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Unlike the rest of the rpgs in this series, it's never seen life on a console - it was originally released for the PC98, then upgraded for Windows 98. It's based off the artwork/music of the rest of the series (Kazuma Kaneko is credited as "original character designs", and they're definitely reminiscent of the designs from the Super Famicom games. There is also a robotic dog in there.) It starts off similarly to Megami Tensei 2 - as a young boy living in a shelter, you and your friends are training to be Devil Busters. Everything seems to be okay, until you begin your training, when one of the programs seems to go out of control. There's a lot of obnoxious fetch questing and some very heavy Japanese. The graphics in the Windows 98 version are smooth scrolling, although the interface is both keyboard driven (for movement) and mouse-driven (for selecting from menus.) Unlike the rest of the series, character and enemies are visible on the screen at all times, though they aren't scaled properly when you move, so it looks a little silly. The battle system seems to be a weird mix between turn-based and real-time, as enemies will attack you from across the room before you engage them. It's incredibly clunky, especially when issuing orders, but it's definitely a cool idea. The music is a bit abrasive, but much of it is very similar to older Megami Tensei titles, despite being completely original. Unfortunately, the standard MIDI format means it doesn't sound nearly as cool as the SFC titles. |
