Shin Megami Tensei V Vengence Review
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Initial release date: June 14, 2024
Genres: Role-playing video game, Adventure game, Adventure
Developers: Atlus, Atlus West
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S
Publishers: Atlus USA, Sega, SEGA of America
Series: Megami Tensei
“Review Copy Provided By Atlus”
When Atlus launched Shin Megami Tensei V in 2021, its portrayal of a dystopian world controlled by deities felt incomplete due to the lack of strong character involvement, which could have added more depth to its profound metaphysical narrative. The latest installment, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, serves as both a definitive edition and an expansion, similar to SMT IV Apocalypse, and stands out as one of the best RPGs I've experienced in a long time. I admire how SMT V subverts typical moral dichotomies. Vengeance delves deeper, focusing less on choosing sides between Lucifer, Yahweh, or personal ambition, and more on a broader discourse on faith and spirituality. This installment enriches the plot with nuanced debates on knowledge and freedom, reminiscent of apocryphal texts from major religions. Yet, the original game’s profound themes are mostly theoretical, failing to practically demonstrate these concepts. The characters, though slightly more complex than those in SMT IV, still lack substantial development and mainly serve to progress the storyline. The Canon of Creation route remains largely unchanged, so expectations for narrative enhancement should be tempered.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance offers an opportunity to address some lingering issues from the 2021 release. It introduces a new narrative path and numerous global enhancements that enrich the overall experience, regardless of the chosen route. At the game's outset, players decide between the original Canon of Creation and the new Canon of Vengeance, with clear prompts ensuring informed choices.
The Canon of Creation remains largely the same, with the Canon of Vengeance presenting a fresh narrative alternative. I'll discuss new game enhancements applicable to both routes.
The game introduces several improvements noticeable early on. Players can now save anywhere, not just at leylines, and encounter new demons, quests, and mechanics. Among the notable global updates is the Magatsuhi Rails, which provide shortcuts within the Da'at zones, easing navigation and reducing backtracking.
Another new feature, the Demon Haunt, allows interaction with demons at any leyline, enhancing their stats through gifts and conversation. However, frequent notifications from demons can become distracting and tedious, somewhat marring the overall experience. The system, while potentially beneficial for stat enhancement, feels more cumbersome than engaging.
New quests abound in both routes, offering diverse challenges from boss fights to collection tasks. Some quests let players control a demon temporarily, but these linear missions offer little player engagement.
Additional minor features include a sky view for better navigation, a virtual trainer for boss-rush challenges, and modified demon negotiations. New combination attacks with specific demon groups are introduced, though they were seldom used in my 100+ hours of gameplay.
Most mechanical enhancements are welcome, particularly the numerous boss encounters and new high-level challenges that test player strategy and team configuration.
Nonetheless, some potential improvements remain unaddressed in this version. The Temple of Eternity and the final area, along with the overly accessible element block items that can unbalance boss fights, are areas where further refinement would have been beneficial.
Turning to the Canon of Vengeance route, it offers an alternative rather than a complete overhaul of the original game. This route features slight modifications to three of the four zones and introduces one new zone and dungeon, maintaining a similar gameplay flow. Here, the narrative focuses more on character development; every key figure gets more depth, particularly Yakumo, who gains significant narrative integration. The Bethel Egypt questline with Khonsu and Miyazu is more tightly woven into the main story, offering a different progression than in the original route.
Yoko, a new character in Canon of Vengeance, becomes a pivotal figure, influencing the narrative alongside Tao. Their dynamic adds a layer of moral contemplation reminiscent of Shin Megami Tensei IV, contrasting with the more isolated character interactions in Canon of Creation.
While the new zone and dungeon offer fresh content, they function similarly to existing game elements, ensuring familiarity in gameplay. However, the narrative handling of world-changing events and Yoko's philosophical motivations could have been more compelling.
Performance improvements on PC significantly enhance the gaming experience, eliminating most issues present in the original Nintendo Switch version. Despite these enhancements, menu responsiveness could still be improved.
In wrapping everything up, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance introduces a series of modifications and additions that refine an already enjoyable RPG. While it doesn't radically change the foundational elements of Shin Megami Tensei V, those who were dissatisfied with the original may still find the new enhancements and narrative options appealing, giving the game the update it warranted.
