2023 update: in regards to channel memberships at 30:32 - i will no longer be posting updates, early access, or providing any other "perks" aside from membership badges and emotes. it's there for people who want it, but the best way to support me is through just watching the videos or on my patreon. 🖤 www.patreon.com/bubbletea_
In my opinion it was completely worth the effort, it may be relegated to cult status but art can't be justified by its financial success alone if that were true we'd have no option but to say that James Cameron's Avatar is the greatest movie ever made because it sold the most tickets. I'd rather make a single title remembered passionately by a few people than a multitude of mega hits that are forgotten entirely next year, I feel that's the closest humans get to immortality.
I get what he means though because it’s failure in sales affected real people’s lives. That’s that trade off of cult classics at times. Yeah they’re eventually loved but that doesn’t change the fact that it put Atlus at risk
I literally was turned on the all SMT games thanks to DDS. I had a Gamefly account and rented Part 2 because it looked interesting and Part 1 was unavailable - I figured if it was any good, I’d eventually try both back to back. I own them both now and have played thru 3 times all starting with my first Part 1 save file and subsequent NG+ files. I absolutely adore Digital Devil Saga.
You're confusing "worth the effort" with "good". Hell, it's kinda the point that a lot of effort was put into it and there was little return, implying that these are good games.
I really love the character designs and aesthetics in these games (and Nocturne). There's been nothing quite like them before or since; they're stylised enough to have aged really well and they're only really used in 3 games, which I find to be a huge shame.
I don't know if I'd really consider it a separate style from the earlier games. It's just going to inevitably look different in 3D than 2D. I kind of suspect that switching to 3D might have been what made Kaneko quit since it happened pretty quickly after.
I think the detail about Angel being a hermaphrodite goes back to the whole Hinduism themes, especially with her being the Harihara boss in DDS1. She believed herself to be a complete God in the simulation, and in Hinduism the whole hermaphrodite God things represents harmony. It is a nice mirror to Seraph, as those two combined and reached a sense of enlightenment and harmony for DDS2. It's more symbolic than having anything to do with being essential to the plot, but a neat detail.
This is actually explained more in QDS, which describes the original direction that Yu Godai, the initial writer for the duology, had in mind. Angel was originally a sort of observation terminal sent by God. As a child, they perceived everything as data and were unable to interact with other people, more like a weird alien with a direct link to the Sun than a human being. She had XXY genes as well as both sets of sexual organs and no need for food or drink because she was a sort of quasi-divine being that was "complete" in and of herself. When she underwent puberty, however, she lost her connection to God and most of her unusual traits, but remained hermaphroditic. The researchers wanted another test subject, since Angel was their best lead on figuring out what was going on with Cuvier Syndrome, and so attempted to clone her, but when that failed, eventually had her impregnate herself. The result was Sera.
@@SerbianSpark19notes in the game explain her sperm and egg were removed and used to genetically engineer Sera, hence things like Cuvier asking Angel if she was ‘jealous’ of sera
The Digital Devil Saga duology is easily my favorite games of all time and this video was honestly the best one I've seen regarding these games. I share the same feeling knowing that these games didn't do well when they should have done so much better. The fact that a lot of people don't even start DDS2 after the first game is a real shame and I hope your video will help get people to play these games especially DDS2.
What is good about those games? I played persona 3 this july and it’s now my favourite game of all time so I’m looking to get into this japan based games more but there are just too many games around :/
@@fifofuko1864 Its very spoiler heavy I wouldn't watch it until you play it if I were you. But if you liked Persona 3 I would recommend this over other SMT titles since it is linear and has more character moments and story.
i'm pretty sure the developers of these games are mainly driven by the desire to create great art/games, so i sincerely doubt they'd ever regret making them. if anything, maybe they're grateful they were given the opportunity & funds to fully realize their vision.
In my opinion, the most underrated SMT game would be Raidou 2. Sure not many people talk about DDS and Strange Journey outside of the SMT fanbase, but in the case of Raidou 2, it does not talk enough outside and inside of SMT fanbase. I genuinely think Raidou 2 is one of my favourite Megaten games I have ever played.
I've been playing Raidou 1 & I'm now on Episode 6 & it's a bit of a slog in some ways, but it's a cool departure from the turn-based nature of the previous games, & so far the most interesting thing about it is the setting & the world. pls tell me that the sequel improves on the formula because so far Raidou 1 plays like a great-value DMC.
@@bass2126 @Bass Well I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is the gameplay has vastly improved. The battle is faster, the control and maneuverability are much better, you can now summon 2 demons instead of one, some bosses have unique gimmicks making the battle feel fresh and demon negotiation is here instead of spamming a button to recruit them. The bad news is the battle is still nothing deep or sophisticated so don't expect DMC or MGR. It's more like watered down Persona 5 Strikers. However, if you like the story and setting of the first game then the second game did it much better. Raidou 2 has more Judeo-Christian elements in its story making it more similar to the usual Megaten game. Even the characters have better writing in the second game, most of them feel like real people and at some point, I really sympathize with them even the villain. Imo Raidou 1 is a C tier game while the second one is S tier, so even if you only like Raidou 1 a bit I still recommend you at least give Raidou 2 a try.
This is the game that introduced me to SMT. Saw a review on X-Play. Couldn't find it locally. My only source for games was Wal-mart. Didn't have gamestop or anything else. Had a relative who lived in a larger city, gave them the money and pocketed it. That was my birthday money. I finally got to play it in college. It was glorious.
Great retrospective. I remember when this game came out I did a presentation on it on how it showed Hinduism in the game for my religions of the world class. It's got such fun gameplay as well. I hope they remaster it like Nocturne. This is the way a story should be presented, I like how somber it is compared to SMT4A's character interactions. It was always such a shame this duology as well as many other SMT didn't do well. Do a Raidou retrospective next!
The duology was my entry to the megami tensei series... and i was amazed. It was amazing how much it made me love the entirety of the series and it was supposed to be a complete offshoot. It made me feel feelings back then and all the characters were really interesting.
Nice video. Kudos on being one of the few TH-camrs who seem to have caught that the people inside the simulation in DDS1 - especially the main cast - are, in some large part at least, Sera's interpretations of their real-world counterparts. I'd add also that I feel that Sera's inability to reconcile "nice" Serph with "a-hole" Serph is one of the reasons for him being the blank slate, silent protagonist character. The fact that she couldn't accurately define him in her own head followed through to the simulated AI version of him. Also trippy as hell to consider what is essentially a caricature of a human being becoming manifest again the "real" world, like some sort of lossy, circular replication of code (!). These games rule.
DDS will always be utterly magical to me. Don't care what age I am, if I hear something like the Svadhistana theme, I'm vibing so hard time itself will freeze.
I remember seeing this game advertised in a magazine when i was a kid and just looking at the artwork in awe, then when it came out I was doing other things and never got around to trying it out.... if I can get the discs I'll play it or emulate it.. I'm at the moment playing persona 3 original on my PS2 hahaha
@@Hitoshuratdn they removed the answer and 3d for the overworld. The only good thing was controllable characters and 1 don't have much interest in Femc
Your closing statements were pretty much the cut throat nature of creative fields exemplified. There are so many works by so many talented people out there, that will likely never garner any level of deserved recognition. DDS definitely hits me hard as I passed on it so many times in my life seeing it in a local Gamestop, and one day I bought it as a PS2 classic on my PS3. I binged through both games, raved about them to my best friend, and in the years since I still hold them in very high regard. It just takes a person taking a chance on something, or someone.
Man I missed playing these games. Still own the physical copies. Had to beg my mom because she didnt recognize the name as anything anyone was talking about. These games really do deserve a pc release like P4 got. They really are something to appreciate as you get older.
@@westonmeyer3110 I begged my mom because I wanted another JRPG. I was very young, around 11 or 12, when this came out. So other than potentially a paper route, I had no money.
@@knightghaleon You shouldn’t be playing a game like this at 11 and 12 anyway. DDS1 shocked me when I first played it at the age of 20, teenagers weren’t even ready to play this back then. At 12 I saw Nocturne being talked about on X-Play and then at 14 I saw G4 talk a little about DDS but at the time the most mature RPGs I was playing was Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Demikids(which was my introduction to Megaten before I knew it was a Megaten game)and I purposely waited until I was 18 to pick up Nocturne and even Devil Survivor, Strange Journey and Persona 3.
People like to complain about the story in these games, especially at the end of 2, but I think it's overall my favorite plot in the franchise. The way everything connects & resolves is so awesome to me.
@@DragonKingX78 Yeah most SMT endings are really sucky. Either it's insanely bittersweet or it's just "everyone dies lol." Or just straight up a bad ending. In SMT1 and SMT2 every ending is a bad ending with some small positives but mostly negatives. SMT2 literally has everyone die no matter the route and in SMT2 Law it does a the biggest "frick you" by blowing up the planet after everything you've done including KILLING GOD and it's your fault. It's especially bad when SMT2 heavily pushes law down your throat with every "moral" choice giving you law points and the law rep Zayin being an actually good person rebelling against their corrupt dystopian society compared to the psychopath Neutral and Chaos reps. In SMT3 every ending is a bad ending minus Freedom. Base SJ has the most grim and horrific endings in the series with all three options being absolutely awful and even with Redux it only made the new law and chaos endings actually positive while new neutral is EXTREMELY bitter sweet with it being far more bitter than sweet. SMT4 every ending sucks with Law and Chaos being genoside and Neutral being insanely tedious with no real payoff. 4A peace is the only real ending. Massacre is just try-hard edgelord and contradicts everything the game was going for up to that point and law and chaos aren't real endings and are just early bad endings. In SMT5 all the endings are kinda bleh but Law was probably the best since Dazai was pretty likable all things considered and Aniel and the angels were actually reasonable this time and had good reason for not liking you at first. DeSu1 Law route is the best. Yuzu Route is obvious bad ending, Chaos is edgelord route like 4A Massacre, Atsuro's ending is the second biggest "frick you" ending in the series, and neutral is just really boring. Only the law route in DeSu1 is actually fulfilling and feels definitive. Haven't played DeSu2 so IDK his good it's endings are. SMT endings usually suck. DDS is really the one game that has a REAL ending outside of Persona, probably because it doesn't have alignments or multiple endings. And MAN is that ending impactful. Sucks that the final dungeon is 1/3rd of the entire game and is like 10 hours long. And I thought Persona 5 dungeons were long...
A little late to the party but something worth noting is who cielo's real counterpart is. A few npcs say how there were multiple cyber shaman and its hinted that one was cielo (someone can fact check me but i belive the person that hints this is a scientist outside the EGG facility when youre making your rounds to fight the arch angels). Its inferred that sera only saw him in passing and didnt know much about him. That helps explain why before he "awakens" he seems rather plain and doesnt even have his accent.
Loved digital devil saga, always a fan of darker tone jrpg games. Didn’t know the team around the games got made redundant from poor sales back then which is a massive shame. Hopefully the success of SMT V can spark interest in more fans wanting to hunt down older titles in the series to at least appreciate them.
honestly, the mantra system feels like a nice spin on the magatama system from nocturne, you still get new skills often but instead of having to get rid of skills you can just hotswap out the ones you don't want or don't need anymore, i think it would be kind of fun to get a new megaten with the mantra system
@@kichiroumitsurugi4363 they way SMTV does it feels less like the mantra system and moreso like they were trying to rework demon whisper from 4 in a much less interesting way by making the sources for Nahobino's unique skills limited, only giving you one of each aogami essence each cycle, the mantra system at least let you re-equip any skills you'd mastered
just found you channel and i have to say... i loved this video, especially the point you made at the end. as someone who is making a videogame at the moment, i often feel like it is for nothing and that it will flop. wanting fame and money isnt selfish, its wanting recognition, wanting a clear sign people enjoy your work and that it wasnt for nothing. thank you for this cool video make more!
Those closing statements and asking the question about success with artistic mediums was a painful one, but I'm glad you asked it. Making things that you want people to see but also ensuring that you can survive is... difficult, to balance keeping the humanity and what you want in what you create balanced with appeal that you need to hit to survive is a difficult question that it is hard to have an answer to, but it's always something to be cognizant of. Glad this video was recommended to me because I've gotten into these games recently (and adored them+the themes) and seeing someone run a critical eye with what's obvious is great care for them behind it was wonderful.
I'm in no position to say this but if I worked on it & saw all the ups & downs I'd still look back on it as a worthwhile effort & experience, it's just part of progress, many of the devs behind this game later took on critical projects for Atlus just as many were unfortunately laid off. I love this duology, so much care & effort was put into them & you reminded me of the experience, in the end they did not get the recognition they deserve, but with the status Atlus holds currently in the industry, a faithful remaster would grab people's attention & they'll get their chance to shine, or so at least I hope so.
dis a really goodass video, you cooked. especially regarding working on something and not getting the credit it deserves in the larger scope of things. its tragic the dds duology is the way it is, but I also think its great that it exists. Especially cuz the ideas it explores are important methinks, the stuff you talked about regarding reaping what we sow, the toxicity of science, and the like is really good. The two major elements I picked up when experiencing it atonement, and the beauty found in tragedy. So many of digital devil saga's character arcs are built around the characters atoning for past mistakes or mistakes made in another life, and i think the way the games leverage Hinduism for that is genuinely really great. The characters also reaching a form of comfort and self-actualization through their tragic deaths and the characters who live onwards growing as a result is great too. the duology hits on some really important ideas that makes the games a really great suggestion to people!
To this day I am so disappointed in Atlus for not making peel-off tattoos (or whatever they're called) identical to the Atma Brands in this game, like yeah making merch for this heavily undersold game is risky, but it still just makes so much sense
These games being the first experience I had with SMT, I'm surprised this didn't do well financial wise. A brilliant video and the first I watched on your channel and I'll definitely subscribe for this type of quality and effort
Best 1 hour and 10 minutes of my life today. Really teared up thinking back them 60 hours on 1 and 2 i gone thru while you talk in the video. Such an underrated series. Thanks bubbletea
This game series, devil summoner 1 & 2, and Xenogears (not necessarily saga). If played at very early age will mess you up both mentally and emotionally. But understanding the stories are very worth it. They "can" help the transformation that is needed within, strangely enough. (Yes this abomination is weird. But I live with me.)
Rarely have I felt an hour go by so quickly. I am delighted by the quality of your content! The DDS duology is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time! I still think 1 is better than 2 in many ways but they are certainly excellent games. It's a shame they weren't commercially successful. I remember doing at least 3 runs in the first game. And that soundtrack... what a soundtrack! I listen to it often even today to inspire me to create. It will always have a good place in my heart and memory. Edit: Oh I also forgot to mention that "Shan-ti shan-ti" is part of the song called "Pray", the theme song of the first game and which is sung by Sera to calm the demons. This song is played in the opening of the original version of the game but was removed and replaced by "Danger" by Etro Anime in the English version.
@DragonKingX78 It is a gem! I wish it wasn't so linear. I wanted to able to invade the bases in any order and form alliances with whoever I like. And save Jinana...
I remember being transfixed by this game almost two decades ago when they released the trailer with Etro Anime's Danger (of which I'm still a fan of them/that song) and was like "...this is unique...they're trying to make...art???" The Junkyard is one of my favorite game worlds in VG history and especially in SMT. I HAAATED the "it was aaall a dream." Idk why but no one could do a good sequel in the early 00's. They were all total departures from the originals which sucks because they were great for the exact reasons they deviated from. The second was so kitschy anime and then dissolved into Evangelion-esque madness. Also the times didn't help with distribution. I honestly think if they rebooted the first one and sold it now it'd do much better. No one could FIND the damn games it was so frustrating. I had to go on ebay and then it was in a barrel of discounted games at GameStop. #Iykyk I think it was worth it because you can see the DDS DNA in every successful game since. Ya need a flop to figure out what flies.
I picked these two up a couple of months ago for pretty cheap, I later found out they still sell for €60 a piece here! I really enjoyed them a lot, the PS2 era really was something special. At first I was a little intimidated by the mantra system but I liked it a lot when I got familiar with it. The whole setting, the awesome music (seriously, the guitarplay in this soundtrack is so bloody good and fits so well), the fact that you cant really switch demons like in all the other games made it such a cool and unique experience. I've now loaned them out to a buddy because I couldnt stop telling him how much he needed to play them, hope he loves them too.
Thank you man for this video! I started getting into the SMT franchise after playing Persona 3-5, and I love watching these long video essays of SMT spin off games!
Easily one of my favorites Ps2 games in fact i like this game even more than SMT Nocturne, i do remember being freaked out when everyone become Demons and eat each other that makes me discouraged playing it for a while. If Atlus decided to remaster this game, I'd buy it in a heartbeat
It's hard to say that this game didn't sell well. It was rare as hell to find. DDS1 was anyway. It's not like there were copies and copies sitting on store shelves unbought. I knew this game existed, wanted it and couldn't find it for years. I saw a used copy in a game stop that was still exceedingly expensive despite it being a relatively old title and I bought it on the spot. I would see copies of DDS2 on store shelves but that was the problem. Without 1 it was hard to pick up 2 and understand it.
Im considering on giving these two games a try, but your question at the end is a very good one. I believe the games suffered twofold in the long run. There's the marketing for the game fell flat, which digs the gravel for tons of games when it happens. Then there's how the setting is more than likely too grand scale for folks to easily grasp. Whereas with the Persona series, things were infinitely more smaller from a premise and setting standpoint, and everyone found that more relatable and substantial, thusly it was a major success. If you ask me, Atlus seems to've learned from games like SMT and DDS. Less wars, demons, and afterlife; More Personas, ships, school life, and focus on deeply helping many troubled people in urban life. As long as they learn like this, every bit of this game was worth it in the end.
I love these games. Alongside Nocturne, DDS 1 & 2 are among my all-time favorite video games and they don't get enough credit. Anyway, to your question at the end, as a creator myself, I understand your frustration. After pouring your time and effort into a project, even imparting a piece of yourself into it, there's an undeniable disappointment when it seemingly goes nowhere. But do views and financial success determine something's worth? Success can feel like validation of one's work, but there are plenty of examples of successful projects that are soulless corporate products with no real worth. Many great artists and creators are sadly not appreciated during their time. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. If you don't put something out there you know nothing will happen. But if you do and you gave it your all, there is a chance your work will live on long after we die. We have to believe in the quality of our work, that the quality will show (if only for a select few who find it). If we achieve financial success during our time then we're lucky. But because financial success eludes us, that doesn't invalidate our work.
Thank you so much for expressing your love for this game. This is my favorite game and I always recommend it to everyone who wants to play other SMT games. Even if this game never gets a remaster or remake, I'll always have the physical games and the memories this game has given me. It may have not receive the same praise as Persona or Main line SMT, but it is still a great game.
DDS1&2 are legitimately some of the greatest games ever made, in spite of their flaws. It's rare for media to make me feel emotions, but by god did they!
This video got me to subscribe to your channel, because while I love the Persona series of games (and therefore find many of your videos fit my interests) my absolute ADORATION for DDS is on a level all its own, so I had to subscribe after seeing all the effort that was put into this. And it breaks my heart that this duology didn't and doesn't get the love it deserved, for being so ambitious with its story and creating such memorable characters. Your video did these games justice while also posing a very interesting question about art that fails to find its audience. Hopefully videos like yours will bring this series to more people, and hopefully the people who already love these games will find your videos!
It would be nice if videos like these gave the game series the attention it deserves. The fact Atlus chose to do HD remasters of Etrian Odyssey 1-3 over DDS 1-2 even though DDS was higher on that poll was insulting.
I think if even just 1 person enjoyed a game then therefore 100% of people who played it loved it and so it's a masterpiece by everyone who played it. So yes I loved Digital Devil Saga and it was worth the effort. I won't ever forget it and will appreciate it always.
One thing I feel like they should’ve covered in the two games is that in any situation involving a virus like the one started by god no matter how well made a virus is both in nature and in a lab, there will ALWAYS be people who are immune to it without help from something like the Atma virus (being immune to the Atma virus would’ve also been an interesting concept to explore)! It would’ve been interesting to see how those kinds of people interacted both in the new society and with the Atma virus itself, like maybe getting all the power of the virus without the hunger that goes with it. A missed opportunity here, but maybe they can cover it in a future game (I’m actually tinkering with an idea geared towards that idea myself, though I’ve put it on hold for now)!
I think it's important to remember that Nier was a failure for about it decade. And then automata came out. Just because it lost money doesn't mean it was a failure, just because most people are forgotten doesn't mean the developers have and just because you can't see it , that doesn't mean it isn't going anywhere.
18 years ago these games had a lean on my soul for about 3-4 months. I think they'd hold up fine in a remaster as even other SMTs don't have mechanics like thus one does.
I subscribed off the strength of this video and I haven't even finished. I decided to finally play through the entire Persona series. I even got the translated version of Eternal Punishment. I bought both of the DDS games on my PS3 a while ago. I'll give em another shot then come back to this. After I dig PS3 out of whatever tote or box its in lol
These were the games that got me into the SMT fanbase so they didn't entirely waste the expenditure. They could have made more of the digital metempsychosis concept and perhaps in retrospect, gave more of the plot exposition in part 1, which was so cryptic that some may not have figured what it was about, hence not buying part 2. It is widely presumed that it would be much easier to get DDS onto the Switch than SMTIV. I think porting them would be a gamble. I have the PS2 discs and wouldn't get a new version unless they made some quality of life improvements, such as making Mantra grinding easier.
This video essay was so good that I wouldn't even mind if we didn't receive a Persona port from this P25th anniversary. Let's get a Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 Remaster instead.
Digital Devil Saga series was my first SMT series then I went back and played a lot of older titles. I bought them on ps3 again recently and want to replay.
Man, this video was great. Really interesting to watch and very admirable. I sincerely hope that the algorithm favors your videos someday and shows them to a greater audience. More people should see these kinds of videos and I believe you deserve every sub you get! Awesome stuff!
finished DDS duology a couple of days ago and became some of my favorite games of all time. Im glad I can find videos like these speaking about these games since they are not so talked in the megaten community. DDS 1 and 2 are heavily underrated and im happy that im in this ship cause man, that was a really good journey
9:30 the memes are the best part, "digital devil saga 1: I do not Comprehend" edition the last dungeon of DDS1 was so close to giving me PTSD, i entered it a little underleveled, and its just SO. DAMN. LONG.
Even ignoring my bias towards DDS, this is easily one of my favorite videos(to clarify, one of my favorite videos on the site period: not just a favorite from you!). Bravo fam, really loved this one!
I love this video. When I say love, I mean LOVE this video deeply at the point that words touch my own soul. Digital Devil Saga 1 was THE GAME that change my way of thinking how to wright LIVING characters. I feelt in love with the characters, I mean true LOVE, I cried a lot for every death (yes, even Bat's death). And I was destroyed when people of my surrounding stait they don't care about the game... It's worst that hating. I didn't played the second game, cause all my PS2 saves was delete and I wanted tu keep my progressions. For me restarting the game wouldn't give the sames experiences and it would be the following of copie of my characters... But I wanted to say "thank you" for sharing your feeling about this saga...
This is totally my favorite video from you now, I've yet to play the duology (strongly praying for a remaster) but I still went ahead and watched this video and another channel play through both. You did an outstanding job with this one, and I can't wait to see what else is in store!
I still believe these games deserve a re-release. Today, you can just sell them as a package and it will do very well. Hell, people are paying for P3P, a great game yeah, but still one limited by the hardware of the PSP. DDS 1 ans 2 totally hold up. I would also take a re-release of the Raido games. About the effort part, I relate. Since I am also an artist and a writer, who has been heavily inspired by Megaten and Persona, and I put all my love in a project. But, while the project haven't exploded, it did find a pretty good niche of people I really like and I feel happy with that. Maybe I can say this because I can construct with that project forever, since the novel is all mine, but I worked to hell and back to do it and it didn't pay up economically just yet. Still, it has a lot of potential for the future and my life is pretty good right now because I did it in the first place. Well, there is also the fact that it is only in spanish from now and still got a stable fanbase of 2800 people helps, since getting people to read a novel is hard today O.O I don't know. Sometimes, effort can pay up if you keep doing stuff and I don't believe these games or your videos are wasted effort. Obviously, we all want to do better and to have more chances. But also doing something you love and helping other people with it is also nice. And you can keep constructing with that. It can be an struggle, but it also depend of your circumstances, because I am also studying a different career that will gave me more tools to work with my project. It can be hard though. I really get that :/
I really appreciate the time, effort, and dedication that was shown in this beautiful video. As a huge fan of the DDS games it sucks that they aren't very well known so it's hard to find people to talk to about them, so it makes me happy to see someone else dig into the games and discuss why they are so great!
In my opinion, DDS2 is awesome and intriguing but DDS1 is very lacking as far as hooking players into its world. You just run around and beat up all the other Tribe leaders, beat up Jenna Angel, and that's it. I think the duology is very "backloaded" in a sense and that may be why it didn't reach the same heights as the other PS2 outings. But that's just my guess. Great video!
I hope that one day we will see HD remasters of both games together as one set for PS4, PS5, Switch, etc. I would love a 3rd game with the same combat and skill system.
Finished DDS1 a couple days ago and Im definitely going to say that it was a true effort, a truly fun and refreshing game with really nice mechanics, ideas, themes, visuals and god damn some soundtrack, can’t wait until it gets remastered so I can play part 2 and maybe replay part 1
This was the first game I ever played from Atlus. This game was definitely a sleeper and I hope it reaches the PS4 sometime. Keep up the good work bruv. You're going places.
I love Digital Devil Saga, it's story, characters, and gameplay are amazing. I especially love the ability to learn, equip, and unequip any spells and abilities freely, I'm shocked it's not a system used more.
Okay, you convinced me. Next game I play will be DDS2. I played DDS1 a year or two ago, but got distracted by other things before I could continue on to DDS2. Time to finally go for it.
Havent watched this yet: just wanted to say that Metaphor has me really excited due to it utilizing systems from this game that are genius and, as far as i know, have been left untouched/dormant since this duo of games
DD felt more like a traditional RPG with a more streamlined character-progression system compared to all the other games in the SMT/Persona franchise, which made it much more accessible imo. No demon negotiations, no skill inheriting, no fusions, just leveling up, acquiring new skills and setting them up as you see fit without any hassle.
Schrodinger is more than likely a rephrase to the Irish Physicist who tried to explain quantum theory with a thought experiment that would be called Schrodinger's cat, that is why the character Schrodinger appears as a cat. The game also has a feel of Buddhism to it, as the entire two games are essentially people going through the cycles of Karma and rebirth, and those that manage to go through all the different parts reach enlightenment and become free from the cycle of rebirth attaining Buddhahood at best or at the very least becoming a higher form of being. I could be wrong, but I had this idea when I once played through both games a long time ago. I could however be wrong.
Never got DDS out of my head; it was the first SMT I played like 12 years ago and I've played nearly every game in the SMT and it's spin-off franchises. I played a friends copy of DD2 (and Persona 3, the next game I played) so I didn't pay for it. In a way, I contributed to the low sales. But I've purchased the majority of Atlus' games since so in my own personal journey, DDS didn't pay off but it did over time with other titles from them. It always goes round and round.
@@AHX-sm2ot I found that hard way that there are so many cheese in SMT V that you could kill him like in the first 3-5 turns. In DDS1, you are required LUCK to even get to the cheese position.
Honestly about the intro i don't want a digital devil saga 3 the story is finished and prolonging stories that are finished already ruined some franchises. But an HD remaster though yeah i am in for that
Inspired me to replay these. I own the original DDS1/2 package and the sleeve for them but I kinda gave up on it back in the day, so I never got to DDS2. I'm enjoying DDS1 quite a lot on replay but it is certainly more limited compared to its peers. The amazing soundtrack is what's really keeping me going. Which is a shame since I'm familiar with the DDS2 soundtrack so I know it's not nearly as good. Top tier atmosphere though. I'd love to see a new DDS but given what the new Soul Hackers 2 looks like I don't care to unwrap that monkey's paw.
I played DDS back in highschool after watching AGermanSpy's videos on it. I actually only got into Persona after finishing it. I ended up preferring DDS 1 over 2, the music and aesthetics were just better in 1 IMO.
I've always had the idea that atlus cared much more of dds success than nocturne considering dds had voice dub and had a way better marketing... at the end few people reminds of those two games while nocturne got a second youth in 2020.
Re: opinions on a work: 1) Marketplace performance could be seen as short-to-medium term succes, while positive opinions, enjoyment, and being talked about well into the future is potential success which can start on day one (or years later) and continue long term. You posed good questions.
2023 update: in regards to channel memberships at 30:32 - i will no longer be posting updates, early access, or providing any other "perks" aside from membership badges and emotes. it's there for people who want it, but the best way to support me is through just watching the videos or on my patreon.
🖤 www.patreon.com/bubbletea_
In my opinion it was completely worth the effort, it may be relegated to cult status but art can't be justified by its financial success alone if that were true we'd have no option but to say that James Cameron's Avatar is the greatest movie ever made because it sold the most tickets. I'd rather make a single title remembered passionately by a few people than a multitude of mega hits that are forgotten entirely next year, I feel that's the closest humans get to immortality.
I get what he means though because it’s failure in sales affected real people’s lives. That’s that trade off of cult classics at times. Yeah they’re eventually loved but that doesn’t change the fact that it put Atlus at risk
I literally was turned on the all SMT games thanks to DDS. I had a Gamefly account and rented Part 2 because it looked interesting and Part 1 was unavailable - I figured if it was any good, I’d eventually try both back to back.
I own them both now and have played thru 3 times all starting with my first Part 1 save file and subsequent NG+ files. I absolutely adore Digital Devil Saga.
Agreed. It sucks that people were layed off but they put in some bloody good work and it shows!
Yeah, these games deserved better, it's a shame about the layoffs, maybe if they release them on current systems they would gain some popularity.
You're confusing "worth the effort" with "good". Hell, it's kinda the point that a lot of effort was put into it and there was little return, implying that these are good games.
I really love the character designs and aesthetics in these games (and Nocturne). There's been nothing quite like them before or since; they're stylised enough to have aged really well and they're only really used in 3 games, which I find to be a huge shame.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE Online and I think SMT Nine both shared this art style as well.
I agree, no games quite like DDS 1+2. Nocturne is unusual even if SMT5 borrowed a lot from it.
I don't know if I'd really consider it a separate style from the earlier games. It's just going to inevitably look different in 3D than 2D. I kind of suspect that switching to 3D might have been what made Kaneko quit since it happened pretty quickly after.
I think the detail about Angel being a hermaphrodite goes back to the whole Hinduism themes, especially with her being the Harihara boss in DDS1. She believed herself to be a complete God in the simulation, and in Hinduism the whole hermaphrodite God things represents harmony. It is a nice mirror to Seraph, as those two combined and reached a sense of enlightenment and harmony for DDS2.
It's more symbolic than having anything to do with being essential to the plot, but a neat detail.
But how did she impregnated herself
@@SerbianSpark19Science
This is actually explained more in QDS, which describes the original direction that Yu Godai, the initial writer for the duology, had in mind. Angel was originally a sort of observation terminal sent by God. As a child, they perceived everything as data and were unable to interact with other people, more like a weird alien with a direct link to the Sun than a human being. She had XXY genes as well as both sets of sexual organs and no need for food or drink because she was a sort of quasi-divine being that was "complete" in and of herself. When she underwent puberty, however, she lost her connection to God and most of her unusual traits, but remained hermaphroditic. The researchers wanted another test subject, since Angel was their best lead on figuring out what was going on with Cuvier Syndrome, and so attempted to clone her, but when that failed, eventually had her impregnate herself. The result was Sera.
@@SerbianSpark19notes in the game explain her sperm and egg were removed and used to genetically engineer Sera, hence things like Cuvier asking Angel if she was ‘jealous’ of sera
The Digital Devil Saga duology is easily my favorite games of all time and this video was honestly the best one I've seen regarding these games. I share the same feeling knowing that these games didn't do well when they should have done so much better. The fact that a lot of people don't even start DDS2 after the first game is a real shame and I hope your video will help get people to play these games especially DDS2.
What is good about those games? I played persona 3 this july and it’s now my favourite game of all time so I’m looking to get into this japan based games more but there are just too many games around :/
Also I didn’t watch the video, is it okay to watch before playing?
@@fifofuko1864 Its very spoiler heavy I wouldn't watch it until you play it if I were you. But if you liked Persona 3 I would recommend this over other SMT titles since it is linear and has more character moments and story.
@@kahn466 thanks! I’m sure the game is great I’ll definitely play it after I’m done with persona 2 and yakuza 0
@@fifofuko1864 if you love Persona 3 give Persona 3 FES a play through it has an additional 30 hours worth of gameplay ;)
i'm pretty sure the developers of these games are mainly driven by the desire to create great art/games, so i sincerely doubt they'd ever regret making them. if anything, maybe they're grateful they were given the opportunity & funds to fully realize their vision.
In my opinion, the most underrated SMT game would be Raidou 2. Sure not many people talk about DDS and Strange Journey outside of the SMT fanbase, but in the case of Raidou 2, it does not talk enough outside and inside of SMT fanbase. I genuinely think Raidou 2 is one of my favourite Megaten games I have ever played.
I've been playing Raidou 1 & I'm now on Episode 6 & it's a bit of a slog in some ways, but it's a cool departure from the turn-based nature of the previous games, & so far the most interesting thing about it is the setting & the world.
pls tell me that the sequel improves on the formula because so far Raidou 1 plays like a great-value DMC.
@@bass2126 @Bass Well I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is the gameplay has vastly improved. The battle is faster, the control and maneuverability are much better, you can now summon 2 demons instead of one, some bosses have unique gimmicks making the battle feel fresh and demon negotiation is here instead of spamming a button to recruit them. The bad news is the battle is still nothing deep or sophisticated so don't expect DMC or MGR. It's more like watered down Persona 5 Strikers.
However, if you like the story and setting of the first game then the second game did it much better. Raidou 2 has more Judeo-Christian elements in its story making it more similar to the usual Megaten game. Even the characters have better writing in the second game, most of them feel like real people and at some point, I really sympathize with them even the villain. Imo Raidou 1 is a C tier game while the second one is S tier, so even if you only like Raidou 1 a bit I still recommend you at least give Raidou 2 a try.
@@jimi1656 Yeah Raudou didn't come out in Europe plus it came out on the PS2 in 2009
Thanks to jimmys comment I’m playing Raudou 2. Can’t wait
This is the game that introduced me to SMT. Saw a review on X-Play. Couldn't find it locally. My only source for games was Wal-mart. Didn't have gamestop or anything else. Had a relative who lived in a larger city, gave them the money and pocketed it. That was my birthday money. I finally got to play it in college. It was glorious.
Join the small club of people that played these games when they came out on PS2.
"Digital Devil Saga would never take advantage of our innate gullibility"
Great retrospective. I remember when this game came out I did a presentation on it on how it showed Hinduism in the game for my religions of the world class. It's got such fun gameplay as well. I hope they remaster it like Nocturne. This is the way a story should be presented, I like how somber it is compared to SMT4A's character interactions. It was always such a shame this duology as well as many other SMT didn't do well. Do a Raidou retrospective next!
haven't played raidou. if i feel strongly enough about it after finishing them, i might do a video.
@@bubbletea_ Not good at real time fighting but I did enjoy the Raidou games though I think the 2nd one is a better game.
DDS made me read the Bhagavad Gita.
The duology was my entry to the megami tensei series... and i was amazed. It was amazing how much it made me love the entirety of the series and it was supposed to be a complete offshoot. It made me feel feelings back then and all the characters were really interesting.
Great games, deserve to be on PS4, PS5, Switch, etc.
Same here.
DDS 2 is just the upgrade for the already good formula and man, those musics... The first video and my all-time favourite: the berserked battle music.
When you showed that scene of Cielo and the jets I teared up all over again. I just adore these two games so much
Nice video. Kudos on being one of the few TH-camrs who seem to have caught that the people inside the simulation in DDS1 - especially the main cast - are, in some large part at least, Sera's interpretations of their real-world counterparts. I'd add also that I feel that Sera's inability to reconcile "nice" Serph with "a-hole" Serph is one of the reasons for him being the blank slate, silent protagonist character. The fact that she couldn't accurately define him in her own head followed through to the simulated AI version of him.
Also trippy as hell to consider what is essentially a caricature of a human being becoming manifest again the "real" world, like some sort of lossy, circular replication of code (!).
These games rule.
Yes, these games rule. Also I agree with those points you made.
DDS will always be utterly magical to me. Don't care what age I am, if I hear something like the Svadhistana theme, I'm vibing so hard time itself will freeze.
I remember seeing this game advertised in a magazine when i was a kid and just looking at the artwork in awe, then when it came out I was doing other things and never got around to trying it out.... if I can get the discs I'll play it or emulate it.. I'm at the moment playing persona 3 original on my PS2 hahaha
nice. persona 3 is great.
@@bubbletea_ P3P is the worse version of FES
@@zendhan2517 no
@@Hitoshuratdn they removed the answer and 3d for the overworld. The only good thing was controllable characters and 1 don't have much interest in Femc
@@Hitoshuratdn but P3 is the best persona game
Your closing statements were pretty much the cut throat nature of creative fields exemplified. There are so many works by so many talented people out there, that will likely never garner any level of deserved recognition. DDS definitely hits me hard as I passed on it so many times in my life seeing it in a local Gamestop, and one day I bought it as a PS2 classic on my PS3. I binged through both games, raved about them to my best friend, and in the years since I still hold them in very high regard. It just takes a person taking a chance on something, or someone.
Man I missed playing these games. Still own the physical copies. Had to beg my mom because she didnt recognize the name as anything anyone was talking about. These games really do deserve a pc release like P4 got. They really are something to appreciate as you get older.
I think all these games(DDS 1+2, SMT 1, 2, if, Persona 1 and both 2s, etc.) deserve to be on PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, etc.
You begged your mom to get you a Mature rated game about cannibalism? LMAO
@@westonmeyer3110 I begged my mom because I wanted another JRPG. I was very young, around 11 or 12, when this came out. So other than potentially a paper route, I had no money.
@@knightghaleon
You shouldn’t be playing a game like this at 11 and 12 anyway. DDS1 shocked me when I first played it at the age of 20, teenagers weren’t even ready to play this back then.
At 12 I saw Nocturne being talked about on X-Play and then at 14 I saw G4 talk a little about DDS but at the time the most mature RPGs I was playing was Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Demikids(which was my introduction to Megaten before I knew it was a Megaten game)and I purposely waited until I was 18 to pick up Nocturne and even Devil Survivor, Strange Journey and Persona 3.
@@westonmeyer3110I was 13 when I played SMT nocturne and 14/15 when I played DDS 1 and 2 I turned out alright but I will say it did shock me at first
People like to complain about the story in these games, especially at the end of 2, but I think it's overall my favorite plot in the franchise. The way everything connects & resolves is so awesome to me.
I agree, especially when you look at the endings to other SMT(and related) games.
@@DragonKingX78 Yeah most SMT endings are really sucky. Either it's insanely bittersweet or it's just "everyone dies lol." Or just straight up a bad ending. In SMT1 and SMT2 every ending is a bad ending with some small positives but mostly negatives. SMT2 literally has everyone die no matter the route and in SMT2 Law it does a the biggest "frick you" by blowing up the planet after everything you've done including KILLING GOD and it's your fault. It's especially bad when SMT2 heavily pushes law down your throat with every "moral" choice giving you law points and the law rep Zayin being an actually good person rebelling against their corrupt dystopian society compared to the psychopath Neutral and Chaos reps. In SMT3 every ending is a bad ending minus Freedom. Base SJ has the most grim and horrific endings in the series with all three options being absolutely awful and even with Redux it only made the new law and chaos endings actually positive while new neutral is EXTREMELY bitter sweet with it being far more bitter than sweet. SMT4 every ending sucks with Law and Chaos being genoside and Neutral being insanely tedious with no real payoff. 4A peace is the only real ending. Massacre is just try-hard edgelord and contradicts everything the game was going for up to that point and law and chaos aren't real endings and are just early bad endings. In SMT5 all the endings are kinda bleh but Law was probably the best since Dazai was pretty likable all things considered and Aniel and the angels were actually reasonable this time and had good reason for not liking you at first. DeSu1 Law route is the best. Yuzu Route is obvious bad ending, Chaos is edgelord route like 4A Massacre, Atsuro's ending is the second biggest "frick you" ending in the series, and neutral is just really boring. Only the law route in DeSu1 is actually fulfilling and feels definitive. Haven't played DeSu2 so IDK his good it's endings are. SMT endings usually suck. DDS is really the one game that has a REAL ending outside of Persona, probably because it doesn't have alignments or multiple endings. And MAN is that ending impactful. Sucks that the final dungeon is 1/3rd of the entire game and is like 10 hours long. And I thought Persona 5 dungeons were long...
A little late to the party but something worth noting is who cielo's real counterpart is. A few npcs say how there were multiple cyber shaman and its hinted that one was cielo (someone can fact check me but i belive the person that hints this is a scientist outside the EGG facility when youre making your rounds to fight the arch angels). Its inferred that sera only saw him in passing and didnt know much about him. That helps explain why before he "awakens" he seems rather plain and doesnt even have his accent.
Loved digital devil saga, always a fan of darker tone jrpg games. Didn’t know the team around the games got made redundant from poor sales back then which is a massive shame. Hopefully the success of SMT V can spark interest in more fans wanting to hunt down older titles in the series to at least appreciate them.
A lot of older SMT(and related) games deserve to be on PS4, PS5, Switch, etc.
Maybe the real Digital Devil Saga was the friends we made along the way.
More like the friends we Devoured along the way 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😰😰😰😰😰
honestly, the mantra system feels like a nice spin on the magatama system from nocturne, you still get new skills often but instead of having to get rid of skills you can just hotswap out the ones you don't want or don't need anymore, i think it would be kind of fun to get a new megaten with the mantra system
Well, it did kinda come back for SMT V, with the way demon essences are handled
@kichiroumitsurugi4363
Still haven't feel inspired to try smtv... i just don't like the protagonist's aesthetic... 🤷♂️
@@kichiroumitsurugi4363 they way SMTV does it feels less like the mantra system and moreso like they were trying to rework demon whisper from 4 in a much less interesting way by making the sources for Nahobino's unique skills limited, only giving you one of each aogami essence each cycle, the mantra system at least let you re-equip any skills you'd mastered
@@rogercheetoofficial You actually can ger Aogami essences infinitely at the area where you fight Seth, they respawn if you used up said essence
@kichiroumitsurugi4363 I had no idea, then again, I dropped the game around the middle because it kind of goes nowhere
I remember I asked for Nocturne for Christmas one year and got DDS1 by mistake. Best mistake I've ever recieved!
This video got me in the feels like when I first played the game. Great job!
just found you channel and i have to say... i loved this video, especially the point you made at the end. as someone who is making a videogame at the moment, i often feel like it is for nothing and that it will flop. wanting fame and money isnt selfish, its wanting recognition, wanting a clear sign people enjoy your work and that it wasnt for nothing. thank you for this cool video make more!
Those closing statements and asking the question about success with artistic mediums was a painful one, but I'm glad you asked it.
Making things that you want people to see but also ensuring that you can survive is... difficult, to balance keeping the humanity and what you want in what you create balanced with appeal that you need to hit to survive is a difficult question that it is hard to have an answer to, but it's always something to be cognizant of.
Glad this video was recommended to me because I've gotten into these games recently (and adored them+the themes) and seeing someone run a critical eye with what's obvious is great care for them behind it was wonderful.
I'm in no position to say this but if I worked on it & saw all the ups & downs I'd still look back on it as a worthwhile effort & experience, it's just part of progress, many of the devs behind this game later took on critical projects for Atlus just as many were unfortunately laid off.
I love this duology, so much care & effort was put into them & you reminded me of the experience, in the end they did not get the recognition they deserve, but with the status Atlus holds currently in the industry, a faithful remaster would grab people's attention & they'll get their chance to shine, or so at least I hope so.
Considering they recently officially released the Ost of the game i have a faint hope an HD remaster for this duology is in the works
I enjoyed every second of this. Its really good to see videos about this incredible game in 2022. A great work, new suscriber
dis a really goodass video, you cooked. especially regarding working on something and not getting the credit it deserves in the larger scope of things. its tragic the dds duology is the way it is, but I also think its great that it exists.
Especially cuz the ideas it explores are important methinks, the stuff you talked about regarding reaping what we sow, the toxicity of science, and the like is really good. The two major elements I picked up when experiencing it atonement, and the beauty found in tragedy. So many of digital devil saga's character arcs are built around the characters atoning for past mistakes or mistakes made in another life, and i think the way the games leverage Hinduism for that is genuinely really great. The characters also reaching a form of comfort and self-actualization through their tragic deaths and the characters who live onwards growing as a result is great too. the duology hits on some really important ideas that makes the games a really great suggestion to people!
My favorite SMT games and the OST’s are absolute bangers.
Yeah like the sanctuary at the start I just love the ost x) I dont remember the name of the place where all leaders met
love both games and great music.
Interesting timing of this video. I started replaying DDS1 a week ago. It is one of my all time favorite games. Thank you for this.
To this day I am so disappointed in Atlus for not making peel-off tattoos (or whatever they're called) identical to the Atma Brands in this game, like yeah making merch for this heavily undersold game is risky, but it still just makes so much sense
These games being the first experience I had with SMT, I'm surprised this didn't do well financial wise. A brilliant video and the first I watched on your channel and I'll definitely subscribe for this type of quality and effort
Best 1 hour and 10 minutes of my life today. Really teared up thinking back them 60 hours on 1 and 2 i gone thru while you talk in the video. Such an underrated series. Thanks bubbletea
This game series, devil summoner 1 & 2, and Xenogears (not necessarily saga). If played at very early age will mess you up both mentally and emotionally. But understanding the stories are very worth it. They "can" help the transformation that is needed within, strangely enough.
(Yes this abomination is weird. But I live with me.)
Rarely have I felt an hour go by so quickly. I am delighted by the quality of your content! The DDS duology is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time! I still think 1 is better than 2 in many ways but they are certainly excellent games. It's a shame they weren't commercially successful. I remember doing at least 3 runs in the first game. And that soundtrack... what a soundtrack! I listen to it often even today to inspire me to create. It will always have a good place in my heart and memory.
Edit: Oh I also forgot to mention that "Shan-ti shan-ti" is part of the song called "Pray", the theme song of the first game and which is sung by Sera to calm the demons. This song is played in the opening of the original version of the game but was removed and replaced by "Danger" by Etro Anime in the English version.
Yeah, I played the first one more then the second.
@DragonKingX78 It is a gem! I
wish it wasn't so linear. I wanted to able to invade the bases in any order and form alliances with whoever I like. And save Jinana...
@@Eliedeoo I agree, would have been cool to see the Wolves' base, save Jinana, kill Bat early on, etc.
I remember being transfixed by this game almost two decades ago when they released the trailer with Etro Anime's Danger (of which I'm still a fan of them/that song) and was like "...this is unique...they're trying to make...art???"
The Junkyard is one of my favorite game worlds in VG history and especially in SMT. I HAAATED the "it was aaall a dream." Idk why but no one could do a good sequel in the early 00's. They were all total departures from the originals which sucks because they were great for the exact reasons they deviated from. The second was so kitschy anime and then dissolved into Evangelion-esque madness.
Also the times didn't help with distribution. I honestly think if they rebooted the first one and sold it now it'd do much better. No one could FIND the damn games it was so frustrating. I had to go on ebay and then it was in a barrel of discounted games at GameStop. #Iykyk
I think it was worth it because you can see the DDS DNA in every successful game since. Ya need a flop to figure out what flies.
I picked these two up a couple of months ago for pretty cheap, I later found out they still sell for €60 a piece here! I really enjoyed them a lot, the PS2 era really was something special. At first I was a little intimidated by the mantra system but I liked it a lot when I got familiar with it. The whole setting, the awesome music (seriously, the guitarplay in this soundtrack is so bloody good and fits so well), the fact that you cant really switch demons like in all the other games made it such a cool and unique experience. I've now loaned them out to a buddy because I couldnt stop telling him how much he needed to play them, hope he loves them too.
Yeah, love the mantra system, wish more games in the SMT franchise used it.
Thank you man for this video! I started getting into the SMT franchise after playing Persona 3-5, and I love watching these long video essays of SMT spin off games!
Easily one of my favorites Ps2 games in fact i like this game even more than SMT Nocturne, i do remember being freaked out when everyone become Demons and eat each other that makes me discouraged playing it for a while. If Atlus decided to remaster this game, I'd buy it in a heartbeat
It's hard to say that this game didn't sell well. It was rare as hell to find. DDS1 was anyway. It's not like there were copies and copies sitting on store shelves unbought. I knew this game existed, wanted it and couldn't find it for years. I saw a used copy in a game stop that was still exceedingly expensive despite it being a relatively old title and I bought it on the spot. I would see copies of DDS2 on store shelves but that was the problem. Without 1 it was hard to pick up 2 and understand it.
Im considering on giving these two games a try, but your question at the end is a very good one. I believe the games suffered twofold in the long run. There's the marketing for the game fell flat, which digs the gravel for tons of games when it happens. Then there's how the setting is more than likely too grand scale for folks to easily grasp. Whereas with the Persona series, things were infinitely more smaller from a premise and setting standpoint, and everyone found that more relatable and substantial, thusly it was a major success.
If you ask me, Atlus seems to've learned from games like SMT and DDS. Less wars, demons, and afterlife; More Personas, ships, school life, and focus on deeply helping many troubled people in urban life. As long as they learn like this, every bit of this game was worth it in the end.
a lot of the character's names are Italian words, cielo being sky, Sera means evening, or argilla being clay for example
I love these games. Alongside Nocturne, DDS 1 & 2 are among my all-time favorite video games and they don't get enough credit. Anyway, to your question at the end, as a creator myself, I understand your frustration. After pouring your time and effort into a project, even imparting a piece of yourself into it, there's an undeniable disappointment when it seemingly goes nowhere. But do views and financial success determine something's worth? Success can feel like validation of one's work, but there are plenty of examples of successful projects that are soulless corporate products with no real worth. Many great artists and creators are sadly not appreciated during their time. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. If you don't put something out there you know nothing will happen. But if you do and you gave it your all, there is a chance your work will live on long after we die. We have to believe in the quality of our work, that the quality will show (if only for a select few who find it). If we achieve financial success during our time then we're lucky. But because financial success eludes us, that doesn't invalidate our work.
Thank you so much for expressing your love for this game. This is my favorite game and I always recommend it to everyone who wants to play other SMT games. Even if this game never gets a remaster or remake, I'll always have the physical games and the memories this game has given me. It may have not receive the same praise as Persona or Main line SMT, but it is still a great game.
I hope they get remasters or at least direct ports.
Digital Devil Saga is brilliant. So much thought and care went into the story. I didn’t know the game was a flop though. That's sad
DDS1&2 are legitimately some of the greatest games ever made, in spite of their flaws. It's rare for media to make me feel emotions, but by god did they!
This video got me to subscribe to your channel, because while I love the Persona series of games (and therefore find many of your videos fit my interests) my absolute ADORATION for DDS is on a level all its own, so I had to subscribe after seeing all the effort that was put into this. And it breaks my heart that this duology didn't and doesn't get the love it deserved, for being so ambitious with its story and creating such memorable characters. Your video did these games justice while also posing a very interesting question about art that fails to find its audience. Hopefully videos like yours will bring this series to more people, and hopefully the people who already love these games will find your videos!
It would be nice if videos like these gave the game series the attention it deserves. The fact Atlus chose to do HD remasters of Etrian Odyssey 1-3 over DDS 1-2 even though DDS was higher on that poll was insulting.
I think if even just 1 person enjoyed a game then therefore 100% of people who played it loved it and so it's a masterpiece by everyone who played it. So yes I loved Digital Devil Saga and it was worth the effort. I won't ever forget it and will appreciate it always.
I loved the soundtracks, I ripped the CDs that came with the games (SMT 3 too) and have played them for people at work or at my house. Great music.
One thing I feel like they should’ve covered in the two games is that in any situation involving a virus like the one started by god no matter how well made a virus is both in nature and in a lab, there will ALWAYS be people who are immune to it without help from something like the Atma virus (being immune to the Atma virus would’ve also been an interesting concept to explore)! It would’ve been interesting to see how those kinds of people interacted both in the new society and with the Atma virus itself, like maybe getting all the power of the virus without the hunger that goes with it. A missed opportunity here, but maybe they can cover it in a future game (I’m actually tinkering with an idea geared towards that idea myself, though I’ve put it on hold for now)!
DDS is my favorite SMT game. i just like how dark and serious it is for the most part, compared to other SMT games.
I'm not the most emotional person. I cried at Cielos death man
I think it's important to remember that Nier was a failure for about it decade. And then automata came out. Just because it lost money doesn't mean it was a failure, just because most people are forgotten doesn't mean the developers have and just because you can't see it , that doesn't mean it isn't going anywhere.
If Atlus had any brains they would do HD remasters of these games.
@@DragonKingX78true
18 years ago these games had a lean on my soul for about 3-4 months. I think they'd hold up fine in a remaster as even other SMTs don't have mechanics like thus one does.
I subscribed off the strength of this video and I haven't even finished. I decided to finally play through the entire Persona series. I even got the translated version of Eternal Punishment. I bought both of the DDS games on my PS3 a while ago. I'll give em another shot then come back to this. After I dig PS3 out of whatever tote or box its in lol
These were the games that got me into the SMT fanbase so they didn't entirely waste the expenditure.
They could have made more of the digital metempsychosis concept and perhaps in retrospect, gave more of the plot exposition in part 1, which was so cryptic that some may not have figured what it was about, hence not buying part 2.
It is widely presumed that it would be much easier to get DDS onto the Switch than SMTIV. I think porting them would be a gamble. I have the PS2 discs and wouldn't get a new version unless they made some quality of life improvements, such as making Mantra grinding easier.
This video essay was so good that I wouldn't even mind if we didn't receive a Persona port from this P25th anniversary. Let's get a Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 Remaster instead.
Digital Devil Saga series was my first SMT series then I went back and played a lot of older titles. I bought them on ps3 again recently and want to replay.
Man, this video was great. Really interesting to watch and very admirable. I sincerely hope that the algorithm favors your videos someday and shows them to a greater audience. More people should see these kinds of videos and I believe you deserve every sub you get! Awesome stuff!
We need a remaster of both for Nintendo Switch.
finished DDS duology a couple of days ago and became some of my favorite games of all time. Im glad I can find videos like these speaking about these games since they are not so talked in the megaten community. DDS 1 and 2 are heavily underrated and im happy that im in this ship cause man, that was a really good journey
9:30 the memes are the best part, "digital devil saga 1: I do not Comprehend" edition
the last dungeon of DDS1 was so close to giving me PTSD, i entered it a little underleveled, and its just SO. DAMN. LONG.
Even ignoring my bias towards DDS, this is easily one of my favorite videos(to clarify, one of my favorite videos on the site period: not just a favorite from you!). Bravo fam, really loved this one!
Bias towards DDS?
@@DragonKingX78 In other words "Ignoring the fact that DDS is one of my favorite games ever made, this video is fantastic!"
Didn't have to show Cielo's death man...🥲
I teared up, man it still hurts I love these games.
I love this video. When I say love, I mean LOVE this video deeply at the point that words touch my own soul.
Digital Devil Saga 1 was THE GAME that change my way of thinking how to wright LIVING characters. I feelt in love with the characters, I mean true LOVE, I cried a lot for every death (yes, even Bat's death). And I was destroyed when people of my surrounding stait they don't care about the game... It's worst that hating.
I didn't played the second game, cause all my PS2 saves was delete and I wanted tu keep my progressions. For me restarting the game wouldn't give the sames experiences and it would be the following of copie of my characters...
But I wanted to say "thank you" for sharing your feeling about this saga...
This is totally my favorite video from you now, I've yet to play the duology (strongly praying for a remaster) but I still went ahead and watched this video and another channel play through both. You did an outstanding job with this one, and I can't wait to see what else is in store!
I still believe these games deserve a re-release. Today, you can just sell them as a package and it will do very well. Hell, people are paying for P3P, a great game yeah, but still one limited by the hardware of the PSP. DDS 1 ans 2 totally hold up. I would also take a re-release of the Raido games.
About the effort part, I relate. Since I am also an artist and a writer, who has been heavily inspired by Megaten and Persona, and I put all my love in a project. But, while the project haven't exploded, it did find a pretty good niche of people I really like and I feel happy with that. Maybe I can say this because I can construct with that project forever, since the novel is all mine, but I worked to hell and back to do it and it didn't pay up economically just yet. Still, it has a lot of potential for the future and my life is pretty good right now because I did it in the first place. Well, there is also the fact that it is only in spanish from now and still got a stable fanbase of 2800 people helps, since getting people to read a novel is hard today O.O
I don't know. Sometimes, effort can pay up if you keep doing stuff and I don't believe these games or your videos are wasted effort. Obviously, we all want to do better and to have more chances. But also doing something you love and helping other people with it is also nice. And you can keep constructing with that.
It can be an struggle, but it also depend of your circumstances, because I am also studying a different career that will gave me more tools to work with my project. It can be hard though. I really get that :/
I agree they need to re-release these games, port them, remaster them, remake them, etc.
Thanks for having my comment in the Video, An amazing Video Bubble
What/which comment?
Beginning
I really appreciate the time, effort, and dedication that was shown in this beautiful video. As a huge fan of the DDS games it sucks that they aren't very well known so it's hard to find people to talk to about them, so it makes me happy to see someone else dig into the games and discuss why they are so great!
this video is a league above your persona 3 video. well done.
Great job on this video bubble tea. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you have earned yourself a new subscriber.
In my opinion, DDS2 is awesome and intriguing but DDS1 is very lacking as far as hooking players into its world. You just run around and beat up all the other Tribe leaders, beat up Jenna Angel, and that's it. I think the duology is very "backloaded" in a sense and that may be why it didn't reach the same heights as the other PS2 outings. But that's just my guess. Great video!
I hope like hell these get rereleased on the Switch. I still bang “Danger” by Etro Anime daily from the DDSI intro. This was my first entry into SMT.
I hope that one day we will see HD remasters of both games together as one set for PS4, PS5, Switch, etc. I would love a 3rd game with the same combat and skill system.
Finished DDS1 a couple days ago and Im definitely going to say that it was a true effort, a truly fun and refreshing game with really nice mechanics, ideas, themes, visuals and god damn some soundtrack, can’t wait until it gets remastered so I can play part 2 and maybe replay part 1
You haven't played the 2nd one? I hope both games get HD remasters.
1:01:57
OH MY GOSH I've Heard this song before and i loved it but never knew what it was from thank you!
Also loved though concluding thesis you had
Wonderful overview of one of my fave Megaten titles!
This was the first game I ever played from Atlus. This game was definitely a sleeper and I hope it reaches the PS4 sometime. Keep up the good work bruv. You're going places.
I also hope it reaches PS4(and other systems) as well.
I love Digital Devil Saga, it's story, characters, and gameplay are amazing. I especially love the ability to learn, equip, and unequip any spells and abilities freely, I'm shocked it's not a system used more.
I love the skill system, wish more games(especially SMT related) had it or at least something really close to it.
i didnt even know this game existed untill recently. and i love it btw.
Wanna know another good reason for the game receiving an HD remaster? The soundtrack may become readily available for once.
Hopefully this gets a remaster and both games are bundled together.
I wish, hope if it does that they release it on PS4/5, Switch, X-Box, etc.
@@DragonKingX78 I mostly agree. Though I don't think a PS2 game could comfortably run on the switch..
Okay, you convinced me. Next game I play will be DDS2. I played DDS1 a year or two ago, but got distracted by other things before I could continue on to DDS2. Time to finally go for it.
Havent watched this yet: just wanted to say that Metaphor has me really excited due to it utilizing systems from this game that are genius and, as far as i know, have been left untouched/dormant since this duo of games
It’s rare that I grind the party to 99 in any rpg but this was one of them (the others being P3P, P4G and DQ11s)
DD felt more like a traditional RPG with a more streamlined character-progression system compared to all the other games in the SMT/Persona franchise, which made it much more accessible imo.
No demon negotiations, no skill inheriting, no fusions, just leveling up, acquiring new skills and setting them up as you see fit without any hassle.
Schrodinger is more than likely a rephrase to the Irish Physicist who tried to explain quantum theory with a thought experiment that would be called Schrodinger's cat, that is why the character Schrodinger appears as a cat. The game also has a feel of Buddhism to it, as the entire two games are essentially people going through the cycles of Karma and rebirth, and those that manage to go through all the different parts reach enlightenment and become free from the cycle of rebirth attaining Buddhahood at best or at the very least becoming a higher form of being. I could be wrong, but I had this idea when I once played through both games a long time ago. I could however be wrong.
Never got DDS out of my head; it was the first SMT I played like 12 years ago and I've played nearly every game in the SMT and it's spin-off franchises. I played a friends copy of DD2 (and Persona 3, the next game I played) so I didn't pay for it. In a way, I contributed to the low sales. But I've purchased the majority of Atlus' games since so in my own personal journey, DDS didn't pay off but it did over time with other titles from them. It always goes round and round.
Demifiend in DDS1 is still the HARDEST JRPG boss till this day.
SMT V demifiend don't frogt
@@AHX-sm2ot I found that hard way that there are so many cheese in SMT V that you could kill him like in the first 3-5 turns. In DDS1, you are required LUCK to even get to the cheese position.
@@zhaoyun255 fair enough
Honestly about the intro i don't want a digital devil saga 3 the story is finished and prolonging stories that are finished already ruined some franchises. But an HD remaster though yeah i am in for that
I am still hoping for HD remasters of both games though I would love a 3rd game(with a new cast) that uses the same combat/skill systems.
Inspired me to replay these. I own the original DDS1/2 package and the sleeve for them but I kinda gave up on it back in the day, so I never got to DDS2. I'm enjoying DDS1 quite a lot on replay but it is certainly more limited compared to its peers. The amazing soundtrack is what's really keeping me going.
Which is a shame since I'm familiar with the DDS2 soundtrack so I know it's not nearly as good.
Top tier atmosphere though. I'd love to see a new DDS but given what the new Soul Hackers 2 looks like I don't care to unwrap that monkey's paw.
9:33 Live Gale reaction
Jesus Christ! Cielo's death made me cry and I didn't even know of this SMT series before this video.
I played DDS back in highschool after watching AGermanSpy's videos on it. I actually only got into Persona after finishing it. I ended up preferring DDS 1 over 2, the music and aesthetics were just better in 1 IMO.
I need to replay this- I remember enjoying part 1 over part 2 but I have a better appreciation now that I better get what its going for.
I would love to replay it but only have a PS4.
Very great video and kinda inspiring, hopefully when I get the time I can play this game
I've always had the idea that atlus cared much more of dds success than nocturne considering dds had voice dub and had a way better marketing... at the end few people reminds of those two games while nocturne got a second youth in 2020.
Re: opinions on a work: 1) Marketplace performance could be seen as short-to-medium term succes, while positive opinions, enjoyment, and being talked about well into the future is potential success which can start on day one (or years later) and continue long term. You posed good questions.
Makes me wonder how well it would do now if they ported it(standard or HD remaster) to current consoles/systems.