Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The Shin Megami Tensei series is known for its style, music, and monsters. Devil Survivor lives up to its name; what sets it apart is the gameplay: a mixture of visual novel storytelling and grid-based, tactical RPG. Players form teams of human characters, called demon tamers, and up to two demons each. The demons are obtained either through battle or via the demon auction, adding a monster collecting and breeding mechanic to the game. It's a unique blend of different elements that work well with the general Shin Megami Tensei tone and setting.

Devil Survivor 2 adds a few features not found in the first outing, like the ability to rank up relationships between characters to give them added benefits. Besides the more streamlined gameplay and different setting and characters, the two games are similar; they use some of the same gameplay elements, sounds, and NPC and demon art. A few assets are re-used, but there's no denying Devil Survivor 2 is still its own game and brings a lot to the table.

Unlike most RPGs, earned skills are not locked to a particular character. Instead, any skill can be used by any character but only one at a time, and different battles will inspire players to use a particular character or skill set over another. The whole system is very fluid, and gamers will need to be able to adapt and change things on the fly to succeed. The game is balanced well enough for approaching each battle with tactics in mind, or to instead level grind and then juggernaut through, although some of the later encounters will require at least a passing knowledge of the skills and tactics system.

Downloadable content comes in the form of free and paid missions downloaded to the lead's phone. These are challenging battles that might take a few tries to finish, yet the rewards are plenty, like extra skills and experience for use in the main adventure. Also, new to Record Breaker is an added campaign that takes place after the main story. It features a recap of the standard game before launching into a bonus epilogue campaign, featuring new bosses, cinema sequences, a fresh story, and more.