Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked

Genre: Strategy-RPG / Turn-Based Monster Collecting JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

In the massive Shin Megami Tensei franchise, the Devil Survivor series of games takes a different spin on the core franchise’s central mechanic of dealing with and summoning demons in a Turn-Based Monster Collecting JRPG akin to Pokemon, with the game being set in a more or less contemporary world rather than the post-apocalyptic settings of the main series, and with the gameplay in this series being a Tactics-style Strategy-RPG. The first Devil Summoner game was originally released on Nintendo DS in 2009, with the Nintendo 3DS receiving a remake just two years later in 2011 that adds remastered character artwork, voice acting, and a new epilogue chapter at the end of the game.

In terms of presentation, it’s clear that this is a fairly straightforward and simple remaster of a Nintendo DS game – the game’s 2D pixel art visuals are fairly simple and not particularly impressive. At the very least the remastered character artwork looks good, and the new English-language voice acting for the game’s characters seems solid, with all of this being backed by an electric guitar-heavy soundtrack. The overall effect of this game’s presentation isn’t bad, but it’s certainly underwhelming.

The story here is interesting (I’m reminded of The World Ends With You), with the game’s characters receiving communication devices (that look suspiciously like Nintendo 3DS systems) that enable them to see demons that are threatening the people of Japan, but also allow them to see a “death clock” above peoples’ heads indicating the number of days those people have left to live unless the protagonists intervene. While the game’s heroes struggle to figure out what’s going on, they’re also racing to try to stop their deaths and the deaths of those around them as the demon threat becomes increasingly more severe.

As for the gameplay itself, this is pretty much what you would expect from a pairing of Shin Megami Tensei and a Tactics-style Strategy-RPG, although I will note a few surprises – both for those who are familiar with the series and those familiar with the genre.

First, while Shin Megami Tensei games tend to have players bargaining with the demons they encounter in battles to entice them to join the player’s team, Devil Survivor separates recruitment from the battles entirely – now you recruit demons to join your team in an auction that you can open up in menus at any time in-between battles. It’s not a terrible system, but I think I prefer the standard method of recruitment for the series, as it makes it a joy when you finally stumble into an encounter with a demon you’ve been wanting to recruit, or find a completely new one.

As for Tactics-style Strategy-RPG fans, this game differs from most games in that genre by having each character on the grid representing a team of up to three characters, rather than just a solo character. It’s an interesting twist that gives players a bit more agency to perform multiple actions each turn, but it also tends to slow things down a bit.

As it happens, the game’s slow pace is one of my bigger complaints about Demon Survivor, and overall the progression in this game is somewhat sluggish. Just getting through a single battle can take quite a while, as can working your way through the at times overly-long dialogue. And if you find yourself needing to grind to take on a particularly tough battle, expect to be doing that for a while.

Despite these issues, Devil Survivor Overclocked is still a really fun game that does some unique and interesting things for both the Shin Megami Tensei series and the Tactics-style Turn-Based Strategy-RPG genre. If you’re a fan of either, this is a game well worth adding to your Nintendo 3DS collection.

tl;dr – Devil Survivor Overclocked is a remaster of a Nintendo DS game that combines the Shin Megami Tensei series’ Turn-Based Monster Collecting RPG mechanics with Tactics-style Strategy-RPG gameplay, introducing some interesting and unexpected twists to both. It has some pacing issues, but overall this is still an excellent entry both in the franchise and in the genre, and fans of either will definitely want to add this to their Nintendo 3DS game library.

Grade: B

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