Game Details
Price
  • $29,99
Genre
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Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

common sense media says

Well-written RPG can be both frightening and sad.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that compelling role-playing game can be frightening. It has mild violence, a little bad language, and some scantily clad demons, but it is the well-crafted story that is both scary and depressing that pushes this game's appropriateness into the teen range.

Educational value: You learn a fair bit about Tokyo and its environs in the game. Those interested in good writing will find that the copy you read is error-free, which is very rare in a video game.
Positive messages: While the text you read from the demons is sometimes downright terrifying, the message overall is that good can triumph over evil - if you try hard enough.
Positive role models: While the human characters suffer from teen angst, they all work together to get Tokyo back to normal by ridding it of demons.
Ease of play: Medium to hard. Those who are familiar with the gameplay of an RPG, the fighting system and moving on a grid will feel right at home. For those new to this genre, there’s a 40-page manual to help.
Violence: The violence is mainly with animated sprites and isn’t too real looking. You will fight demons in turn-based combat. You will occasionally see a pool of blood beneath vanquished foes.
Sex: You'll see some bouncing of partially covered breasts and some tight, skimpy outfits on the female demons as well.
Language: Mild language including "damn," "hell," "ass," and "prick."

More on Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Did this game scare you? Was it too scary? Why or why not?
  • Did traveling through Tokyo make you want to visit the city? Why or why not?
  • Of the various teen heroes, who did you identify with most? What does that say about your personality?

What's the story?

What's the story?
The Shin Megami Tensei series of role playing games have always been full of amazing gameplay - along with some psychologically affecting stories. SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: DEVIL SURVIVOR takes place in Tokyo where demons have been unleashed upon various districts in the city. It's up to you to vanquish them or conquer and use them to get to the bottom of a mystery that threatens you and the city in which you live. 

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
You don't use the DS stylus much in the game, but it doesn't matter because the story is so eerily compelling. Plus the gameplay makes hours go by quickly. What hits home as too real is that a DS-like device is used to summon demons. This is the kind of thing that can play with your mind and seem real in the dark of night. The turn-based battle system on a grid is somewhat difficult to get used to, especially for newbies. But the manual should aid even the helpless in learning the game. Then, you can spend hours upon hours leveling up (getting stronger) and freeing your city from its horrible spell and horrid monsters.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Not available online
Genre: Role Playing
Developer: Atlus
Released on: June 23, 2009
Price: 29,99
ESRB Rating: T for Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity
Screenshots

This review was written by Harold Goldberg
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

sarmed
teen, 17 years old
 
i love it

FunHorror
teen, 18 years old
 
Give it to a teenager/adult who likes RPG's, but not to children.
...Eh. Pretty dead-on, but calling it "teen angst" implies that the main concern is something trivial, which is simply not the case. You'd be pretty shocked/sad too if you were locked inside the Yamanote Circle by the government, demons were attacking you, and you could see that nobody trapped with you has long to live. Devil Survivor does contain information on landmarks within the Yamanote Circle, but keep in mind that the story doesn't focus as much on the setting as much as, say, The World Ends With You. Moving right along, it's shockingly easy for an Atlus game, (which is to say that the difficulty is about average) so younger players can grasp it pretty readily. For a game where you tame demons, it actually isn't so scary, since many of the more creepy-looking demons have hilarious messages. (For example, Kikimoras are the spirits of unbaptized children/aborted fetuses, and they look a tad freaky in-game, but their messages in the Devil Auction are mostly about their love of Dia, which is a healing spell.) There are some good role models in the game, but keep in mind that this is a Megaten game, so there will be no shortage of moral ambiguity. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 13. The setting is somewhat grim and the monsters can get both cute and disturbing, so it's not a great idea to give this to a kid.

jc13carrizo
teen, 16 years old
 
it cood b a great game!
it sounds awesome, and it has a good plot. if u dont want ur kids 2 play it, LOOK AT THE NAME! u shood alredy no it cood b bad. but lik ff games, it in all cood b a great name.it anime 4 God's sake!

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age