Although the majority of gamers probably know little to none about the Shin Megami Tensei series, it has actually been around for years, just on the edge of Japanese gaming culture, a little too dark for the mainstream but always good enough to evoke a small but loyal cult following known as the Megatennists. Okay, so it would be a stretch to expect the same kind of passion in the Western world for a Japanese RPG steeped in very dark, sometimes obtuse Manga styling, but it would certainly be a disappointment if a game with such uniqueness can't find a market on these shores. Traditions and style aside, there is certainly a very strong game here, with a storyline, although very adult orientated, that is a lot more interesting and daring than your average Japanese RPG.

The Shin Megami Tensei series is based on a novel by Aya Nishitani and has been around since the days of the NES in Japan and has followed on to the Super NES and PlayStation. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga is part of a two game continuity that concludes with Digital Devil Saga 2 later in the year. Although it would be useful to have a vague idea about the Shin Megami Tensei universe, the game does ease you into proceedings and never feels overly pretentious as to make you feel left out if you have never experienced this bizarrely dark universe in the past.

The story of Digital Devil Saga is violent and gritty throughout, however it's based in a world and amongst characters that you cannot help but find intriguing. The story revolves around the Junkyard, a world of scattered environments, split into small cities, each controlled by a specific tribe. These cities surround the Karma temple, which is home to a type of super computer that promises a place in Nirvana for the tribe that defeats all others. Being that the Junkyard, surprisingly enough, is hardly the greatest place to settle down, the tribes are all the more eager to wipe out the opposition and claim their place in Nirvana.

The main emphasis for the player is on the Embryon tribe and specifically on leading man Serph, who is the focal point for players throughout their time spent in the Junkyard. The story begins with a battle between the Embryons and an opposing tribe, amidst the appearance of a mysterious artefact. This artefact breaks open, giving all members of their world the ability to utilise demon powers. These powers however come with the price of an insatiable need to feed, or devour, with most immediately turning upon each other in a truly disturbing scene of mass demon cannibalism, which sets the very dark tone for the rest of the game. From this artefact also comes a mysterious young girl named Sera who has no idea of her past. The only thing that is certain is her importance, and with new directives coming from the Karma Temple that in order to ascend to Nirvana the tribes must devour each other's bodies until only one remains with Sera in tow, there is inevitably a demon-fuelled war for both complete annihilation of the other tribes and control over the young mysterious girl. It is from this point that Serph and his Embryon tribe must confront the other tribes in their demon form and unravel the mystery of Sera, as well as the very nature of their existence.

The gameplay, as you can imagine, being an RPG is very much your traditional fare of exploring the vast Junkyard environments and interacting with its array of inhabitants, combined with turn based combat, which you will be doing a lot of. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. When exploring areas that belong to the Embryons or the battle free zone of the Karma Temple, you have the luxury of interacting with the inhabitants of the land and taking in the rather beautiful and often grand sights within the Shin Megami Tensei universe. However, as soon as you enter a battle zone or dungeon, you will find yourself with hardly a moment's respite as you are constantly barraged with battle after battle, which are so frequent as to almost ruin the experience and stretch your patience to the very limit. It's a good thing then that the battles are extremely enjoyable, with a combat system that encourages a distinctly tactical fighting style and shares the kind of presentation and good looks that you may well associate with the Final Fantasy franchise.

Although the demon recruitment of previous Megami Tensei games has been removed for Digital Devil Saga, it has been replaced by a very open ended customisation for the demons within your team. This freedom allows you to mould your characters' abilities as you see fit, with each character's preset strengths and weaknesses given as a guide for the future development of their skills. These upgrades are made possible by the collection of Atma points, which work in the same way as experience points and are gained as you defeat enemies in battle. A clever twist on this premise also allows you to use your special devour ability, which is essential for your demons' survival. This allows for a greater accumulation of Atma points in battle, with extra points going to your demon if the foe is frightened of you as you devour them. Although being frightened of being devoured by a demon seems a given, the foes are often tough little cookies and need to be worn down, which again adds a tactical edge to proceedings and makes the constant battles a lot more bearable.

As you accumulate Atma points and increase in level, this allows your character to purchase mantras, which are the skills and abilities that sculpt your characters' progression through the game. As you increase in level, you can purchase a wider variety of mantras in a grid system akin to Final Fantasy X's sphere grid system. These mantras are essentially new elemental attacks, be they fire and ice etc. as well as special new attacks. These are purchased with the money you accumulate throughout the game and the type of skills and techniques that you acquire are only limited by your money and your level of Atma, therefore giving an unprecedented level of freedom to customise your demon powers as you see fit. As your level increases, you can of course fit your character with increased numbers of abilities, allowing you to master numerous styles of battle and therefore be ready for any kind of attack that may come your way.

As mentioned previously, you will be participating in the turn based battles at a rate so frequent as to almost be deemed ridiculous. Luckily there are some very interesting twists to the tried and tested formula of traditional turn based battles. Instead of steaming through a lot of the battles under the repetition of constantly bashing the X button, you instead find yourself having to look at each battle carefully, even against what you may consider lesser opponents. This comes largely from the premise that if you inflict a critical hit on your enemy, or attack using an ability to which your foes carry an inherent weakness, then you gain extra turns, which is an essential aspect of all battles. This also works the same way for your enemies, leading to the player having to make constant tactical decisions both defensively and offensively, which keeps the battles fresh and always interesting. The level of intelligence of your demon foes also means that it is important to constantly be on top of your opponents, as they often call in reinforcements or drain your power 'mana' to replenish their own.

Due to the very high frequency of battles and the challenge that they can produce, it is very lucky that there are numerous well positioned save points. These are named Karma terminals and not only allow you to save your game, but also heal other party members for a nominal fee. These terminals also allow you to teleport to other areas, which successfully cuts out pointless treks across large areas and also allows quick getaways when things get a little too hairy. Beyond saving your game, the Karma terminals are where you spend time purchasing your new mantras and abilities. Not all new abilities are picked up here however, as your characters also learn them of their own accord. These special combo attacks are learned when your character attains particular skills and abilities and they come about from the way the player specifically customises and upgrades their characters, some of which are very powerful and again add to the non-linear feel to character upgrade and customisation.

The presentation, as you can imagine, is often very dark and gloomy. The environments and characters however all look great and the Junkyard as a whole works as a very fascinating, often beautifully rendered location for you to undertake your disturbing demon-driven deeds within. The look and feel throughout continues the series' traditions, with original artist Kazuma Kaneko on board to give Digital Devil Saga its very unique style. The characters are all beautifully realised, with distinctive animations akin to cel-shading, their thin lips and traditional Manga-style large eyes combining for a very unique effect. Nothing, however, prepares you for the bizarre and often outrageous demon manifestations. These truly are a work of disturbed genius, the like of which I have yet to see in any other video game. The Junkyard is home to a wide variety of exotic looking locations and the whole world is actually steeped in Indian myth, with each small city given traditional Indian names. You will find examples of this throughout every city, with little pieces of history and traditional Indian artwork etched around the temples. These subtleties give the whole world extra weight and certainly combine to add to the immersion of the experience as a whole. Although the game has a very gritty atmosphere throughout, the locations actually differ quite greatly in terms of visual styling, from the almost royal grandeur of the Karma temple and the gritty urban environments of the small war-ridden cities to the old-school winding corridors of the underground dungeons, combining for an eclectic mix of locales.

Although the voice work in Digital Devil Saga is of a reasonable standard throughout, there is often very little that sets the characters apart, with monotone seen as the standard for the most part. Although this is understandable, given the predicament these characters are facing, it would have been nice to see a little more emotion, especially through the beautifully crafted cut-scenes, which could have given each character more emotional depth. However, where the voice acting falls slightly short, the soundtrack excels, from the unique mix of fast-paced rock when in battle to the mythical, often ethereal music that accompanies many of the more grand locations. This successful mix of styles enhances the unique feel of Digital Devil Saga and certainly works to crank up the atmosphere, whether it be in a cut scene or mid-battle.

One major negative that lies in Digital Devil Saga is the inherent problems that come when making two separate games to make up one whole story. With Digital Devil Saga 2 coming later in the year to finish the storyline started here, there comes the problem that after around 30 hours of gameplay, there is no resolution or ending in sight. Instead, you are left with a painfully tense cliffhanger, which although keeps you very much interested at the prospect of the sequel, does leave a somewhat bitter taste. [Halo 2 anyone? Cliffhanging Ed]. Throughout the game you will experience very little in the way of answers - instead of creating two separate story arcs supported by a continuing plot through both games, the developers have instead opted to split what is clearly one very long game into two parts. This sadly means that there is very little point in playing through Digital Devil Saga unless you plan on playing through its sequel, as all the answers and inevitable unravelling of the mystery come in the second part of the story.

If you can deal with Lost style cliffhangers and a bombardment of continual turn based battles, then there is certainly a very unique, often very enjoyable experience to be had with Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, one that successfully continues the traditions of the series while adding something new to the genre as a whole. As such, it's well worth taking a dive into the grim and twisted world of the Junkyard.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).