Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
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| Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | Atlus |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus Ghostlight |
| Release date(s) | January 27, 2005 (JP) October 3, 2005 (NA) February 16, 2007 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | 1 DVD |
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 is a direct sequel to the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, directly continuing the story. It retains the "Press Turn" battle system, while altering the mantra grid, adding more enemies, and adding a "Karma Ring" system to add stat boosts to your characters.
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[edit] Synopsis
- "A black sun bleeds despair across the land of Nirvana..."
Serph, leader of the Embryon, wanders aimlessly through the lifeless streets before him. In the Junkyard, his Tribe fought a gruesome war, hoping the light of heaven would relieve their suffering. In the end, Serph’s world vanished, along with the comrades who stood by his side. All that awaited him in Nirvana were endless streets littered with the silent remains of human statues.
The Promised Land was nothing but a new hell...
[edit] Background
In the future, a mysterious disease that causes the human body to slowly turn to stone is discovered. This is called the Cuvier Syndrome, and is found to be originating from corrupted data emanating from the Sun, also known as God.
A group of scientists found the Karma Society to study God. Children are found who have the psychic ability to speak with "God", and to enhance this power the human race creates a machine to talk with this entity. However, many of the children are driven insane from prolonged exposure to God and die. Only one survives- candidate number 19, a girl named Sera.
As one of their many tests are going on one of the scientists rebels against this project. As a fight ensues, Sera accidentally witnesses the entire fight, and the death of a person who cared for her. As she begins to cry so does God, and he rains his fury down upon Earth, causing the sun to turn black and turn any humans that came in contact with its rays to turn into stone statues.
[edit] Explanation
The world from the first half of Digital Devil Saga is nothing more than a figment of Sera's imagination. She created a digital world to escape from the pain she felt having to live in the real world. Every person and every location are copies of what she had seen in her life or things she wanted to see (for example, the ship that Serph Sheffield promised to take her to once she could talk to God for ten minutes). However, the military found out about her virtual world and demanded that she turn it into a battle simulation program for developing combat AIs: thus her paradise because the Junkyard.
After God was met with great sadness from Sera, he caused the sun to turn black and flooded the world with data, causing humans to take on their true nature as violent, demonic creatures.
Following the experiment, due to Sera's direct link with God, the data of those who died in the aftermath were "copied" into the Junkyard, becoming the AI programs. When the demon virus was unleashed in the Junkyard by Jenna Angel, the data was converted into their "true form" and the human personalities of the people began to awaken.
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Embryon
The victorious Tribe of the Junkyard/Asura Stage 1 project. Born as AI programs in a fully functioning virtual world that Sera created as her playground without the knowledge of the Karma Society, they were all (with the exception of Gale) based upon real people that Sera had encountered, and her perceptions of them. The Karma Society later discover this "playground" and order Sera to replace it with the Junkyard for the purpose of developing combat AIs. Unable to let her playmates be deleted, Sera smuggled the AI models of her friends into the Junkyard.
They escaped the deletion of the Junkyard in the finale of Digital Devil Saga and the data that comprised their egos were converted into flesh and bone bodies by the will of Sera and the power of God.
[edit] Serph
The leader of the Embryon and the silent protagonist of the player. The "Water Crown" Atma on Serph’s cheek allows him to transform into Varna. His calm, calculated decisions led the Embyron to victory in the Junkyard, and he re-assumes leadership of the party in their quest to find Sera. Although he is a man of few words, his affection for Sera is plain and genuine, although whether he sees Sera as a little sister or as a lover is up to debate.
As a human, he uses a handgun as his weapon of choice. As Varna, he is strong against ice attacks but weak against fire attacks. The player is allowed to customise his stats as they wish, leading to a well-balanced character.
He dies alongside Sera in the HAARP facility, and their data ascends to the Sun where it merges into one unique being called Seraph. However, on his own he is not able to reach enlightenment, and thus he is reincarnated.
[edit] Serph Sheffield
The human upon which the AI Serph was created. He graduated from Davenport College with a degree in Psychology, and joined the Karma Society's God Project. He was placed in charge of Sera's mental stability. While Sera only ever saw him as kind and loving, he was in reality a cruel and manipulative young man who used everyone around him in his quest to attain the power of God for himself. He had no respect for human life in his experiments, stating his belief that science traditionally advances by harming other creatures. To him, Sera was an expendable tool in the pursuit of science and the power of God. He even brainwashed Argilla into becoming his spy to keep tabs on his rival, Heat O'Brian.
During a painful experiment, his true nature was revealed to Sera when Heat pulled a gun on Serph and a technician accidentally patched the security camera link throughout the entire building, including to the EGG where Sera was. Her heart broken, the rush of data from the sun caused Serph to transform into a black demon- the reflection of his own heart. He consumed Argilla and Colonel Beck, then went on a killing spree before finally being killed himself.
He appears as a phantom when AI Serph revives in the EGG, and is finally destroyed by his AI counterpart.
As Sera's perception of the real Serph was a fabrication, the AI Serph bears little resemblance to Serph Sheffield in terms of morality. They are only alike in their logical and precise decision-making, and their leadership qualities.
[edit] Sera
Known as the Cyber Shaman and No.19 (referring to her number in the God Project), Sera is a human who possesses the psychic ability to speak with God. Due to this ability, she is taken by the Karma Society and undergoes a series of experiments to enhance this power. This causes her body to undergo accelerated aging to the point where her body can only maintain itself in the inhibiting fluids of the EGG.
To cope with the constant stress of the experiments, she uses her powers to create a fully functional virtual world as her playground, and creates artificial replicas of the people she knew to play with. When the Karma Society discover this world, they order her to turn it into a battleground simulation for the development of combat AIs: the Asura Project. Unable to face the deletion of her AI friends, she hides them within the Junkyard program.
During a painful experiment she discovers that Serph Sheffield, the kind and gentle doctor whom she loved, was a cruel man who had been manipulating her feelings. Upon seeing the death of Heat O'Brian- a doctor who truly did care for her- her sadness causes a massive surge of data to God, who retaliates by turning the sun black and contaminating the Earth with data, turning many- including Serph- into demons.
In the aftermath, she spent the next five years sealing her heart shut, until Jenna Angel attempted to hack into the Junkyard program to test out her new demon virus. Sera attempted to use an emergency override to protect her friends by inserting herself into the program, but it was too late. This causes her to lose her memories in Digital Devil Saga. Her ego is eventually retrieved from the Junkyard by Jenna Angel.
The Embryon eventually rescue Sera from the EGG, and she inherits the power of the fallen Serph. Her own "Water Crown" Atma allows her to transform into Varnani, the female counterpart of Serph's Varna.
As a human, she uses a handgun as her weapon of choice. As Varnani, she is strong against ice attacks but weak against fire attacks. Her stats are based upon Serph's when she first joins the party, and she continues to develop in a well-balanced fashion.
She dies alongside Serph in the old HAARP facility, and their data ascends to the sun where it merges into a single unique being: Seraph. As Sera on her own was unable to reach enlightenment, she is reincarnated.
[edit] Heat
Heat is a member of the Embryon who is separated from the others when they emerge into the real world. His right arm is emblazoned with the "Fireball" Atma, which allows him to transform into Agni. He finds his way to the Karma Society where Margot Cuvier convinces him to side with them so that he may have his revenge against Serph. Violent in nature, Heat seems to be unsure how to express his conflicting emotions towards Serph and Sera, so his feelings manifest themselves as anger. He is later heard to be wailing in despair in the EGG Facility, and openly encourages the party not to die while fighting them.
As a human, he uses a grenade launcher. As Agni, he is strong against fire attacks but weak against ice attacks. His stats emphasise Strength and Vitality, with a significant weakness in Magic.
After defeating Serph, he absorbs the power of the EGG in an attempt to become a god, contaminating the entire facility and transforming into Vritra. He is mortally wounded when Serph (as Varna) bursts out of his body, and he dies soon afterwards. His data is sent to the sun, and depending on the dialog choices made by the player over both games, he will either join Seraph for one final battle or allow Roland to take his place. As he is not able to reach enlightenment, he is reincarnated.
[edit] Heat O'Brian
The man upon which the AI version of Heat was created. A graduate of Berkeley College as a gene therapy doctor, he joined the Karma Society's God Project and was placed in charge of Sera's physical condition. His little sister died of the Cuvier Syndrome, and he came to care for Sera as a replacement sister, giving her a black cat named Schrödinger as a present. As hot-headed as his AI counterpart, he would often make angry outbursts at how she was being treated, and openly expressed his disgust of the manipulative behavior of his coworker Serph Sheffield. This caused Sera to regard him as a scary big brother, as she never saw the side of him that cared for her.
While Sera was being put through a painful experiment, Heat finally snapped and pulled a gun on Serph, ordering him to stop the experiment for Sera's wellbeing. However, he was shot in the back by Argilla, and died.
The AI Heat is based upon the hotheaded, angry side of Heat O'Brian that Sera regarded with fear. Like Heat O'Brian, the AI Heat comes to care for Sera deeply, though he is unsure exactly how he feels about her- reflecting Sera's own confusion of their relationship- and can only express himself with anger and force.
[edit] Argilla
The Embryon's master sniper. Argilla can change into Prithivi, as shown by the "Seismic Wave" Atma on her chest. Although she had issues with devouring others in Digital Devil Saga, by the time she emerges into the real world she has accepted it as a necessary evil, and looks down on those who take their lives for granted, such as Roland. What's more, she has developed a flirtatious nature with her friends, especially Serph.
As a human, her weapon is a sniper rifle. As Prithivi, she is strong against earth attacks but weak against force attacks. She has superior Magic power at the cost of Strength and Vitality.
She eventually sacrifices herself to help Roland defeat Meganada- this shows that she has accepted him as a comrade. Her data ascends to the sun, where she is reunited with Seraph and fights one last battle with him/her. Depending on a dialog choice made in Digital Devil Saga, she may inherit the powers of her fallen comrade Jinana. Because she never reaches enlightenment, she is reincarnated.
[edit] Real Argilla
The woman upon which the AI Argilla was based upon. She worked as a nurse in the Karma Society's God Project under Heat O'Brian. She is shown to be flirtatious with her coworkers, and is regarded as a kind person by many who knew her. However, she is brainwashed by Serph Sheffield into becoming his spy on Heat. When Heat later pulls a gun on Serph, she betrays her boss and shoots Heat in the back, although she is clearly shaken up by her own actions. She is devoured by Serph after he is transformed into a demon, and her data is sent to the sun where she can be found still trying to justify her foolish actions.
Real Argilla shares her friendly nature, her slight flirtations and her reluctance to kill with her AI self. However, she is a much weaker person than AI Argilla, having been manipulated into murder by Serph Sheffield and then refusing to take responsibility for her actions. In contrast, AI Argilla quickly learns the harsh realities of killing others, and eventually finds acceptance in the Junkyard.
[edit] Gale
The strategist of the Embryon. He’s also a skilled warrior, skilled in leg and kick attacks. The "Twister" Atma on his leg signifies his metamorphosis into Vayu. Although he finally awakened his emotions at the end of Digital Devil Saga, he continues to be a calm, level-headed figure in the Embyron. He is unique in that he is the only member of the Embryon who never came into contact with Sera and never had an AI model in her Nirvana.
As a human, he uses an assault rifle. As Vayu, he is strong against force attacks but weak against electric attacks. He is a well-balanced character with an emphasis on Strength and Magic, but weaknesses in Agility and Luck.
He confronts Jenna Angel at the Airport to buy the others enough time to get to a plane. He speaks to her as David, telling her that she is misguided in her hatred and that David wanted her to help people. Unable to bear the truth, Angel stabs Gale through the chest- a blow he willingly takes. He then stabs her back, and they both die in each others arms. His data ascends to the sun where he joins Seraph in a final battle. Because he never reached enlightenment, he is reincarnated.
[edit] David
The person whose soul inhabits Gale's body. He was a researcher working in the Karma Society, looking to find a cure for the Cuvier Syndrome. He also had a very close relationship with Jenna Angel, whom he loved. Unfortunately, he caught the Cuvier Syndrome and was in an isolation ward when it was attacked by terrorists. With his dying breath, he implored Jenna not to hate humanity for what they had done. His data flowed into the Junkyard, and into the body of AI Gale. His solar data later appears on the sun.
It is hard to draw a comparison between David and AI Gale, as not much is seen of the former. However, it is safe to say that they share a physical similarity.
[edit] Cielo
Another key member of the Embryon. Cielo’s "Rainbow Arch" Atma distinguishes his transformation into Dyaus. He’s very cheerful, though tends to act foolish, which eases tensions among the group. He also has a very strong Jamacian accent. Cielo is very protective of his friends and dislikes those who take their friendships for granted. He also has a friendly rivalry with Gale, casting him as the straight man to his antics.
As a human, he uses a sub-machine gun. As Dyaus, he is strong against electric attacks but weak against ailment attacks. He starts with superior Agility and Luck at the cost of his Strength and Vitality. Over the course of the game, his Magic becomes his most powerful stat.
While Serph and Sera are travelling to the HARRP Facility by plane, he sacrifices himself to destroy three pursuing jet fighters. His data ascends to the sun, where he reunites with Seraph to fight one last battle. Because he never reaches enlightenment, he is reincarnated.
[edit] Real Cielo
The person upon whom AI Cielo was made. Real Cielo was a candidate for the Karma Society's God Project, and struck up a lasting friendship with Sera during the testing phases. Unfortunately, the telepathic tests drove him mad, and he died from insanity.
Real Cielo is mentioned to have been as easy-going and cheerful as his AI counterpart, which is probably why Sera remembered him even after he died.
[edit] The Lokapedia
A resistance group set up to oppose the Karma Society. Their name means "Guardian of the Gods". Comprised of humans who have rejected the Karma Society's law or have been rejected by the Karma Society, they live underground to avoid the harmful effects of the sun's rays. In recent months the group had slowly lost hope for the future after their charismatic leader died in an experiment with the stolen demon virus.
[edit] Roland
The leader of the Lokapedia and guardian of Fred, both of which fell into his care after he was forced to kill the previous leader. A classically trained author, he fell into despair and became an alcoholic following the death of his friend, and unconvinced in his own ability to lead the Lokapedia. After meeting the Embryon, he sobers up and injects himself with the demon virus, gaining the "Lightning Bolt" Atma that allows him to transform into Indra.
As a human, he uses a shotgun as his weapon. As Indra, he is strong against electric attacks but weak against earth attacks. He starts as a well balanced character in Strength and Magic with a deficiency in Agility and Luck. As he develops, he gains superior Strength and Vitality, making him ideal for physical combat.
He regains his courage to fight and goes off to avenge his fallen comrades by facing Meganada alone. He later sacrifices himself alongside Argilla to destroy the monster, and his data ascends to the sun. Based on the player's dialog choices over both games, he either joins Seraph for a final battle or allows Heat to take his place.
[edit] Fred
A young boy who is the son of the previous leader of the Lokapedia. He loses his faith in grown-ups after seeing Roland become an alcoholic, and because the promise that his father would eventually return is never kept. He keeps an olive branch in his notebook as a memento of his father. He has a generally upbeat and bright personality, and soon develops a strong bond with the members of the Embryon. Even Roland admires the boy's strength of will. As Fred watches the Embryon's struggles, he learns how to cope with loss and become a stronger person from it.
He eventually grows up to be the guardian of the reincarnated Embryon, and leads the world to a new era of prosperity.
[edit] Greg
The former leader of the Lokapedia. He was a charismatic man who founded the Lokapedia and inspired hope amongst his comrades. He also fathered a son in Fred. Unfortunately, he was killed by Roland when he tested the demon virus on himself and went out of control. His "Lava Flow" Atma allowed him to transform into Cerberus.
His data flowed into the Junkyard, where it merged with the body of the AI Lupa. He is killed in the Junkyard when he once again goes out of control, and his last words are a message to his son. His data then ascends to the sun, where he is reunited with the Embryon. If the player has completed Digital Devil Saga and imported the save file, he then merges with Gale's data, allowing him to inherit his power.
[edit] The Karma Society
The current rulers of the world. The Karma Society were originally a small group of researchers founded to study God, but were corrupted by the military as time went on. They were the ones that discovered the Cuvier Syndrome, and when the sun turned black, they created huge domes to shield the inhabitants from its corrupted data. As these are the only places where a person can live without being turned to stone, they have become the only government left in the world.
[edit] Jenna Angel
The Chief Technical Director of the Karma Society. She is a hermaphrodite, and both the father and mother of Sera. She was the one who discovered that the sun was causing people to turn into stone, but due to a reshuffle in the Karma Society the credit went to Margot Cuvier. She also discovered that demons were immune to the Cuvier Syndrome, and created the demon virus by taking weak strands of corrupted data from the sun and intensifying them over five years.
She was in love with a fellow researcher called David, but he became afflicted with the Cuvier Syndrome and was taken to an isolation ward. While there, the ward was attacked by terrorists afraid of the Cuvier Syndrome, and he was mortally wounded. Despite David's best attempts to urge Jenna not to hate them for doing this, Jenna grew to despise the world and humanity as a whole.
During Digital Devil Saga, she hacked into the Junkyard in order to test out the demon virus on its AI inhabitants. She later used the demon virus on herself to gain the "Maelstrom" Atma, which allows her to transform into Harihara. She attempted to retrieve Sera's ego from the Junkyard and planned to trap the Embryon members inside the virtual world so that she could use them to control Sera. This failed when Serph broke the control sphere she was using and completely destroyed the Junkyard.
Her plan is to spread the demon virus worldwide and revert the world back into a state of primal chaos, where only the strong survive by consuming the weak. This philosophy is very similar to the "Chaos" alignment of the Shin Megami Tensei games. In her pursuit of this, she kills Margot Cuvier with a gunshot to the head.
She is killed when she is confronted by Gale, who holds the data of her deceased lover David within him. Gale accuses her of betraying David's spirit and his desire to help people, and refusing to accept the truth, Jenna stabs him through the chest. Gale takes this opportunity to stab Jenna as well, and they die in each other's arms. Her data ascends to the sun, and depending on a dialog choice made by the player, she finally finds peace and merges with Seraph, allowing him/her to inherit her powers. As she never attains enlightenment, she is reincarnated.
[edit] Margot Cuvier
The head of the Karma Society. Margot Cuvier is credited with the discovery of the Cuvier Syndrome- the affliction that turns people into stone statues. Her plan is to use the demon virus to transform the inhabitants of Karma City into demons so that they can survive in the sun, and trap Sera in the EGG forever so that her song can prevent the demon populace from going berserk. Meanwhile, she will keep the populace fed with the cannibalized, processed bodies of those she deems unworthy to be a part of her society. This belief is very similar to the "Law" alignment of the Shin Megami Tensei games.
She is killed with a gunshot to the head from her rival, Jenna Angel. Her data ascends to the sun where she realises her errors in judgment.
[edit] Terrence E. Beck
A colonel in the military, he was the man who came up with the Junkyard/Asura Project after witnessing Sera's virtual playground. His intent was to develop the ultimate combat AIs and then download them into microchips to be implanted into soldiers.
He walks in just after Heat O'Brian's death and witnesses Sera causing the data surge that turned the sun black. He is devoured by the demonic Serph, and his data is sent to the Junkyard where it inhabits the body of the Varin Omega AI. He is killed in the Junkyard after remembering his past and his data ascends to the sun. He is finally destroyed by Seraph after one last battle.
[edit] Other
[edit] Seraph
The entity created when Serph and Sera die together, and their data combines as they ascend to the sun. A superhuman entity that is the perfect combination of man and woman, Seraph is truly androgynous and possesses no sex, though he/she speaks with Sera's voice. He/she possesses the "Clarion" Atma, which allows him/her to transform into Alder. Depending on a dialog choice made during the game, he/she may inherit the powers of Jenna Angel as well.
His/her weapon as Seraph is the Prana Beam. As Alder, he/she possesses no elemental weaknesses or strengths. Like Serph, the player can fully customise his/her stats, leading to a well-developed character.
At the end, Seraph attains enlightenment with his/her revelation that he/she is one with God, and God is one with everything. With this, he/she breaks the cycle of reincarnation and becomes a higher being. He/she leaves with Schrödinger to experience new worlds and reach the Nirvana that he/she had always dreamt of.
[edit] Schrödinger
A mysterious being that manifested itself as a black cat with one white ear and a pair of bells that resemble Seraph's "Clarion" Atma. He watched over the Embryon from the very start in the Junkyard, although he never revealed himself as friend or foe. He later reveals himself to Serph in the EGG Chamber to show him the past of Serph Sheffield, the man on whom AI Serph was based. He reappears in the sun to guide Seraph to enlightenment.
It is finally revealed to the enlightened Seraph that Schrödinger is also a higher being. Whether Schrödinger is also a being who attained enlightenment, an avatar of God Himself, or a facet of the ascended Seraph is never clarified. Together, Schrödinger and Seraph leave to travel to different worlds and realities.
His name is based on the paradox of Schrödinger's cat. Schrödinger was also the name of the cat that Heat O'Brian gave the young Sera as a present.
[edit] Allusions to Shin Megami Tensei
Like its predecessor, Digital Devil Saga 2 has several references to the previous installments of the Shin Megami Tensei series, and the series itself.
- Partway through the game, the protagonists hear conflicting ideologies by Margot Cuvier and Jeanna Angel. Whereas Cuvier wants a society that can be controlled and monitored for the sake of order, Angel believes in a world of competition, with the strong defeating and, in turn, devouring the weak. These two ideas are almost parallel to the ideas of "Law" and "Chaos", ideological paths and choices in several Shin Megami Tensei games.
- At the end of the game, the final boss, Brahman, is seen with spinning cylinders attached to it. These cylinders are the same ones used for teleportation and saving in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, which also resemble prayer wheels.
[edit] Manga
Digital Devil Saga has a manga that is yet to be released in the U.S.
[edit] Voice Cast
[edit] Japanese
- Kenji Nojima as Serph Sheffield
- Hikaru Midorikawa as Heat
- Houko Kuwashima as Sera/Seraph
- Yumi Touma as Argilla
- Hori Hideyuki as Gale
- Hiroaki Miura as Cielo
- Kanna Nobutoshi as Roland
- Naomi Shindo as Fred
- Michie Tomizawa as Jenna Angel
- Hiroko Emori as Margot Cuvier
- Banjo Ginga as Terrence E. Beck
[edit] English
- Yuri Lowenthal as Serph Sheffield
- Crispin Freeman as Heat
- Wendee Lee as Sera/Seraph
- Amanda Winn Lee as Argilla
- Steven Jay Blum as Gale
- Dave Wittenberg as Cielo
- Kirk Thornton as Roland
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Jenna Angel
- Bob Pappenbrook as Terrence E. Beck
[edit] External links
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 at MobyGames
- http://www.digitaldevildb.com: General Megaten website with DDS and DDS2 sections
- Megaten Wiki A wiki devoted to Shin Megami Tensei games and spin offs.
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Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei • 2 |
