Shin Megami Tensei V surprised me in more ways than one. As a big Persona fan, I was weary to get into SMT because of the negative stigma surrounding it. I was always under the impression that SMTv was a "dumbed down version of Persona" without even giving the series a chance. I am happily able to say that my opinion was incredibly false as SMTV is a solid JRPG with some of the most fun and challenging turn-based gameplay I have ever played.
The combat really helped make this game special. It's fast-paced and forces the player to strategize their next move with an ever-hanging party of wacky demons found across the many open-world areas. The bosses were always a blast to prepare for and fight, and the satisfaction of overcoming them was a rush that only games such as Dark Souls have given me.
The open world of DA-AT is a blast to explore. Each area holds a multitude of secrets waiting to be discovered, and the many side quests give the world a big sense of personality. The demons within it are also a blast to talk to and recruit, each with their own dialogue through negotiation that gives them all their own charm.
The game does have many flaws that bothered me throughout my playthrough. The story is just very boring and the characters never clicked for me. The reveals were never truly surprising and every main character was immediately overshadowed by all the random demons throughout the world. Dungeons are also quite bland and never fully felt like they mattered in the grand scheme of the plot besides the final one. If there was one page Atlus took from Persona it should be its dungeon design and story as this game bored me whenever the plot progressed.
All in all, SMTV is an enjoyable game and easily the best JRPG that came out this year. It's fun and strategic only held down by a boring story. But for my first SMTV game, I was impressed.
The combat really helped make this game special. It's fast-paced and forces the player to strategize their next move with an ever-hanging party of wacky demons found across the many open-world areas. The bosses were always a blast to prepare for and fight, and the satisfaction of overcoming them was a rush that only games such as Dark Souls have given me.
The open world of DA-AT is a blast to explore. Each area holds a multitude of secrets waiting to be discovered, and the many side quests give the world a big sense of personality. The demons within it are also a blast to talk to and recruit, each with their own dialogue through negotiation that gives them all their own charm.
The game does have many flaws that bothered me throughout my playthrough. The story is just very boring and the characters never clicked for me. The reveals were never truly surprising and every main character was immediately overshadowed by all the random demons throughout the world. Dungeons are also quite bland and never fully felt like they mattered in the grand scheme of the plot besides the final one. If there was one page Atlus took from Persona it should be its dungeon design and story as this game bored me whenever the plot progressed.
All in all, SMTV is an enjoyable game and easily the best JRPG that came out this year. It's fun and strategic only held down by a boring story. But for my first SMTV game, I was impressed.
3 Comments
> I was always under the impression that SMTv was a "dumbed down version of Persona" without even giving the series a chance.
Sounds like you got it mixed up because thats a huge misconception with Persona and SMT where Persona is the dumbed down version of SMT.
> Dungeons are also quite bland and never fully felt like they mattered in the grand scheme of the plot besides the final one. If there was one page Atlus took from Persona it should be its dungeon design and story as this game bored me whenever the plot progressed.
Yeah dungeons are dogshit in this game but they are still just as bad in SMT4. If you want good dungeons you play SMT3(nocturne) or Digital Devil Saga. If you want story + dungeon you play DDS. SMT4 is more just about a cool setting + a handheld game. Most Personas have shit dungeons that are corridors with rng paths that add nothing or are P5 with being braindead easy.
Sounds like you got it mixed up because thats a huge misconception with Persona and SMT where Persona is the dumbed down version of SMT.
> Dungeons are also quite bland and never fully felt like they mattered in the grand scheme of the plot besides the final one. If there was one page Atlus took from Persona it should be its dungeon design and story as this game bored me whenever the plot progressed.
Yeah dungeons are dogshit in this game but they are still just as bad in SMT4. If you want good dungeons you play SMT3(nocturne) or Digital Devil Saga. If you want story + dungeon you play DDS. SMT4 is more just about a cool setting + a handheld game. Most Personas have shit dungeons that are corridors with rng paths that add nothing or are P5 with being braindead easy.
'I was always under the impression that SMTv was a "dumbed down version of Persona"'
Lol.
Lol.
CigaretteFailure
2 years ago