Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner

Digital Devil Saga is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series for the PlayStation 2.

Gameplay
Straying from the usual present-day or post apocalyptic world of other SMT games, Digital Devil Saga (subtitled Avatar Tuner in the Japanese release) takes place in a dystopic wasteland that combines futuristic elements with Hindu architecture and mythology. (This influence is also evident in the terminology - you don't gain levels, you "reach the next Karma".) This land is known as The Junkyard, and is broken down into several tribes. Locked in constant war with each other, they are told by a mysterious force that the last remaining tribe will ascend to nirvana. As Serph, the leader of the Embrion tribe, you and your crew are engaged in battle with the rival Assignments tribe, when comes across a mysterious egg-like artifact. While trying to defend themselves, they are attacked by beams of light, which has the side effect of awakening their dormant demon forms - after which their only instinct is to kill and eat their opponents. Furthermore, they discover a girl underneath this egg, who has the mysterious power to control the beasts with a soothing song. Only by interrogating the other tribes can you figure out the mystery of your transformations, the girl, and of the land known as Nirvana that will supposedly lead everyone to paradise.

Digital Devil Saga (no relation to the books or the Famicom games) is something of an evolution for the series. While it uses the same graphics and battle engine as Nocturne, many of the gameplay elements have been drastically toned down. No longer do you talk to demons, or even recruit them - it's all about killing. In many ways, it's closer to a standard console RPG, similar to the way Persona tried to branch out.

That doesn't mean it's dumbed down, thankfully - while hardcore fanatics may cry foul over the lack of demon fusion charts, people who found all of the demon management frustrating will find a lot more to like here. The character development system is similar to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid system, but much better implemented. There are several linear paths a character can take (known as Mantra, keeping with the Hinduist theme.) You can start on the fire path to learn attack and defense spells, or concentrate heavily on healing spells. Each of your characters is fully customizable in this aspect, and the development is far less abstract than the demon creation/recruitment of the other SMT games.

A majority of the time you fight in demon form, with only three characters at a time, unfortunately. While demons can use magic, the human form has a few advantages - you're equipped with weapons, which certain enemies are weak too. There are special abilities known as Devour attacks, which will grant extra experience points if you kill an enemy with it, thus shoving the bad guy in your mouth - but abuse it and you'll give yourself a stomach ache. Additionally, there are combination powers known as Linkage abilities that allow you combine various magic and weapon-based attacks. It's still a relatively difficult games, as you still need to pay heavy attention to elemental affinities, but it's easier to get a grasp on than other games.

While the story ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, it leads straight into the sequel. The only major difference between the American and Japanese versions are the opening vocals - it's a little weird that they ditched the song from the Japanese version, considering its melody is one of the major themes of the game. The replacement song isn't nearly as good.