Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker

 3DS
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: May 5, 2015
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 268 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 134 out of 268
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 268
  3. Negative: 131 out of 268
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  1. Rance-Trick
    Jul 30, 2015
    8
    If you enjoy tactic based games, then SMT: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker is worth looking at. The cast is more believable than some other anime based casts, the battle system is easy to learn, and the demon auction and fusion systems allow for a great deal of customization in battle.

    The only reason I wouldnt give this game a nine is that the gameplay is older in style which might    If you enjoy tactic based games, then SMT: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker is worth looking at. The cast is more believable than some other anime based casts, the battle system is easy to learn, and the demon auction and fusion systems allow for a great deal of customization in battle.

    The only reason I wouldnt give this game a nine is that the gameplay is older in style which might turn away some players. The plot is also basically another disaster strikes Japan kind of deal. Despite that, the plot is still enjoyable enough, though the characters are what shine in this department.    … Expand
  2. BowserTheBig69
    Mar 30, 2016
    10
    One of the best 3DS games. Great gameplay, memorable characters, multiple endings... The battles are very good too, fusing demons is always funny. One of the best SMT games.
  3. KenzoX360
    Apr 12, 2016
    10
    Este juego es increíble, realmente es una mejora sustancial desde el SMT Devil Survivor:Overcloked, una cantidad abismal de contenido con sus dos campañas, el soundtrack es muy intenso y la historia se hace muy cercana, con personajes interesantes y bien construidos, el voice acting es una sorpresa ya que cuando hacen la regionalizacion de los juegos les encanta doblar las voces y muchasEste juego es increíble, realmente es una mejora sustancial desde el SMT Devil Survivor:Overcloked, una cantidad abismal de contenido con sus dos campañas, el soundtrack es muy intenso y la historia se hace muy cercana, con personajes interesantes y bien construidos, el voice acting es una sorpresa ya que cuando hacen la regionalizacion de los juegos les encanta doblar las voces y muchas veces con resultados nefastos, yo en lo personal prefiero jugar el juego en su idioma original y con textos en mi idioma, pero en este juego en particular el tema de las voces esta bien trabajado y dirigido, ya que ayuda mucho a acercarte a los personajes y querer ayudarlos, de lo mejor que puede ofrecer el RPG en una 3DS, espero que salga en algún momento el SMT Strange Journey para 3DS.

    Nota Final: 9.5    … Expand
  4. Flame_Noir
    Jul 5, 2017
    10
    I have over 450 hours on this game and I'm still playing.

    Do you like Fire Emblem? Do you like mythology? Are you a fan of Neon Genesis Evanglion? If you said "yes" to at least two of these questions, you'll probably love Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker. It has great turn-based strategy gameplay combined with a unique 3-man "team" system, wherein every unit on the field is actually    I have over 450 hours on this game and I'm still playing.

    Do you like Fire Emblem? Do you like mythology? Are you a fan of Neon Genesis Evanglion?

    If you said "yes" to at least two of these questions, you'll probably love Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker. It has great turn-based strategy gameplay combined with a unique 3-man "team" system, wherein every unit on the field is actually a team of 3 characters.
    Buy the demons you like from the Devil Auction and fuse them together to make stronger ones. Even better, Devil Survivor 2 has one of the most streamlined and user-friendly fusion systems in all of Shin Megami Tesnsei, and it doesn't lose any of the strategy or the need to careful planning before fusing. With Add-Ons, you can sculpt the perfect demon to fill the holes in your team lineup, and the compendium lets you call back older demons that you've fused away.

    The Septentrione arc remains compelling and serious, but also lighthearted and funny, as your group of Demon Tamers fights off the onslaught of the sequential monstrosities (called the Septentriones, naturally).

    The Triangulum arc, added in the Record Breaker re-release, is almost as long as the entire original game, and features a much more serious continuation of the DESU2 story, as well as a new character and several new demons. Overall, I was very impressed with the volume of new content in Record Breaker, and it kind of makes DESU: Overclocked look lame by comparison, since they didn't even give every ending in Overclocked an Eighth Day... Record Breaker's Triangulum Arc makes the Overclocked design team look lazy!

    Finally, in a similar style to the recent Fire Emblem: Fates and Atlus' Persona games, DeSu 2 features the "Fate" system; spending time with the various characters, and interacting with them in certain ways, will reward the player with certain advantages in battle. The rewards follow a standardized path, with some characters being more rewarding than others (with over a dozen characters, of course it would happen), but overall the Fate system makes the social events in between battles more rewarding, and gives them a meaningful impact on the4 battles themselves, which helps to tie the game together into one big bundle of awesome.

    So, in summary, here are my pros and cons.
    Pros:
    -Fun story that has some serious themes but, unlike most Shin Megami Tensei games, has a mostly upbeat and positive tone
    -Excellent cast of characters, at least a few of whom are likely to win a lasting spot in your heart.
    -Tons of demons with widely varied stats, abilities, and strategies
    -Refined and well-designed fusion system that makes creating new demons almost it's own minigame, instead of a chore required to advance your team.
    -Full voice acting, of course, and quite well done. You may even recognize some voices if you watch much anime. As a note from having played the original release of DeSu2, I feel that the voices were expertly chosen, and fit their respective characters perfectly.
    -Strategically challenging (but not unfair) turn-based combat. enhanced by the "racial abilities" possessed by the different categorie4s of demons, which open up nigh-infinite combinations and strategies, as well as lending an importance to which TYPES of demons you fuse that is not present in most SMT games.
    -"Fate" system simplifies the "social links" found in persona games, but remains a meaningful and rewarding mechanic. Understand the characters, know what to say and when, and you can get some significant advantages..

    Cons:
    -Sometimes a bit slow, in terms of plot and gameplay; I have many times found myself wanting to battle, but having only social-based events available, which can be boring at times.
    -If you don't like upbeat, "power-of-friendship" style stories, then you may find yourself wanting to irrationally complain about how this game is "sooo terrrrible." Record Breaker is not a bad game--but if you require a dark and edgy plot, this game is not for you.
    -Similar to the previous bullet: there are a lot of social events in this game, so if you are bored/annoyed by character antics and silly interactions, you may have trouble enduring the downtime in between battles.
    -Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, this game can be grind-heavy. If you are smart with who you level and how you use your skill points, and you don't care about having "ideal" or "perfect" demons with exactly chosen spells and abilities, then you won't need to grind at all. But if you're like me... well, I've done a LOT of grinding, and I understand that some people don't like doing that.

    Score: 10/10. I love this game, not gonna lie.    … Expand
  5. GoombaJMR
    Nov 1, 2015
    10
    (Note: Final Score: 9.5) Just finished the Septentrion Arc, and I must say (I'm on the Triangulum Arc now) that this is one of the best 3DS games to date. The game has been balanced to a much greater extent, providing far less grinding and rage that can be found in the still brilliant first game, SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked. The music, in general, has been improved, while the character(Note: Final Score: 9.5) Just finished the Septentrion Arc, and I must say (I'm on the Triangulum Arc now) that this is one of the best 3DS games to date. The game has been balanced to a much greater extent, providing far less grinding and rage that can be found in the still brilliant first game, SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked. The music, in general, has been improved, while the character development has also gone through a complete evolution. You get to know the characters better, and the lengthy and intense plot will leave you wanting to know what happens next - always. The gameplay is classic Devil Survivor, and I highly recommend getting this game if you're thirsty for a fun, fair, and intense 3DS JRPG! I played through blindly, and the ending I got was one of the factors that pushed this 9.5 to a 10, rather than a 9.0.

    Gameplay: 9/10
    Story: 9/10
    Music: 9.5/10
    Presentation: 9/10
    Length: 9.5/10
    Overall: 9.5/10    … Expand
  6. midipon
    Aug 27, 2017
    4
    This game really does not deserve much praise. You go around Japan doing what JPs tells you to do while all sorts of stupid anime characters spaz out around you. The gameplay itself is no better than Overclocked and the writing is worse. How people like this one, I just don't know.
  7. BlackFang
    Nov 14, 2021
    10
    I've first play SMT devil survivor 2 record breaker over four years ago, which is still my personal favorite, there isn't really a good and evil side but the true decision is based on what being human mean. Do you want to be measure by your talent and handwork, or equality? Whatever you think peoples' worth is from handwork or everyone is equal, or screw it, just get rids of god and letI've first play SMT devil survivor 2 record breaker over four years ago, which is still my personal favorite, there isn't really a good and evil side but the true decision is based on what being human mean. Do you want to be measure by your talent and handwork, or equality? Whatever you think peoples' worth is from handwork or everyone is equal, or screw it, just get rids of god and let the world decided its own fate. My personal favorite is sacrificing oneself to ensure everything goes right.… Expand
  8. ironzombi
    Aug 16, 2017
    9
    I only rate this a 9/10 as it is not going to appeal to everyone, but for what it is, it is near on perfect.
    I have not played the DS version or the first game but if you are interested in the Megami Tensei games then I feel this is a must own and I would put it on the list of essential 3ds games.
    The way the story is presented also gives this game a good level of replayability and the    I only rate this a 9/10 as it is not going to appeal to everyone, but for what it is, it is near on perfect.
    I have not played the DS version or the first game but if you are interested in the Megami Tensei games then I feel this is a must own and I would put it on the list of essential 3ds games.

    The way the story is presented also gives this game a good level of replayability and the strategic combat is very satisfying. As it is originally a DS game the graphics are not stunning but it never detracts from what is a truly great game.    … Expand
  9. eliasaj92
    Feb 9, 2019
    10
    This is an updated version of the DS game. It contains new voice acting and a whole new section that is sort of a game on its own(it takes 20 hours+ to complete it).

    This is a SRPG at its base with turn based battles mixed in. I won't say a lot on the mechanics of the game, but they aren't hard to get as it can get quite detailed with different types of skills, demon race etc. But it's    This is an updated version of the DS game. It contains new voice acting and a whole new section that is sort of a game on its own(it takes 20 hours+ to complete it).

    This is a SRPG at its base with turn based battles mixed in. I won't say a lot on the mechanics of the game, but they aren't hard to get as it can get quite detailed with different types of skills, demon race etc. But it's not hard to get. The game can be challenging in places. But you can change difficulty on the fly if you ever get stuck(don't let anyone shame you if you want to enjoy a game on easy mode).

    For the most part part if you like the DS game, then you should definitely enjoy this one. You can choose to play the new section from the get go. There is the option to carry over stuff, based on some points you earn by achieving. I am not a completionist. So once I beat each section once, I put the game down. That alone took me 50 hours. So there is lot to do here if you want to 100% with multiple endings, a demon compendium to complete(gotta fuse them all), and optional bosses.

    The only thing that bothers me about this game is the art and how women with anything less than D sizes are considered flat. Thankfully, the personality of the characters are fine. The story is one of the better ones in JRPGs and definitely unique if you are not familiar with the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.

    If you have played the original, this is worth getting, especially now as it is 20$ on the nintendo e-store. And if you haven't played the original and like JRPGs, then definitely get this. It's a staple JRPG for the system.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best 3DS Game of 2015
28
#28 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2015
14
#14 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Hobby Consolas
    Dec 29, 2015
    88
    A great 3DS edition of a game that was already very good on the DS. This version has many improvements and additions, and the new storyline adds much more value and length, although its visuals haven't evolved much.
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  2. FNintendo
    Dec 6, 2015
    80
    Its gameplay is marvelously addictive and it follows a well constructed plot that will keep players holding on to it for dozens of hours on end. A very recommended proposal for fans of the series and for newcomers who feel curious about it.
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  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Dec 3, 2015
    70
    Devil Survivor 2 is not even close to Atlus’ finest moment, but it is a very fine game nonetheless. It does a good job of offering a narrative with thematic depth, and mixes in well with some deep character development and monster fusing mechanics. If it wasn’t for the generally uninspired effort to pull the game into shape from a visual perspective, it would be in the running to be one of the better examples of the genre on a console loaded with them.
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