Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner
| Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner | |
| DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA アバタール・チューナーDigital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner | |
Original US CoverDeluxe Box Set
Front cover
Front cover of the Deluxe Box set | |
| |
| Developer(s) | Atlus Research and Development 1 |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus (JP) Atlus U.S.A. (NA) Ghostlight (AU, EU) SNH (KR) |
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | PlayStation 2
 Japan July 15, 2004 United States of America April 5, 2005 South Korea September 30, 2005 Australia July 21, 2006 Europe July 21, 2006Atlus Best Collection
Japan March 30, 2006PlayStation Network
United States of America May 20, 2014Australia June 4, 2014Europe June 4, 2014 |
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, released outside of Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, is a 2004 role-playing game for the PlayStation 2, and the first entry in the Digital Devil Saga series. Unlike most Megami Tensei games, it features a more traditional linear JRPG narrative with cinematic 3D animated cutscenes, and a more traditional party without demon-summoning or fusion. The main characters are the demons themselves and can switch between human and demonic forms. The game was the first Megami Tensei game to have full voice acting, including a full English dub.[citation needed]
In the war-torn Junkyard, factions of emotionless soldiers are in constant wars for territorial dominance, until a mysterious meteor crashes into the battlefield during a skirmish. The Atma virus spreads from the meteor, granting the residents of the Junkyard a demonic form and an insatiable cannibalistic hunger, alongside awakening their emotions.
Blurb
Japanese
| 喰らうことでしか生きられない… 部族同士が激しい抗争を繰り広げるジャンクヤード。ある戦いの中、主人公・サーフたちは謎の物体［ツボミ］から放たれる光球により悪魔に変身する力［アートマ］に覚醒してしまう。悪魔化した人々は、敵の肉を引き裂き、骨を砕き、そして喰らう。謎の鍵を握る黒髪の少女・セラと、真の敵の影を追うサーフたちを待ち受ける驚愕の真実とは…。 |
Kurau koto de shika ikirarenai... Buzoku dōshi ga hageshii kōsō o kurihirogeru Jankuyādo. Aru tatakai no naka, shujinkō Sāfu-tachi wa nazo no buttai [Tsubomi] kara hanatareru kōkyū ni yori akuma ni henshin suru chikara [Ātoma] ni kakusei shiteshimau. Akumaka shita hitobito wa, teki no niku o hikisaki, hone o kudaki, soshite kurau. Nazo no kagi o nigiru kurokami no shōjo Sera to, shin no teki no kage o ou Sāfu-tachi o machiukeru kyōgaku no shinjitsu to wa... |
You can only survive by devouring... The Junkyard, where members of tribes wage violent war. During a battle, because of a ball of light fired from a mysterious [Bud], the protagonist Serph and his companions awaken to [Atma], the power to transform into a demon. Those transformed into demons tear into the flesh of their enemies, break their bones, and devour them. What shocking truth awaits the black-haired girl Sera, who holds the key to the mystery, and Serph and his companions, who pursue the shadow of their true enemy...? |
English
| Enter the world of the Junkyard, where rival tribes fight an endless war - vying for supremacy and the right to ascend to Nirvana. Changed forever by a mysterious light, Serph and his comrades now have the power to change into powerful demons... But with that power comes a price - an insatiable hunger to devour their enemies! |
| Use demonic abilities to devour enemy tribes and absorb new powers, protect a mysterious girl, and gain entry to the paradise of Nirvana. |
Korean
| 먹는 것으로밖에 살아갈 수가 없다… 부족끼리 격렬한 분쟁을 펼쳐지고 있는 정크 야드 어떤 전투 중에 주인공 서프들은 수수께끼의 물체 〔꽃봉오리〕에서 나온 광구에 의해 악마로 변신하는 힘 〔아트마〕를 각성하고 만다. 악마화한 사람들은 적의 고기를 갈라 찢고, 뼈를 으깨고, 그리고 먹는다. 수수께끼의 열쇠를 쥐는 검은 머리의 소녀 세라와 진정한 적의 그림자를 쫓는 서프들을 기다리는 놀라운 진실이란… |
Synopsis
The game is set in the Junkyard, a desolate, war-torn wasteland where the Tribes are in a constant power struggle. After a mysterious object detonates, it leaves behind a mysterious girl and its emotionless residents gain the power of Atma: the ability to transform into a powerful Demon that also awakens their personality, though their inner demon threatens to consume their humanity if they don't feed on their fallen enemies. The player plays as Serph, the leader of the Embryon Tribe, in their quest to break the power struggle and ascend to the mythical Nirvana, as commanded by Angel.
Gameplay
Following its predecessor, Digital Devil Saga follows the third-person style of exploration introduced in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, with improved camera controls. The Moon Phase system is presented as Solar Noise and works similarly to Nocturne's. The game also features the Press Turn System from Nocturne, alongside a new nonlinear skill system where the player learns new skills off a grid by gaining Atma Points. Unlike other games in the franchise, this game does not feature fusion, negotiation or multiple story routes. Digital Devil Saga allows the characters to freely change skills outside of battle, combine skills to cast new ones, and change between a character's demonic and human forms mid-battle as needed.
Version Differences
The North American version of the game replaces the opening theme, "Pray", with a licensed track called "Danger" by the band Etro Anime. This was reverted in the European version of the game.
Listings
Characters
Bosses
Demons
Skills
Items
Equipment
Mantras
Locations
Development
|
This development section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it. |
| No reason provided. |
The game attempted to make a more accessible Shin Megami Tensei game with a more traditional JRPG narrative while still maintaining the series' tone.[1] The game was based on various ideas from Kazuma Kaneko that he told to the planning staff to interpet themselves, with his original concepts being much darker than the final project.[2] According to Kaneko, the original premise he came up with was inspired by the manga Mayonaka no Senshi by Go Nagai.[3] It was notable for having full voice acting, which cost Atlus a lot of money.[citation needed] The initial writer, Yu Godai created the world of Digital Devil Saga influenced by William Gibson, and the scenario up to Gale's rampage follows her script almost exactly.[4]
The Korean publishing was handled by SNH, a wired telecommunications equipment manufacturer, formerly known as the game developer Wizard Soft.[5] It came with a separate script instead of being localized, while the sequel was localized with subtitles.[6]
Trivia
- The main characters' names were originally in Kanji, but they were changed to Katakana for international release.[7] Each of these names reflects their respective attributes.[8]
- Originally, 'devour the enemy' meant stripping their Atma, but Atlus suggested changing it to actually eating them.[9]
- The European version was released twice. The original 2006 release features the 2003 PEGI and USK designs on the cover and the disc in addition to an advertisement for Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax and The Plan on the back of the manual. The game was later rereleased in 2009 with the same serial code using reprints of the game cover, manual cover and disc. The brand new 2009 designs for PEGI and USK were used and the advertisement was removed. The game remained unchanged.
Gallery
-
European cover (2006 release) -
PAL region disc (2009 release) -
Full cover insert from the European version case (2009 release) -
Manual from the European 2009 release -
Korean cover -
Korean script cover -
Korean limited edition artbook cover -
Dengeki PS2 volume 275 cover -
Key artwork -
A typical encounter battle -
Nomenclature
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English
|
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga | |
| Japanese
|
DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA アバタール・チューナー Dejitaru Debiru Sāga Abatāru Chūnā | Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner |
| Korean
|
디지털 데빌 사가 아바탈 튜너 Dijiteol Debil Saga Abatal Tyuneo | Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner |
References
- ↑ "Bill Alexander: SMT: Digital Devil Saga was designed to make the franchise more appealing to a broader audience. While the series has a large following in Japan, here in the US it is relatively unknown. The developer, our parent company, hoped to expand its audience in both countries by making the game more appealing and accessible to mainstream gamers, while staying true to its roots. This title also has extremely high production values, including well-known voice talent and eye-popping movie sequences. For gamers who like games such as Final Fantasy, but are tired of the same old hero-saves-the-world plot, SMT: Digital Devil Saga will satiate their hunger for something new. While the artistic style and mature themes are common to all games in the series, the stories are unrelated, so gamers need not have played other SMT titles to enjoy this one." Richard Aihoshi, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Interview. Published February 26, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2023. IGN.
- ↑ "Kazuma Kaneko: I explained my ideas to the people in charge of planning and scenario, told them about the concept of good and so on and gradually turned them into something easier to understand. All I did after that was to wait and see how they would interpret these ideas in their own style. The end result gained a lighter atmosphere, or, how should I put it…since it was milder, so quite charming. If I had written the story, it would have turned out really bleak." Playstation.com Kaneko Kazuma interview, 2004 Digital Devil Saga. Archived: [1]. Published August 8, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2023. Dijeh Translations.
- ↑ "サーフについて面白い話が思いつかないので、代わりにゲームコンセプトのインスピレーション元をお伝えします。それは1974年にジャンプに掲載された永井豪先生の読み切り漫画『真夜中の戦士』という漫画でして、子供の頃この漫画を読んで非常に衝撃を受けたんですよね。もし興味をもっていただけたなら最初の短編がオススメです。" Kazuma Kaneko, [2]. Published July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 16, 2026. Twitter.
- ↑ "ウィリアム・ギブスンの諸作品に見られる鋼鉄とジャンクのからみあう都市を思い描きしました。(...)ゲームのオープニングからハーリーQ戦、ゲイル暴走のあたりまではほぼ私の書いた流れを踏襲していただいていて嬉しいです。" ファンタジアバトルロイヤル. Published by 富士見書房. Japanese. Page 95. Cover date AUTUMN, 2004.
- ↑ [3]. Retrieved December 13, 2025. game.donga.com.
- ↑ [4]. Retrieved December 13, 2025. game.donga.com.
- ↑ "これはやっぱり「女神転生シリーズの主人公は日本人で漢字名」というイメージがあったからです。 あとで、「海外展開のこともあるので漢字名はちょっと」ということで、現在のカタカナ名前になりました。" Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner: Extra Files, Yu Godai. Japanese. Page 41.
- ↑ "里見: サーフたちは、もう名前のイメージ優先ですね。ヒートなら火、ゲイルなら風というように。" Dengeki PS2. Japanese. Vol. 275 Page 12. Cover date July 23.
- ↑ "「変身能力の印であるアザを剝奪すること=喰らう」とぼかしていたのですが、アトラス側から、「本当に喰らうことにしたほうがいいのでは」と提案があって、今の形になりました。" SFマガジン. Published by Hayakawa Publishing. Japanese. Page 176. Cover date December, 2011.
| Digital Devil Saga series | |
|---|---|
| Video Games | Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner • Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2 |
| Mobile Games | A's Test Server |
| Novels | That's Catch 22 • Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner |
| Short Stories | "Dog Days" • "One Day, Afternoon" |
| Manga | Shinen no Matō |