TheShin Megami Tenseiseries has been rolling along since 1992 when it was first released on the Super Famicom. Although 2021 saw the release ofShin Megami Tensei V, the new version,Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance,gives players the option of changing the original narrative a bit and a slew of graphical enhancements, but keeps the same killing or capturing of demons, monsters, and fae creatures that made it popular in the first place.
The newest game doesn’t break the mold that has sustained its popularity, but developerAtluscontinues to build and improve on the various aspects that have been bringing in fans for decades. It’s a slow burn at first, butShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeancehas a definite charm that starts simmering from the very beginning.
Returning once again is a party system filled with various creatures from folklore and fiction, alongside various human characters that can be added to or removed from the party. The only real downside is that these characters can take up a spot in your monster roster, so bringing them along can sometimes feel more like a chore than fun. But most of the time, the abilities they bring along are helpful for the section of the game in which they’re introduced, even if their personalities and dialogue can be less memorable in some instances.
For example, if someone has a fire or charm spell, there is a good chance it will help a lot when dealing with most of the critters in that area. And with a story that shifts based on the first choice and the player’s subsequent choices, there is a good reason to play through it more than once, even with all the turn-based fighting the game requires. The narrative gains complexity the further users progress in the story, but it sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard to make a seemingly obtuse point. It’s still an entertaining story, and best experienced without any spoilers going into it.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Updates the Combat System
The grind has always seemed to be a staple of theShin Megami Tenseiseries as well, and thisVengeanceversion doesn’t shy away from combat. The game uses the now-standard method of fighting enemies using various elements until you discover which one they’re weak against, and then spamming it until they die. Hitting a creature with its weakness also increases the amount of turns the player gets, another aspect of the series' combat that still hasn’t changed much over the years.
Enemies are usually found in groups of three or more on the world map, so initiating fights can sometimes lead to a chain of combat encounters. With the proper monsters or characters in the party, these moments are more trivial, but early on there can be moments that feel almost cheap, as players can find themselves fighting two or three monsters per round that quickly turn into three or four rounds in a row without a break.
Indeed, the beginning of the game can be rough for someone who has never touched the series before. But anyone sticking around past a few hours will easily pick up the ebb and flow of the turn-based combat system, which can make the game much easier with just a little planning. Luckily, the game’s save system is very generous in allowing saves almost anywhere on the world map.
Those who didn’t experienceShin Megami TenseiVwhen it was first released are going to find a lot to like visually on their first playthrough. Seeing demons relaxing or giving quests in the world is a neat treat, but this new enhanced version uses modern hardware to make each one look stunningly good. Both idle and attack animations feel well-thought-out and done with purpose. The running animation of the protagonist might look a bit silly, but it doesn’t detract from the game in any real sense. A lot of the creature designs have been around for a long time at this point, so older fans of the series won’t find them nearly as intriguing, but new players will have a daunting amount of information for each creature dropped on them from the start, along with their visual prowess.
The Updated Visuals are Very Impressive in SMTV: Vengeance
There is a lot of visual detail to be seen in the 3D models for the various creatures, and they are fun to interact with in both battles and when talking to them in the game. The protagonist’s flowing hair in the demon worlds is a little distracting at first, but eventually, players will get used to its visual noise. The lone negative in the visual department is that, even with the new enhancements, some textures still don’t seem improved from their previous look. These are mostly noticeable in large areas with the same textures repeating and can be a little jarring, or even ugly, when viewed from certain angles.
A specific aspect that deserves heaps of praise is the game’s maps, including its ‘Sky View’.These overhead maps inShin Megami Tensei: V Vengeanceare a boon in a game that has a lot of area to cover and are greatly detailed in their design, with the Sky View being an incredibly useful 3D map-viewing tool. The map can sometimes become crowded with excessive information with all the main and side quest icons, enemy locations, and rewards strewn about, but the overall design and ability to zoom in and out make it extremely useful.
The Sky View is negated in some of the subterranean areas, but it is still such an overall help in the general scheme of things that it deserves recognition for its style and utility. It also doesn’t give away how to traverse those hard-to-reach locations usually, so exploration is still needed throughout the game. Area designs are mostly interesting as well, but there are spots where some of the design choices don’t seem to make sense to the overall feel of the world. Some puzzles fall into this category as well, but most of those are found deeper into the game.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeancedoes epic music right, with its combat music being especially enjoyable. It sometimes starts off a little muted before combat starts, but quickly ramps up into epic beats after the first blows are struck and continues throughout the fight. Area themes match the music well, and the sound designs for combat attacks, monster cries, and tense moments all add up to a truly enjoyable auditory experience.
The game’s voice acting is also top-notch, regardless of which spoken language is chosen. Some won’t enjoy the English voice actors' over-exaggeration of certain situations, but that seems to be almost expected with translated games. There are also a few occasions where the yelling can seem at odds with what is being said, but saying it’s a detriment would be overly harsh.
There has always been a certain level of seemingly basic complexity to theShin Megami Tenseiseries and its off-shoot games, but it feels like this latest title has added even more layers to aspects of its battle and monster combination systems. Some of them do add depth to systems that may feel stagnant to older fans of the series, but the way these aspects are added at the very beginning in text bubbles doesn’t allow for much learning unless players are dedicated enough to stop exploring and experiment. These become important in the more difficult fights, so more focus or even a brief tutorial fight would have gone a long way to helping create a better sense of what is required with the new systems.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeanceoffers a lot for players, both old and new; an impressive enhanced art style, multiple story paths, and a definitive sense of the series progressing from what it once was. There may not be a ton of new things to justify purchasing the game again, but the additions that are here are excellent at keeping fans intrigued about what’s going to happen next. Long-time fans will likely already know what they’re getting into, as the game hasn’t changed its turn-based combat and capture loops in a while. Still, those same fans have kept these games going until now, andShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeanceis another in a long line of enjoyable titles in the long-running series.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Reviewed on PC
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance consists of two complete story paths: experience a brand-new route, the “Canon of Vengeance” – a dramatic tale of revenge by the fallen, centered around new characters and an enigmatic cohort of demons, the Qadištu, who plot their own dark designs apart from the war of those who fight to maintain order and those who seek to defy it. Or explore the original story told in Shin Megami Tensei V, the “Canon of Creation” – an eternal conflict between angels and demons, in which the protagonist fights for the world’s fate.When a grisly murder scene in modern-day Tokyo blocks our protagonist’s walk home, an unplanned detour leaves him buried and unconscious. He awakens in a new Tokyo, a wasteland ravaged by apocalypse now called Da’at… but before bloodthirsty demons can claim his life, a savior emerges, and the two of them unite to become a mighty being, neither human nor demon: a Nahobino.With newfound power, the protagonist ventures through Da’at, an enigmatic realm filled with mythical deities and demonic tyrants in constant conflict for survival. Searching for answers, the protagonist must forge his own path in a battle between angels and demons to dictate the fate of the world.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeancereleases July 13, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
