Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance continues Atlus’ ongoing trend of re-releasing content to add extra content after the launch of the game. Just like Persona 5 Royal did to Persona 5, SMT V: Vengeance adds additional content, fixing problems with the base game and brings the title to a host of new platforms.
Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series is the main series from which the Persona games spin-off from, which tends to get lost in the sheer popularity that the sub-series has these days. Shin Megami Tensei V released back in 2021 exclusively for Nintendo Switch, almost a decade after Shin Megami Tensei IV, and while it was well reviewed, fans did have complaints that Atlus is looking to address in the new version of the game, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.
Alongside coming to all platforms, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance adds a new storyline that can be selected at the very start of the game that presents a full range of new story possibilities. Hell, there’s an entire new faction of demons named the Qadistu, who are seemingly turning people to dust judging by the portion of the demo I was able to play.
It’s up to you as the protagonist (and several of your allies, none of which I really got a feel for personality-wise during the demo, sadly) to defeat these rogue demons and angels by using your own demons, which, to those new to the franchise, are the original Personas.
There are now over 250 demons available in the game, with more than forty of them being exclusive to this version of the game, meaning that fans of the franchise have a lot of choices in their team structure. Just like in the later Persona titles, you can talk to demons to persuade them to join your party and lend you their strength.
One of the biggest quality-of-life features that has been added to Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is the ability to save anywhere, and it cannot be stressed how nice this change is. Instead of having to find specific safe rooms (such as in the Persona spin-off series of games) or having to travel to a specific area of the world (as was the case in the initial release of Shin Megami Tensei V), you can save in the middle of the field, meaning you can do what I did: try and take on an enemy that is way above your pay grade and get wiped out almost immediately, before reloading and running past that enemy having learned your lesson.
This is so important because the game is LONG. Dying without having visited the save room in the base game would mean losing hours upon hours of gameplay, and could make players less inclined to fight their way back to where they were. With this new feature, however, you should be able to save before any tough fights you’re not sure you can take on, and not have to worry about losing progress.
While I didn’t have much time to actually explore it due to the depth of the game, and the fact that the Shin Megami Tensei series is a LOT harder than the just-released Persona 3 Reload, the new route for the game adds around 75 hours of gameplay (that's double the length of the original game!), per Atlus themselves. This isn’t immediately visible, however, and will really display how much the story has changed from around the middle of the game, with the story itself branching off.
The thing that struck me the most starting up the demo, however, wasn’t this. It was the way the music was structured, and the fact that the game might have one of my favorite battle themes ever. The battle music only starts the second you throw a punch. While you’re figuring out your first move, it’s quiet, subdued. Once you attack, however, it’s one of the most bombastic and energetic pieces you’ll hear all year.
Above all else, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is the perfect entry point for a player who hasn’t yet played the original game. There are so many little quality-of-life changes, and the ability to save a game anywhere rids the game of a lot of potential annoyances (I received a game over on multiple occasions, and it was extremely nice just to be able to jump right back in), plus the addition of new content means that even players who’ve already played the base game can jump in and experience something new.
The sheer amount of new content makes Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance a worthy purchase. The game runs a whole lot smoother now that it is on systems other than the Nintendo Switch. It’s easy to recommend, but it is worth noting one very important thing: this isn’t Persona. While it shares battle mechanics and enemies, it’s a lot harder than that spin-off series of games, and you should make sure you’re prepared for that going in.
If you’ve never played an SMT game before, this will be a completely different experience, but this darker, harder take on the JRPG structure is just as thrilling as any Persona title. Just make sure that you're always saving, that you're always changing your team and that you're always prepared. After all, better the devil you know, right?
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance releases 14 June 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.