71
Everything is thrown at you, ramping up the already shocking difficulty level. [Apr 2013, p.90]
80
An excellent game, identical to the original in many respects, but bigger and more engrossing. [June 2012, p.75]
68
Treads on its predecessor's toes too many times to impress in its wake. [May 2012, p.93]
8
The game is worth playing for the combat system and the training system alone.
4
After finishing the anime, and enjoying it I thought I'd give the game a try. Having played Shin Megami Tensei games a few times in the past, I was skeptical about the gameplay. The battle system fails to impress me, and by far it is quite irritating to handle after playing for 3 hours now. Everything else about the game I enjoy, but if you're looking for an interesting tactical battle system than this game will bring much joy to you. Sadly the gameplay turned me away from this title.
7
Devil Survivor 2 continues the tradition of Shin Megami Tensei by having an average story and cast, a plot revolving around demons and the end of the world, and a combat system that punishes those without at least a little veterancy with its combat style. Fans of tactical RPGs will feel at home here, with a challenging combat system that revolves around fusing current demons to stay up to par with the enemy, learning new skills by defeating said enemies, and playing tactically to beat an almost always larger force. There's not much to complain about here except for the occasional spike in difficulty which can lead to hours of grinding due to the need for new demons. Story wise is where the game falls short, and it falls short very fast. The characters are all very hit-or-miss, and the "Fate" system doesn't do a very good job of fleshing them out, despite that being the sole reason it's in the game. The plot is centered around your group of ragtag civilians having a week to solve the demon problem that threatens Japan, and the problem is only exacerbated due to the usual SMT Law or Chaos decisions that come into play late in the game, fracturing the party if you haven't followed a specific guide to ensure everyone's Fate level is nearly maxed. Overall, the story is forgettable, even though at the time I was slightly intrigued by it. In the end, Devil Survivor 2 straddles the fence between "average" and "great". The unforgiving and tactical combat help to push it over to the "great" side, while the god awful 80% of the cast and story keep the game locked in place. Perhaps when the remake comes out it'll finally complete the transition, but for now the game will have to be content with a fence up its bum.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
DS
Released On:
Feb 28, 2012
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
User score
Generally Favorable
8.2
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
81% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
19% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Feb 29, 2012
90
Devil Survivor 2 isn't an anime, and it more than makes up for its lack of originality with well-drawn characters, a branching storyline and excellent mechanics. For that, I'm more than happy to accept any similarities, overt or otherwise, to the most popular -- and most screwed up -- anime ever made.
Mar 22, 2012
85
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.
User score
Generally Favorable
81% Positive
72 Ratings
72 Ratings
11% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
8% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Feb 1, 2013
10
Fantastic story, excellent gameplay, this is definitely a JRPG worth getting if you appreciate a good experience on the DS. By far one of the more enjoyable portable games out there.
Oct 4, 2012
10
This and the original are by far my favorite RPG's on the Nintendo DS. The stories and character struggles, along with their growth and failures, truly make these games stand out. You begin to feel the panic that the characters feel as time is running out, knowing that there world will likely never be the same. The turn based strategy battle system is top notch making use of extra turns that make big differences in battle. The demon fusion system is a great way to create stronger demons to fight for you, adding depth by using an inheritance system for carrying over different moves.
Mar 4, 2012
83
It's just a shame that so much of the sequel feels more like a second playthrough, rather than a new game.
Feb 18, 2012
80
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]
Mar 19, 2012
72
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.
May 8, 2012
68
Treads on its predecessor's toes too many times to impress in its wake. [May 2012, p.93]
Mar 16, 2012
10
The story is good, auctions for demons is interesting and the combat and strategy are facinating. With any game like this you must grind and that isn't a problem because you normally see different enemies and explore new locations. You'll come up on a creature that's level 25 while you're at 15. Not a big deal just grind and level up to that guy at some point. This game? After 9 hours I've been grinding the same train station map which I can tell you will not be fun at 20 hours. Yes I have a number of my characters @18, but MERAK is at 22 the missiles you try to stop are a headache and the other 3 demons that appear make it difficult to defeat this stage. Guess I'll have to grind the train station map for another 4 hours. Not happening. Be prepared.
Feb 19, 2014
7
Devil Survivor 2 continues the tradition of Shin Megami Tensei by having an average story and cast, a plot revolving around demons and the end of the world, and a combat system that punishes those without at least a little veterancy with its combat style. Fans of tactical RPGs will feel at home here, with a challenging combat system that revolves around fusing current demons to stay up to par with the enemy, learning new skills by defeating said enemies, and playing tactically to beat an almost always larger force. There's not much to complain about here except for the occasional spike in difficulty which can lead to hours of grinding due to the need for new demons. Story wise is where the game falls short, and it falls short very fast. The characters are all very hit-or-miss, and the "Fate" system doesn't do a very good job of fleshing them out, despite that being the sole reason it's in the game. The plot is centered around your group of ragtag civilians having a week to solve the demon problem that threatens Japan, and the problem is only exacerbated due to the usual SMT Law or Chaos decisions that come into play late in the game, fracturing the party if you haven't followed a specific guide to ensure everyone's Fate level is nearly maxed. Overall, the story is forgettable, even though at the time I was slightly intrigued by it. In the end, Devil Survivor 2 straddles the fence between "average" and "great". The unforgiving and tactical combat help to push it over to the "great" side, while the god awful 80% of the cast and story keep the game locked in place. Perhaps when the remake comes out it'll finally complete the transition, but for now the game will have to be content with a fence up its bum.
Mar 30, 2012
7
Once again Devil Survivor is an odd one. The mechanics have been vastly improved since game one. The fate system works well and is a nice extra incentive to speaking with them. Yet despite that story feels less intense despite the whole world being in danger as apposed to just one city. And like last time this game is irritatingly grind-tastic making the first play through somewhat of a slow choir because every boss demon/monster has the convenient ability to blast your ass to space from thousands miles away while the only thing you can do in defense is start cursing and resign yourself to hours of level grinding. New game plus is much smoother as there is no need to level grind and extra boss while as unfair as the main bosses are excitingly hard without the need to spend half the day level grinding. But in short the game is better while the story is a little less exciting which could be because it's on the DS instead of the Playsation 2. So if your fan give the game a run and you too can start wishing it was on a home console instead.
Jun 23, 2012
5
It wasn't my FAVORITE game, but if you like this kind of thing, it could be fun. I personally thought the dialogue to fight to dialogue to fight sequence didn't really shake things up, but if you have an appreciation for a good story then this is a game not to be missed.
Apr 20, 2017
4
After finishing the anime, and enjoying it I thought I'd give the game a try. Having played Shin Megami Tensei games a few times in the past, I was skeptical about the gameplay. The battle system fails to impress me, and by far it is quite irritating to handle after playing for 3 hours now. Everything else about the game I enjoy, but if you're looking for an interesting tactical battle system than this game will bring much joy to you. Sadly the gameplay turned me away from this title.
SummaryWhen a new website that shows the manner of people's deaths in advance makes the rounds amongst Japanese high schoolers, a trio of students is shocked to witness their own deaths in a terrible subway accident just minutes away. They narrowly escape the carnage, only to find themselves in a worse situation--facing otherworldly demons. Des... Read More
Rated Tfor Teen
