From the opening sequence, which combines the action of Starship Troopers, the camera style of The Matrix and the sci-fi element of the best of the Alien films, one can see that something is terribly wrong. A sinister pod has appeared in the center of The Junkyard, and as members from all of the tribes come out to do recon work, an explosion unleashes a power which infects every person in the land, causing them to war within themselves over the now primal instincts that threaten to consume them.

When the various men and women in the area recover from the blast, they investigate the scene and discover that within the pod is a mysterious woman named Sara, whom none of the people in The Junkyard ever recall having seen before. Her singing seems to soothe everyone when their appetites get the best of them, and like everyone else, she has little to no memory about who she is or why she has come to The Junkyard.

From the opening sequence, which combines the action of Starship Troopers, the camera style of The Matrix and the sci-fi element of the best of the Alien films, one can see that something is terribly wrong. A sinister pod has appeared in the center of The Junkyard, and as members from all of the tribes come out to do recon work, an explosion unleashes a power which infects every person in the land, causing them to war within themselves over the now primal instincts that threaten to consume them.

When the various men and women in the area recover from the blast, they investigate the scene and discover that within the pod is a mysterious woman named Sara, whom none of the people in The Junkyard ever recall having seen before. Her singing seems to soothe everyone when their appetites get the best of them, and like everyone else, she has little to no memory about who she is or why she has come to The Junkyard.

Saga incorporates a lot of twisted philosophy into its storyline, bastardizing traditional Hindu and Buddhist concepts about karma and nirvana in order to create something far more evil. The leaders of each tribe, known as the Champions of the Junkyard, when summoned to their central temple, are told by the computer program that guides their every move that they must beginning killing everyone else in order to increase their good karma and thus be welcomed into nirvana. At this time, everyone starts taking sides against everyone else, and the game begins.

Saga is filled with bizarre characters, everything from two-legged zebra unicorns to axe-wielding elephants. Your own squad of characters transform into creatures who have any one of the following attributes: blades which come out from their forearms or feet, arms which turn into elongated whips, two heads, or the appearance of a small pterodactyl. Creatures with superfluous appendages are everywhere, which makes for fun viewing every time a new enemy appears in battle.

The animation is crisp and rich in its bizarre detail, though it has a sort of cold, robotic feel which mirrors the characters' personalities at times. The Hindu and Buddhist influences are seen in some of the enemies and buildings, but it's mixed with a futuristic feel and so lends the game a feel of two worlds colliding.

A lot of the dialogue in the first act of the story is wholly laughable until you realize what the writers are doing with the story, and as the plot progresses, the story becomes very intriguing.

The game play is solid, offering up the usual host of RPG-style in-battle options, with a few surprises thrown in. Learning new abilities or magic skills requires each character to pick from a list that is reminiscent of the sphere grid from Final Fantasy X. Your team is given a certain number of attacks before the enemy can retaliate; however, if you score a critical hit you will gain an extra turn. Same goes for the enemies themselves, so any battle can go horribly awry in an instant if you are not careful. And for those times when you grow weary of battle and want to get a fight done with in a hurry, there is an auto attack function that allows both sides to simply duke it out without bothering to think about strategy.

Digital Devil Saga is a unique experience. The story is a confusing one but you grow to care about the characters and their collective and individual plights. It's fun to look at, the alternately dreamy and driving guitar soundtrack is enjoyable, the battles are a real challenge and you grow accustomed to the quirks of the game as you go on. RPG fans should definitely give this one a look.