Analysis of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

For the first time, the Shin Megami Tensei franchise comes to Xbox platforms with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeancedevelopped by Atlus and published by Sega. If you are a fan of JRPGs and in recent years you have become addicted to the saga Character, now is the perfect time to enjoy the episode that inspired said saga. If you want to know more about the video game, just drag your mouse and enjoy our analysis.

Our first steps on the path to hell

When the game starts, we will be presented a little about the principle of the video game. We will see the protagonist, as well as influential characters in the story, crossing the metro station until reaching the high school. Suddenly, we will have a vision and we will find ourselves in an atypical world where we will be asked to choose between two options, Depending on our choice, we will play one story or another.

We’ll wake up in class and we’ll have to choose our name. Once finished, the teacher will warn us that the area is becoming more and more dangerous and remind us to go home with a classmate. Dialogue symbols will appear on the mini-map to talk to our companions and ask them to accompany us, but since we are busy, we will not insist. When we leave high school, we will meet again Yuzuru Atsuta, who will suggest that we come back together. A text will be displayed with the possibility of returning or not to the side of the group.

If we access, in addition to Yuzuru, The group will consist of Tao Isonokami and Miyazu Atsuta, Yuzuru’s younger sister.. As a group we will head towards the metro station, but first a map will appear on the screen where we can get information about what is happening around and use it to move to different places. Arriving at the metro station, we will discover that a terrible event has happened, perhaps a murder. Yuzuru will decide to investigate, while we will ask the locals to get more details about what happened.

When we return to the group, Miyazu will inform us that Tao and Yuzuru received a message and that she is worried about her brother., then he will ask us to go get him. When we reach a certain point, we will find two students recording a video. Following them, we will see Yuzuru on the other side questioning them about their presence there. Suddenly, an earthquake will begin to shake the entire area. After waking up, we will find ourselves in a desert biome where one of the students is attacked by some kind of angel. As we penetrate deeper into the sector, we will see ourselves surrounded by a large number of demonic beings, but suddenly a lightning bolt will fall from the sky from which a kind of humanoid will appear to help us. By shaking his hand, we will merge with him, creating a new being, and thus our adventure in the world of Shin Megami Tensei begins.

A new story with great additions

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is an improved version of the title previously released in 2021 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. This new version includes the classic campaign of the game with improvements in several aspects, as well as a completely new campaign. If you already enjoyed the original version, now you can experience a different story with new characters and great additions that will enrich your experience.

Each campaign has an average duration of 80 hours, so new and veteran players can enjoy many hours of entertainment. However, the game can be a bit overwhelming at times, especially at first, so we recommend being patient during the first few hours of gameplay.

The main story tells of an epic confrontation between angels and demons., where we play the role of a student from Tokyo transported to a devastated version of the city, overrun by a wide variety of enemies. Throughout our adventure, we will find Aogami, a humanoid who comes from the sky to our aid in a great white flash. By merging with him, we will transform ourselves into Nabobina new entity charged with the crucial task of deciding the fate of humanity.

Repetitive but addictive gameplay

The first thing you will notice in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is that it is a turn-based JRPG. To enter combat, you must attack or be attacked by an enemy roaming the map. If you manage to land the first blow, you’ll be more likely to attack first when the fight begins. The combat interface is divided into two: on the left you will find the options section, and on the right you will be able to see the group status. The team will mainly be made up of four characters, including the protagonist, demons and secondary characters who will accompany us throughout the story.

In the options section on the left you will find various skills. Among them, a basic attack that does not consume MP (Mana Points), as well as elemental attacks (electric, fire, darkness, etc.). You will need to use these attacks strategically to exploit enemies’ weaknesses and gain extra turns. You’ll also find utility abilities, such as healing your allies, attacks that change the status of enemies, and special attacks that can be used by gathering energy called Magatsuhigiving you the chance for all your hits to be critical and granting you extra turns regardless of the attack used.

Additionally, you will have a section to use items, such as healing items, to heal altered states, revive allies, etc. Using an item will consume a turn from your character. You can also choose to defend yourself against enemy attacks. One of the most complete options is to talk to demons to convince them to join you. This will require understanding a pattern based on the demon’s personality and sometimes offering them something in return, such as Macca (the in-game currency), life points or a specific item. However, sometimes the demon rejects your proposal and leaves.

You’ll have the option to switch between characters in your party or replace those who fall in battle, although the latter action will take one turn to take effect. Additionally, you can try to escape from enemies, especially if you have a similar or higher level than them. However, in sub-boss or boss fights, this option will not be available. Finally, you will also have the option to skip the round.

Mechanics that enrich the gameplay

Every time we defeat an enemy we will gain experience points, which will allow Nahobino to level up. When we level up, we will receive a point that we can spend on certain statistics of our character, such as strength, vitality, magic, agility and luck. Each of these stats offers unique benefits and allows for greater customization and adaptation to the playstyle we prefer. Additionally, on the map we will find HP, MP and Magatsuhi particles that we can collect to recover this type of energy.

We will also have the possibility to go to checkpoints, represented by blue trails, where we can heal ourselves, recover mana points and revive our allies, even if these actions will require spending Macca. At these checkpoints we can also buy and sell items, perform fusions between the demons we have recruited to create more powerful ones, use demon essences to gain new abilities for both our main character and for those who accompany us. Additionally, we can talk to our demons to find out what they are feeling and, sometimes, receive the items they have found. We can also speak to Aogami to learn more about him and the devastated underworld.

As we explore the map we will find a type of red demons that will give us glory points. These points can be exchanged for upgrades, such as more skill slots or the ability to carry more demons.. Glory Points can also be found in floating gray chests. However, one area where the game could improve is its map. It can be overwhelming to see so many points of interest, which can break the immersion of the title a bit. For example, being able to see hidden objects directly on the map eliminates the surprise and exploration factor.

The essence of Atlus in all its glory

For several years, Atlus has accustomed us to a beautiful artistic section, particularly highlighting its visual aspect which reflects the essence of the developer. Thanks to this re-release we will be able to appreciate this section even more, since reaching more powerful consoles and not being limited to Nintendo Switch, it was possible to better exploit the graphics power. This gives us an exceptional work that, without a doubt, will age very well over the years.

The soundtrack also stands out, with rock, metal and alternative melodies. this will remain engraved in your mind after long gaming sessions. However, unlike the visual part, there is no significant improvement in this area, since it preserves the original artwork of the first version of the video game .

Regarding performance, The game runs very well, without FPS drops or bugs. Additionally, it includes many quality of life improvements to the game that players of the first version will appreciate, such as the ability to save at any time, eliminating some of the stress for some players.

Conclusion after several hours of navigation through hell

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance This is an improved version of the title released in 2021, now available on new generation consoles and PC. This re-release includes the classic campaign with improvements and a new campaign, providing a new experience for new players and veterans alike. With an average duration of 80 hours per campaign, the game promises many hours of entertainment.

The game stands out for its impressive graphics which are enhanced by the graphical power of more powerful consoles, while the soundtrack, although not much updated, is still impressive with its rock, metal and alternative melodies. Performance is solid, with no FPS drops or bugs, and quality of life improvements have been implemented, such as the ability to save at any time. However, it can be overwhelming at first and the map overloaded with points of interest can break the immersion. Despite these negative points, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance offers an enriched experience worth exploring.

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