Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. King Abaddon Review

Well, Atlus, you figured out the key to success: make a quality game, and then around a year later, release a sequel with minor improvements… oh, and change the setting from urban to rural.  It worked for Persona 3 and Persona 4 and it sure as hell worked for Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. King Abaddon.

Atlus was kind enough to send me a copy of the game accompanied by my very own Raiho plush.  At first I was reminded of the first Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, a game which was enjoyable, but felt just a little rough around the edges.  At Raiho’s adamant suggestion I spent a good amount of time with the game, and here are my findings:

Extras – An old friend is the best kind of friend

So when I first loaded the game in my PS3, I was informed that by loading my save file from Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army I could get some potential bonuses.  Naturally, I had to find out what they were, so I took a trip to Foxes’ house to grab my memory card and transferred it onto my PS3 hard drive.  I was pretty determined…

After loading the old file I was informed by the Herald of Yatagarasu that a demon I knew was wandering the capital.  I also received a Commendation.  It turns out the commendation was just an item placed in my inventory that sells for 10,000 yen.  Not bad.  The other part interested me more: every demon that I had recruited in Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army would now instantly join me as soon as my level allowed it.

This made me surprisingly happy, since you do get pretty attached to your demons, no matter how expendable they may be.  I was being reunited with friend after friend and I couldn’t help but smile no matter how lame that sounds.

Improvements – Something good only better

Many features from the first game have been slightly adjusted, while some have been overhauled.

• Two demons can be summoned in battle: Any awkwardness in battle when it comes to slaying enemies has been greatly diminished.  As the game frequently suggests, the second demon slot is a great place for a support character with boosts and healing spells.  This also makes it easier to train all of the various demons available in the game and gain massive amounts of loyalty.
• Weapon system overhaul: No longer do you need to sacrifice one of your demons to get a better sword.  Now there are a variety of ores and other rare materials that are acquired after battle or from demons which are used to upgrade your weapon.  This is convenient since re-summoning demons can get very costly.  You are also now no longer limited to just using a katana.  Axes and hammers can also be crafted and wielded by Raidou.  These weapons each have their own benefits and drawbacks so the player can decide which one is the best for their style of playing.
• Getting allies is easier: In the first title, you had to target an enemy’s weakness and then run up to them and mash square (I think) to capture the demon in a demon-tube-thingy.  In the sequel, good ol’ negotiation has returned which made things less awkward and more familiar.  Also, your two summoned demons can aid in negotiations, adding a new layer of strategy.

• MAG > SP: Anyone who plays a lot of MegaTen games will tell you that keeping your SP full is both annoying and costly.  Devil Summoner 2 introduces the MAG system which is basically a communal SP bar shared by all of Raidou’s demons.  But wait, doesn’t that mean it gets consumed like 3x faster? Yes and no.  Now when you hit an enemy’s weakness and then attack the stunned foe with a physical attack, you can steal a nice chunk of their MAG thus replenishing your supply.  This means if you play smart, you will never run out of SP/MAG and can keep casting your most powerful spells.

• More Gumshoeing: Since the game revolves around Raidou’s position as a detective, it is now possible to take a series of sub-cases which have no effect on the main story.  Once completed, Raidou will be rewarded with some cash, weapon-crafting materials, or etc.  This is nice to earn some bonus items and can sometimes provide some humorous sub-plots.  When I am a bit lost in the story, I sometimes remember what I was supposed to be doing while attempting to complete one of these case files.

Recycling – Reducing the amount of reusing

The game starts out in the same setting as the first game: the capital of fictional 1920’s-30’s Taisho era Japan.  For this reason, a lot of the same maps and graphics are reused and don’t appear to have been touched up much.  At first I was kinda disappointed, but around the second chapter, a much welcomed change of scenery occurs: Raidou and the crew take a trip to rural Japan, far from the urban setting of the capital.

The concrete buildings and trains are transformed into lush forests while Shinto shrines and some new awesome characters (Nagi FTW) are introduced.  When this happened, all my concerns of a game heavily based in recycling melted away and I was instead absorbed in ancient, rural Japan.

Running Around – Not sure where to go

My only complaint with the game is that at times it can be difficult to know exactly where you’re supposed to go or what to do.  I wasted a lot of yen just taking the train back and forth.  This is even worse if you take a little break from the game.

When I first I noticed you could go onto the roof and speak with Gouto,  I assumed this was for the purpose of helping you if you get a little lost.  Sadly, he only repeats one or two phrases per chapter that are pretty cryptic and not very helpful.  It would be nice if a better tips system was put into place.

Final Thoughts

Devil Summoner:  Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army was a good game, but the improvements made on the sequel bring the series to a whole new level.  It really seems like the creators spent time considering what needed to be improved and the best way to do it.  I continually find myself really enjoying just about every aspect of the game.  No matter how frequent the battles are, I still have fun with my favorite demons at my side.  When I am progressing in the story (if I know how to) I love the new setting and characters.

Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon may be one of the last great PS2 titles and it definitely didn’t disappoint.  Here’s hoping we see Raidou, Gouto, and Narumi in the next generation of gaming…