Devil Survivor Overclocked is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games by Atlus. One of the main themes in the Mega-ten games as they’re sometimes called is the ability of the main characters to summon and control various demons, angels, and other supernatural beings. In Overclocked the main characters summon and control demons through the use of COMPs which are mini computers and communication devices that have been modified with a special summoning program. Players are able to buy new demons via the COMPs auction function using Macca which is a kind of demon currency earned along with experience in battles. Later on an option called The Cathedral of Shadows becomes available which lets you fusion two demons together to form new and more powerful devil companions.

There are quite a few available demons in Overclocked, many of which will be easily recognizable to Mega-ten fans. Each has various powers, some of which can be passed down when they are fused. The demon designs which are anime inspired are fun and range from disturbing to a little bit sexy, and Atlus even took the opportunity to add a few new demons to the game. It’s too bad that demon’s battle sprites are still static like they were in the original release nor are they in 3D as that could have been a really cool feature for this 3DS version.

Game-play in Overclocked is identical to the original and shifts between story segments, where in most of the plot takes place via dialog, and battle segments where the action is. Both types of segments are accessed by choosing a location on the map and then selecting the actions you want to perform. Each location lists characters that your party can interact with in story portions as well as whether those story sections will lead into battles. Some locations also have free battles which you can choose to fight over and over to gain levels and Macca.

The battles in Devil Survivor Overclocked are a mix of more tactical turn-based strategy games and old school Dragon Quest style fights. You place each of the characters under your control on an isometric battlefield, and when they engage the enemies the view turns to the more traditional JRPG style battle screen. This combination with the addition of various demon strengths and weaknesses keeps combat interesting which is a good thing, because you will be fighting a lot. Battles are surely fun, but not meant to be taken lightly, especially if you are playing on the normal difficulty setting which is really quite brutal. Fortunately Altus added an easy setting to this version for those who want to enjoy the plot without the sometime ridiculous difficulty.

The story in Devil Survivor is surprisingly deep and enjoyable. The protagonists are generally likable, and many of the other characters are interesting and quirky. Probably my biggest gripe with this version is the English voice work. The voice acting is often wooden or annoying and can make the expertly written dialog downright cringe worthy. Unfortunately there is no Japanese language option for die-hard JRPG fans and otaku, though mercifully there is an option to turn the English voices off. Like the demons, the character art is nicely drawn in an anime style, and each character has several different facial expressions depending on their mood, but again other than a slight bump in resolution they are no different from those in the original version.

As I’ve mention before a good bit of the graphics and game-play in Overclocked are exactly the same as in the original. The music and sound effects in fact are identical. So, what’s really different about Devil Survivor Overclock anyway? Well, first of all there is the easy setting that I previously mentioned, which is a big help for those looking for a more casual experience. Another addition is the three save slots where the DS original only had one. I know this may not sound like a big deal, but if you’re like me you probably stagger your saves when playing SRPGs so that if you make a mistake while leveling up you can return to a previous save. The single save slot made the original a beast, if you make any mistakes or rushed though the game it sometime meant starting completely over.

Probably the biggest and most publicized addition to the game is the 8th day. An addition day scenario added to the end of the game may not sound like a lot at first, but when you take into consideration that the original game had several endings the extra day opens up a good bit of story possibilities. Of course I have played all of the possible endings, but from what I understand the dialog for the 8th day variations is a full fourth of the dialog for the entire game, which is nothing to scoff at.

The big question of course is whether or not Devil Survivor Overclocked with its $40 price tag is worth picking up for the Nintendo 3DS. The answer of course depend upon the player. If you were a big fan of the original game there’s a lot to love about this new version even though it might not seem like in the first couple hours of play. If you’ve never played the original game, but are interested then the additional features are well worth the price, especially since the price for the DS version has not really gone down, if you can find it at all. Lastly, if the difficulty of the original was off-putting, or if you played and like the game, but didn’t finish it then the easy mode and three save slots make Overclocked worth a second look. All in all, a great game for a system that is, for now, lacking in great games.

Devil Survivor Overclocked Official Website