Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Reviews

Very good improvement and modernization from the last game

Super good game, definitely an upgrade from original SMT V. In fact made me feel like a fool for playiing the first release on switch. Numerous new bossfights, with even more soundtracks to accompany them. New route is different but not alien to the original. Gameplay is the good ol SMT, press turns to amplify your knowledge and punish for errors. It's hard at first but gets clearer and easier more you know. Nice, thoughtful, turn based combat at it's finest. Difficulty options are there for a reason and you should pick one you don't feel cheated at in. Graphics are somewhat lacking, perhaps due to switch origin. But frame rates with decent PC lead to a good fluid experience and there is true detail and thought in designs and environments. It's not gonna blow you away but it got a goal and direction to appreciate. Soundtrack is fitting, nothing to speak loudly about but it's there ads perfectlly good especially with new additions. Some repetition occurs, you might have 'Murakumo!' ringing in your ears by the end but overall decent. If you've played original it's kinda worth it, if you'e never played it it's absolutely worth it.

I haven't played the Canon of Creation on SMT5V but as far as I've gotten in the Canon of Vengeance it somehow has a much more coherent story and given its characters, specifically the base game alignment reps, much needed characterization that was simply missing in the base game. The story is going in a more unique way than I have imagined, similar to the differences between SMT4 and SMT4a, but because you play as the same character it somehow feels like the story has gone wrong by "unleashing" Yoko. The new demons are all interesting and pull from more obscure mythologies which is always welcome in SMT. I love how unlike SMT4a and base SMT5, your choices actually matter in the Canon of Vengeance which what I consider characterizes the franchise. I haven't beaten the game but I love how [spoiler]there are only two endings, Law and Chaos, which is great in a series where it always seems that the Neutral route is the best one[/spoiler]. The combat is much better since it has gotten rid of its absurd level scaling and since I've played the original I decided to play SMT5V on hard mode and I haven't been disappointed. The high damage, changes to the buffs and to the mana costs of skills and the magatsuhi skills make it so that every battle is difficult and fast paced. With the base game I have only had to change out my party mid-fight with one boss battle, [spoiler] that being the second lahmu fight [/spoiler], but I've found that after the first two bosses you have to do that with every boss and it makes the fights more enjoyable and difficult. The only problem that I have with the boss fights are the ones that use mainly phys skills as those are all absurdly difficult. I hope that the game continues to be enjoyable and the story to be interesting or else I will be as disappointed as I was with the original game.

I tried to play it for a good 13 hours. I've aged out of this JRPG i guess. there's absolutely zero grittiness to the story or demons. just bad juvenile tropes. The entire 13 hours I've been traversing a bland, boring, TOO MUCH BROWN, desert. Maybe I'll wake up one morning and give it another go, but for now, there's too many other games to try in my backlog.

One of the best jrpg’s I’ve played, coming from the original SMTV which was rather disappointing, SMTVV while overall being a easier game improved on the original in almost every aspect. Early to mid game bosses which felt deprived of any personality are replaced by the Qadištu in CoV, demon traits were added from P5R, skill oriented super bosses and the new take on the story that shows a different part that wasn’t told in CoC. The press turn system in SMTV might be my favorite execution of it in any Atlus game, only issue is that the new difficulty added with CoV can be heavily cheesed, other than that it’s a solid game that goes well alongside SMT Nocturne

This is a great game to start off with if you're coming from the Persona series over to Shin Megami Tensei. While the combat system is newer than the older games, it still acts as a great jumping point for getting into the rest of the series if you choose. There's a great amount of replayability that inspires you to revisit and get different endings, an infinite amount of team formations, and so much more that the game offers. Next to Metaphor this was one of my favorite games of 2024, and I absolutely cannot recommend it more for any JRPG fans.

Loved it on Switch. Loved it even more playing in Steam Deck. Looking forward to another play through this time through the Original canon.

It just so happens that most JRPGs focus heavily on story and not as much on gameplay. Many classic franchises eventually shifted to action-based combat. But Shin Megami Tensei never budged. It's not laziness—it's a genuine love and respect for turn-based systems. With each new entry, ATLUS explores new directions: Devil Summoner emphasized demon interactions, Persona focused on stylish UI and blending story with gameplay. But the mainline SMT series always sticks to its core—and constantly pushes it forward. And what can I say? Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is PEAK. The gameplay here is so good, I couldn’t believe it. Exploration, demon negotiations, affinities—they all contrast and complement each other in such a beautiful way. The mechanics aren’t overly complex or bloated, but they’re deep and allow you to play your own way. The one nitpick people have is the story. And yeah—the original campaign was rough. But this rerelease gives us a new story route that’s much better. It’s not masterpiece-tier, but it’s absolutely enjoyable. TL;DR: Highly recommended—especially on harder difficulties. You’ll get your ass whooped... but you’ll love every second of it.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. ------------------------------------------------ I was not prepared for this. Not in the "oh, the game is hard" kind of way, though, it is. But in the emotional way. I started Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance expecting stylish battles, demon fusions, and edgy story beats. I got all of that. But I also got something else. Something heavier. Something I kept thinking about even after I shut the game off. This isn't just about angels and demons. It's about choices. And what you're willing to sacrifice to stand by them. It doesn’t hand-hold you, it doesn’t tell you what’s right or wrong. It just asks: What do you believe in? And then it watches. The new Vengeance path is so much more than just an alternate story. It's like a mirror held up to the original. The characters felt real. Flawed. Human. The music swells right when it needs to. The ruined cityscapes somehow feel alive. Every boss fight feels like a battle of ideology, not just stats. It’s not perfect, but it’s powerful. And in a way, that’s even better. There’s beauty in the chaos, in the suffering, in the choices you make. I don’t know if I’ll ever play something like this again. I mised some sleep over this game. Wouldn't take it back. enjoy the Game.

TLDR Has the best bosses and party-building in any of the SMT/Persona games I've played, but you'll be spending a majority of the playtime running around a barren open-world collecting items and fighting unchallenging enemy encounters. I'd recommend it to turn-based-RPG fans who are looking for a challenging game, if you're willing to put up with a lot of downtime. I'd also recommend it to Persona fans if you want a more complicated/demanding version of the Persona-gameplay, just keep in mind that there are no Social Links in these games, if that's a dealbreaker. PROS -Has the best bosses/party-building out of the SMT game I've played (P3, P4, P5, SMT3, SMT4) CONS -A majority of the playtime is spent running around a fairly barren open-world, collecting items. -Minor enemy encounters aren't difficult or worth engaging with, except for when you need new demons. -No resource-management dungeon-crawling that you'd find in Persona 3 or the Final Fantasy games. The open-world structure of the game means there's no tension to exploration. -Very barebones story. Not actively bad, but is sparse and unremarkable. MISC NOTES -Definitely purchase Vengeance instead of vanilla. There are a lot of mechanical additions, but most notably they add a lot more bosses into the game. Since the bosses are the highlight, this is a very welcome addition. Best of all, the bosses are added into the main story, rather than tacked onto the end. This helps spice up sections of the game that were boring in vanilla.