In the same way as Persona 5 Royal, SMT V Vengeance rewrites many of the rules that governed the fifth chapter of the Atlus epic, published in 2021 exclusively on Nintendo Switch, yet it does not change its essence, its enjoyment, its peculiar and sulfuric feeling.
Now PlayStation and PC users will also be able to enjoy it, as well as Nintendo ones, and with the PS5 version we spent dozens of hours describing the scope and abundance of the changes made by the development team.
Let’s see how it went.
Revenge, terrible revenge
The character of Yoko Hiromine is at the center of the new story told in Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeanceyet the characterization of the character seems to integrate perfectly with the story and the pre-existing protagonists, without appearing forced or artificial.
The new campaign will be selectable from the beginningalthough the narrative begins to diverge from the original only later in the adventure, after the first part of it almost slavishly follows the one already appreciated in 2021.
Vengeance is an exciting role-playing game, if possible even more complete and satisfying than its direct predecessor.
If the new story is hidden behind the Canon of Vengeance, the central theme of Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeancenewbies will still be able to opt for the Canon of Creation if they want to try their hand at the original campaign.
On the other hand, those who, like us, have already spent dozens and dozens of hours with the basic title, will get to know a new, powerful group of antagonists choosing the Canon of Vengeance, or the Qadistu, led by Lilith the temptress.
The fundamental choice to embark on one or the other route takes place a few minutes from the opening credits, making the path rather simple so as not to create confusion for users: by taking the hand of a mysterious girl, the player will access the storyline unpublished, yet darker and more mature than the original one.
For tone, religious implications, reminders of the real world and the direction it seems to be taking, Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance is very close to the recent remake of the third episode of the saga, Nocturnestill considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series.
Even by choosing the original path, many of the additions and improvements that we will see in the next paragraph will still be integrated into the gaming experience, making it definitive in every sense.
The only regret in this regard, but this concerns a broader discussion regarding digital and the preservation of video games, is that with the arrival on the market of this version Vengeancethat basis of Shin Megami Tensei V it will be removed from digital stores to avoid overlaps that could confuse users.
This means that the magnificent JRPG that earned a very high rating on these pages just three years ago will no longer be usable in its original form unless you own a physical copy: a choice for which we understand the reasons but which still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Shin Megami Tensei V Royal
If Atlus had accustomed us, over the years, to revisiting some of its best titles, expanding them, improving them and offering new features, this time the Japanese team has decided to amaze usdoing things decidedly on a big scale: in terms of quantity of content, improvements to quality of lifenew characters and narrative ideas, we dare say here we are faced with a completely new titlewhich shares only the basic structure with the (already excellent) one seen on Switch for three years.
Forty new demons in the compendiumwhich bring the overall total to over two hundred and seventy, flesh out an already excellent roster, currently one of the richest in the series.
From chapter to chapter, it has become a true paradise for those who love to immerse themselves completely in the statistics and stories of folklore and myths that reside behind each of these demons, taken from cultures around the world.
Many of the new entries also bring with them Peculiar Magatsuhi abilitiessome single and others group, which enrich the combat system and expand the range of choices available to the player, as well as the new unique skills of each demon, inheritable through fusion.
Due to the amount of content and improvements, it’s like being faced with a completely new title.
Differently from the basic version of the game, deploying three demons, even from different families, but all with affinity to the element ice, for example, will significantly amplify the damage caused by the spells of the same element, or will prolong the effect of the penalties caused by it.
This simple addition increases the strategic depth of the title and recommends reevaluating priorities: is it better to select the three individually most competitive demons in the party or three that act in unison as a single body and dramatically increase the damage and status inflicted?
A large number of optional conversations were then added: talking with the demons in your party, with the other human protagonists and even with Aogami can now lead to strengthening the bond with all of them, generating benefits to the party’s statistics, which, in turn, then bring tangible advantages in battle.
In these situations, moreover, a mode is available in which to rotate the view as desired, zooming freely and taking photos of the demons that accompany us or our human traveling companions, to the delight of the most loyal fans.
There was no need to change the balance of the game, which we thought was excellent and in line with the previous episodes of the franchise three years ago, but Atlus still wanted reach out to less experienced players implementing the ability to save anywherewhere previously it was necessary to use specific points on the map, and add the so-called “magatsuhi railways”, real tracks to get on to significantly speed up movement from one part of the extensive game maps to another.
On the other hand, played on the Hard level as we did with the basic title, Vengeance gave us the pleasant impression of having slightly raised the bar of the challenge, presenting us with the game over screen more frequently, especially in the first ten hours of play.
The list of additions and changes is really too long to avoid a list: there are new purple demons that appear randomly around the maps, much stronger than common enemies, which bestow notable rewards if defeated, raising the level cap to 150, a large number of new optional queststhe possibility of engaging in a series of boss rushes with increasing difficulty, the ability to also deploy human characters in the party, numerous new lines of dialogue when conversing with demons during battles, a completely new areacalled Shinjuku Ward, a brand new dungeonShakan, the ability to review the tutorials at will, to obtain a comfortable view from above and much, much more.
The end result is a exciting role-playing game, if possible even more complete and satisfying than its direct predecessorwhich stands out forcefully among the best of its genre on both Sony and PC platforms.
The Da’at in all its royal splendor
Free from the chains that tied it to the limited hardware power of the Switch, of which the first version was an exclusive, Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance shines in the PS5 version we testedwith a raised resolution, frame rate stable at 60 fps, better depth of field and the total absence of texture pop-up phenomena, so frequent in the original title.
Effects, surface textures, polygonal models: everything has gone up at least a couple of levelsdoing justice to the amazing artistic direction of the product and the design of the game maps, apparently simple but full of little secrets to discover.
In many of them, the development team has removed artificial barriers that limited exploration, opening them further and granting greater freedom to the player: certainly the increased power of the new guest machines has allowed the Atlus graphics to take some extra license, resetting the uploads and allowing faster and more organic exploration, even more enjoyable than what we enjoyed three years ago on Switch.
As mentioned, it was precisely the limitations of Nintendo’s hybrid console, for which we also expect to see the successor revealed soon, that put a brake on the graphic appeal of Shin Megami Tensei Vjust as PlayStation 5 has been able to enhance the speed of the game, the character design, the polygon count.
From a technical point of view, the step forward compared to the basic title is remarkableat least in the version we tested — and, although it wouldn’t be enough on its own to justify a second purchase, it becomes, in conjunction with the numerous improvements to the gameplay, a further arrow in the Atlus JRPG’s bow.
During the review of the basic version of the game, among the few cons of the product we highlighted a soundtrack which, although good overall, was far from the heights that the series had reached with the third chapter; in this, differently from everything else, Vengeance improves the situation only marginally, with new arrangements of already heard pieces and only a handful of completely new tracks.
We are however quibbling on a basis of excellence, let’s be clear, and on the other hand if this is the only imperfection in an otherwise immaculate picture (and we had to work hard to find it), it means that Atlus has done things right. Again.
