Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Review

When Vengeance Goes Hand in Hand with Improvements

Although the release of Shin Megami Tensei V in 2021 was largely a success, something felt off. Despite some great elements, the title seemed lacking in some respects. Given Atlus’s history and the unfulfilled potential, an enhanced version seemed to be inevitable and three years later we have the release of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. With a centralized theme of vengeance, it greatly improves upon the original release.

As an enhanced version, the premise of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is the same as the original release. The story begins in modern day Tokyo and follows a high-school student with a created name, whose personality is determined by players’ choices. Through a series of unexpected events, this student finds himself stranded in a mysterious world called Da’at, which is home to hostile demons. As he is about to meet his end, the young man is rescued by a mysterious individual named Aogami with whom he fuses to form a new being known as Nahobino. These events are consistent through the two storylines featured in the game: the Canon of Creation that follows the (slightly) unaltered plot of the original release and the new Canon of Vengeance added to the enhanced version.

Selecting the desired Canon doesn’t require complex requirements or tedious effort; the game presents the choice of the storyline at the very beginning of a new playthrough. The storylines can be played in any order, though each has exclusive content such as locations, boss fights, and demons, with the Canon of Vengeance granting access to most of what the game has to offer. This makes for a good incentive to play both Canons, which combined together offer a total of six endings: two endings for the Canon of Vengeance adding to the four of the original game. The two Canons, while substantially different in their narrative, see the protagonist and other factions fighting for godhood. This sets players for an adventure of epic proportions, which gives them a sense of accomplishment as they defeat well-known mythological figures, especially on higher difficulty settings that better translate the struggle of the task at hand.

Thanks to clever additions like Yoko, there’s a better cast dynamic to be found.

While both Canons have a storyline based on a race for godhood, the original release failed to flesh out most of the participating characters in a meaningful way. Although their beliefs and motivations were made clear, the dynamic of their relationships with each other rarely passed the status of mere enemies or allies and their screentime was rather short, which left little room to be more acquainted with them. As a result, seeing them meet their end or being witness of their betrayal hardly managed to stir any emotion. Fortunately, the direction of the new storyline makes more emotional impact.

The Canon of Vengeance introduces new characters and new locations to the original game’s narrative, altering many events in the process, especially during the second half of the game. The inclusion of Yoko at the very beginning of the story, and her interactions with the main cast, is one of the triggers for many positive changes. Her inclusion alongside the antagonistic Qadištu — a group of powerful demonesses — and the mysterious archangel Mastema doesn’t feel forced or out of place, offering a fresh experience for those who played the 2021 release and a cohesive narrative for the newcomers. Although most of the locations visited in the Canon of Vengeance are similar to the ones present in the Canon of Creation, the great threat posed by the Qadištu is what drives the narrative as opposed to running errands for a faction or another. This gives a sense of tension and, at the same time, raises many questions considering the ultimate goal of the main antagonists is astutely kept under wrap for a good part of the game.

The characters already introduced in the Canon of Creation see their motivations presented in a new light that reveal more about their real personality. Some of these characters can now fight alongside the protagonist at predetermined parts of the game, in contrast to the original release where only demons with little to no characterization could only be part of the player’s party. This gives to these human partners more time in the spotlight and provides a new dynamic to their relationships. Fortunately, this doesn’t come at the price of the player’s freedom of choosing their own party composition. This new portrayal of the human characters pleasantly allows players to learn more about them, see them grow, and potentially get attached to them.

Fighting together contributes to creating a feeling of camaraderie.

Vengeance inherits the press turn battle system from Shin Megami Tensei V. In this system, the number of actions players can perform per turn is represented by icons that deplete as the commands are chosen. Striking enemies’ weaknesses and scoring critical hits grants more actions, while missing the target or seeing one’s attack nullified loses actions. This prompts the player to be wary of their party’s and enemies’ affinities, and play accordingly. However, there are other factors to consider, like the order in which each party member acts to balance exploiting weaknesses and using support skills. In addition, an Omagatoki gauge fills up as turns pass and specific actions are performed. A full Omagatoki gauge allows player to activate a powerful skill without consuming any press turn icon.

Vengeance improves the formula of the battle system by introducing a new type of skill that, in addition to a full Omagatoki gauge, requires specific demons in the player’s party to be performed. This encourages players to use demons they would otherwise neglect (due to poor stats or low level) and come up with new strategies, which gives even more freedom in how to approach challenging encounters and an incentive to keep some demons one may be fond of. In addition, each demon has now an innate ability, which is a passive skill primarily affecting one or more parameters in battle, adding a new layer of strategy. Toying with these new tools to overcome the arduous encounters in the quest to achieve godhood is a delight.

Vengeance removes a mechanic that caused much consternation in the original version: damage scaling based on the difference between the target and the attacker’s level. Even if they cultured a party with stats matching those of their foes, players saw their damage reduced due to enemies having a higher level. In the enhanced release, this inconvenience is no more, allowing players to take on foes of higher level assuming the gap between the stats aren’t too considerable and the right strategy is used. As a result, the player is rewarded for good party composition rather than having to rely on grinding.

In Vengeance, two demons or more can join together to perform powerful skills.

Despite demi-god status, the Nahobino can hardly prevail alone against the horde of demons he has to face. For this reason, he needs to convince some of the hostile demons to become his allies. This is primarily done through negotiation, during which the desired demon asks questions and makes demands, with the players choosing how to respond in a way that satisfies their interlocutor. This sometimes leads to hilarious interactions, such as a demon asking the protagonist to dig only to reveal him he just dug his own grave, or a bloodthirsty interlocutor electing to not attack after they are reminded cleaning the potential stain of blood isn’t an easy task. Vengeance‘s addition to this already fun and well-crafted negotiation system are quizzes, where the player must identify a demon while relying on a minor visual element provided. Successfully answering these quizzes wins over the demon without any need to offer anything. This is a welcome addition considering that in other cases choosing the same dialog option while negotiating with the same demon don’t always yield the same result. While frustrating in certain instances, this randomness also contributes to making each negotiation a new venture, where demons feel like beings gifted with a mood prone to change instead of always acting in the same fashion in response to players’ predetermined actions.

The sizeable demonic bestiary of Shin Megami Tensei V grows bigger in Vengeance, adding over 40 new demons from different mythologies to the 230 present in the original release. With this addition comes new skills, new side quests, and the implementation of the demon haunt. Accessible from the various leyline founts located in Da’at, the demon haunt is a place where Nahobino can interact with his teammates, the humans included. Speaking with the demons there allows players to learn more about their party members, receive items from them, or even see them growing stronger.

The mainline Shin Megami Tensei titles are known for being challenging. This holds true for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, whose boss fights require planning ahead for their encounters, usually after a failed attempt or two gives players the insights they need to emerge victorious. However, the title is also more accessible than its predecessors thanks to its various difficulty settings, whose lower levels, especially the “Safety” difficulty, drastically reduce the game’s challenge. This allows the game to be enjoyed by players with various proficiencies in turn-based RPGs, satisfying those who crave challenge and those who merely want to experience the story. A helpful addition to Vengeance is the ability to save anywhere compared to the original title, which only allowed it at save points. Despite this lenience, Atlus didn’t forget those looking to put their skills to the test, with Vengeance featuring two secret bosses — one for each of the Canons — and a Godborn mode where even the regular enemies are at level 150, the maximum level players can achieve. It is appreciable to realise all these challenges can be overcome by coming up with a well thought up strategy rather than mindless grinding.

Aogami and the protagonist just spending some quality time in the demon haunt.

A lot of locations return from the original release giving exploration a similar feel. However, a few conveniences have been added to make the experience less tedious. Players can now make use of a bird’s-eye view, a convenient tool for spotting hidden elements, such as the Miman — little beings that act as collectibles — or Mitama who yield precious bonus once defeated. Traveling long distances is also easier thanks to the Magatsu Rails, which are lines of energy the protagonist can ride on to reach farther points instantly. Map layouts have been altered a bit with items and resources shifted around, giving a sense of discovery even to those who played the original release. Vengeance features two new areas: Shinjuku and Shakan. Shinjuku is the biggest region of the game and has a design that makes it distinctive from the other regions. Meanwhile, Shakan is a dungeon featuring a gimmick that involve progressing through two different planes. While Shinjuku offers hours of exploration, Shakan keeps the player on their toes with a singular layout that requires a bit of logic to find the exit and gather all the treasure available.

The impressive visuals in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance just expand on what was already in the virtually gorgeous 2021 release. In the human characters’ case, the facial expressions accurately convey their feelings, which serve to make them even more expressive in the new narrative packed with emotional moments. While demons don’t always feature the same level of expressiveness as their human counterparts, they are nicely designed and can be freely observed in the compendium or the demon haunt from various angles. On another hand, the NPCs irrelevant to the story are generic and don’t have any face for the most part. Meanwhile, the animations of unique skills during battles are impressive, skillfully displaying their destructive power or dramatic nature.

Vengeance benefits from the already pleasant music of the original version, to which it adds more than 80 new tracks. This huge repertoire easily allows the game to offer a fitting tune for each situation. Going after a supersonic demon through Tokyo with a combination of rock music and motor noises puts one in the right mood for an exciting chase. The tunes played when confronting most of the bosses or major enemies are memorable and translate the urgency of the situations thanks to quick rhythms from various influences. The English voice acting is great, accurately conveying the emotions seen on the screen. The incredible performance of Daman Mills as Aogami, with whom the protagonist interacts the most, is particularly hard to forget. The charisma of characters such as Koshimizu and Yagumo is made even more apparent through their voice actors, while the other voice artists also succeed in giving live to their respective personae.

There are many new skills to use in Vengeance, with some of them featuring impressive animations.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is an overall improvement over the already solid original release. Those who played the 2021 release will find every feature improved, and with the delightful additions, it is the best way to experience Shin Megami Tensei V. The numerous quality-of-life improvements implemented also serve to make this title a fine entry point to those jumping into the franchise, while still providing enough challenge for those who seek it. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is the polished result of an already great RPG endowed with an epic tale and well-rounded gameplay.

Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.

Scores
BATTLE SYSTEM
    
INTERACTION
    
ORIGINALITY
    
STORY
    
MUSIC & SOUND
    
VISUALS
    
'Excellent' -- 4.5/5
ps4
OVER 80 HOURS
ADJUSTABLE

A great press turn battle system with more tools to play with

Hours of content and great replayability

Human characters are more lovable and relatable

Endearing interactions with the demons

A few flavor texts at the wrong place

More care about the NPCs' faces would be appreciated

SniperOX

Mohamed Lamine Coulibaly

Fascinated by the screens since I saw them, video games are a sorcery I quickly became obsessed with. This passion culminated with the discovery of the RPGs. At that time, they were likely the sole titles where story and world building mattered as much as gameplay. Now, I am writing about them, especially my favorite ones: the JRPGs!

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