Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
Encyclopedia
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, simply known as in Japan
, is an action role-playing game
in the Megami Tensei
franchise. Along with the previous game Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
and the official derivative
novel Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Dead Ekishi, the game continues a sub-metaseries dedicated to the titular hero Raidou Kuzunoha.
Developed and published by Atlus
, it was released in Japan on October 23, 2008 in two formats. The standard version included a soundtrack CD, while the limited edition, Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon Plus, came packaged with a new version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
titled Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax Chronicle Edition, which includes a guest appearance by Raidou Kuzunoha. SMT: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon was then released in North America on May 12, 2009, with all launch units containing a rare collectible plush doll
of Raiho, a version of the Atlus mascot Jack Frost, dressed as Raidou. A release in PAL-territories has not been announced so far. Koei, which has published the previous game of the series in PAL-territories, has no plans to publish this game.
During battle, Raidou can attack with his sword (a stronger weapon which can combo to deal much greater damage) or gun (a weaker weapon which can stun enemies). He can also block with his sword to reduce damage taken and dodge roll to evade enemy attacks altogether. However, the core of the battle system involves utilizing the game's various monsters, many of which hail from previous Shin Megami Tensei titles.
The Pokémon
-styled capturing mechanism present in the previous game is no more; instead, Raidou can now negotiate with enemy monsters to try to persuade or bribe them to join his side (a tactic employed in many other Shin Megami Tensei games). Raidou can summon two of the monsters from his roster at any time to fight alongside him; demons employ a variety of offensive, support, or healing spells which will greatly expedite the flow of battle. Both Raidou and his monsters will level up as they continue to win fights; additionally, monsters may drop Yen
or items.
Raidou will also need to strategically balance his MAG (Magnetite) across fights. MAG is required to use monsters' spells, and more potent spells require more consumption of MAG. Merely killing enemies yields a tiny amount of MAG, but the key to much greater MAG acquisition is exploiting enemies' elemental weaknesses and physically attacking them while they are stunned from being hit by spells that target their weaknesses. In this way, Raidou must expend MAG to regain MAG; the goal is to attack with effective spells in order to absorb more MAG than is being expended.
Outside of battle, monsters can assist with investigations via skills such as mind-reading and transforming into various key individuals in order to deceive shady characters into giving up critical information. In order to continually gain higher-level and more diverse monsters, Raidou can utilize Dr. Victor's Gouma-Den to fuse monster together, creating more powerful monsters for Raidou to access provided he has the capacity to control them. Other self-improvements include synthesizing better swords for Raidou and sacrificing monsters to raise the strength of standard monsters.
In the story, Akane Tsukigata, daughter of the finance minister, asks Raidou to search for her brother Dahn Tsukigata. Along the way, Raidou meets with Geirin Kuzunoha XVII, a member of a separate branch of the Kuzunoha clan. Geirin Kuzunoha protects a certain village alongside his apprentice, Nagi, who hopes to become Geirin Kuzunoha XVIII.
in Japanese history has been fictionally extended into its 20th year, placing the events of the game in the early 1930s (but with a setting influenced more so by the 1920s). Raidou and his mentor, the talking cat Gouto, are again called upon to protect the prosperity and peace of the Capital by simultaneously working undercover at the Narumi Detective Agency and battling demonic foes using the powers Raidou carries as a Summoner. The story begins when a young woman enters the detective agency and asks Narumi's and Raidou's help in locating a curious man named Dahn.
composed the soundtrack for SMT: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. The official soundtrack CD comes with the standard version of the game in Japan containing 23 tracks lasting a total of 45 minutes.
While the game has new compositions, several tracks from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
are arranged for this game - including Theme of Raidou Kuzunoha, Battle -Raidou- and Tsukudo-cho - whilst others are taken directly from the previous game without any arrangement whatsoever.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, is an action role-playing game
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
in the Megami Tensei
Megami Tensei
, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
franchise. Along with the previous game Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
is an action role-playing game in the Megami Tensei franchise published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It differs from the two previous Devil Summoner titles in having real-time battles and a named protagonist and is first in the entire franchise to be set in the past – specifically the...
and the official derivative
Derivative work
In United States copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major, copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created first work .-Definition:...
novel Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Dead Ekishi, the game continues a sub-metaseries dedicated to the titular hero Raidou Kuzunoha.
Developed and published by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
, it was released in Japan on October 23, 2008 in two formats. The standard version included a soundtrack CD, while the limited edition, Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon Plus, came packaged with a new version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
is a role-playing game for the PlayStation 2. It is the third main game in the Megami Tensei series. Shin Megami Tensei III was released nine years after Shin Megami Tensei II, and was the first Megami Tensei game in the series to be released into the United States using the "Megami Tensei" name...
titled Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax Chronicle Edition, which includes a guest appearance by Raidou Kuzunoha. SMT: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon was then released in North America on May 12, 2009, with all launch units containing a rare collectible plush doll
Stuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
of Raiho, a version of the Atlus mascot Jack Frost, dressed as Raidou. A release in PAL-territories has not been announced so far. Koei, which has published the previous game of the series in PAL-territories, has no plans to publish this game.
Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to that of the previous Raidou Kuzunoha game with some expansions and refinements. While traveling throughout Tsukudo-Cho and the neighboring towns, Raidou and Gouto can investigate into the case by speaking with civilians and searching for clues or other items. The store at Konnou-Ya still exists, as does the Gouma-Den. Upon entering the Dark Realm or other hostile environments, Raidou will randomly engage in battles with monster foes.During battle, Raidou can attack with his sword (a stronger weapon which can combo to deal much greater damage) or gun (a weaker weapon which can stun enemies). He can also block with his sword to reduce damage taken and dodge roll to evade enemy attacks altogether. However, the core of the battle system involves utilizing the game's various monsters, many of which hail from previous Shin Megami Tensei titles.
The Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
-styled capturing mechanism present in the previous game is no more; instead, Raidou can now negotiate with enemy monsters to try to persuade or bribe them to join his side (a tactic employed in many other Shin Megami Tensei games). Raidou can summon two of the monsters from his roster at any time to fight alongside him; demons employ a variety of offensive, support, or healing spells which will greatly expedite the flow of battle. Both Raidou and his monsters will level up as they continue to win fights; additionally, monsters may drop Yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
or items.
Raidou will also need to strategically balance his MAG (Magnetite) across fights. MAG is required to use monsters' spells, and more potent spells require more consumption of MAG. Merely killing enemies yields a tiny amount of MAG, but the key to much greater MAG acquisition is exploiting enemies' elemental weaknesses and physically attacking them while they are stunned from being hit by spells that target their weaknesses. In this way, Raidou must expend MAG to regain MAG; the goal is to attack with effective spells in order to absorb more MAG than is being expended.
Outside of battle, monsters can assist with investigations via skills such as mind-reading and transforming into various key individuals in order to deceive shady characters into giving up critical information. In order to continually gain higher-level and more diverse monsters, Raidou can utilize Dr. Victor's Gouma-Den to fuse monster together, creating more powerful monsters for Raidou to access provided he has the capacity to control them. Other self-improvements include synthesizing better swords for Raidou and sacrificing monsters to raise the strength of standard monsters.
Characters
The player controls Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a young devil summoner charged with protecting the Capital. He is aided by Gôto-Douji, who is Raidou Kuzunoha the first who has been punished for a crime in the past. Raidou works under Detective Narumi from the Narumi Detective Agency. Kichou "Tae" Asakura, a young news reporter provides him leads to solving the detective's cases.In the story, Akane Tsukigata, daughter of the finance minister, asks Raidou to search for her brother Dahn Tsukigata. Along the way, Raidou meets with Geirin Kuzunoha XVII, a member of a separate branch of the Kuzunoha clan. Geirin Kuzunoha protects a certain village alongside his apprentice, Nagi, who hopes to become Geirin Kuzunoha XVIII.
Story
The game chronologically occurs after its prequel, with Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th again being summoned by the Yatagarasu to protect the Capital of Japan. The Taishō periodTaisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
in Japanese history has been fictionally extended into its 20th year, placing the events of the game in the early 1930s (but with a setting influenced more so by the 1920s). Raidou and his mentor, the talking cat Gouto, are again called upon to protect the prosperity and peace of the Capital by simultaneously working undercover at the Narumi Detective Agency and battling demonic foes using the powers Raidou carries as a Summoner. The story begins when a young woman enters the detective agency and asks Narumi's and Raidou's help in locating a curious man named Dahn.
Music
Shōji MeguroShoji Meguro
is a Japanese video game composer and director who joined Atlus in 1996 and has composed music for many of their games, mainly those in the Megami Tensei series.-Biography:...
composed the soundtrack for SMT: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. The official soundtrack CD comes with the standard version of the game in Japan containing 23 tracks lasting a total of 45 minutes.
While the game has new compositions, several tracks from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
is an action role-playing game in the Megami Tensei franchise published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It differs from the two previous Devil Summoner titles in having real-time battles and a named protagonist and is first in the entire franchise to be set in the past – specifically the...
are arranged for this game - including Theme of Raidou Kuzunoha, Battle -Raidou- and Tsukudo-cho - whilst others are taken directly from the previous game without any arrangement whatsoever.