When I reviewed Shin Megami Tensei V when it initially launched on the Nintendo Switch, I praised the game for modernizing the series and bringing it closer to games like Persona with its strong character-driven story elements. This sentiment still rings true, but Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance elevates things to new heights, easily making it the definitive version of the game.
SMT V squeezed everything out of Nintendo’s ageing hybrid of a system, delivering an experience that played well enough but was ultimately marred by an inconsistent frame rate that, for a turn-based RPG, might not sound like a big deal, but due to the addition of several platforming sections, at times, got in the way of an otherwise solid gameplay loop, particularly in some of the later dungeons of the game, where failing a jump meant a frustrating restart from the beginning.
With its arrival on all major platforms, such as the PlayStation 5, playing Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a transformative experience. Running at a silky smooth framerate coupled with a pristine presentation, free of aliasing artefacts or overly low-resolution textures, Vengeance is a properly next-gen feeling entry into the Megaten series. Gone are the inconsistent frames, load times and other niggles brought on by the reliance on older hardware, making traversal outside of battles and menus a joy to play, even during the dreaded platforming sections.
Outside of technical improvements, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, like other popular Atlus re-releases, brings with it a ton of QOL improvements, new demons, content that was previously DLC, and a brand-new story route that adds a new ending, characters and gameplay mechanics that feel distinct from its initial release.
“Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance now features a healthy amount of temporary guest characters that join the player on their journey.”
Like Persona 5 Royale, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s new Chaos route isn’t a wholly new experience—instead, it reworks story beats from beginning to end, incorporating newcomers such as the enigmatic Yoko Hiromine, a transfer student who the player encounters shortly after entering Da’at into the story, in addition to the Fallen Ones, a group of Femme fatale demons known collectively as the Qadištu, acting as the central new antagonizing force that spices things up in the otherwise familiar storyline.
New story elements include (without delving into spoiler territory) obvious things such as new bosses, locations and even a new form for the Nahobino (this was heavily advertised), to more exciting elements like new character allegiances, which change the story in interesting ways by adding wrinkles to the established narrative and subverting the expectation of returning players.
Speaking of characters, unlike the base game, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance now features a healthy amount of temporary guest characters that join the player on their journey. This welcome change helps Vengeance feel much closer to SMT IV, instead of Nocturne, in that it features actual people in your party, making the experience feel closer to something you’d expect from most other JRPGS.
Fans of Nocturne, however, will be happy, as all of the downloadable missions from the base game are now included baked-in into Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, including the SMT III-themed fights that let the player eventually fight and recruit the Demi-fiend. However, most of these once-downloadable encounters are best left for the late game, as they remain some of the more challenging encounters of the experience.
Difficulty, in general, can be quite challenging, particularly if you’re not accustomed to Megaten games or have only played some of the newer Persona titles. Thankfully, the game offers several difficulty options that can make the experience much closer to the former. Still, for longtime fans and enthusiasts, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is brimming with tough gauntlets that will keep you busy for dozens of hours.
On that note, players can now access a boss-rush gauntlet from the Tokyo Diet building, which, as the story progresses, allows the player to engage in legacy battles with past enemies from the campaign, somewhat reminiscent of the Battle Tower found in Pokémon.
Smaller but equally welcome changes and additions in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance include the option to hit up on the D-pad, which shifts the camera into a birdseye perspective, 3D-mapping the current level, allowing the player to zoom in and out with ease, and get a much better lay of the land, including even being able to spot Miman collectables, Glory caches and other points of interest, such as quest markers and Leyline founts, something that comes in handy, during the later half of the game, where some of the environments tend to get more complicated to navigate due to debris and destruction, often obscuring the path forward.
Additionally, like Persona 5’s Safe Rooms, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance introduces new rest areas, or demon haunts tied to each map and accessible via a Leyline fount, granting the player access to miniature biomes that act as rest areas, where the player can talk to their demon and human companions, resulting in extra levels, skill unlocks and other rewards. The player can also now gift specific items that can now be found via the Amanozako dousing mechanic.
“…Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance not only has enough new content to keep you engaged but it is easily game of the year material for turn-based RPG enthusiasts.”
Vengeance also gives Amanozako a break, meaning the Nahobino can now recruit other demons from the overworld, who will accompany the player through the map. However, the type of treasure or items found by selecting different demons still needs to be determined.
Finally, outside of straight-up new areas, SMT V: Vengeance features unique points on the map that can be found via dowsing. These points open up grind rails to new places that were not previously in the base game. This doesn’t substantially change the existing environments but nevertheless adds quite a few new areas to explore and engage with, making even familiar locations feel fresh again.
New Essences, Blessings and Miracles grant the player more flexibility in building out their stats, ultimately making even the harder difficulties manageable to those who take the time to learn and exploit the tried and tested battle system put in place.
The big question that remains is whether Vengeance is worth double-dipping on. Well, that depends—if you’re a hardcore Megaten fan or even a fan of traditional JPRGs, then like Persona 5 Royale before it, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance not only has enough new content to keep you engaged but it is easily game of the year material for turn-based RPG enthusiasts. Coupled with its arrival onto more powerful hardware, Vengeance is the definitive way to experience the tale of the Nahobino.
