Review: Shin Megami Tensei 5 brings familiar pain, new joys

While I’m through the underworld of. grazed Shin Megami Tensei 5, I met a mandrake. This demon wasn’t registered in my collection so I tried to recruit it. My outstretched hand led to a game of matches, papers, and scissors – while the mandrake wondered how my character’s luck stats would contribute. Turns out it wasn’t on my side. “Pity!” called the mandrake. “Now I can kill you.”

I’ve had dozens of such encounters in my time with. experienced Shin Megami Tensei 5, the latest in Atlus’ extensive JRPG franchise. I helped Black Frost get alcohol for a high-end underground club in Ginza. Kelpie, a scary hovering horse, challenged me to a texting contest to see who could type faster (which I unfortunately lost too). A particular highlight was an oni who said he had a “big question” for me: “up or down?” Between the options “up”, “middle” and “down” I chose the first one. “So you like to aim high, don’t you?” Said Oni. “I like it.”

Most of the time it was impossible to predict what the demons were like Shin Megami Tensei 5 next in talks. Some exchanges were honestly hilarious, while others were unexpectedly horny or strangely sentimental. These moments gave me a brief respite from the constant hostility of the underworld. The overall experience of playing SMT 5 was gloomy, depressing and inconsiderate. And every time I got too comfortable, the game reminded me of my place in this realm: the main character may sound important on paper, but he’s just another unwanted visitor in a demonically twisted version of our world. Demons don’t think twice about the decaying ruins of a bygone Tokyo, to chew it up and let it rot in the streets.

It’s been a long time since Atlus revisited this world – five years since the release of Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse, a continuation of the last main entry in the SMT series in 2013. SMT 5‘s arrival also comes after a long while with no teasers or relevant development updates since it was unveiled as a Switch exclusive – a time in which Person 5 became a massive sensation that brought the franchise into the mainstream.

I’m someone who dared to do both series. I enjoyed spending over 100 hours in the latest Persona games, on top of ridiculous playtime in all three rhythm game spin-offs. But the memory of the jump in Shin Megami Tensei 4 without prior knowledge, away from the big screen and glaring menu screens of Person, a simplified but intelligently integrated experience in 3DS is still very important to me. I had high hopes for it SMT 5, and despite some shortcomings, it was worth the wait.

If you’re a newbie too, like I was then, let me break it down for you. There is always a turning point in history in the Persona series – an otherworldly catastrophe that turns the world upside down. After that, the game climbs to its climax battle against God, as it does in most of the JRPGs. Unless by then you will have gotten used to the company of the characters around you and will be getting stronger on the calendar month after month. Shin Megami Tensei games also start with a similar disaster, but instead of giving you a few dozen hours to save humanity, you are forced to live the mayhem much longer.

As a result, the experience is much darker, but also free from the shackles of portraying the main character’s normal student life in a modern setting. With SMT games there is a clear tone shift from the start. While in person The fight against the shadows is usually an evening activity, in Shin Megami Tensei, it’s your whole routine.

This new entry puts you in the uniform of another regular student who is in the wrong place at the wrong time and suddenly finds himself in a different Tokyo. There sights like the Tokyo Tower are not landmarks, but mere remnants of a bygone civilization. Angels and demons fought in a massive war years ago, and the conflict rages on. An unknown being prevents the main character from being attacked and encourages them to accept help if they want to get out alive. Both characters have merged into a Nahobino, a being who is neither angel nor demon, but has extremely good hair.

After a short tutorial you will be thrown into the world. The location for the next step is always indicated on the map (this also applies to side quests, which represents a departure from the more puzzling goals of the past SMT

Games) and you can go there anytime. You can have areas in full 3D in. explore SMT 5instead of switching back and forth from the overworld view, with a few exceptions in certain sequences. Speeding through city ruins and large, sprawling areas with full control of the character is a welcome change.

The combat remains largely the same as in previous SMT games, focusing on turn-based encounters with an emphasis on exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses to chain additional rounds (which enemies can do with you too). There are also the demon negotiations mentioned above that allow you to recruit enemies to fight by your side. SMT 5 introduces some interesting improvements to this system. If you successfully negotiate with a demon who is of a higher level than you, they will remember this in the next conversation after you finally reach their level, which is both useful in practice and narrative wise.

SMT 5The standout combat feature of Magatsuhi is the introduction of Magatsuhi Skills, which are powerful additional attacks that can be performed once a bar is filled (either by letting rounds through or after getting upgrades by performing certain actions ). It adds another strategic layer to combat as figuring out the right timing to use it is important – especially considering that enemies can use these skills as well and reverse encounters if you’re not careful.

There are more quality of life updates beyond the fight. While roaming areas, you will now encounter bullets that can charge your health, SP (magical attack mana) or the Magatsuhi gauge. The return column allows you to go back to the last checkpoint you interacted with without punishment (perfect for saving your game, restoring your group’s health for a small fee, visiting the vendor, or melding demons). Booty is pretty generous too; A companion character following you will locate items that sometimes lead to combat, but most of the time they will only grant you one item.

Some of these additions optimize the experience. Players who come from person most likely will accept them, but the mysterious nature of past SMT entries has been lost a bit in the process. I have welcomed all of these updates; instead, my biggest complaint Shin Megami Tensei 5 comes with the platform. As I already mentioned, SMT 4 made excellent use of the 3DS; The user interface was so well integrated that holding the console felt like an extension of the in-game menus. In SMT 5although I found the new user interface convincing, it is much more general. Coupled with the fact that the Switch is constantly struggling to keep up in terms of performance, it felt more like a port than a game designed for the Switch. SMT 5 still manages to be a great showcase for Unreal Engine 4, especially when it comes to animation, and it’s a shame the hardware tends to hold that back. It’s by no means unplayable, but frame drops and slow texture loading were noticeable enough to be disturbing.

As a new addition to the series, Shin Megami Tensei 5 goes all-in with a new story that continues the out-of-bounds nature of past entries. The fight has just enough additions to keep you feeling fresh while keeping the always welcoming foundation that is hard to give up. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is relentless and isn’t afraid of spiking battles with fast drums and heavy riffs.

But it’s the way demons inhabit this world that has left their biggest mark on me. Despite the performance issues, the larger areas and new engine allow some creatures to be truly stunning and terrifying. I never got tired of witnessing minor character details, like demons sitting on the sand, behaving like bats in caves or swinging like monkeys at traffic lights. It reinforces the idea that this is their home and that I am the one who invades.

Even though I played as a Nahobino, I rarely felt almighty. My little victories gave me satisfaction – guessing weaknesses, foreseeing an attack that would otherwise have wiped out my entire group – because every time I stepped into a new area, I knew that enemies would not spare me. If I was lucky, they offered to spare me for items or money. But unfortunately this is not a world where luck is on my side.

Still, I couldn’t wait to go back – and I don’t want to leave anytime soon.

Shin Megami Tensei 5 will be released on November 11th Nintendo switch. The game was verified on Nintendo Switch using a pre-release download code provided by Atlus. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect the editorial content, although Vox Media can earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. you find more information on Polygon’s ethics policy here.