Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance improves a game that didn’t need improving.

The announcement of a new and improved version of Shin Megami Tensei V surprised me for a variety of reasons. The biggest of these reasons was that the original game was already great; one of the best in the series. I was curious as to how a game that didn’t need that many modifications would be improved. I didn’t research what the new gameplay changes were, but knowing how much I enjoyed the first game and learning about an entirely new story addition, it seemed like a no brainer to give it a try. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is almost the perfect game. The level of improvements and additions is so impressive that it almost turns the original game obsolete. Reading that might sound crazy, but it’s true.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance begins similar to the original. Your protagonist is on his way to class at Jouin High School in Tokyo. During class, a daydream takes him to an otherworldly realm where he hears the voices of mysterious beings and sees the silhouette of a girl. He’s given a choice: take the girls hand or ignore her. This decision will determine whether you’re on the Canon of Creation (the original story) or the Canon of Vengeance. No matter the choice, the day ends, and the young man decides to walk home with a couple of friends. On their commute, an undisclosed incident prevents them from catching their subway home. Your character abandons his friends to look for an alternative route but ends up getting caught in a collapsing tunnel. He survives to find himself in a desert filled with ruins. Things get stranger when monstrous creatures zero in on him. Fate intervenes. A lifeform with extraordinary powers named Aogami fuses with the young man. The two become one and transform into a Nahobino: a powerful being capable of fighting demons. With new powers at his disposal, it’s time for the Nahobino to learn what happened and fight his way back to Tokyo.

If you’re at all familiar with the series, then this set up shouldn’t be too surprising. Both pathways (Canon of Creation or the new Canon of Vengeance) lack bright or cheery moments. The aren’t any love connections between the protagonist and a heroine. Instead, you’ll come across devastation, destruction, and plenty of death. If that wasn’t enough, there are many times you’re forced to make tough choices that determine your Nahobino’s alignment. This applies to both paths, which means there are more endings to experience and different battles on the way towards them. It’s easy to get the desired ending on Canon of Creation. The Canon of Vengeance is a little more tricky. But, handling the path towards specific endings on the Canon of Vengeance should click for series vets.

The new story is enough to make this worth playing, but I still think it’s worth discussing some other noteworthy add-ons in Vengeance. Listing all of them would be beyond the scope of this review so I’ll just rattle off some of my favorites: You can save anywhere. There are more demons to recruit, unlock, and fuse. There are new side-quests. You can save anywhere. Navigation, while still frustrating at times, has been improved thanks to better maps. You can save anywhere. There are railways that have you literally surf from point to point (it’s sleek AF) which massively reduces travel time. There are new Miracles to learn. You can save anywhere. Have I mentioned you can save anywhere? There’s a lot more, but those are the most important ones that make the game feel even more enhanced than the original.

For most of the game, you’ll be traveling through expansive Tokyo wastelands from point A to point B. On your way to each story marker, you’ll uncover Leypoints, friendly demons, demons that have a side-quest for you to accept, and plenty of hostile demons that would love to make a snack out of the Nahobino. Leypoints are where you’ll save, heal, shop, and enter the World of Shadows. The World of Shadows allows you to fuse demons together to make a new one, and enhance your Nahobino’s abilities with a currency called Glory. You get Glory from items and from finding little critters scattered throughout the land called Miman. Finding Miman (200 in all) is worth the effort because the rewards for doing so are excellent. One of my favorite things to do while chilling in the World of Shadows is to fuse the Nahobino with the Essence of other demons. This lets you alter your hero’s abilities and his strengths/weaknesses. Every demon has an Essence. With careful planning, you can turn your Nahobino into a perfectly customized killing machine. There’s also the new Demon Haunt where you can talk to your demons and give them gifts. Doing this will increase their bond with you which in turn boosts their stats and lets them learn new abilities. It’s an interesting and fun diversion.

New demons means new Essences. As always, take time to experiment since Shin Megami Tensei V can be tough. Combat features the classic Press Turn System. If you land a critical hit or hit an enemy’s weakness, then you’ll gain an extra turn. If you miss an attack or use something the enemy reflects/absorbs/blocks, then you lose a turn. Enemies (which are very smart) follow the same rules. Enemies have no qualms about exploiting holes in your party’s setup. It’s very important to try to finish combat as quickly as possible. Boss battles require more finesse and care, but again, prolonging them is a recipe for disaster. Along with using physical and magical attacks, you can attempt to negotiate with demons to have them join your party. Just like the Nahobino, you can build a party of demons that suits your playstyle. By the end of the game, your roster of demons will be filled with a gamut of creatures. The options are close to endless for building a team. This enhanced version adds a slew of wonderful new skills and magic for both the Nahobino and the demons.

While the series is known for being difficult, in Vengeance I found myself not struggling much on Normal difficulty. The multitude of items and Miracles coupled with my grinding/exploring tended to give me an edge even against bosses. But, as usual, one misstep can mean a game over. Combat can be tricky if you come with the wrong demons and the enemy continues to exploit your weaknesses. Since there’s no auto-save, a party wipe could mean a major loss of progress. Once again, my biggest issue with the game was the exploration. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as it was in the original thanks to an improved mini-map.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance features improved performance and sharper graphics. Fighting through multiple demon-infested wastelands or exploring modern day Tokyo was great. There was so much stuff to explore. Most of the game’s environments were filled with destruction: broken bridges, dilapidated buildings, cracked roads. The Nahobino and his endless blue locks return and look as lovely as ever. The new and old demons also look amazing. I have to highlight the Quadistu and Cleopatra designs – someone at Atlus wanted to push the envelope, and I’m so glad they did. A Japanese voice option was added to Vengeance for those that want a more authentically delivered script. The English voice acting is fine but I feel the Japanese option is more fitting. The incredible soundtrack has plenty of new tunes. Do yourself a kindness and download the entire thing on your favorite music streaming platform. No need to thank me.

When my file on the Path of Vengeance ended, I had 90 hours on the clock. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. With the game being available on PlayStation (and Xbox) there’s the option to run through it multiple times for the sake of trophies. The thought has crossed my mind – even if it means having to deal with a limiting introduction section and some starting difficulty spikes. Regardless of what I decide to do, I hope you decide to hop into this definitive version of Shin Megami Tensei V. I came in with a few expectations, but I didn’t expect to be so impressed by the result. Sometimes, a game that doesn’t really need touch-ups gets a few and is all the better for it. That’s the case here with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.

Overall, 10/10: Sure, no game is perfect. And sure, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance could be nitpicked. But, I don’t want to do that so I’m giving it a perfect score.