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 recreation 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 components that endured all through), I used to be nonetheless in a position to suggest the sport. Second, as a result of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance not solely delivers a wholly new story, however it 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 couple of college students at a Japanese highschool, and we’re given no purpose 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 free 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 in the beginning of Vengeance, we at the least get a human companion. At first, we see a silhouetted character and are warned towards taking her with us. Should you don’t, you play the unique model of the sport. Should you do, you play the brand new storyline involving this character at new Qadištu enemies.
I like to recommend you’re taking this woman 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 possibly can then resolve 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 gather that your second “completionist” playthrough may very well 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, however it’s nonetheless quite beautiful to see, and every new space turns into extra compelling to discover. Additionally, no recreation 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 possibly can seize the main points in my authentic Shin Megami Tensei V evaluate). Principally, it concerned partaking in turn-based fight with an assortment of demons and utilizing the “press flip” system to emerge victorious. This includes figuring out their weaknesses and utilizing the suitable assaults to take advantage of them. The extra you achieve this, the extra assaults you get. In fact, enemies can exploit the weaknesses of your self and your demons, too. So, you wish to ensure you have the fitting demons in place and that you just’re leveling them up appropriately.
You get the demons by both recruiting them in fight (appropriately guessing the fitting solutions to their quite goofy questions, then agreeing to surrender cash, well being, or objects) or by fusing them. Some have to be fused, so that you wish to gather as many demons as attainable. You may 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 expertise to cross alongside when fused. There’s way more to contemplate, however we received’t fear about that proper now. As a substitute, let’s speak about how Vengeance makes this entire course of way more pleasing.
Within the authentic, your progress might 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 save lots of. As a result of the demons can one-shot kill your important character, this meant you’d need to continually backtrack to a Leyline Fount each time you recruited a very tasty demon, discovered an awesome merchandise, or overcame a hard adversary; you both moved backwards otherwise you risked dropping any important progress. The sport compelled you to play defensively, and that’s not enjoyable. Now, it can save you the sport everytime you need. About to face a troublesome battle? Save. Lastly recruit a tough demon? Save. Need to see in case you can soar to a hard-to-reach space? Save. The sport now not wastes your time; it retains you shifting ahead.
Sort of. Vengeance additionally introduces Demon Haunts to the Leyline Founts, that are locations the place you possibly can 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 assume the children simply can’t reside with out their social sims lately.
Oh, and the demons offer you further objects and degree up sooner in case you speak to them (glad my actual life mates don’t work that method). These visits gradual issues again down, however not sufficient to harm the general expertise.
All of this implies you’re much less more likely to keep away from fights whereas exploring, thereby attractive you to truly play the sport whereas taking part in the sport. And in case you’re a type of gamers who liked grinding by way of the problem of the unique model, no worries; there are many difficulties to maintain everybody blissful.
Even with all of those adjustments, 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 holding issues attention-grabbing alongside the way in which, however V nonetheless has the least attention-grabbing storyline of the half dozen Shin Megami Tensei video games I’ve performed. That’s high-quality, 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 could flip some away (particularly contemplating the general size), however repetition is less complicated to cope with so long as I really feel like I’m regularly making progress. The standard-of-life enhancements made right here enable for that, and that permits gamers to lastly absorb all that Shin Megami Tensei V provides with out the necessity for anger administration lessons.