DDS1 COMPLETE
Finished Digital Devil Saga 1! Took about 60 hours and final levels were about 67ish? Which is actually a bit overlevel? (TEN? BEING OVERLEVEL? WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?) But that's mostly because I went to do the optional bosses, which gave me multiple levels on the way sob. They weren't too difficult for me, but let's see how long my cockiness lasts when I go to fight the Demi-Fiend in New Game Plus.
I have a piece of artwork that totally accurately (sillyly) sums up my end game experience but it's not done yet so that'll have to wait.
All in all, it was a really good game! THE ENDING ANSWERED ZERO QUESTIONS THOUGH, AND FINISHED ON A CLIFFHANGER FOR THE NEXT GAME gaaaaah DDS2 why aren't you on my doorstep yet?? What's really interesting is starting new game plus and seeing how different everyone (including NPCs!) were before they acquired emotions. Really hammers in how much their world changed from beginning to the end.
As I've said before in chat, I feel that Serph being a silent protagonist actually detracts from story.
Digital Devil Saga isn't like Persona 3/4, SMT3, Devil Survivor or Strange Journey, where the protagonist is supposed to be a (partial) stand in for the player. In all those games, you are making decisions that are significant and have impacts. Although it doesn't change storyline like it does in SMT3, Devil Survivor and Strange Journey, in P3/P4 that player choice is placed on social link advancement, both in the social link events and the social links they choose to advance in the first place. While you can't say these protagonists are total blank slates (because they do have sparse snippets of defined personality) but ultimately they are player defined. Having a silent protagonist in these situations works well, because these characters' open-endedness is then shaped by the player.
This is definitely not the case with Serph. Very few of his dialogue choices have noticeable or significant impact. In fact, all of his dialogue choices that actually matter don't even have any impact in the first game; their effects only take place in the second DDS game. Serph is not an 'empty' character for the player to fill, like the protags in the games I've listed earlier. He's shaped almost entirely by the plot, and while he does get some derpy dialogue choices, it's really apparent that you are not supposed to be Serph. I will also add that I think it's really cute that Serph imitates people in some of his dialogue choices.
I have to say, Serph being silent often detracts from the scene, at least the way it's told. Serph is supposed to be the one who makes decisions, but often someone else will speak on his behalf. While that isn't unusual in itself, some of the dialogue and NPC text generally implies that when addressing a Tribe as someone of importance from outside the Tribe, the Leader is the one you should be addressing. I've gone ahead and watched a few of the early cutscenes of DDS2 (because I'm that excited for it!!) and I have to admit that it the awkwardness of having to work around such a silent leader is even more apparent, because they have so many questions. While you can definitely interpret Serph as the listening sort of leader, there's definitely more than a few times where I'm like, "DUDE are you just going and making decisions instead of Serph?" or "DUDE are you speaking on behalf of the Tribe instead of Serph?"
What's even more interesting is that I've heard Gale wasn't originally in the story, and quite a few of the things he says really do sound like things that Serph would have said (albeit worded differently) if he wasn't a silent protagonist. Gale's still a pretty cool dude, but SOMETIMES it really feels like his real job is interpreter of Serph's "......"s.
Funnily enough, while Serph's leadership sort of takes a blow in most of the voice acted cutscenes that involve decision making or leader matters, he certainly feels like he takes a more active role in the non-voice acted cutscenes. I think I say that because the final dungeon is still fresh in my mind, where a guard tells you to stop or turn back, and the only response that will progress the game is "Get out of my way" which I, incidentally, thought was the most badass thing to ever come from this guy. Immediately after this, one of the Embryon NPCs questions Serph's decision, which I thought was incredibly startling, because none of the Embryon NPCs prior to this ever outright feel Serph's decisions have come diminished their respect for him. There is another NPC back in Muladhara that questions what they've had to do, but he accepts the situation and still respects Serph.
I think the endgame was truly where he shone most as leading Embryon, which, funnily enough, is pretty much completely plot driven and has no player input in it whatsoever, completely disregarding the main reason you'd have a silent protagonist in the first place.
...Unless you did the optional bosses. Then your party will grumble about wasting time. (Yeah, helping the rest of the Tribe is important, too, but in a non-video game situation, they would have had to prioritise their time).
But endgame is where Serph puts his foot down and pretty much goes ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT. Silently, of course. I just feel that he would have better served the story (and characterisation) as a quiet protagonist, rather than a completely silent one.
THIS GAME IS ALSO FULL OF BUTTS.
I have a piece of artwork that totally accurately (sillyly) sums up my end game experience but it's not done yet so that'll have to wait.
All in all, it was a really good game! THE ENDING ANSWERED ZERO QUESTIONS THOUGH, AND FINISHED ON A CLIFFHANGER FOR THE NEXT GAME gaaaaah DDS2 why aren't you on my doorstep yet?? What's really interesting is starting new game plus and seeing how different everyone (including NPCs!) were before they acquired emotions. Really hammers in how much their world changed from beginning to the end.
As I've said before in chat, I feel that Serph being a silent protagonist actually detracts from story.
Digital Devil Saga isn't like Persona 3/4, SMT3, Devil Survivor or Strange Journey, where the protagonist is supposed to be a (partial) stand in for the player. In all those games, you are making decisions that are significant and have impacts. Although it doesn't change storyline like it does in SMT3, Devil Survivor and Strange Journey, in P3/P4 that player choice is placed on social link advancement, both in the social link events and the social links they choose to advance in the first place. While you can't say these protagonists are total blank slates (because they do have sparse snippets of defined personality) but ultimately they are player defined. Having a silent protagonist in these situations works well, because these characters' open-endedness is then shaped by the player.
This is definitely not the case with Serph. Very few of his dialogue choices have noticeable or significant impact. In fact, all of his dialogue choices that actually matter don't even have any impact in the first game; their effects only take place in the second DDS game. Serph is not an 'empty' character for the player to fill, like the protags in the games I've listed earlier. He's shaped almost entirely by the plot, and while he does get some derpy dialogue choices, it's really apparent that you are not supposed to be Serph. I will also add that I think it's really cute that Serph imitates people in some of his dialogue choices.
I have to say, Serph being silent often detracts from the scene, at least the way it's told. Serph is supposed to be the one who makes decisions, but often someone else will speak on his behalf. While that isn't unusual in itself, some of the dialogue and NPC text generally implies that when addressing a Tribe as someone of importance from outside the Tribe, the Leader is the one you should be addressing. I've gone ahead and watched a few of the early cutscenes of DDS2 (because I'm that excited for it!!) and I have to admit that it the awkwardness of having to work around such a silent leader is even more apparent, because they have so many questions. While you can definitely interpret Serph as the listening sort of leader, there's definitely more than a few times where I'm like, "DUDE are you just going and making decisions instead of Serph?" or "DUDE are you speaking on behalf of the Tribe instead of Serph?"
What's even more interesting is that I've heard Gale wasn't originally in the story, and quite a few of the things he says really do sound like things that Serph would have said (albeit worded differently) if he wasn't a silent protagonist. Gale's still a pretty cool dude, but SOMETIMES it really feels like his real job is interpreter of Serph's "......"s.
Funnily enough, while Serph's leadership sort of takes a blow in most of the voice acted cutscenes that involve decision making or leader matters, he certainly feels like he takes a more active role in the non-voice acted cutscenes. I think I say that because the final dungeon is still fresh in my mind, where a guard tells you to stop or turn back, and the only response that will progress the game is "Get out of my way" which I, incidentally, thought was the most badass thing to ever come from this guy. Immediately after this, one of the Embryon NPCs questions Serph's decision, which I thought was incredibly startling, because none of the Embryon NPCs prior to this ever outright feel Serph's decisions have come diminished their respect for him. There is another NPC back in Muladhara that questions what they've had to do, but he accepts the situation and still respects Serph.
I think the endgame was truly where he shone most as leading Embryon, which, funnily enough, is pretty much completely plot driven and has no player input in it whatsoever, completely disregarding the main reason you'd have a silent protagonist in the first place.
...Unless you did the optional bosses. Then your party will grumble about wasting time. (Yeah, helping the rest of the Tribe is important, too, but in a non-video game situation, they would have had to prioritise their time).
But endgame is where Serph puts his foot down and pretty much goes ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT. Silently, of course. I just feel that he would have better served the story (and characterisation) as a quiet protagonist, rather than a completely silent one.
THIS GAME IS ALSO FULL OF BUTTS.
