Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker

Remember how a few years ago, I went crazy playing Devil Survivor 2, like it was the game of my life? Well uh, guess what, they made a 3DS version of it, and because the EU version was released like, end of October when I was overseas, I got my hands on it only about a week ago. I spent like, $60 for the game, which even I think is crazy, but heyyyy it's like one of my fav games ever and I played the original game through 4 times.

So basically that's been the past week of my life. I wake, I play Devil Survivor, it's 4am, I go to sleep, and repeat. Hooooly shit it was exhausting. It was like I was actually fighting demons IRL or something... the story has been exactly the same as the original thus far... I wasn't disappointed though- after all, I'd lost my original save file, and all I have now is this 3DS copy. I needed to rediscover the nostalgia anyway... what made me play the original FOUR times.

As I played through, I realized something- I never actually chose the ending of my favorite character, Yamato Hotsuin. So I basically see him as a giant tsundere (except not really), but yeah he basically comes across as a complete ass--- but what's beautiful in the game is that you can change him as a character. Truly, the character development is CRAZY. You can basically put an end to his sacrificial tendencies (like, he sacrifices civilians, his friends, himself) and "save him" in a sense.

The game posed some interesting questions which got too philosophical for me too quickly. Basically my favorite character, Yamato, wanted a meritocracy, and his opponent Ronaldo wanted an egalitarian system. As the main character, I could choose who to follow, and of all the endings I've played, never have I sided with either side. Even if it's just a game, and I should be obsessed with getting all the endings- I guess I just hated Ronaldo because his whole scheme reminded me of communism, and as for Yamato... yeah it's a wonder I never played the path of my favorite character until now.

Anyway, playing through his story line it basically broke my heart and my feels scattered all over the floor at 4am. Throughout the game he keeps on referring to me as his "pawn" but towards the end he's all "you're my sworn friend because you're the only one who understands me", and I'm just twiddling with my 3DS sheepishly thinking "I don't actually agree with you, I just like you". I'd like to think, if I actually existed in that world, I'd be brave enough to push for my own ideals, but obviously under game scenarios I make terrible choices.

You probably have no idea what I'm ranting on about... if you ever watched the anime Devil Survivor 2... I'm telling you now, the anime is shit. The game went into so much depth about the world crumbling beside you, and I really felt desperate in some scenes, despite it just being a game. The characters had so much background and story... the anime didn't do anything justice and just tried shipping the main character with Yamato to satisfy the fangirls. I mean, I DO appreciate fanservice except in the anime it was just REALLY poorly done. It was like the main character was just a chick magnet and Yamato was a chick--- like, their relationship made no fucking sense, whereas in the game it's like, backstory! character development! logic!

Now I'm playing the new, added story line that only exists on the 3DS port. If you have a 3DS, this game's REALLY worth getting. Game play isn't as exciting as The World Ends With You (I've yet to find a game which tops that) but it's decent and makes me think (sometimes). You can't really one-shot everything (at least not on your first run through), and apocalypse mode was actually kinda hard and I had to use strategy (gasp) to beat some bosses.

Aaaanyway, great game, worth my $60, and I'd happily play this game through multiple times (again). Don't judge the game by its anime, ok? ...I mean the game totally came out first and the low budget 13 or 12 ep anime was just the biggest injustice.

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