Devil Survivor Overclocked Impressions

When it was originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2009, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor was praised for its interesting combat system and branching storylines. More than two years later, the game is getting a second life on the Nintendo 3DS with Devil Survivor Overclocked. The upcoming release includes a few new features and is hoping to introduce itself to an audience that may have missed it back then.

For those unfamiliar with the original Devil Survivor, you take control of a group of youngsters who are trapped in the heart of Tokyo after a series of events has caused the area to be riddled with demons and caused security forces to place the area under heavy lockdown. On top of that, it appears the end of the world is fast approaching, and you three may be the only ones who can stop that from happening.

As in most Shin Megami Tensei games, our heroes have the ability to combat and ally with the various demons thanks in part to the use of COMPs, communication devices that reveal the demons and make it possible for these teenagers to fight them. By defeating these foes, you may be able to find out how they came to be and hopefully prevent the end of the world.

With Overclocked, there are a few new inclusions not seen in its original release. For starters, the game now features full voice work by all the main characters in the game. With a game as deep as this, the addition of voice acting is certainly a welcome treat and is in line with what you'd expect with most SMT titles.

The other inclusion is a new epilogue chapter, titled "The 8th Day," that chronicles the events following the game's original conclusion. The 8th day aspect of the game should be quite a treat, especially considering that the DS game already had the possibility of completing the story in a number of different ways. This inclusion can exponentially increase your play time, and considering the length of the first game, don't expect it to last only an hour.

The decision to rerelease Devil Survivor on the 3DS is an interesting one. It is clear that with a follow-up planned for 2012, giving those who missed out the first time around an opportunity to try the game is nice. Unfortunately, the use of the 3DS functionality is almost nonexistent. Essentially no aspect of the game, from combat to communication between characters, takes advantage of the system's 3D capabilities. We did play for over four hours and are hoping 3D comes into use later on in a more meaningful way.

Although it is still too early to give a final say on Devil Survivor Overclocked, if you missed it the first time around and are desperately craving a long and engaging Japanese role-playing game experience in a handheld, you probably will want to pick up Overclocked. For those who already played through the main story, be sure to come back in the coming weeks to find out if the additional content is worth reinvesting in.