Devil Survivor 2: Difference between revisions

Line 6:

''But fear not. You will no longer feel anything...''|'''Quote from the Game Over screen'''}}

[[~~Shin Megami Tensei (Franchise)|~~Shin Megami Tensei]]: Devil Survivor 2 is the sequel to [[~~Devil Survivor (Video Game)|~~Devil Survivor]], developed by [[Atlus]]. It was released in Japan on July 2011 and in North America on February 28, 2012.

[[Shin Megami Tensei]]: Devil Survivor 2 is the sequel to [[Devil Survivor]], developed by [[Atlus]]. It was released in Japan on July 2011 and in North America on February 28, 2012.

One ordinary Sunday [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]], [[Hello, Insert Name Here|a]] [[Ordinary High School Student|high school senior]] and [[Three Amigos|two of his classmates]] are headed back home after a mock exam session. But their trip home takes a grim turn when they each receive a email on their phones from [[Murder.Com|Nic]][[Meaningful Name|aea]], a "dead face delivery site" ([[Obvious Beta|in beta]]) supposedly able to show the user a photo depicting the death of any person typed into its search engine; however, it is dismissed as a hoax due to the inscrutable quality of the results.

Line 12:

The email contains a high-quality video of a subway accident that kills all three of them.

To avoid their fate, the three friends [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil|sign a pact with "the devil"]] to become three of the thirteen Devil Messengers, gaining the power to bind and summon demons. However, soon afterwards [[Tokyo Is the Center of ~~The~~ Universe|Japan is besieged]] by [[Eldritch Abomination|extraterrestrial invaders]] called the [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|Septentriones]], with a new invader arriving on each day of the week. As Devil Messengers, the trio have seven days to defeat all [[Genius Bonus|seven Septentriones]] while using Nicaea to avoid their own deaths and prevent the deaths of the other ten Devil Messengers. Aiding them is the JP's ([[Government Agency of Fiction|Japan Meteorological Agency, Prescribed Geomagnetism Research Department]]), a government organization who lead the attacks against the Septentriones yet seem to have [[Government Conspiracy|their own hidden agenda]] regarding the unfolding events.

To avoid their fate, the three friends [[Deal with the Devil|sign a pact with "the devil"]] to become three of the thirteen Devil Messengers, gaining the power to bind and summon demons. However, soon afterwards [[Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe|Japan is besieged]] by [[Eldritch Abomination|extraterrestrial invaders]] called the [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|Septentriones]], with a new invader arriving on each day of the week. As Devil Messengers, the trio have seven days to defeat all [[Genius Bonus|seven Septentriones]] while using Nicaea to avoid their own deaths and prevent the deaths of the other ten Devil Messengers. Aiding them is the JP's ([[Government Agency of Fiction|Japan Meteorological Agency, Prescribed Geomagnetism Research Department]]), a government organization who lead the attacks against the Septentriones yet seem to have [[Government Conspiracy|their own hidden agenda]] regarding the unfolding events.

New features include upgradeable racial skills, and a [[Level Up At Intimacy 5|relationship]] system (similar to the Social Link system in ''[[~~Persona 3 (Video Game)|~~Persona 3]]'' and ''[[~~Persona 4 (Video Game)|~~Persona 4]]'') that allows you to bond with the other characters.

New features include upgradeable racial skills, and a [[Level Up At Intimacy 5|relationship]] system (similar to the Social Link system in ''[[Persona 3]]'' and ''[[Persona 4]]'') that allows you to bond with the other characters.

Does this storyline and artistry seem familiar to you? Work on the Septentriones' story and art is done by none other that [[Bokurano|Mohiro Kitoh]]!

[[Devil Survivor ~~(Video Game)~~|Like its predecessor]], compare and contrast ''[[~~The World Ends With You (Video Game)|~~The World Ends With You]]''.

[[Devil Survivor|Like its predecessor]], compare and contrast ''[[The World Ends With You]]''.

----

Line 51:

** Averted in the first battle. You can choose to die, automatically getting a [[Nonstandard Game Over|mission fail]].

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Daichi. You can eventually get him to man up in the end... or [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|keep]] [[Jerkass|picking]] on him instead.

* [[Call Back]]: A very funny one at that. If you manage to defeat both Botis and Bifrons when you first fight them, {{spoiler|you get Black Frost to fight you in the 8th Day in all routes except Alcor's. What happens when he moves cements a full [[Call Back]] to [[~~Devil Survivor (Video Game)|~~Devil Survivor]]...}}

* [[Call Back]]: A very funny one at that. If you manage to defeat both Botis and Bifrons when you first fight them, {{spoiler|you get Black Frost to fight you in the 8th Day in all routes except Alcor's. What happens when he moves cements a full [[Call Back]] to [[Devil Survivor]]...}}

{{quote| {{spoiler|'''Black Frost''': The messenger of love and justice is here! Time for some magical punishment! ★}}<br />

{{spoiler|'''Hiro''': (Choosing first answer) Frosty!}}<br />

Line 62:

* [[Creepy Doll]]: Billiken.

* [[Curtains Match the Window]]: Common among the cast, much like it was before. Our hero is one of the few exceptions; while he [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|doesn't have blue hair]], he has very striking [[Blue Eyes]].

* [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil]]: A website Nicaea, rumored to show images of someone dying in the future, is much more than just that. Anybody who uses the website can form a contract and gain the ability to summon demons and cast spells through their phones.

* [[Deal with the Devil]]: A website Nicaea, rumored to show images of someone dying in the future, is much more than just that. Anybody who uses the website can form a contract and gain the ability to summon demons and cast spells through their phones.

* [[Death's Hourglass]]: The Death Clocks and Laplace Mail have been replaced by Nicaea, a website that is able to predict ''how'' people will die, but without specifying ''when'' or ''where'', which is relevant to the plot many times.

* [[Deconstruction]]: Like the first game, this game takes every trope [[Pokémon]] plays straight and tears them apart. This time, you see first-hand the consequences of a failed demon contract, with a named character no less.

* [[Defrosting the Ice Queen|Defrosting The Ice Kings]]: Spend enough time with Yamato and Keita and they eventually come out as [[Jerk ~~With~~ a Heart of Gold|Jerks With Hearts of Gold]].

* [[Defrosting the Ice Queen|Defrosting The Ice Kings]]: Spend enough time with Yamato and Keita and they eventually come out as [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Jerks With Hearts of Gold]].

* [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]: No, you can't kill Dubhe with an Almighty-element attack before Daichi drives the truck into it.

** Naming the Protagonist after a plot-relevant character that has six letters or less than their names (either use a first name or a last name) will make the game warn you that another handle is being used with the same name. [[Fridge Logic|This is an easy way to tell they are into Nicaea as well]].

Line 78:

* {{spoiler|[[Everybody Lives]]: Implied in the hidden route's Restorer ending.}}

* [[Expy]]:

** Many of the cast members revealed so far resemble the [[Devil Survivor ~~(Video Game)~~/Characters|previous game's cast]] to varying degrees.

** Many of the cast members revealed so far resemble the [[Devil Survivor/Characters|previous game's cast]] to varying degrees.

** The Septentriones have been oft compared to the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Angels]]; {{spoiler|the final one is even a [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]}}.

** The main trio is initially quite similar to [[Durarara|Mikado, Anri, and Masamomi]] both in looks and personality. But as the gameplay continues, only the similar appearances plays out. Unless the player chooses to make the MC answer like Mikado.

Line 85:

* [[Even the Girls Want Her]]: {{spoiler|Liliths temptation skill inflicts charm 100% on males and a medium chance on females/demons.}}

* [[Everything Fades]]: Even in cutscenes, whenever someone dies, they disappear.

* [[Face Death ~~With~~ Dignity]]: Ghost Q and {{spoiler|Botis on the last day if you didn't kill him earlier in the game}} when you beat them.

* [[Face Death with Dignity]]: Ghost Q and {{spoiler|Botis on the last day if you didn't kill him earlier in the game}} when you beat them.

* [[Face of a Thug]]: Keita, who looks like the previous game's Kaido with light blue hair. Surprisingly, other than him being a bit too rash about things and eager to fight the demons, he isn't that much of a bad guy. To a lesser extent, Jungo.

* [[Family-Unfriendly Death]]: Several; the first notable one is the train crash on the very first day, complete with shots of bloody corpses strewn all over the place. The Nicaea videos provide more of these examples.

* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]: A staple of the franchise. You'll summon up [[Physical God|gods]] from every mythological pantheon that you can name along with [[The Hero|ancient heroes]], [[Ars Goetia|Goetic demons]], [[Urban Legends~~|urban legends~~]], and [[Eldritch Abomination|horrors from beyond the stars]].

* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]: A staple of the franchise. You'll summon up [[Physical God|gods]] from every mythological pantheon that you can name along with [[The Hero|ancient heroes]], [[Ars Goetia|Goetic demons]], [[Urban Legends]], and [[Eldritch Abomination|horrors from beyond the stars]].

* [[Faux Yay]]: You can suggest that Daichi pretends he's gay to lie about his attempted peeping.

{{quote| '''Daichi''': Huh... I might get away with it if I said I was in love with Yamato. ...No. That's too risky. *sigh* I don't think I could keep that ruse up when I'm with the girls.}}

Line 124:

* [[Ill Girl]]: Joe's girlfriend. {{spoiler|Her condition is much worse than she lets on and she eventually dies. However, it seems as though she's brought back to life in the 'true' ending.}}

* [[Improbable Age]]: At a mere 17 years, Yamato serves as the director and leader of JP's. Partly [[Justified]] with the explanation that command of the group has been passed down through his family for generations, and they were the ones who ''founded'' it. {{spoiler|And then deconstructed when it turns out that being treated as an adult from the day of his birth has prevented him from developing a concept of compassion, effectively rendering a low-key [[The Sociopath|sociopath]].}}

* [[I'm Taking Her Home ~~With~~ Me|I'm Taking It Home With Me]]: Taken to some ludicrous extremes by a Badb Catha when {{spoiler|you have to retrieve the pieces of Lugh's essence. If it gets to a piece first, it will squee like a little girl and directly mention this trope.}}

* [[I'm Taking Her Home with Me|I'm Taking It Home With Me]]: Taken to some ludicrous extremes by a Badb Catha when {{spoiler|you have to retrieve the pieces of Lugh's essence. If it gets to a piece first, it will squee like a little girl and directly mention this trope.}}

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: If you pick ''Boo-njour!'' before the battle against Ghost Q he'll say you make worse puns than him.

* [[Invisible to Normals]]: Dera-deka says that you have to have at least some spiritual power already to access Nicaea.

Line 133:

* [[Just in Time]] / [[You Are Too Late]]: Whenever it comes to prevent a predicted death, you will either arrive just as things are getting grim, or immediately after the irreparable has happened. Even the first failed rescue mission is titled "Too Late".

* [[Kenji Ito]]: The composer for the game.

* [[Kill It ~~With~~ Fire]]: What Bifrons does to several JP's members and possibly {{spoiler|Otome}}.

* [[Kill It with Fire]]: What Bifrons does to several JP's members and possibly {{spoiler|Otome}}.

* [[Ley Line]]: The Dragon Stream.

* [[Life Drain]]: The [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Life Drain]] skill, drain does it as well as stealing MP, and {{spoiler|Bonus Boss Alice uses a powered up version called Vitality Drain. Which drains HP from ''every enemy'' within a range of six.}}

* [[Life Drain]]: The [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Life Drain]] skill, drain does it as well as stealing MP, and {{spoiler|Bonus Boss Alice uses a powered up version called Vitality Drain. Which drains HP from ''every enemy'' within a range of six.}}

* [[Lighter and Softer]]: Unlike the first game, the characters are not locked in one city, so the claustrophobic atmosphere and more explicit decay of society into anarchy are missing. Compounding this is the increase in comic relief scenes and the Fate System allowing for rather sweet and happy moments. {{spoiler|The reason for this is that the characters are living comfortably within JP's headquarters and not on the streets. Where the chaos is spreading and affecting the normal civilians who attack JP's in order to get supplies so that they can survive.}}

** [[Darker and Edgier]]: On the other hand, it takes much less time for the whole world to go to hell, and the sense that time is running out is much, much greater. Also, the lessened exposure to the anarchy of society breaking down is substituted by the knowledge {{spoiler|existence itself is literally under attack and its going to get a LOT worse before it gets better.}}

Line 161:

* [[Murder.Com]]: Replacing the Laplace Mail from the previous mail is the website Nicaea, which sends out rather gruesome videos of the characters meeting their fated demise.

* [[Mythology Gag]]: {{spoiler|[[Bonus Boss]] Alice}} is found in {{spoiler|[[Shin Megami Tensei I|Roppongi]].}}

** {{spoiler|[[Bonus Boss]] Belial}} is fought in {{spoiler|[[Devil Survivor ~~(Video Game)~~|Bugeikan Stage]].}}

** {{spoiler|[[Bonus Boss]] Belial}} is fought in {{spoiler|[[Devil Survivor|Bugeikan Stage]].}}

** The max limit of experience that demons will need to level up goes up to is [[Shin Megami Tensei II|65535]].

** {{spoiler|Black Frost}} appearance in the game is one big reference to the first ''[[~~Devil Survivor (Video Game)|~~Devil Survivor]]''. {{spoiler|His compendium info even states he is powerful enough to become the ''Overlord''!}}

** {{spoiler|Black Frost}} appearance in the game is one big reference to the first ''[[Devil Survivor]]''. {{spoiler|His compendium info even states he is powerful enough to become the ''Overlord''!}}

** Joe mentions he's a fan of a [[Persona|Featherman Manga]].

** Nitta is a character and Shijima is a reason from [[Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne ~~(Video Game)~~|Nocturne]]

** Nitta is a character and Shijima is a reason from [[Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne|Nocturne]]

* [[My Rules Are Not Your Rules]]: Drain functions differently in battles between NPCs, not actually draining anything.

* [[New Game+]]: {{spoiler|You earn titles based on your accomplishments in the game. Each title is worth a certain amount of points that you can use to buy the right to carry over demons, skills, money, the demon compendium, and auction ratings, remove the fusion limit and EXP limit, unlock Mitama fusion, and to buy the right to battle bonus bosses.}}

Line 174:

** {{spoiler|It's implied later that there may have actually been survivors who were crushed by Alioth (and if any survived, the deadly toxins that flooded the entire city would ensure it wasn't for long). Yamato just lied so that everyone won't feel bad about leveling the city}}.

* [[Not Evil, Just Misunderstood]]: {{spoiler|The Anguished One. He feels that humans are too controlled and wishes to bring freedom back to the world. However, being that he is a Septentrione, he comes off as a villain, and in four of the five routes, you and your party kill him. However, on his route, he becomes the essence of the new world, and becomes a god that loves and respects humans.}}

* [[Obvious Beta]]: [[In Universe]] example. The Nicaea app is supposed to be in beta, in the same sense as [[Genius Programming|Google Beta.]]

* [[Obvious Beta]]: [[In-Universe]] example. The Nicaea app is supposed to be in beta, in the same sense as [[Genius Programming|Google Beta.]]

* [[Order Versus Chaos]]: Interesting not in the fact the themes are present, as they are a [[Mega Ten]] mainstay, but in the portrayal. Neutral is portrayed as a balance of extremes, but has different manners of implementations. Chaos is portrayed much like it was in the second SMT game, and Law much like it was in the first [[~~Devil Survivor (Video Game)|~~Devil Survivor]]. However, the twist is that Law, usually seen as somewhat extreme or somewhat negative in most games (mostly due to those who want it implemented giving it crappy publicity) actually gets portrayed fairly positively as a system of fairness and equality (i.e. all are equal before the law). Chaos has it's typical [[Social Darwinist]] outlook, and while the philosophy is valid enough (i.e. success and strength are prizes awarded the worthy), the representative for this creed isn't exactly the most charismatic salesman of the idea, [[Shin Megami Tensei II|as opposed to Lucifer.]] Neutral, usually seen as the preferred choice (in [[Strange Journey]] especially), is still shown in a ambiguous, open to interpretation light, with most of the neutral endings favoring a world much like the one before the invasion that decides the balance of Chaos and Law according to its own desires.

* [[Order Versus Chaos]]: Interesting not in the fact the themes are present, as they are a [[Mega Ten]] mainstay, but in the portrayal. Neutral is portrayed as a balance of extremes, but has different manners of implementations. Chaos is portrayed much like it was in the second SMT game, and Law much like it was in the first [[Devil Survivor]]. However, the twist is that Law, usually seen as somewhat extreme or somewhat negative in most games (mostly due to those who want it implemented giving it crappy publicity) actually gets portrayed fairly positively as a system of fairness and equality (i.e. all are equal before the law). Chaos has it's typical [[Social Darwinist]] outlook, and while the philosophy is valid enough (i.e. success and strength are prizes awarded the worthy), the representative for this creed isn't exactly the most charismatic salesman of the idea, [[Shin Megami Tensei II|as opposed to Lucifer.]] Neutral, usually seen as the preferred choice (in [[Strange Journey]] especially), is still shown in a ambiguous, open to interpretation light, with most of the neutral endings favoring a world much like the one before the invasion that decides the balance of Chaos and Law according to its own desires.

** Oddly, though {{spoiler|the Neutral variant provided by the Anguished One is a weird mix of the freedom of Chaos and the guidance of a benevolent Law figure.}}

* [[OOC Is Serious Business]]: {{spoiler|Pretty much all of the characters, if you develop fate with them. Io expresses her true thoughts, Daichi gets over his cowardice and attacks demons voluntarily, Joe foreswears being late ever again, Keita saves his teammates, and Fumi stops her experiments to save Jungo (or Daichi)'s life.}}

* [[The Peeping Tom]]: in the "Secret Garden" cutscene, Daichi and Joe decide to spy on the female cast members' physical exam.The main character can join them too, leading to an eavesdropped conversation of the girls comparing their "assets", and several minor [[What the Hell, Hero?]] moments later on.

* [[Post-Modern Magik]]: Traditional demon summoning rituals are transformed into a cell phone app.

* [[Previous Player Character Cameo]]: If you defeat Bifrons and Botis early then on {{spoiler|every route except Alcor's he'll be replaced by the messenger of Love and Justice [[Devil Survivor ~~(Video Game)~~|Black Frost]].}}

* [[Previous Player Character Cameo]]: If you defeat Bifrons and Botis early then on {{spoiler|every route except Alcor's he'll be replaced by the messenger of Love and Justice [[Devil Survivor|Black Frost]].}}

* [[Prop Recycling]]: A LOT of art assets from the first game get reused here.

** {{spoiler|What's Fumi doing in Amane's mind garden?}}

Line 197:

** After telling the protagonist {{spoiler|that he proposed to his girlfriend}}, Joe sings a ''strange song'' as he walks away.

{{quote| '''Joe''': [[The Lonely Island|''Girl you know we've together such a long, long time... doot do doo do...'']]}}

** One of the demons you can fuse is [[Joan of Arc]]. [[Kill It ~~With~~ Fire|Guess what her weakness is?]]

** One of the demons you can fuse is [[Joan of Arc]]. [[Kill It with Fire|Guess what her weakness is?]]

** During one of Airi's Fate events, she slips up and drops a box of supplies. You can ask her if she's okay, or respond with [[The Simpsons|"HAW HAW!"]]

* [[Strength Equals Worthiness]]: {{spoiler|Bonus Boss Beelzebub}} entire reason for being a boss fight. {{spoiler|He's heard great things about the Protagonist and has come to test that strength.}}

Line 210:

* [[The Capital of Brazil Is Buenos Aires]]: According to [[All There in the Manual|the game's artbook]], Ronaldo is half Brazillian, but if you go through his route he'll occasionally greet you in Spanish.

* [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You]]: The protagonist and the others were going to be killed by a crashing train; in pops an Obariyon, who holds up the train and cheerily says, "No dying that way! I need to kill you!"

* [[The Power of Friendship]]: Similar to social links in ''[[~~Persona 3 (Video Game)|~~Persona 3]]'' and ''[[~~Persona 4 (Video Game)|~~Persona 4]]'', this game will have the 'Fate System' which allows you to form bonds with other Devil Messengers, which in turn helps them unlock new elemental strengths, special abilities, and new demons.

* [[The Power of Friendship]]: Similar to social links in ''[[Persona 3]]'' and ''[[Persona 4]]'', this game will have the 'Fate System' which allows you to form bonds with other Devil Messengers, which in turn helps them unlock new elemental strengths, special abilities, and new demons.

** Also, only characters with at least Stage 4 Fate will agree to rejoin you in the final day {{spoiler|except Yamato or Ronaldo if you pick one of their opposing sides or Alcor's route, but you can have them both in Daichi's routes. Ronaldo even ends up helping you persuade Yamato into joining you}}.

** Mentioned word for word during {{spoiler|the final battle with Polaris during Ronaldo's route.}}

* [[The Stoic]]: The main character. Unlike the previous game's hero, who could get pissed off/startled, DS2's rarely shows any emotion. Even his usual angry/battle-ready pose has the same neutral expression as his default pose.

* [[Three Amigos]]: Notable in that the Protagonist and Daichi didn't meet Io until the beginning of the game.

* [[Tokyo Is the Center of ~~The~~ Universe]]: Though in addition to Tokyo, you also get to visit Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Fukuoka.

* [[Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe]]: Though in addition to Tokyo, you also get to visit Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Fukuoka.

** Taken more literally in one of the neutral endings where {{spoiler|it's essentially all that remains of Earth and its landmasses, the rest of it taken up by the Void being replaced by an endless ocean}}.

* [[Two Guys and A Girl]]: The protagonist, Daichi and Io.

* [[Two Guys and a Girl]]: The protagonist, Daichi and Io.

** Subverted by Joe, who joins the group not too long after they summon their demons, and acts as a fourth to the group even though he was mostly excluded in all the promotional material for the game.

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: As soon as you beat Billiken the demons decide that he was on to something and proceed to attack you for your Macca.