It has been nearly three years since Atlus launched Shin Megami Tensei V for the Nintendo Switch. The 2021 launch brought a swarm of new demons to the franchise, a storyline steeped in rich lore expected from an SMT title, and even a Best RPG of the Year award at The Game Awards 2021. With the recent announcement of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, the title will be re-released on other console platforms while also providing a massive new storyline with new demons to recruit.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance introduces a new character, Yoko Hiromine, a transfer student who is inserted into the story of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance to give the story a completely different path. A path of revenge. This is how the DLC path is implemented: the player has the choice to play the original form of SMT V or to choose the new path at the beginning, then the middle of the storyline changes significantly, and a playthrough can’t do both storylines at the same time.
In Vengeance, a new area of Da’at that wasn’t seen in SMT V was open before me as I dropped into a new region of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance in one of the areas new to the Vengeance path. The atmosphere is pretty much as thick as expected from Shin Megami Tensei V. With fantastical backgrounds populating the landscape, a slamming new soundtrack and demons galore. Or so I thought until angels interrupted my landing.
“Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance retains its brutal difficulty from 2021, and it’s a serious challenge.”
It’s apparent that the battle system has been overhauled, implementing classmates (Yoko included) as party members with their own abilities and strengths, just like demons(I was able to have Yoko and Tao Isonokami as party members for the preview). Yoko functions as the primary damage caster/buffer, while Isonokami functions best as support and healing. The angel enemies (which are numerous) swing at your party with holy damage, so slamming the adversaries with a well-placed Mudoon spell hit home strongly.
Hitting enemies with critical damage like this nets the player an extra turn, which can create some seriously devastating cascading damage effects, especially if you can exploit the specific weaknesses. Aside from the usual fare that want to end your life, there are quite an interesting bunch of side quests introduced in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, and they all come with more interesting demons that give them. A boatman demon called Sukuna-Hikona was a refreshing host. As the self-proclaimed ‘guardian of the land,’ he elects to join the player’s active party and gather hidden items buried in the landscape for the player. Demons, am I right?
Another floating-ball demon gave us an SMT V pop quiz, netting sweet rewards for correct answers. A talkative demon asked our team to take down a giant fearsome green monster that uses a quicksand effect on the overworld to entrap its prey. This fight was a sweaty affair, and I found out that demons can also use the weakness exploit combat feature. My team was wiped pretty quickly by this Gumby-looking menace, and after a few tries, I threw in the towel and continued with my quest. One thing is for sure: Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance retains its brutal difficulty from 2021, and it’s a serious challenge.
During one specific battle, I attempted to recruit a Succubus demon, and after negotiations fell through, a whole new wave of enemies joined the fight. These are a great occurrence for levelling, as finishing these fights yields much higher rewards than just regular battles. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance also brings a new menu system that’s easier on the eyes and an improvement. It just feels better to navigate and has more character than the original. Vengeance could potentially be the premier SMT V experience.
My brief time with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance left me itching to jump back into the story. Admittedly, I am not the most seasoned SMT player, so I was bested at a particularly nasty encounter with a floating four-faced adversary, but attempting new strategies in the new Vengeance re-release felt intuitive and smooth. With a darker-toned storyline focusing on revenge, a threatening new four-pack of powerful demons called the Qadištu, and the ability to play SMT V on any console makes the new Vengeance update worth a look.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance launches on June 14.
