In my evaluate of the unique Shin Megami Tensei V again in 2021, I wrote, “…it’s been a very long time since I’ve disliked the beginning of a sport as a lot as Shin Megami Tensei V’s.” And but, in 2024, I began it once more. Why? Two causes.
First, as a lot as I hated the primary 15 hours of SMTV (and another parts that continued all through), I used to be nonetheless capable of advocate the sport. Second, as a result of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance not solely delivers a wholly new story, but it surely additionally corrects the sport’s largest design flaw that sapped the enjoyable out of the unique launch. Let’s begin by trying on the story.
Vengeance begins with the identical pitfalls as the unique; we meet a number of college students at a Japanese highschool, and we’re given no motive in any respect to love or care about these folks earlier than we’re plunged into an apocalyptic world with the primary character who has merged with a demon to be reborn as a Nahobino.
We’re then set unfastened to discover an unlimited wasteland referred to as Da’at. Within the authentic, the one incentive we’re given for that is that there’s nothing else to do. Run round, struggle demons, recruit demons, push onward. Now, relying on the trail you choose at first of Vengeance, we no less than get a human companion. In the beginning, we see a silhouetted character and are warned towards taking her with us. When you don’t, you play the unique model of the sport. When you do, you play the brand new storyline involving this character and new Qadištu enemies.
I like to recommend you’re taking this girl no matter whether or not you performed the unique, because the “Vengeance” story does a a lot better job at being an precise story.
You may then determine if it’s value one other full journey to play the unique path. There’s worth to that, as a result of there’s a lot to discover, discover, and accumulate that your second “completionist” playthrough could possibly be virtually as compelling as your first “story” playthrough.
It helps, too, that the world of Da’at is such a singular place to go to. The preliminary desertscape is actually overwhelming, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly beautiful to see, and every new space turns into extra compelling to discover. Additionally, no sport I’ve ever performed has made mass destruction appear so concurrently bleak and delightful.
I’m not going to enter an excessive amount of element on the sport’s mechanics, as they’re largely the identical as earlier than (once more, you may seize the small print in my authentic Shin Megami Tensei V evaluate). Mainly, it concerned participating in turn-based fight with an assortment of demons and utilizing the “press flip” system to emerge victorious. This entails figuring out their weaknesses and utilizing the suitable assaults to use them. The extra you achieve this, the extra assaults you get. After all, enemies can exploit the weaknesses of your self and your demons, too. So, you wish to ensure you have the correct demons in place and that you simply’re leveling them up appropriately.
You get the demons by both recruiting them in fight (accurately guessing the correct solutions to their fairly goofy questions, then agreeing to surrender cash, well being, or gadgets) or by fusing them. Some have to be fused, so that you wish to accumulate as many demons as attainable. You might have a restricted variety of slots for them, so that you’ll must fuse demons to open up new slots. However you don’t wish to do that too rapidly or the demons received’t purchase their higher abilities to cross alongside when fused. There’s far more to think about, however we received’t fear about that proper now. As an alternative, let’s speak about how Vengeance makes this entire course of far more pleasing.
Within the authentic, your progress may solely be saved on the Leyline Founts the place fusion takes place. There aren’t loads of these, so you would theoretically go a full hour with out the power to avoid wasting. As a result of the demons can one-shot kill your fundamental character, this meant you’d must continually backtrack to a Leyline Fount each time you recruited a very tasty demon, discovered an important merchandise, or overcame a hard adversary; you both moved backwards otherwise you risked dropping any vital progress. The sport pressured you to play defensively, and that’s not enjoyable. Now, it can save you the sport everytime you need. About to face a tricky battle? Save. Lastly recruit a difficult demon? Save. Wish to see for those who can bounce to a hard-to-reach space? Save. The sport now not wastes your time; it retains you transferring ahead.
Form of. Vengeance additionally introduces Demon Haunts to the Leyline Founts, that are locations the place you may hang around with the demons you collected and get to know them. Why would you need that when the demons solely exist to be sacrificed and fused? I suppose the youngsters simply can’t dwell with out their social sims lately.
Oh, and the demons offer you extra gadgets and degree up quicker for those who discuss to them (glad my actual life buddies don’t work that means). These visits sluggish issues again down, however not sufficient to harm the general expertise.
All of this implies you’re much less prone to keep away from fights whereas exploring, thereby engaging you to really play the sport whereas taking part in the sport. And for those who’re a type of gamers who cherished grinding by way of the problem of the unique model, no worries; there are many difficulties to maintain everybody pleased.
Even with all of those modifications, the gameplay loop stays; discover a giant space, degree up, purchase demons, face a boss, get a story dump, repeat. Vengeance does a greater job of maintaining issues attention-grabbing alongside the best way, however V nonetheless has the least attention-grabbing storyline of the half dozen Shin Megami Tensei video games I’ve performed. That’s wonderful, as a result of the exploration of the huge wastelands of Da’at, the turn-based fight, and the demon-fusion mechanic are sufficient to hold gamers by way of.
The repetition might flip some away (particularly contemplating the general size), however repetition is less complicated to take care of so long as I really feel like I’m regularly making progress. The standard-of-life enhancements made right here permit for that, and that enables gamers to lastly absorb all that Shin Megami Tensei V affords with out the necessity for anger administration courses.
