Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

 PlayStation 2
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 263 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 124 out of 263
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 263
  3. Negative: 127 out of 263
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  1. WilliamC.
    Apr 26, 2005
    7
    A good rpg needs different settings and pacing. It needs towns and fields. Places to relax and explore. The story was good but shallow. The battles were ingaging and stratigic but too frequent. There were so many good things about this gam, great things even. But was lacking in many areas as well. i recommend this game, but with caution. And a bit of a side note, the packaging was really A good rpg needs different settings and pacing. It needs towns and fields. Places to relax and explore. The story was good but shallow. The battles were ingaging and stratigic but too frequent. There were so many good things about this gam, great things even. But was lacking in many areas as well. i recommend this game, but with caution. And a bit of a side note, the packaging was really nice and worth the extra 5 bucks.… Expand
  2. FredF.
    Apr 27, 2005
    6
    Absolutely average game. The way it moves, the plots, combats. Nothing new.
  3. EricL.
    Sep 9, 2009
    7
    The Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite game series, and this game isn't too bad. The story seems to be the only thing that most critics seem to agree is great, and I was suprised that it actually was! It doesn't have that level of interaction in most other games in the series, but it still written really well. There also is an art style, but it's only noticible during The Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite game series, and this game isn't too bad. The story seems to be the only thing that most critics seem to agree is great, and I was suprised that it actually was! It doesn't have that level of interaction in most other games in the series, but it still written really well. There also is an art style, but it's only noticible during cutscenes, the music is good, and the combat requires a lot of strategy as always. However, there are just too many things about this game that bug me. I'll start off by mentioning that my biggest problem is the random battles, because they are just waaaaaay too frequent. I thought they came often in Nocturne, but I grew to accept them in that game, but in this one there is one every couple of steps, and that is no exageration. The next thing is that you only get to play as your crew, but each member can use the same skills once learned, making the only differences in combat their stats, gun attack, strengths, and weaknesses. It takes away the sense of discovery found in the other games of the series. Also, the level design is terrible, I can never tell if I'm going where I want to go (thankfuly there is a mini map that expands as you explore), and that wouldn't be that huge of a problem if it didn't take forever to get from point a to point b due to the random battles. Also, the stage designs seem to be full of copy/paste, like in Nocturne, but in that game it actually worked well because if there was a blood stain or something, my attention would instantaniously be drawn towards it, making it quite impactful. In this game there rarely is any blood, even around corpses. I'm assuming that since the story revolves around the subject of cannibalism the developers either wanted to make it look like there were no "leftovers", or didn't want it to look like some sort of gore-fest. Lastly, the puzzles are headache inducing, and tediouse as can be. Fortunatly they are not as frequent as in Nocturne, but they're still present. I know I'm refering back to Nocturne a lot, but there are really a lot of problems here that shouldn't have been present. All I can say is that even though I realize that I've spent forever talking about the problems, it's still a pretty fun game, and it's rare too, so show it off to everyone who may be jelouse.… Expand
  4. NickL.
    May 31, 2006
    10
    This game is Excellent!! Big fan of the series love each one, used to import the first titlesfrom Japan before they started being released in the UK, let's hope Digital Devil Saga 2 will also be released over here.
  5. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 24, 2014
    5
    I really wanted to like it, but Digital Devil Saga tried its hardest to make me hate it, and ended up hating it I did. From the second chapter all the way to the final end boss, it was a repetitive, dull and grindy chore. A non-stop barrage of identical dungeon corridors, random encounters and downright dirty AI scripting. The combat is the game's main draw, and is very strategic. It canI really wanted to like it, but Digital Devil Saga tried its hardest to make me hate it, and ended up hating it I did. From the second chapter all the way to the final end boss, it was a repetitive, dull and grindy chore. A non-stop barrage of identical dungeon corridors, random encounters and downright dirty AI scripting. The combat is the game's main draw, and is very strategic. It can be enjoyable with its press turns, enemy weaknesses, etc. but the tedium and monotony outweighs any positives I had during my 30 hours playing the thing.… Expand
  6. crazydangerous
    Dec 31, 2011
    8
    This game held my interest with it's combat system that grants bonus turns for playing smart and it's very strange world. It's 2011 so it's hard to look at these days but back in 2005 when this came it it would be considered decent. If you're into games like persona 3 and 4 for the dating elements you will be disappointed but if you like nocturne or strange journey this is a enjoyable experience.
  7. iKen
    Apr 13, 2020
    8
    Played on PlayStation 2.
    Gameplay: GREAT.
    Story: GREAT.
    Graphic: GREAT.
    Music/Sound: GOOD.
    Dialogue: GOOD.
  8. Sartagis
    Dec 15, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I picked up this game because I am a big fan of the Persona series.

    Pros
    - Familiar spells and abilities if you have played other Shin Megami Tensei games

    Cons
    - Somewhat confusing and limited story
    - Instant death spells are far too powerful and can wipe your party if you are surprised. This happened the first two times I ran into an enemy with these spells. Even the "Low" hit rate spells succeeded 75-80% of the time. AOE spells of this type usually killed 2 of 3 players.
    - Extremely grind heavy. The dungeons usually take 30 minutes to 2 hours to completely search but there aren't many of them. I think there are 9 in total. You will spend far more time grinding experience and AP than progressing the game.    … Expand
  9. Belial2Spooku
    Oct 15, 2017
    10
    A perfect jrpg in Mechanics, mantra, karma all in this Works pefect.
    The cliffhanger at the end it´s just because DDS2 is the other part they are just a complete game turn in 2 pieces.
    Awesemo
  10. Equiixxx
    Jan 26, 2022
    8
    The story of this game is based on a novel that i couldnt read due its not translated, but id love to. Adult themes such as Psichology, cannibalism, surveillance, hunger... very well narrated.
    The battles were very good, the bad thing was that leveling up is very tedius. You better search on internet how to beat down those random brains. Music is a banger.
  11. ChrisC.
    May 24, 2005
    6
    Not nearly as good as Nocturne.
  12. BenV.
    Jul 1, 2005
    8
    A great game, but not nearly as good as the perfect Nocturne, but then again, I don't think anything can be.
  13. StephanieA.
    Apr 28, 2005
    10
    I loved Nocturne as well.
  14. TJ_of_Carolina
    Mar 1, 2021
    9
    The main strong points here are the story, the skill system, and the music. I won’t explain the story too much because it’s something to be experienced but it involves the soldier main characters awakening to their emotions and consciousness, whilst having to cope with violence and cannibalism being a necessity for survival even though they (Or maybe just Argilla) would prefer to beThe main strong points here are the story, the skill system, and the music. I won’t explain the story too much because it’s something to be experienced but it involves the soldier main characters awakening to their emotions and consciousness, whilst having to cope with violence and cannibalism being a necessity for survival even though they (Or maybe just Argilla) would prefer to be pacifist. There’s this consistent somber tone throughout the game which I love. The setting of the Junkyard is interesting. The endlessly warring tribes of the Junkyard obey the rules and doctrine of the karma temple, a neutral party that governs all, which they do not question at all until gaining their Atma. The tribes fight to try and conquer one another for eternity. There are some interesting plot twists that recontextualize everything. Much of the plot of this game is foreshadowing, and not much is actually revealed in the first game. I went into this game having bought both at the same time, knowing each game is basically 1 half of the same game, at least story-wise. The voice acting is excellent, especially for an English dub of a JRPG from 2005 (Final Fantasy X, one of the first major JRPGs with voice acting, released in 2003 2 years earlier) All of the actors have a lot of energy in their line delivery and deliver just the emotion needed. A standout is Angel who has a bombastic menacing villain voice.

    The skill system is enthralling, it gives basically every party member unlimited customization and potential. How it works is you can buy a skill from the grid for money, once you do you have to battle and eat enemies to unlock the skill for use. Once you get a skill you have it forever without having to delete skills on any of your party members. (Unlike nocturne or basically any other JRPG) You can give any party member any skill with grinding and by the end, each party member will have rosters of 70ish skills. You still can only use a certain amount of skills in battle but you can switch out skills in the pause menu in between battles whenever. This system actually makes grinding fun and engaging. I often found myself going after a boss on a “test run” to see what skills were necessary and would switch out skills on my next go to the ones needed.

    Digital Devil Saga’s bosses often shake up the formula with unique behavior patterns and gimmicks. To give some examples, a boss that’s invisible, a boss that eats the other enemies to grow larger unless you kill the others quickly, and a boss that mimics what you do.

    The music is some of Shoji Meguro's best work, really atmospheric guitar tracks. Even though I love the "Hunting" random encounter track even I got tired of it after a while of hearing it endlessly. Each dungeon has an ambient track that lends each area some personality. Samsara Tunnels is a relaxing bop and “Man’s Tomb” which plays for an early tomb dungeon feels appropriately claustrophobic, like you’re trapped in here. The game has a lot of headbangers. I was gonna list my favorite tracks but stopped because I was basically listing off the full OST so I'll just give the 3 best. “Danger” by Etro Anime was added in the English version as the opening and it’s perfect for the tone of digital devil saga. The Smooth female vocals are nice and the lyrics are thematically relevant despite not being made for the game. The first phase final boss theme is bittersweet and catchy at the same time. "Surely Once Again..." is a minute-long track that plays at the tail end of the game and it's just so effective when that guitar kicks in, sending off the game very well. I had a sudden emotional gut punch when that guitar started up. I don't know how to describe it but it sounds triumphant and sad simultaneously. The character designs are all memorable, I like Serph’s and Argilla’s more the more I look at it. The demon form designs of the main cast all look awesome and none of them are forgettable, especially Varna. I’m a fan of Kaneko’s art style which makes the characters look like renaissance paintings.

    The dungeons have a lot of samey corridors, This was fine enough for me as someone who loves turn-based strategic combat. To me the dungeons were vehicles to get to the battles.

    My one major complaint with this game is the obscenely high random encounter rate which seems to be everyone's complaint with this game. I eventually got used to it and starting behaving with the encounter rate in mind but it was a frustrating first couple hours.

    All in all, I liked this game and think it deserves to be less obscure, to be up there with persona 4 and 5 in popularity, I dislike how to this day Metacritic hasn't fixed the user score after a random guy decided to use a spam bot on all megaten games because he was pissed about Joker in smash. Not making this up. It's so blatant too, There are 126 negative user scores and not a single negative user review.    … Expand
  15. XDanielol
    Jul 14, 2022
    10
    As and RPG fan, this impressed me. Though the PS2 era was considered the golden era of RPGs, Digital Devil Saga showed to us a much darker and complex theme. The story and battle system makes this game a total blast and addictive, despite the high encounter rate, the exp gained in battle sets up for a fun time. Really recommend it.
  16. Alucard771
    Jun 22, 2020
    8
    Awesome plot! It's like a Matrix, but much deeper.
    But labyrinth can kill you joy.

    I think, better walkthrough this game with cheats thtan ignore
  17. Shin_megami
    Jan 5, 2021
    10
    Beautiful game challenging difficulty’s great ost and the Demi-fiend boss fight was fun as hell lol
  18. VanillaKowo
    Jan 2, 2021
    10
    Absolutely great, the characters, story, combat, locations and environments are all amazing. My only complaint is the random encounters, but apart from that, easily the best megaten game behind Digital Devil Saga 2.
  19. PinataFace
    May 8, 2023
    9
    This is one of the best rpgs I have ever played. It has an amazing soundtrack and some excellent story points and characters. While it is kind of grindy I beat the game in 25 hours and could have easily played though the game and beat all the secret bosses in barely anytime. If you want a fun and light rpg I heavily recommend Digital Devil Saga.
  20. ArTyOm1991
    Jul 24, 2022
    8
    Игра объективно хороша.

    Сюжет мне понравился, хотя бесит что все сливки оставили во второй части из-за политики компании по разделении одной игры на две части и выдаиванию двойного кол-во грязных японских бумажек из роботяг. Ощущение интриги присутствует, следить интересно, персонажи прикольные. Мб вам не зайдет если вам не нравятся линейные истории где большая часть понятна, мне лично    Игра объективно хороша.

    Сюжет мне понравился, хотя бесит что все сливки оставили во второй части из-за политики компании по разделении одной игры на две части и выдаиванию двойного кол-во грязных японских бумажек из роботяг. Ощущение интриги присутствует, следить интересно, персонажи прикольные. Мб вам не зайдет если вам не нравятся линейные истории где большая часть понятна, мне лично зашло.

    Геймплей неплох но иногда бесит прокачка. Суть в том что нельзя смотреть способности веток прокачки до того как ты прокачал пердыдущую мантру в ветке. Иногда бесит, но особого возгорания у меня не вызвало.

    Иногда бои вызывают трудности. Я заметил что почти для каждого данжа нужен особый скилл сет, что плюс. При этом игра абсолютно не прощает ошибки что почти всегда заканчивается смертью пати или траты дорогих расходников.

    Гринда на удивления я не заметил и прошел игру только на ретраях.

    Вообщем: за сюжетный поворот к середине игры и почти спинномозговой околотактический геймплей по часика 2-3 на вечерок, ставлю 8.

    Если у вас сгорает от интсакилов или затянутости коридоров и вы пришли за сюжетом то часть откровенно слабая по сравнению со второй (4 из 10).    … Expand
  21. maylokana
    Jul 24, 2022
    10
    this game, being one of my initial dips into megaten, was really enjoyable! i liked building my team up how i wanted to with the many skills/mantras available, watching the inner struggles the embryon had to go through, and the press turn system that encourages hitting weakpoints for more turns while using shield skills to deny enemies of their own turns.

    i'd recommend this to anyone    this game, being one of my initial dips into megaten, was really enjoyable! i liked building my team up how i wanted to with the many skills/mantras available, watching the inner struggles the embryon had to go through, and the press turn system that encourages hitting weakpoints for more turns while using shield skills to deny enemies of their own turns.

    i'd recommend this to anyone looking to get into megaten themselves.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best PS2 Game of 2005
68
#68 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005
36
#36 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    80
    9 / 7 / 8 / 8 - 32 gold [Vol 814; 23 July 2004]
  2. GameZone
    75
    This could have been a dark and edgy game, but rather than unleashing this beast, the developers pulled back to make it a standard tactical turn-based combat game.
    Read full review
  3. Siliconera
    80
    The difficulty in Digital Devil Saga will certainly turn some gamers off, especially those not fond of RPGs. However, if you're a gamer into RPGs and have been waiting for something fresh check out Digital Devil Saga. Digital Devil Saga is certainly one of the best RPGs in a long time.
    Read full review
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