Megami Tensei is the stuff that legends are made of. Originally a book authored by Aya Nishitani, it told the story of a computer prodigy who created a program that can summon demons to exact revenge on his enemies, but ended up sacrificing a girl whom he had a familiar connection with. This very tale served as the backdrop of the role-playing franchise created by Atlus, which set it apart from the other RPGs of it's time because of the contemporary backdrop and fiendish mix of sorcery and technology.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner was the first official spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series that was released for the Sega Saturn in 1995, serving as a thematic change from the first few games. It was re-released for the PSP in 2005 to commemorate it's 10th year anniversary.
Hirazaki City: Where humans and demons live in less-than-peaceful coexistence.
Instead of an unassuming boy with a demon summoning computer program who suddenly has the fate of the world in his hands, you take on the role of a college kid who happened to find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. While preparing to go out for a night at the city of Hirazaki with your girlfriend to see a concert, she realizes that she left the tickets in her apartment. En route to retrieving them, you are suddenly assaulted by demons, and at the same instance back at where you left her, your girlfriend disappears.
It was a lucky break for you that the detective Kyouji Kuzunoha happened to be passing by and saved you, but you later hear the news that he has died, the cause of which is unclear. Things go from bad to worse as you get cornered in a construction site by a serial killer named Sid, who successfully murders you. Determined to not let this end here, your spirit possesses the body of Kyouji Kuzunoha, whose own spirit guides you to help find Sid, rescue your girlfriend, and if things go well, get each of your respective spirits back in the right bodies. Off-hand, you decide to fix his boring hair to make yourself look more hip... after all, you and Kyouji are practically one person for now.
COMPs are so 1980's... the GUMP is the new in thing when it comes to Devil Summoning.
SMT:DS retains the gameplay of it's predecessors but with a polished 3D dungeon view. The PSP version corrected the somewhat choppy movement from the Saturn game, making exploration a lot less tedious. Battles also introduce a row formation system, where physical attackers can be put up front while magic users go to the back. Of course, don't expect graphical fireworks in combat, because this game still employs static images with minor psychedelic effects to save on space, a trademark that was upheld since the 8-bit era. The music could have used some remastering or even remixing, but perhaps that would have detracted from the overall gritty feel of the game.
It's close to mi~dnight... and something evil's lurking in the dark...
...and that evil happens to be Sid Davis, the very person responsible for your (initial) demise.
Though the classic Megami Tensei concept of Alignments (Law, Chaos and Neutral) are retained, they're more a determinant of the kinds of demons you can employ or fuse than a major turning point in the story proper. Demon contacts are a lot less ambiguous this time around, with stricter and more direct questions thrown in for good measure. The inclusion of a rather fickle loyalty system adds a bit of complication (and stress) to stir things up: If your demon minion is happy with you, it'll follow all your orders. Otherwise, it'll either act on it's own or even leave you.
At the Kuzunoha Detective Agency, we track down missing people and punish wayward demons. 100% success rate guaranteed!
As a Devil Summoner, you wield the device called a GUMP (or Gun-COMP if you prefer) to keep and summon your demons, and it also doubles as your sidearm. Your otherwordly recruits can later be fused into more powerful forms in Dr.Victor's alchemical lab assuming you're at the right level to handle them. Aside from demons, your one-stop magic user will be none other than your partner Rei, who also swings a pretty mean pair of shotels.
Despite the popularity of the latter Devil Summoner titles who featured Kyouji's ancestor Raidou in 1920's Japan, this particular game was never released stateside. Sources say that the PSP version release was supposed to be brought in by Atlus USA, but blocked by Sony due to lack of new content. When you consider the fact the the Saturn version was never ported either, the "lack of new content" reasoning is pure, unadulterated bullshit. They could've gotten it out if they really wanted to... these reasons are nothing more than mere excuses. "It's too old", "the coding is hard to crack" and "it might not sell well" would have been a bit more plausible. These blatant lies are one of the major reasons I just import these games instead. No fuss, no muss.
Rei Reiho: She doesn't need demons to cast spells, thereby making her 100 million times better than you. That, and she makes a striped suit look sexy.
Though looking antiquated overall when compared to today's games, SMT: DS is still a worthwhile play for real fans of the franchise. That's right, only hardcore Megaten people need apply... this is one of the hallmarks of how Megami Tensei was, and will always be remembered by. Now, if only Atlus Japan would consider releasing a PSP remake of Soul Hackers...
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