After passing through Nintendo Switch in 2021, the sensational Shin Megami Tensei V arrives on all current platforms with an extended version full of changes and new features called Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.
If you are a fan of the games Atlusthis about expanded versions will not be a surprise to you: the Japanese studio usually releases expansions of its most successful titles and, in particular, it is very common within the Persona saga (with clear examples such as Persona 3 FES, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal).
What changes does Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance include compared to the original version? Is it worth immersing yourself in an RPG that is much more challenging than what we are used to in the genre? And more importantly: is it worth it if you have already played it on Nintendo Switch?
Although I don’t have the hair of Nahobino or as cool as Yoko Hiromine, I can answer all those questions with this analysis.
The analysis of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC from HobbyConsolas:
Gameplay and gameplay of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC
It all starts as a normal high school day for our protagonist, but when he returns home he is forced to take a detour through a tunnel, with the bad luck that he collapses and loses consciousness. Upon waking up, he discovers that the city of Tokyo has been devastated by demons and, if he wants to survive, he has no choice but to accept the help of one of them.
In this way, the Nahobinoa being who is neither angel nor demon and who possesses the power to decide the course of the new world.
As you can see, the premise is exactly the same as that of the original game, however, shortly after starting the game in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, the game asks us a very important question: do we take the girl’s hand or the do we reject?
In this way, we decide between the two possible routes: the canon of creation and the revenge canon. The first is the original story of Shin Megami Tensei V, while the second is a new story that has been created for this version.
In the first stages, the revenge canon follows a very similar route to the original story, but soon new features such as new characters, new villains and new dungeons begin to come into play. Starting from the meridian of history and until the end, this new canon becomes something completely different.
Without a doubt, the key element is “the girl”: her name is Yoko Hiromine and from the beginning her role is very important, to the point that we could consider her as the deuteragonist of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.
Yoko joins the group and participates in the fights, acting as an ally to whom we can give orders in the same way as the demons we recruit. Her design is simple, but she is the kind of character that exudes charisma with every word and every movement. She can’t get any more cool.
In fact, another new feature of SMTV: Vengeance is that at different points in the adventure other human characters join the group. At those moments the line between Megaten and Persona becomes blurred, because many of them are high school classmates. This is likely a conscious decision, because we all know that Persona is currently Atlus’ darling.
So if you are wondering if Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is worth playing if you have already played the original, the answer is yes, because it is a practically new story with new situations.
And now you may be thinking: «Phew, but again I have to start from scratch, recruit demons again and survive hundreds of random turn-based combats». But this is where the other novelty of Shin Megami Tensei V comes in: Vengeance. And whoever says new, says new. A ton of changes and improvements at all levels.
I’m going to mention just a few – the most relevant ones – because, if not, I could stay here until tomorrow: new sections within the maps that are accessed by Magatsu rails, new options that make fusion a lot easier, and a place called the abode of demons where we can talk to our companions and improve the relationship with gifts.
In addition to this, there are also an absurd number of small changes aimed at improving and speeding up the gaming experience. Some examples: the maximum level has increased (from 99 to 150), there are new side quests, powerful enemies, new group Magatsuhi abilities, more than 40 new demons… And best of all: it is possible to save anywhere.
So even if you put hundreds of hours into the original, the huge number of changes and improvements included in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vegeance make the experience very different. And, above all, one of the biggest problems of the original is solved: the pace of the game, which is now infinitely more agile.
Logically, it is still an RPG with turn-based combat and a very traditional style, so it is necessary to carefully plan and choose each action, and that translates into a pace that the most impatient players may consider slow. But I can assure you that next to the original version, SMTV: Vegeance goes like lightning.
Is Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance difficult?
The games in the Megaten saga are known for their difficulty and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vegeance is no exception. Even so, and as you can imagine, there have also been changes in this aspect. Let’s start with the basics: there are three difficulty levels: easy, normal and hard.
The difficult level can only be selected at the beginning of the game and, if at any time during the course of the story we change it, we will not be able to select it again.
The normal level, which is the one I have played on, is a very challenging experience. In fact, the game itself tells us that it is intended for those who are familiar with the Shin Megami Tensei saga. Still, thanks to the changes, I have noticed it less demanding than the original version of Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch.
Now, don’t even think about thinking that it’s easy now: carelessness can be very, very expensive. Fortunately, The biggest lifesaver of this version is the ability to save the game at any time (except in the middle of a fight or conversation, of course). You can’t imagine how much it is appreciated.
And if the hard mode is still not enough for you, after finishing the game a new difficulty is unlocked in which all the demons are level 150. Real hell, wow.
How many hours is the story of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance?
When talking about the length of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vegeance, we have to take into account the two routes: the creation canon and the revenge canon. Completing each story can easily take you around 80 hours… and that’s without taking into account the optional content.
What does this mean? Complete Shin Megami Tensei V: Vegeance in its entirety, completing both routes and the secondary missions, puts its duration at about 200 hours. Come on, you have a game for a while.
The good thing about being able to choose between one route and another as soon as you start the game is that Players who already knew the original story on Nintendo Switch can jump straight to the revenge canon. Quite a hoot.
Price and platforms
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance launches on June 14, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. The original version, released in 2021, was only available for Nintendo’s hybrid console, so it is the first time that players on other platforms can enjoy this fantastic RPG.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is on sale in both digital and physical formats, although the latter is only available for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch versions. The official price of the standard edition, both physically and digitally, is €59.99.
V for Vendetta
The original version of Shin Megami Tensei V already seemed like a great game to me (more specifically: the best RPG of 2021), but next to Vengeance it almost seems like a beta. There are so many changes, improvements and additions that it’s like playing something completely new.
On the one hand this is very good, especially for users of platforms other than Nintendo Switch, because now they will have the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful RPG in its best possible version.
But, on the other hand, I understand that anyone who played and paid for the original at the time may feel a bit disappointed. And this is not only about Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, but about Atlus’s modus operandi that he talked about at the beginning of the analysis.
That is, if we knew in advance that a game was going to have an extended version in a couple of years, I am convinced that many people would prefer to wait. How many people are thinking about the promising Metaphor: ReFantazio for this reason?
But, to be fair, and as I have already explained throughout the entire analysis, the number of changes and new features more than justify going through the checkout again. I myself came to Vengeance without having everything with me and it ended up hooking me just as much or more than the original, which was very much.
