Sequel to the hit game "Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE", Shin Megami Tensei V takes a surprisingly dark turn compared to the bright, optimistic views of its predecessor.

Alright, alright, let's actually be a bit serious here. A pretty common meme going around is that this game is "Persona 5 without the heart" and that... well, it isn't too far off. If you're here for the story and character development, you're gonna be sorely disappointed. The story's split up into Dragon Quest-style vignettes. Everything you do is relevant to some degree, it's just not quite tight and connected. Certain beats and sidequests (especially involving the fairy village) can be cute and fun, it's just... not all quite connected, y'know?

But what if you aren't? What if you're more interested in exploration? Testing your wits against enemy demons in a frantic battle for survival? If that interests you, then Shin Megami Tensei V is your game - which isn't too surprising, as it shares a director with the Etrian Odyssey series, which puts a similar emphasis on exploration and tight battles over the story.

The skill design of SMTV is really great - and honestly, some of my favorite in an RPG. Helping things out a ton is the large amount of unique skills, helping your demonic companions stand out from each other more - occasionally it's simply allowing earlier, restricted access to certain skills, but often it's a unique effect, such as series mascot Jack Frost's "Jack Bufula", which deals ice damage and lowers the target's defense. These skills can definitely help you get more mileage out of your demons, and SMTV is even generous enough to let you have your favored demons keep pace with you (especially with Essences, an enhanced version of Strange Journey's demon sources, which you can apply even after a demon has been fused). I also adore that items can provide a meaningful backbone to your strategy - you can learn a passive that lets all of your demons use items, which adds a bit of extra depth because items are actually good! New (ish; the concept has been in Digital Devil Saga) to the series are items that create one-use elemental shields, and those coupled with attack gems can be incredibly useful. (Status gems, while not quite as good, can still be useful in a pinch - bosses aren't immune to statuses, for once.)

Exploration can be a bit of a double-edged sword - there is a LOT of platforming, things can get confusing, and it can honestly be a bit of a pain, but in most cases it enhances that feel of "wow, Tokyo got messed up". YMMV on if that's enough to save it for you, but it was fine for me.

It might sorta drag near the end but honestly it feels like enough games do that, at least nowadays, that I really can't get too mad at it for that.

tl;dr: story's kinda barebones, if sometimes fun or personal, gameplay is top-notch if maybe dragging near the middle-end.

Reviewed on Dec 01, 2021


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