Of Knowledge and Gods
Back when SMT V was originally released back in 2021, I praised the game for its satisfyingly challenging combat as well as its large open areas to explore. It was also the return to home consoles for SMT after over a decade which was something to get excited about. However, the game’s main drawback ended up being its Switch exclusivity, as the game was simply too much for the platform, often leading to inconsistent performance as well as muddy visuals.
With the release of SMT V: Vengeance, it is now available on all modern platforms but as it has become the trend for Atlus SMT titles, it has been improved with additional content and a bevy of quality-of-life improvements that makes this the definitive version of the game to play.
MSRP: $59.99
Platform: Switch, PS, Xbox, PC
Steamdeck: Verified and works great
Voice Over: JPN or ENG
Length: 55~ hours
As this is the same game that was released back in 2021 with additional content and other improvements, I will be focusing on those new elements. If you are curious about the original release, feel free to take a look at the review linked here.
The biggest selling point of this release is the brand new “Canon of Vengeance” route which is actually chosen at the very beginning of the game and starts to impact the playthrough almost immediately. In fact, even though it’s fair to think that I’ve forgotten most of the story elements of the original, I was surprised to find how new everything felt.
Even though the areas I was traversing were familiar, the events that took place within took a dramatic turn, especially with the addition of a brand-new companion in Yoko and the Qadištu serving as the new main antagonists. Yoko, the skeptical and disillusioned exorcist brought a new perspective of the world and was a welcome addition as were the Qadištu, each with their own unique powers and personality.
During this new route, I also unlocked a new form for the Nahobino as well as additional passives and abilities. In fact, once I shifted my playstyle to one of a dodge tank, it ended up being so effective that it trivialized the rest of the game, making me feel that they are likely overtuned.
However, I won’t hold it against the game since it was my choice to build my character up this way and using demon fusion and the like to become overpowered has always been one of the draws for the SMT series.
In addition to the new story/gameplay elements, there have been a few QoL improvements that made exploring all the more enjoyable.
The most notable is the Magatsu Rail, where in certain parts of the map, I was able to quickly traverse large distances utilizing a shortcut that quickly moved me from selected pre-determined paths. Sometimes it would just let me get back to the beginning of the area and others, it would get me to areas that would be impossible to explore due to the terrain. As the open areas can get quite large with a lot of empty space in between, this helped cut down on the tedium of backtracking and made exploring the areas for all the secrets contained all the more enjoyable.
I was also able to save anywhere in the map as long as I could get to the menu screen instead of having to do so at a save spot. This was nice as an option but at the same time it kind of encouraged saving constantly, removing a lot of the tension and difficulty to the combat where one wrong move could spell losing a ton of progress. This is a good change in terms of QoL but I believe it’s a bit of a double edged blade as it also made the game feel significantly easier with less stakes to each decision.
Lastly was the addition of the Auto-Battle where at the beginning of each turn phase, I could simply choose to “Auto-Battle” using skills or using only regular attacks. While this was a nice option, the AI for choosing which skills felt less than ideal, often using up a much more valuable MP than is wholly necessary to complete a fight so it’s not a function I was using often unless I was vastly overleveled in an area.
Having said that, it’s not exactly the perfect package as once again, the PC port of the game felt barebones without any UW, DLSS/FSR/FOV support and while the game ran fine, it does make sense that it would since it is ultimately an upscaled Switch game and certainly looks that way. Even though the art design and animation work shines through, there’s no denying the game looks dated by modern standards, with environments and character models feeling like they lack detail.
Despite my few complaints, SMT V: Vengeance is a worthy upgrade that expands on the story and mechanics of the original in meaningful ways and easily earns the title of the definitive way to enjoy SMT V.
Fun Tidbit – I’m fine with the Atlus pattern for re-releasing games with additional content like this but I do wish they would stop adding new DLC on top of things for re-releases. It sucks to see that some of the most powerful demons are gated by purchasing the “Deluxe” edition or having to pay out another $5 just to be able to recruit each of them.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.