Shin Megami Tensei V review
Our Verdict
Shin Megami Tensei 5 brings players an former-school challenge with some modern concessions.
For
- Excellent character and environs designs
- Engaging Demon Negotiation and Fusion systems
- Lots of content
- Lives upwardly to the balance of the series
Against
- Sometimes too reliant on grinding
- Performance issues in larger areas
- Combat can be ho-hum
Tom'southward Guide Verdict
Shin Megami Tensei 5 brings players an erstwhile-school challenge with some modern concessions.
Pros
- +
Excellent graphic symbol and surroundings designs
- +
Engaging Demon Negotiation and Fusion systems
- +
Lots of content
- +
Lives up to the residual of the series
Cons
- -
Sometimes too reliant on grinding
- -
Operation bug in larger areas
- -
Gainsay can be tedious
Shin Megami Tensei Five review: Specs
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Cost: $60
Release Appointment: Nov 12, 2021
Genre: JRPG
Shin Megami Tensei Five is the latest entry in Atlus' long-running cult classic Japanese RPG series. While SMT's spinoff series, Persona, has handled some heavy topics, the primary franchise tends to be darker even so, with a sometimes-oppressive temper that comes out in its hard gameplay.
With how popular Persona five has become worldwide, I wondered if Atlus would bring Shin Megami Tensei more in line with its spinoff. Longtime fans will be glad to know that not much has changed here, though. In fact, anyone who played Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster earlier this twelvemonth will immediately come across the similarities betwixt the two games.
Unfortunately, Shin Megami Tensei V's faithfulness to its predecessors might be its biggest weakness, too. While I enjoyed negotiating with demons and experimenting with political party compositions, the combat system is like to SMT games from xx years ago. The game wears its JRPG pedigree on its sleeve, well-nigh to a mistake. As a result, it can feel a bit stale at times.
Sure, at that place are some quality-of-life improvements here. But peel back that thin veneer, and SMTV would experience right at dwelling in the early on 2000s. On the other hand, Atlus seems to believe "If it ain't broke, don't ready it." If yous want more than Shin Megami Tensei, then this game is the best one yet.
Shin Megami Tensei V review: Story
Dissimilar many JRPGs, Shin Megami Tensei V gets you lot into the centre of things right away. In that location are no long introductions hither. The protagonist is a pupil at Jouin Loftier Schoolhouse in Tokyo, Japan. The school has asked students to travel to their dormitories in groups after recent reports of violence.
After leaving the school, your grouping arrives at the local train station and finds the passage leading to the dorms blocked by a giant curtain. The regime have blocked off the way, following a murder in the station. While you lot try to figure out some other way dorsum to the dorms, i of your friends tells you that her brother went to have a call, and asks you to check upwards on him.
While trying to find your friend, you come beyond a tunnel leading nether the roadway. Figuring that might exist the way your friend went, y'all enter it. Moments afterwards, yous see your friend running back, and an convulsion occurs, shaking the tunnel. The structure appears to collapse, and you pass out. When yous awaken, yous find yourself in a desertous, mail-apocalyptic version of Tokyo (which is very reminiscent of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne).
Unfortunately, you lot get in almost l anxiety out of the tunnel before beingness attacked by demons and left for dead. Fortunately, a mysterious entity named Aogami offers to fuse with y'all to relieve your life. Upon doing so, you gain great ability and transform into a beingness called a Nahobino.
From there, the game squeezes out the story in little dollops between long exploration segments. Players familiar with Persona shouldn't expect long exposition drops in SMT. The joy here is in exploring the alternate Tokyo, called Da'at, and reveling in coming together the warring angels and demons. The overall story is fairly dark, and it lacks Persona 5'southward massive cast. Additionally, since the protagonist is the only humanoid playable graphic symbol, SMTV can feel like a lonelier game.
Shin Megami Tensei V review: Gameplay
The majority of Shin Megami Tensei V involves exploring large areas as you fight your way toward your side by side mission objective. Where SMTV switches things up is that it's much less claustrophobic than previous games. While the critical path is still ostensibly linear, information technology has gotten a lot wider, and you lot can too access side quests that give yous opportunities to venture off the beaten path.
There'due south also a lot of exploration in each surround. The protagonist can jump, so there's a caste of verticality, which is new to the series. There are too collectibles to seek out in the grade of Miman: tiny cherry guys that you can trade for a special currency. You can then utilise that currency to purchase some corking items.
SMTV likewise encourages backtracking more than previous entries in the series. Optional bosses and side quests are sometimes too hard to accept on the first time you explore an area, and difficulty spikes hateful y'all'll need to get back and grind for experience. Fortunately, every save point (called Leyline Founts in-game) lets you access a comprehensive fast travel organisation.
Shin Megami Tensei V review: Demon Fusion and Negotiation
The large hooks for Shin Megami Tensei V are its Demon Negotiation and Fusion systems.
You can sway practically every demon that yous run across in combat to become a party fellow member through the negotiation system. During combat, you can talk to a demon and attempt to convince it to join your squad. This unremarkably takes the form of a question-and-response prompt. Get the questions right, and the demon volition lend you its power. It can likewise choose to enquire for resources like Macca (money), HP or items. While the procedure tin can be a fleck random, SMTV has improved the system by making the questions and answers more sensible. While there'southward no hard rule, a buff, powerful demon will probable corroborate of a strong response, while the more than delicate or playful ones volition prefer a gentler tone.
As the game goes on, you'll larn some shortcuts to negotiating a demon's loyalty. The moon organization returns in this game, and can touch on how demons react to your recruitment attempts. During the total moon, you have a chance of skipping part of the process automatically, while in the new moon stage, demons tend to be depressed and harder to deal with. Additionally, once you lot unlock a special skill, demons will have a gamble to beg for mercy and join you without question.
Unfortunately, demons don't have unlimited growth potential. Eventually, y'all'll need to plow to fusion to increment their powers. The fusion procedure combines ii or more demons into a single, (ideally) more powerful creature. The best demons in the game are available via this method. Using fusion correctly is the key to obtaining the best political party possible.
Since the only permanent party fellow member is the protagonist, Shin Megami Tensei 5 feels a scrap like a more intense version of Pokémon. There are more than 200 demons to recruit, and some of them are very elusive.
Shin Megami Tensei Five review: Combat
Combat in Shin Megami Tensei V is where things will exist hit-or-miss for most players. Information technology employs the tried-and-truthful turn-based battle organisation that's been a staple of JRPGs since the 1980s. You and your foes take turns attacking, and in that location's a whole host of elements, buffs, debuffs and other attacks to choose from.
The one thing that tin can disrupt this catamenia is the Turn Press system. If you hit an enemy with its weakness, and then the party member who landed that accident can get again. Above all other boxing mechanics, this one is the most important, considering you'll often face foes that are tougher than y'all.
The difficulty of Shin Megami Tensei 5 isn't as severe as in previous entries, but it still has spikes in each new area. These tin can be punishing, especially for players who are new to the series. Fifty-fifty in areas where yous match up well against foes, you can suddenly run into a demon or a boss that outclasses everything y'all've encountered so far. However, since traveling to by areas is so piece of cake in this game, grinding is much more tolerable.
Battles also aren't random. Instead, y'all have to make contact with a roaming monster to get-go a fight. This means you can arrange your party to decimate a particular type of demon, travel to the area where they spawn and lay into them until you've gained the levels yous need to move on in the game.
There are some new battle mechanics, such equally the Magatsuhi Skills, which permit you to admission powerful abilities tied to a constantly charging meter. However, for the most function, gainsay is like to the past few entries in the serial. It'southward even so fun, but it'southward slower-paced than in Persona. In particular, calculation a class of the All-Out Attack from Persona here would take made fights against weaker demons less of a drag.
Shin Megami Tensei Five review: Visuals and sound
The soundtrack for Shin Megami Tensei V is splendid. The series has a tradition of fantastic music, and composers Ryora Kozuka and Toshiki Konishi knocked it out of the park this fourth dimension.
Unfortunately, SMTV suffers from being a Switch exclusive. The models and textures are smashing, and the designs are reminiscent of Shin Megami Tensei Three: Nocturne. Withal, the weak hardware leads to things looking muddled. Operation issues also result in slowdown from time to time. Specially in larger areas, y'all tin can actually start to experience the age of the Nvidia Tegra X1 SoC that powers the Switch.
The performance issues never got to a point where the game was unplayable, but it was plenty to brand me promise that the game gets ported to other platforms.
Shin Megami Tensei V review: Verdict
Shin Megami Tensei V isn't likely to exist the game that brings this series into the mainstream. It continues to exist the sort of niche title that won't appeal to everyone. That's fine, though, because information technology doesn't demand to be annihilation else. There'south a true-blue audience that loves the idea of grinding for hours on end to take on challenging bosses and fuse the best demons.
Those looking for a slightly depressing, more adult take on Pokémon should look no further. While it has a few flaws, you just won't find the SMTV experience anywhere else.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-v
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