A monster-hunters paradise, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance combines a highly addictive turn-based JRPG gameplay with its unique approach.
Shin Megami Tensei V is considered to be among the most highly regarded JRPGs of the year 2021. Atlus has stated that Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance will be the final installment in the series’ successful saga, which began in 2021. Playing it through again gives me the impression that it much improves upon the original.
With a redesigned campaign path, enhanced area exploration, additional demons to capture, and a revamped battle system, this updated Vengeance version is perfect for new players. Although, with all the new features, it’s still a great replay for lovers of the original.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance may seem mysterious and unfamiliar to those unfamiliar with the series, but they will find this new installment to be a great way to begin the series and get a feel for what all the fuss is about, especially with Shin Megami Tensei 5. It’s a JRPG, more precisely, a dark fantasy, nearly a dungeon-crawling experience that involves collecting demons.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance takes place in Tokyo when the demons have taken over a post-apocalyptic world called the Netherworld. You will take control of the human protagonist, who is attached to a Proto-fiend that bestows upon you some extraordinary abilities.
Demons you encounter can be captured, fused to grant each other additional skills, or even completely combined to form new and stronger forms; your team of demons is also very customizable.
Along the way, you’ll engage in strategic turn-based combat against a wide variety of demons, adding depth to the dark and intriguing story. A lot of the tale revolves around the decisions you make, which affect what happens next and, in the end, determine the world’s destiny.
As a monster-collecting game Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance stands out from the pack by providing deep and captivating encounters, with interesting combat mechanisms and highly pleasing exploration, supported by an intriguing narrative.
SMT V: Vengeance adds new content and fixes numerous issues from the original game. At the start of the game, you have the option to choose a new plotline called Canon of Vengeance, which is set parallel to the old Canon of Creation storyline. This is perhaps the most noticeable feature.
The original plot revolves around the age-old feud between good guys and bad guys, which sets the stage for the end of the world. The new canon of vengeance, on the other hand, centers on a story of the fallen who exact revenge and features mysterious new characters and a legion of demons with evil plans of their own.
Without a doubt, the diversity of monsters is of greatest significance, and veterans will be pleased to find that the demon roster has been enlarged to include 274 new mythical creatures. The gameplay has also undergone several changes, with some aspects getting modifications and others getting brand-new exploration tools, such as the Magatsu Rails.
Magatsu Rails allows you to traverse across shortcuts smartly, allowing you to access new regions. Naturally, there are enhanced graphics, which I usually enjoy for the added realism, but there are also brand-new locales to explore, such as Shinjuku.
The exploration mechanism of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance has vastly improved. There are many regions to explore, each with its own branching paths leading to different treasures, side quests, and other valuable things.
You have complete freedom to move throughout the globe, and you can also access the sky view at any time. You can zoom in or out of this 3D version of the satellite view of the area. Seeing things from other perspectives is merely a mechanic that I find quite entertaining.
Since Magatsu Rails allows you to skate to new locations, enhancing your traversal experience; to utilize this mechanism, just keep an eye out for the corresponding icons on the map. However, you should be on the lookout for enemies that are challenging to encounter while you are traveling.
Some enemies are enormous and powerful demons who are typically intended to be summoned at a later point in the game. You can, however, confront these creatures beyond your current level as long as you can manage the situation. However, you should never have any problems because you can save your game whenever you want while exploring.
Atlus has also adjusted the game’s level balancing to make it consistent with previous installments. In case you missed it, SMT V used to use an approach where damage was calculated by matching your level to the enemies. The only way to deal significant damage to certain enemies was to level up, which meant that grinding was the only option.
The ability to grind one’s way past monsters and enemies effectively detracted from the game’s strategic depth and added a fake layer of difficulty for those who choose not to grind, while simultaneously removing it. It’s great because I didn’t need to grind anything thus far.
Now, there are typically four sorts of items you should be on the lookout for when you’re traveling. Gustavo wants you to bring back his minions, the Miman, and for everyone you catch, you’ll receive honor and extra stuff when you speak to Gustavo. Bear in mind that these small red guys will be a much-needed source of glory for character upgrades. Then there are the enormous golden treasure chests, which hold all sorts of items.
On the mini-map, they resemble golden gems, and your immediate instinct should be to destroy them. And if you’re lucky enough to stumble into these little white glowing treasure chests, they’re worth a pretty penny. Therefore, keep an eye out for these; they will be useful. The mini-map also shows escort demons.
And if you approach and talk to them, they’ll reveal something exciting about themselves. Also, these side tasks don’t often deviate too much from the main plot, and they’re always worth the effort required to finish. If you spot an escort demon icon, simply take on the side mission.
In terms of combat, even though Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a turn-based game, there are some surprises and extra strategic levels to it. In a typical match, your side will take a turn, and then the other side will do the same. But there’s more to it than that; you have press-turn icons, so things become interesting. Depending on this, your turn’s action count will be different.
Having a large number of demons in your party at the beginning will be beneficial because you only receive one action per member throughout your turn. You can take four actions every turn and your party size is limited to four, allowing you to fight four demons simultaneously. The best part is that you can increase your action count in a single round by pressing an extra icon every time you do a critical hit or damage an enemy by exploiting its weakness.
As you combat different kinds of demons, you’ll have to take advantage of their weaknesses and strengths with strikes. With enough encounters, you’ll be able to tell which kind of damage to target or avoid based on the exclamation point representing their weakness and the shield representing their resilience. The technique comes into play when you use their elemental resistance to your advantage since it increases your damage output and grants you additional action.
And then there’s the part that I love the most about it all. Demons can be recruited by talking to them, which allows you to engage them in discussion and perhaps convince them to join your party. Once they do, they can level up and fight alongside you.
Since every demon has its distinct personality, you’ll have to pick your words carefully to keep them engaged; otherwise, they can get irritated and turn on you, resuming the fight. In contrast to other creature-collecting games, this one has a rather unique and entertaining system wherein they may beg for money, stuff, health, or MP until they’re pleased.
As you journey through the demon haunt, you’ll meet up with your companions and have conversations with your Nahobino, a powerful Proto-fiend who has been tied to you. Game mechanics such as The Demon Haunt and The World of Shadows can be used to weave together the process of collecting demons, progressing through the game, and increasing the might of your group.
There are Leyline fountains all around the world. These serve as checkpoints where you can save, restore, buy, and even travel quickly between various goods. At any Leyline, though, you’ll find additional methods to use your demons as you level up.
By completing objectives, defeating monsters, and exploring this area, you can access special talks with your demons, which will grant you items and even level them up. Following that, there’s The World of Shadows.
Here you can build new, stronger demons by fusing them, expanding your party’s abilities. Since demons are frequently fusible, acquiring them becomes a meaningful endeavor. I had a blast assembling my very own army of feline devils, which gain abilities and advantages when joined by other friendly felines.
Additionally, you can learn miracles by utilizing the glory that you have acquired from the collection of the items that were described earlier. These are like permanent character improvements; they increase your level, your ability to perform skills, the maximum number of demons you can capture at once, and so on. Knowing about essences is also beneficial since demon essences can be utilized to learn the talents of demons and change your party’s affinities.
These can be obtained in a variety of ways, including treasure boxes, by interacting with demons, by purchasing them, and by leveling up your demons. In essence, this enables you to absorb the traits and skills of any demon and then impart them to any member of your party.
Because of this, the potential for personalization is enormous. If your magic caster is strong but lacks elemental damaging abilities, you can simply find essences with those traits and fuse them onto your caster to give it more versatility.
The art direction of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is truly eye-catching, and the game’s stunning visuals prove that the Nintendo Switch was severely lacking in this regard. From a pure gameplay perspective, it feels substantially more refined and comprehensive than the original.
This doesn’t even begin to address the performance boost you’ll get while playing on hardware that supports several platforms. Even though the first SMTV was almost perfect with a few minor shortcomings limiting its appeal, the updates to Vengeance have made the game so much even better.
Anyone who enjoys JRPG games but has never played a Megami Tensei game should pick up Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. If you find the base story of the original SMT V lacking, the reworked Vengeance campaign will make it up for you, plus the combat system is top-notch. The Press Turn System makes turn-based fighting extremely addictive.
With the various new party members, you can get through Demon Fusion, you’ll be able to repeatedly smash those demons together. Even if you’ve played the original, you should give this a second go because of all the new features and enhancements that boost the game’s quality. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is also an excellent starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the series or even this particular game.
