Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker Review by NintenDaan

I am not afraid to admit that I've not played many of the Shin Megami Tensei games before. It is not like I don't want to, but I never really found the time to dedicate myself to them. When I got the chance to sit down and see what Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker had on offer, I got completely hooked and couldn't stop playing. As a major fan of strategy games, I found myself thrilled to see something new. Devil Survivor 2 was well worth the leap out of my comfort zone.

The story in Record Breaker is one that's quite entertaining. The game starts you off as high school student that has just wrapped up a test. This gives you some time to chat with your friend Daichi, who wants you to sign up on a crazy website called ''Nicaea''. According to your quirky friend, this handy website shows you fake death videos of your pals. Even though you question the site's merit, you end up signing in to check things.

This is the point where things go sour for the main characters. After an afternoon of shopping, they try to travel home using Tokyo's subway system. An earthquake occurs and the subway leaves the track, killing a lot of people in the process. Due to a pact with demons, you and the team manage to stay alive. This is where the true disaster starts to unfold. Demons are everywhere in Tokyo, communication is down and there are barely any places to hide. You'll have to use the powers gifted by Nicaea and summon creatures to aid into battle. You are on a ride to save the world and there is no turning back!

Record Breaker's plot becomes dark and deep, all while managing to stay intriguing. The various Story Events are supported by fantastic voice acting, which truly brings the characters to life. You make meaningful choices that can impact how the game will play out . Even better, the twists and turns have actual value to them. The story continually gives you a reason to keep pushing on. It helps that the localization is really fantastic, which is also evident in some silly narrative choices that help to lighten the mood.

As a Strategy Role Playing Game, Devil Survivor 2 focuses a lot on menu-based actions. You won't be exploring much and will simply select the scenes that you want to go to. This paves the way for conversations and battles, which are the game's two main selling points. The approach is easy to grasp and the action comes at a good rate. The game is always working to push you forward, with the '7 day' plot point serving as a restriction and a motivator.

During many moments in those seven days, you will find yourself on the battlefield. If you know how strategy games are played, Devil Survivor 2 will totally feel totally familiar. Strategy is key as you play on a grid and move your characters to attack the enemies. Naturally, your character can move only so much in one turn and your attack has a certain range. You are allowed four characters in battle, which may seem a bit limited at first. However, each human can take control of two demons. This gives you numerous chances to strike back, since enemies come in hot and heavy. There's a nice variety of attacks to choose from and the selection grows the more you progress through the journey.

During battles, you may need to protect people, hit certain areas or hold your own as you defend your side of the field. Time is also an aspect that comes into play, with certain tasks requiring more/less time. There's also terrain, which can change as you progress, which certainly makes for a few unpleasant events. This requires the ability to react quickly to changes and smartly considering all your options. There is a real sense of difficulty, which is something I can truly appreciate.

As you level up and grow stronger, you use stat points to really give characters a boost. This can be for anything ranging from improving your magic attack to raising hit points. I found the most important stat to be Agility, as it can help you to increase the chance of Extra Turns. These Extra Turns will allow you an additional chance to attack in the same battle phase, which can be great for those hard-to-beat opponents. There are ways to get Extra Turns by other means, but this does require a lot of luck. Your opponents can randomly receive Extra Turns too, which can be quite brutal. Next to enhancing your own skills, you will also need a variety of demons to bail you out. Every demon that you destroy in battle can be purchased in the ''Demon Auction'', which allows you to increase your team's powers. The selection of demons is staggering, reminding me quite a bit of the variety you find in Pokemon.

After you complete the main quest, there is a secondary quest for you to tackle called ''Triangulum''. This brand new scenario builds upon the events of the main game and you have three days to save the world once again. In this mode, you need to defeat a mysterious new foe called the Triangulum. This substantial extra offers fans a fine continuation of the plot, all while offering new elements to set it apart. If you already played the original Devil Survivor 2,this second quest is directly unlockable from the main menu.

Is there anything I didn't enjoy? The majority of the game takes place on the touchscreen of the Nintendo 3DS. While this makes it clear that the game is a port from the Nintendo DS, I can't help but feel that more effort could have been put in. With the top screen, there could have been possibilities for 3D effects or a better look at the backgrounds in the game. Sadly, the upper screen is solely used for secondary menus and extra information. Does that mean that the game looks bad? Oh, absolutely not. Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker looks brilliant and it is nicely updated to support the higher visuals of the new system. This makes the choice for the touchscreen just a little bit weird. The music and sound effects are really pleasant as well and they make the journey all the more worth it.

If you are in mood for an awesome SRPG, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker offers this and more. With a brilliant plot, interesting characters and engaging gameplay, this one game you shouldn't miss. The heavy touchscreen usage is something you might be annoyed by, but at the end of the day that didn't stop me from having fun. There are various abilities to uncover and a crazy amount of demons to collect as well. What more of an invitation to go save the world do you need?!