Anything to know before starting Digital Devil Saga?

[FiorDiLoto]

Hey guys

Getting ready to jump into DDS1. I know Shin Megami Tensei games can be pretty unforgiving if you mess up your character progression or miss important mechanics early on.
Do you have any essential gameplay or build tips for a newcomer of DDS1 like me? No spoilers, please!

 

[KamakoKamako's icon]

At two or three points in the game, you are given the option of making a dialogue choice. These choices affect

Spoiler

whether one of your party members in DDS1 re-joins your party in DDS2. I didn't know this and I missed the chance to re-recruit them, but the replacement character is fun to use anyway, so it's mainly just a story thing. :]

The ultimate super-boss,

Spoiler

The Demi-Fiend, is often regarded as the hardest boss in JRPG history. They can only be faced on NG+ and when playing on Hard. I didn't know this going in either, and played through the whole game on Hard beating every other optional boss before realising I'd have to play through again to experience that fight. I probably will one day anyway, because the game is that good.

Certain rings and other items can be carried over to DDS2, bestowing stat bonuses and unlocking additional content.

But the most important thing I'd say is to just take your time. The game has a wonderful atmosphere unlike anything else and the world-building does a great job of drawing you further and further into its web of intrigue :]

 

[Bakuma1997]

You mean the PS2 games?

Chill down, those games, unlike the mainline ones, aren't that hard, i would place them in difficulty within Final Fantasy X or Wild Arms, it has difficulty peaks but they are far and between, so you should not have any problem, that said you need to know how SMT's signature mechanic works: Press Turns

Basically instead of all your party having a shot attacking, each action spends a slot of your Press Turns, attacking, defense, magic, items... this is where it gets trickier, if you crit or hit a weakness, you get another icon, meaning an extra turn... but if you miss the hit or hit a deflection/absorption, you will lose ALL YOUR TURN, mercifully, that also applies to your enemies

This is a more general rule to the series, but also applies here, BUFF AND DEBUFF, unlike most games, here attack, defense and agility's buff effects are visible, so once you figure out how get those skills, keep them as much as possible

 

[Ne0Griever]

Yes, Maim, slaughter, devour your enemies!

You can not escape your hunger, warrior of purgatory!

 

[Psychonara]

It doesn't have a proper ending because it wasn't popular enough to be finished except in novel form.