Demons and angels locked in a post-apocalyptic, generation-spanning blood feud to the backing of a tough synth-metal soundtrack… however make it a tough-as-nails RPG – that’s the Shin Megami Tensei expertise. I sang the praises of Shin Megami Tensei V again in 2021 due to the way in which it embodied the sequence’ ethos in trendy kind, and as per regular with developer Atlus, we now have a extra definitive model a couple of years later in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Though it doesn’t essentially change what already made the unique nice, its new separate storyline and high quality of life enhancements are purpose sufficient to play (or revisit) this masterclass in turn-based fight and demonic environment.
The very very first thing you do is select whether or not to play the unique route or go down the Path of Vengeance, which is an alternate path that remixes occasions with new plot threads, new characters, and a few wild new battles. There are not any difficult selections to make or particular selections required to see this content material this time. Hell, you don’t even have to think about siding with competing ideologies at any level, as had been SMT custom – you simply decide the Vengeance route and comply with it to the tip. Since I already spent 80 hours getting 100% completion within the unique sport, I solely centered on the Vengeance-specific marketing campaign. It took me about 60 hours to complete since I used to be already conversant in a majority of its challenges and principally sought out the brand new sidequests, of which there are lots. Whereas I do prefer it extra total, it’s not precisely a big leap over what was already there.
The story begins off the identical in that you just’re a highschool child in Tokyo who stumbles into being the chosen one, or a Nahobino – a human who can possess supernatural powers and rework right into a demigod. Tokyo as you recognize it begins to disintegrate as you journey to and from a post-apocalyptic future in a battle to find out the world’s destiny. For roughly one-third of the runtime, occasions play out pretty equally in Vengeance, besides for 2 main factors: the presence of each a brand new villainous group of demons generally known as the Qadistu and a brand new ally named Yoko Hiromine. All of those further characters sport great designs that convey out the perfect in SMT’s artwork model they usually present higher context for this specific story’s occasions.
The factor I respect most is that the Vengeance path places extra emphasis on its human characters and will get them extra immediately concerned. Yoko is accessible as a playable social gathering member for a big chunk of the story and infrequently looks like an integral a part of it relatively than tacked on since she may be very a lot a spotlight of this route. Current characters like Tao have a extra outstanding function as properly, becoming a member of the social gathering early on and having a much bigger focus all through. Whereas the 4 members of the Qadistu are extra of a mechanism to ship new plot factors relatively than totally shaped characters, they at the least present an adversarial dynamic that wasn’t beforehand there.
The place Vengeance takes a tough flip is within the third area, which is totally changed by a brand new one which’s constructed to embody the shift in sure story beats. This additionally results in a change within the mid-game dungeon that has its personal distinctive aesthetic and set of gimmicks, though you’ll be able to inform it borrows quite a lot of design ideas from what it changed. Issues finally merge again onto the unique path, so the brand new mainline Vengeance content material isn’t essentially “in-addition-to,” however relatively a detour to higher match the story occasions. And by the point you attain the finale, it can have handled you to a few of SMTV’s finest moments, Vengeance or in any other case.
Its bigger theme of revenge doesn’t precisely take heart stage, although, and the trope of destroying the world to begin anew doesn’t get some form of significant examination because it’s lacking the connective tissue essential to make all of it work. In order it tries more durable to ship extra story, it opens itself up to a couple pitfalls alongside the way in which. In its grand moments, the philosophical platitudes are what drive its occasions and that’s form of the SMT approach. Regardless, I can at the least respect the trouble that Vengeance places into higher contextualizing your exploration of Tokyo’s demonic wasteland and the hard-fought battles you’ll overcome there.
SMT has all the time staked its declare on unforgiving turn-based fight, and there are moments through which Vengeance doubles down on that precept. You’re nonetheless honing in on the basic affinities of your enemies and constructing a roster of demons who can exploit these weaknesses. However on this model, I bought “SMT’d” extra typically – that means I’d get completely wiped by an enemy in a single flip and there wasn’t something I might actually do about it. After all, in probably the most tense battles the place I wanted to fastidiously suppose steps forward to plan buffing spells, hit weaknesses to earn additional turns, or strategically substitute totally different demons in my social gathering primarily based on elemental affinities, I used to be reminded that SMT’s fight system has a number of the finest turn-based mechanics round, even when it may be as punishing as it’s rewarding.
You’re nonetheless negotiating with demons to seize them, having them combat in your social gathering, and fusing them to create extra highly effective demons, and the everyday move of constructing your roster stays one among SMTV’s strengths. There are a handful of latest unlockable perks that can assist you in battle and a number of the new demons I earned by way of fusion are ones that got here in clutch within the late-game. It’s that satisfying Pokemon-like nature of biking by way of more and more highly effective monsters and staying on high of overlaying your bases as you stage up your fundamental character, and making good use of them in crucial moments.
Having performed on regular issue, being on the similar stage because the bosses alone will not be sufficient to get by way of them, and you’ll be examined in your mastery of the system as a complete. Even if you come ready and suppose tactically about all of the help abilities, objects, and parts obtainable, your social gathering goes to be fragile. There comes a degree the place mainlining the story isn’t sufficient to maintain tempo, both, basically encouraging you to hunt out sidequests and stage up that approach. And boy howdy, does Vengeance lay on a thick serving of sidequests.
So far as I can inform, all the unique ones stay within the Vengeance route, and the aforementioned new area is jam full of its personal set of sidequests. A few of them rope you into powerful minibosses, require you to seek out objects out on the earth, or spin off into brief minigames. Massive and small, sidequests all feed into portray a extra detailed world as you develop a greater understanding of the connection dynamics of the demons in SMT’s mythological multiverse. There’s a humanizing side to a few of these little tales, so to skip out on sidequests would even be to overlook a little bit of SMTV’s appeal – significantly in Vengeance, the place it may get as foolish as it’s difficult.
There’s one thing particular concerning the angle of an SMT sport that I can merely describe as badass – a lot of which comes by way of in its environment and artwork route. From the deranged demon designs which have advanced through the years to the sinister vibe of a Tokyo destroyed by the hand of godly powers, SMTV manages to evoke a novel sense of dread that lingers over its world. It is aware of it’s cool and doesn’t care an excessive amount of about being nice or palatable; even when Vengeance appeals to our humanity extra so than the unique, it nonetheless maintains a sure darkness the sequence is understood for.
It’s additionally a credit score to its soundtrack, which effortlessly pumps you up for particular battles or units an unmistakable temper in its overworld, bouncing between synth-infused steel and eerily catchy ambient tunes. The brand new battle theme is an enchancment over what was already a fantastic monitor, and typically I’d sit there mid-battle not doing something simply to take heed to it loop a number of instances. SMT soundtracks get into thrash-style rock as typically because it will get experimental with its instrumentation to create some haunting melodies and harmonies, and Vengeance nonetheless carries that custom.
New music was one of many issues I appeared ahead to most with Vengeance, however on the extra technical facet it was beautiful to replay SMTV as a a lot better visible expertise. If you happen to play on PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Collection X|S, you’re handled to considerably increased resolutions and body charges together with higher draw distances to let SMTV’s world pop in a approach it merely couldn’t when it was a Nintendo Swap unique. Vengeance remains to be obtainable on Swap with all of the important options, after all, however I do suppose you’d be lacking out on among the finest components of this rerelease taking part in it there, particularly contemplating how the unique struggled by way of technical efficiency.
High quality of life enhancements don’t finish on the technical facet both. New mechanics additionally make the expertise smoother with out sacrificing the difficult nature of SMTV. For instance, the Demon Hang-out is a hub space you’ll be able to go to at save factors and speak to demons in your roster, who will then typically provide objects or get a lift in stats. As you progress within the story, you’ll be capable of get free bonus stat factors to spice up the primary character’s attributes within the Demon Hang-out as properly. Exploration within the overworlds was fairly tedious in SMTV (and nonetheless form of is) however now you’ll be able to pull up a hen’s eye view at any level to get each a lay of the land and a greater concept of methods to get to hard-to-reach areas. This coincides with the addition of Magatsu Rails that are shortcuts sprinkled all through the open areas that you just skate on to get throughout the map sooner or attain secret areas. And with the ability to save anyplace now could be a lot extra handy, as a result of nobody desires to lose chunks of progress as a result of they bought unfairly “SMT’d” in between save factors.