Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Review

Despite being a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series, and by extension all of the Persona games, Shin Megami Tensei 5 was a game that has sat in my backlog pile of shame ever since it originally launched back in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. Thankfully that’s no longer the case thanks to the recent release of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. And whether you’re in the same boat as I was and are yet to experience the game, or you have played the original Nintendo Switch release, there’s plenty on offer here in this new version that should convince you to take the plunge, or pop back in to experience it again.

If you’re familiar with ATLUS games, Shin Megami Tensei V getting a new edition re-release a few years after the original game launch should come as no surprise. It’s become the norm for their titles to receive a ‘definitive edition’ re-release some time later that typically include new characters integrated into the story, new storylines and content to explore that wasn’t in the original game. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is exactly that, and to be honest, I’m all for it, and the ATLUS model in general. This is much more than the typical ‘game of the year edition’ many other publishers push out once the game sales of the original title decline that just bundle the game with existing DLC items. ATLUS put in a lot of extra development effort to make these editions an experience on top of the existing game and offer fresh, new content that make it worth jumping in all over again.

In the case of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, this includes a ton of quality of life improvements, new characters to get to know, new demons to collect and a new storyline that enhances what was already there, while maintaining everything that already made Shin Megami Tensei V great for players that have already experienced the original title.

And you won’t have to wait long to experience the biggest new addition to SMT5 as it’s not just a case where the new storyline is late game content or an epilogue chapter. Pretty much right off the bat you’ll be able to select whether you’d like to play through the original route or the new ‘Vengeance’ route in SMT5. With the Vengeance route being where you’ll experience the new events, battles and plot threads introduced with this new edition. Having not played the original, I did begin my first playthrough with the original route and then jumped back in a second time to experience the new additions and appreciate the changes that Vengeance has brought to the table.

You play as a silent protagonist high schooler, and the game is quick to start seeding that there are strange things happening within the game’s version of Tokyo. People are going missing, and it’s being recommended that people refrain from going out alone. Then suddenly you find yourself whisked into an alternate Tokyo, although this land appears to be the remnants of an apocalyptic downfall. The world is barren and filled with sand, people are almost non existent and there are demonic creatures causing chaos. Your character is soon meets and fuses with a being known as Aogami to become a Nahobino. You’re then recruited into an organisation known as Bethel to help uncover the mysteries at play and save modern day Tokyo from an invasion from the demon side.

When it comes to Vengeance’s biggest plot changes, the new path introduces Yoko and the Qadistu group into what was already a lengthy yet very engaging story. Yoko is a new playable party member and has pretty substantial involvement in the new side of the game, which surprised me as I thought she may have just been a tacked on new character that they’ve shoehorned into an existing story, but I was glad to see that wasn’t quite the case. She’s a big focus in the Vengeance side of the story and she also ties into the introduction of the Qadistu, a new demon group that make up the prime antagonists of the Vengeance route

From a combat standpoint, if you have previously played a mainline SMT or Persona game you’ll have a fairly good grasp over how the battles are structured. The game utilises a turn based system and much like in Persona where you’re able to summon and rely on the skills of your collected Personas, SMTV allows you to do much the same thing but here the creatures you’re collecting are Demons. Each come with their own skills they bring to the table and the combat hinges on you targeting enemy weaknesses, cleverly using elemental advantages and building out your roster of recruitable demons to fight alongside and bringing them out at the right time and against the best suited enemy. Being turn based, you’ll be responsible for giving your party the commands that play out each round and plan appropriate strategies to be able to come out on top. There were sections of the game I genuinely found quite difficult, typically in late game boss battles, that really test your knowledge of the combat systems and your strategising ability. You’ll often have to think multiple moves ahead and flesh out your team to come out on top, as things can go south very fast in the game’s tougher battles if you make too many wrong choices.

This increased challenge is going to force you into engage with the game’s side activities and grind a little in areas to be able to come out on top in the battles. It becomes apparent the more you play that just sticking to the main story beats alone doesn’t really provide the experience points to be levelled high enough to take on the tougher foes toward the end-game. This did hinder the pacing side of the game and I would have appreciated a bit more of a shorter and balanced experience as I’m no newbie to ATLUS games but found at times SMT5 took away from the flow of progression by having me grind, rather than having the encounters be balanced better.

It does form a bit of a catch 22 though, as the side quests do flesh out the worldbuilding which is something that I really do love and appreciate. It’s just that they’re not all built to the same engaging standard and will be something I can see many players potentially not wanting to bother playing.

When it comes to the presentation, ATLUS have once again hit it out of the park with both the visuals and the sound. While not on the same level as where I love many of the Persona soundtracks, SMTV:Vengeace has a soundtrack that is full of bangers, with many tunes matching the scenes and themes well and managing to get stuck in your head, in a good way. The characters come with edgy, angst and badass designs and are designed in a way that they’re able to really pop on screen regardless of the locale you’re in and whether its during cutscenes or a hand’s on gameplay moment. The game overall is also visually improved and performs better than its original Switch release now that it’s made its way to more powerful platforms. And as with many ATLUS releases, SMTV: Vengeance also features a full English dub which is really solid and has the cast being made up of many recognisable voices from the gaming and anime industry. But if English dubs aren’t your thing, there are other language options available from the main menu too.

Overall, it’s clear that a lot of effort has gone into the creation of this enhanced version of Shin Megami Tensei V. With a whole new side of the story to play, new endings to uncover and a ton of new demons to collect, it cements itself as the definitive way to now experience SMTV whether it’s your first time going in, or if you have the itch to re-experience it. It does still come with some pacing issues for sure, but it’s hard to argue the value that now comes in one complete package for anyone weighing up if this version is worth it.

A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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