Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance asks a very simple, but poignant question: what if the world had ended, and we didn’t even realise? From the Mayans to Nostradamus, many soothsayers have predicted the end times over the years, and while we laughed, we moved on…. what if they were right? What if God had plucked us from existence and let us live on in a parallel world while war rages in the real world? A war started the Christian God who took the throne at the top of the pantheon by turning His brethren into demons by taking their Knowledge.

The snake that tempted Adam and Eve? A demon trying to regain godhood by regaining its Knowledge. The end of the world? Legions of demons dethroning the God of Law who usurped the throne millennia ago.

For such an interesting narrative, Shin Megami Tensei 5 — and its new, definitive edition, Vengeance — has a paper thin plot that you really have to work to unlock. It’s always going to be difficult not to compare the SMT franchise to its spin off series, Persona, in part because of the shared pantheon and battle systems, but when the Persona franchise drips panache and charm at every turn, newcomers to SMT are going to come with extremely high hopes and standards.

While SMT5V is very good, long-time Persona fans should temper their expectations.

Initially a Switch exclusive when it launched in 2021, this fifth instalment in the franchise was well received for its interesting battle systems, excellent music, overall wit and charm. Even its graphics were heralded, as long as you didn’t look too far into the distance.

The core gameplay for the multi-platform Vengeance is much the same — you’re very swiftly swept into Da’at (a post-apocalyptic Tokyo), and forced to fight to survive. The gameplay, even on Casual mode, can be punishing, meaning that you need to start expanding your party by charming demons with your silver tongue, and grinding all of the XP you can out of lower-level demons. It takes a solid ten hours to fight your way back to