, but it just didn't work out. The story is not too bad, but there are just way to many text boxes to read, and you spend a lot of time talking to people (like in I love the series, but this game really fell flat. It feels like they were trying to put some elements of Persona games into this, such as having a limited amount of time per day, and spending a lot of it talking with NPCs, but it just didn't work out. The story is not too bad, but there are just way to many text boxes to read, and you spend a lot of time talking to people (like in Persona games), but there is no point to it unless you're curiouse on what the characters (which are suprisingly boring for the series) have to say; there isn't any exp boosts for talking. Also, as I said, there is so much text to read!! There is lots of dialogue in the Persona games, but this is the DS, meaning that there is no voice acting to help you through it, and the screen is so small that reading all that really causes eye strains. Also, why do I have to select a text option in dialogue if there is only one option? It feels like it really isn't using the DS to its full capibilities, either. There are no touch screen controles, which is fine, but the top screen is only used in the opening movie and showing stats in battle. Why couldn't they cram any text into it during story events. Also, the demons you collect arent the most imaginative in the series, and there is no compendium, meaning you can't have bragging rights of collecting all 100 of them, which is only half of the ones in the series, but is still a lot. The music is really good, but it suffers because it's just too repetitive. There are games like Devil May Cry 3 and Persona 4 that have music that never gets old. This is not one of them. The combat stinks. Character development is miserably slow, even worse than in Nocturne if you could believe that, and usually you have to grind on the same map over and over to level up on the vastly harder map you have to play on later. The skill setting options also feel shallow. The combat lets you select attacks to use for each member, and have them executed all at once. To me, that translates as 3 on 3 Pokemon, however in this game it has a much higher difficulty and a helluva lot slower development. I heard that such combat, along with the present style of it being in first person with still images of the enemies, was used in older jRPGs, and I believe that, because I doubt too many people enjoyed it, and that's probably why it died out. There are also no items to use, so you will have to rely completely on spells for the lots of healing you will need to do. In conclusion, you can do much better than this game. If you want a good strategy RPG, then check out Disgaea or Advanced Wars; if you want a good SMT game, then check out Nocturne or Persona 4; if you want a good DS game, then check out The World Ends With You or The New Super Mario Bros. I'm aware how rare this game is, so the only reason to own this is for collectors puposes.… Expand
  10. Guy_McDude
    Sep 25, 2020
    10
    Pitch perfect tone, interesting characters and a branching repayable storyline. Really one of the best offerings on the handheld.
  11. Estepan
    Sep 10, 2020
    10
    This game is just too good, and is about a decade old, and still hold very highly with today's games.
  12. H3NTAI_LOVER
    Jun 14, 2020
    10
    Another masterpiece by atlus, the art syle is gorgeous, the combat is fast paced and fun and the story and dialogue are interesting all the way through. It can be challenging at times, but it is so worth it to keep playing
  13. Pasifull
    Oct 11, 2022
    8
    Absolutely superb battle system, atmosphere and story. Let down slightly by how 2D some of the characters are and how grindy the end-game is. Well worth your time
  14. Savo
    Jan 30, 2022
    10
    Amazing game. The soundtrack is memorable, gameplay nearly addictive and story incredible. Definitely recommend if you're already a megaten fan or gas already played the fire emblem emblem games. Sad so many people put such low ratings for no reason.

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best DS Game of 2009
19
#19 Most Discussed DS Game of 2009
15
#15 Most Shared DS Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Game Informer
    80
    A clever blend of tactics and RPG conventions. [July 2009, p.90]
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  2. RPGamer
    80
    Fans of tactical RPGs will enjoy the game's solid and original combat, which will also appeal to those that have grown tired of playing the same old thing. Even those RPGamers who are generally turned off by tactical RPGs might find this new hybrid combat system enough to offset the things that normally turn them off from the subgenre.
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  3. GamePro
    70
    Still, aficionados of the Megami Tensei universe will undoubtedly get a kick out of the game's intriguing story and colorful cast while fans of turn-based combat might just find an addicting and innovative adventure - just don't expect an RPG that'll re-invent the wheel.
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