Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance Review (PS5)
I have always been a fan of RPG’s, including to a lesser degree JRPG’s. But I have never even looked at any of the Shin Megami Tensei titles. Like many games with Japanese roots, the over sexualised schoolgirl vibe has not been something I particularly like. And on top of that, the batshit crazy storylines can be pretty overwhelming. But with the opportunity to delve into the Shin Megami Tensei universe with the definitive version of the fifth game, I thought why not.
And straight off the bat we are in a High School! But not for long. Without playing previous titles I can’t say if these are the regular characters or an introduction to new ones. All I can say is that for the whole opening section I thought the main character was a young woman, only to be corrected when everyone began addressing me as ‘young man’! Gotta love JRPG’s!
It’s All About The Demons.
Once you get passed the intro section the game unfolds into a much more recognisable Turn-Based JRPG experience. Although some of the underlying mechanics around the fusion of demons can be pretty confusing. I still believe I am not utilising several key aspects to increase my teams abilities, but to be honest, it is still a playable game with plenty of progress being made. As I see it, it is not always about defeating your adversaries, by talking to them you can recruit them and retain their soul for fusion with other demons. There is definitely a very deep system here and I do not doubt if you get your head around it, a very rewarding system.
Post Apocalyptic Tokyo.
All this demon slaying takes place in a devastated Tokyo. If I am honest, it is a pretty bland environment. It is well conceived and looks good but all a bit boring. The whole look of Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance is about as JRPG as you can imagine. I actually like it for a change from the western RPG look. It is a very Pokémon vibe I get. Not that I have ever really indulged in Pokémon either… But you get the idea. All the in game characters are fun and colourful. Anyone wanting that modern realistic looking game needs to look elsewhere.
Avoid If Easily Annoyed.
The soundtrack and voicing can be very grating at times too. Well at least to my western ear. Some very Anime-like whiny voices and drawn out cutscenes, which can be skipped. There is some great use of surround sound and, like the overall presentation, everything is very well done, it is just the fact that the JRPG style is definitely not for everyone. I had the wife on several occasions tell me to turn down that annoying sound. I found if I was in the menu screen or inventory screen, even I turned the volume down.
Closing Comments.
Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance is an absolute solid JRPG. Is it for everyone? No, definitely not. Those who like the JRPG genre will enjoy it, those into western RPG’s will no doubt tolerate it like I have. And even had some fun along the way. For the vast amount of mainstream gamers out there, this is a hard pill to swallow. The game mechanics are in depth and complex to newcomers. The story and characters are weird to those not into Japanese culture.
Can all this be overlooked? Absolutely! There is plenty of fun and exploration to be had here for those who are accepting and tolerant of things outside the norm. And trust me. Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance has plenty of things outside the norm. Give it a crack if you are keen to try something different.
