Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Steelbook Launch Edition – PlayStation 5

My favorite game of 2024
Because I had covid this weekend, I was able to fully dive into a video game of my choice. So I played Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, which just came out about a week ago. The original SMT V was released back in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch exclusively and was praised for doing an excellent job modernizing the series (the previous title is still stuck on the 3DS) and being a shining example of turn-based combat and monster collecting in 2021, but was criticized for weak writing in a series known for good writing. SMT V: Vengeance takes the original game’s flaws and attempts to patch them up – adding a huge amount of QoL updates and reworking the original story. Vengeance also bails the game out of Nintendo Switch jail, making it available on all platforms.I’m currently about 18 hours into the game, so not close to the end. I’ll probably post a real review later on. This is more of a first impression.SMT V: Vengeance sees the silent protagonist transported to a post-apocalyptic Tokyo and forced to learn to survive and figure out the mystery behind the world. You’ll find yourself fighting demons, but also negotiating with them to join your side. Then, you can fuse the demons together to make a stronger one by inheriting certain characteristics. I love collecting and fusing the demons because they all have very interesting designs and unique personalities! When you try to recruit a demon you have to take this into account or they might get angry! I love reading the blurbs about each demon – they are all based on existing religions/mythologies and it’s just fun to learn about them.The exploration is really fun too! I love Naruto running around the abandoned collapsed buildings and big dunes of sand searching for new demons and collectables. There are little guys called “Miman” which are kind of similar to the Korok from Zelda. But I personally feel a lot more fulfilled finding Miman because the bonuses you get from finding them are much more rewarding.The combat is the real selling point of this game. It’s definitely my favorite version of turn-based combat that I have ever played, and I LOVE turn-based combat! Without going too deep into the mechanics there is just a huge amount of customization available, and the game manages to not feel grindy at all because it’s far more efficient to come up with a clever strategy to defeat a difficult boss than fighting mobs over and over for levels. That’s not to say that this game is easy, because that it is definitely not! It’s been coined the “Dark Souls” of JRPGs by many for good reason, and I love the feeling of accomplishment when a boss is felled.The storyline, while not perfect, is still highly enjoyable. The game puts much more of a focus on exploration than the previous titles, so a lot of the dialogue feels more expository, mainly to get through it faster so you can get back to the meat of the game. That being said, to draw another parallel to the recent Zelda games, I liked the writing in Vengeance much more than those because the characters are far more present and there is a much better sense of urgency. Vengeance draws a lot of inspiration from religions like Christianity and Buddhism for its story and I enjoyed this aspect. 18 hours in and I can definitely feel the improvements from the original 2021 title but I’d like to get further in before I can issue a verdict in this area.I forgot to mention earlier – the soundtrack and vibes are incredible.This game is a 10/10 in my book so far and I think it’s a great entry point in the series! With Persona becoming more mainstream over the past decade, not a lot of people know about the parent series to it. Thanks for reading, and if anyone has questions, let me know!

Another great jrpg
If ur a hardcore ps2 JRPG FAN PLAY THIS ONE. Its one of the hardest ones i played recently!

S-Tier Game. Been Playing the Entire Year
This is probably the best game I’ve played that came out in 2024. Currently on my third playthrough to get all the demons. Also the 60 fps in this version is immaculate. This expands upon the original Switch version in a variety of ways. Definitely recommend.

A clear cut grade A game.
Much like the original with more content and explanation to the story. The graphics look amazing for this port/remaster of a Switch game. The soundtrack to this is just cool to hear from hard rock to ethereal sounds to give the world some life even though its adesert/apocalypse of Tokyo.Story 7.9/10Ost 8.5/10Gameplay 8.7/10

Amé el juego y la presentación es hermosa

Es la edición en steel box lo cual tiene valor coleccionable. El juego es increíble de inicio a fin y mejora en todo comparado al original V.

Esta nueva versión de SMTV mejora muchos aspectos de los cuales carece su versión vainilla. Sobre la trama que puedo decir, mejora considerablemente, sobre todo en su canon de la venganza. Es como tener 2 juegos en 1 y además su edición de steelbook está hermosa.