Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Steelbook Launch Edition - PlayStation 5

Because I had covid this weekend, I was able to fully dive into a video game of my choice. So I played Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, which just came out about a week ago. The original SMT V was released back in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch exclusively and was praised for doing an excellent job modernizing the series (the previous title is still stuck on the 3DS) and being a shining example of turn-based combat and monster collecting in 2021, but was criticized for weak writing in a series known for good writing. SMT V: Vengeance takes the original game’s flaws and attempts to patch them up - adding a huge amount of QoL updates and reworking the original story. Vengeance also bails the game out of Nintendo Switch jail, making it available on all platforms. I’m currently about 18 hours into the game, so not close to the end. I’ll probably post a real review later on. This is more of a first impression. SMT V: Vengeance sees the silent protagonist transported to a post-apocalyptic Tokyo and forced to learn to survive and figure out the mystery behind the world. You’ll find yourself fighting demons, but also negotiating with them to join your side. Then, you can fuse the demons together to make a stronger one by inheriting certain characteristics. I love collecting and fusing the demons because they all have very interesting designs and unique personalities! When you try to recruit a demon you have to take this into account or they might get angry! I love reading the blurbs about each demon - they are all based on existing religions/mythologies and it’s just fun to learn about them. The exploration is really fun too! I love Naruto running around the abandoned collapsed buildings and big dunes of sand searching for new demons and collectables. There are little guys called “Miman” which are kind of similar to the Korok from Zelda. But I personally feel a lot more fulfilled finding Miman because the bonuses you get from finding them are much more rewarding. The combat is the real selling point of this game. It’s definitely my favorite version of turn-based combat that I have ever played, and I LOVE turn-based combat! Without going too deep into the mechanics there is just a huge amount of customization available, and the game manages to not feel grindy at all because it’s far more efficient to come up with a clever strategy to defeat a difficult boss than fighting mobs over and over for levels. That’s not to say that this game is easy, because that it is definitely not! It’s been coined the “Dark Souls” of JRPGs by many for good reason, and I love the feeling of accomplishment when a boss is felled. The storyline, while not perfect, is still highly enjoyable. The game puts much more of a focus on exploration than the previous titles, so a lot of the dialogue feels more expository, mainly to get through it faster so you can get back to the meat of the game. That being said, to draw another parallel to the recent Zelda games, I liked the writing in Vengeance much more than those because the characters are far more present and there is a much better sense of urgency. Vengeance draws a lot of inspiration from religions like Christianity and Buddhism for its story and I enjoyed this aspect. 18 hours in and I can definitely feel the improvements from the original 2021 title but I’d like to get further in before I can issue a verdict in this area. I forgot to mention earlier - the soundtrack and vibes are incredible. This game is a 10/10 in my book so far and I think it’s a great entry point in the series! With Persona becoming more mainstream over the past decade, not a lot of people know about the parent series to it. Thanks for reading, and if anyone has questions, let me know!

Esta nueva versión de SMTV mejora muchos aspectos de los cuales carece su versión vainilla. Sobre la trama que puedo decir, mejora considerablemente, sobre todo en su canon de la venganza. Es como tener 2 juegos en 1 y además su edición de steelbook está hermosa.

Muy bonita edición steelbook, muy linda

ATLUS is one of my favorite game companies. The Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) series is a huge reason for this. I was first introduced to the company when I played Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 on PS2 and I was blown away by the art style and intrigued by the darker themed story line. I then played SMT III on PS2 which was rather difficult but again I commended the chose your own adventure like narrative to it. When SMT III came on Switch I did not hesitate to play it. I loved the various story line threads and all of the lore between the demons and gods. When I found out they were doing a new installment of this game that also had a new storyline I was delighted as even just a PS5 remaster of the Switch game to PS5 would have been welcome. The game graphics remastering is excellent and makes the original Switch release look like a game boy game practically. The new story line is also fantastic. I thought it would simply be a couple more bosses and a new ending or two, but there is a good story with it that involves the students more in a way the original storyline was somewhat lacking. There are also several more demons/gods to play with and the newly added Qadištu are sheik, sexy and each has there own personality. The turn based combat remains enjoyable and there are new challenges presented for those looking for more aspects than story. This release is excellent and is a must for any ATLUS fan and JRPG fan. The mature story line and various threads allow the game to extend and be interesting for those who do not play RGPs frequently. SMT V caters to the casual and extreme gamers with so many options and reasons to play multiple playthroughs. With the gaming industry trending to more western themed RPGs or Call of Duty sequels, releases like this have to be all the more treasured.

Es la edición en steel box lo cual tiene valor coleccionable. El juego es increíble de inicio a fin y mejora en todo comparado al original V.