- Tested on Nintendo Switch.
- Code transmitted by Nintendo .
- Main game finished in 75 hours, game over included in normal mode.
- No more game with a Nahobino at level 81.
- 68% of the demons recorded in the compendium.
- Made most of the auxiliary quests. I've punctured all demonic abscesses and squandered almost all secondary bosses. Peace to their souls.
- SMTV has reconciled with the JRPG!
- I did not play previous opus for comparison.
- The last quarter of the game is of crazy intensity.
- New Game Plus available at the end but not launched on my side.
Shin Megami Tensei V is the equivalent of Bigorre pig for ham. It belongs to an ancient breed of JRPG and not any one: that of the determination without flaw, coupled with the queen requirement. A rare playful cross and now cultivated by the publisher Atlus, to whom we also owe the series Persona, the equivalent of Iberian ham to the general public. Here no question of farm To overthrow a boss a little too big for the level of our avatars. It is intelligence that prevails and understanding the game system. From the flesh to the coon, you will have to thoroughly depict all the specificities of gameplay to triumph over the gods! Truce of drunken comparisons, what does SMTV bring so singular in a landscape as competitive as the JRPG in turn? What could have led the author of his lines to spend whole days, cramped to his switch on this niche game For a long time confined to a Japanese public of experienced dolorists?
And you will know why my name is the Lord...
Like all good modern JRPG that respects itself, everything begins in a charming little Tokyoite high school. Our daily life will change as our young hero finds himself rushed into the world of Hell. At the detour of a meeting with a curious character named Aogami, who after a frantic entry crushes a horde of demons with a slamming of fingers, we merge with the latter and trouch our charming floral uniform for an exoskelette (or combination of latex according to interpretations). In addition to this charming blue hair that floats in the air, we now hold the strength of Nahobinos, a blasphemous power that limits to the Gods it is said in the country. And divinities you're going to cross and occire a package on your way to save Tokyo from Hell. Cryptical scenario requires you to work for a secret society, hidden from mere mortals. Here's the topos!
Small evangelist in short panties, pass your way if this program of apostat and deicide seems too heretic to your taste. Precipitous in the midst of the eternal wars between gods and demons, SMTV will gradually let you position yourself. With three different ends (well) you can quickly get caught up in the game as the universe is dense. Some characters really have charisma in this merry mess where angels and demons fight the throne. One will naturally think of this couple of mercenaries, the demon Nuwa and the human Nakumo, who travel the world, without really choosing their camp, like a certain Berserk. Or at the archangel of Bethel, which is a wonderful illustration of the ravages of fanaticism. Without necessarily crushing us with his narration, each character has his own intentions, vision and origins, which brings from milling grain to intrigue until the final outcome. While these few lines of synopsis seem caricatural, SMTV nevertheless has tons of things to tell through its protagnoists, while creating a portrait of an atomized society, where men and gods seem to have abandoned all hope, won by the hybris and convoked it. SMTV finally questions about polytheism, blind belief and the act of creation as such.
...when upon you shall bring down the vengeance of the Almighty
Do not expect a regular narrative, or even lines of dialogue at any end of the field as in the series Persona. SMTV recalls more Zelda Breath of The Wild in his way of telling a story. Through its gigantic areas to be covered and sorry landscapes, where every corner is the opportunity of a bonus to discover. By its bestiary which recalls so many different folklores. Every encounter with a demon is an echo of Nordic, Greek, Egyptian or even Japanese mythologies. The plural artistic direction contrasts with the other games of the genre and we feel how much it took to work upstream to combine this ensemble with coherence. The more we advance in the game, the more impressive the demons are.
Some recall these Japanese horror manga, including boss Lahmu who will also have a particularly dark and unhealthy arch. With its lubricated mutations and its willingness to merge with one of the high school girls, this gives rise to successful horrific cinematics. Other cute designs remind the series Pokemon, while some rare demons slice by their radicality. One will naturally think of this good old Mara who is nothing but a tentacle green phallus mounted on a golden tank at the Ben-Hur. Note moreover that the developers have pushed attention to detail to generate very rare occasional discussions between demons specific to the middle of a fight. We let you enjoy the reunion of an elephant and this senile penis or those ofa mermaid and Belphegor well-harned on his throne... Typical Japanese dialogues by their grivois and casual spirit. Other meetings are of course more conventional but they all share in their way to strengthen the relevance of the universe, as well as the many variants of dialogues to recruit demons. Loading screens are even used to describe their history. Smart to never separate the player from immersion.
Catch them all!
Specificity of the series, every enemy you encounter can be recruited to end up in your team. To do so, you will have to enter into negotiations in full struggle with the interested party to convince him to join in your cause. A perilous exercise that often requires several attempts to achieve this. In fact, demons don't let themselves be gratified easily and some will not hesitate to give a bad cotton if you grieve them. Quite often, you will have to get rid of a few objects or maccas (the local currency) when it is not a matter of giving out a large portion of your PV or PM. Since satiety and sufficiency are not really demon-specific qualities, expect them to rack you up until the last cent. In SMTV, it's better to be expensive. If after giving up the 75% of your life bar you would upset the unfortunate, he will not hesitate for a second to attack you with all his band, whereas it was not his turn. An episode that can quickly end with a game over. You will be advised to eliminate your peers before starting negotiations. A radical but proven method! Or fail to gain skills that can correct the shooting en route or outright racket them yourself. There is no small profit!
Recruiting new demons and filling the compendium, which has no fewer than 200 specimens, quickly becomes an obsession. If one thinks naturally of the Pokemon series, it is not only the collection that drives us to fill it, but the necessity. Some races of demons are essential to our progress and unlike traditional RPGs, a simple higher level will not allow you at all to move forward serenely. To tell the truth, winning a rank will allow you to choose a point to be awarded among strength, vitality, magic, agility and luck. It should also be noted that the fact of assigning only one point to one of its specificities can lead to monomanic behaviour as in my present case. Obstinate as ever, I exclusively increased magic, without ever touching other stats.
Demolition essence: the new Channel
The whole body of the gameplay depends on a complex system of resistances and weaknesses. Your Nahobino like every demon has eleven potentials to improve. Some monsters resist electricity, others fire, etc.. The closer the number is to 10, the more powerful skills the demon can master and the more effective they will be against the weaknesses of your opponents. On your way, you can also find demon essences to learn some skills or to change your resistance. Once consumed, gasoline disappears, so be careful before doing anything, especially in the face of (very) many bosses who chain at a frantic pace, especially in the last third of the game.
In addition, the game systematically pushes you to explore to find these little characters, the Midams, who will reward you with points of glory. The latter is an essential element of gameplay and crazy wealth to customize your experience according to your preferences. In this way, you can increase the number of skills of your Nahobino or demons, for example. This will even be essential at the end of the game to add passive powers that can increase your resistance. Otherwise, you will be unable to compete even one turn against some enemies. A well-built character will even allow you to absorb life or put an end to your opponent's turn if he uses an attack against which you are protected.
Do not let us into temptation but deliver us from evil (or not)
My Nahobino has thus valiantly responded to several laps alone against the final boss, a prowess o how satisfying when we know how intransigent the game is in the face of mistakes. Losing his three companions is often an omen. Glory will also give you the chance to fill your gauge faster Magatsuhi, which can reverse the course of fighting for you – like your opponents – by greatly increasing your damage and the number of turns. It will still take many pages to explain all the subtleties of gameplay and this is probably what makes the SMTV force. We could still talk about the objects, here indispensable to move forward, as your PM will systematically be missing. Think of energy drinks that can alter your condition but, in return, double your PV. Don't forget your grimoires and sutra (which I discovered in my inventory three quarters of the progression...), these allow you to gain levels immediately or strengthen your potential of fire, ice, etc.. They will be precious allies when you feel a little too weak.
Some objects are very rare, especially those that allow you to recover PM, so be strategic. Even health pays off in SMTV. No social security in hell. Finally the system of fusion of demons is there again particularly rich and will even give you access to triples, even quadruple fusions to invoke bosses that you once defeated. Dragon Ball only has to stand well. This can also give surprises on full moon evenings or depending on the accointances of the fused demons to have the best stats. Suffice to say that you will spend more time in the menus than in the game, so that the progression may sometimes seem a bit chopped. If SMTV is not to be given in all hands, guides exist on the internet for novices even if you probably lose part of the charm of initiation to masochism.
Pan's maze
Each step is a small victory and we regularly go back to record our progress at the backup points that also act as transporters. Special mention to the last area which is absolutely gigantic. From beginning to end SMTV is real maze where verticality is omnipresent. It is remarkable as the map is full of secrets and "demon abscesses" to die to unlock new apotheosis. These abscesses are the occasion of technical fighting where you will have to adapt to any situation. The same goes for the few gigantic enemies who populate the map from the first zone and you can only face much later.
Among the flaws, the camera would probably have gained to be less close to the character especially in small environments. The auxiliary quests are basic but numerous and especially the opportunity to rally new demons who do not hesitate to lay contracts on their own. Free to honor or betray them. An original idea that also weighs on narrative, although it is difficult to measure in a single run. If the artistic direction is in tune with most of the music of the OST, we will regret that the Switch skates severely to make the game run correctly. Fluidity is unfortunately not often at the meeting.
Some dungeons are also a playful ordeal and pass through the maze of Shining for a play of children. Too many mazes kill the maze. Using a repellent bell to keep the demons away will help you move more calmly, even if they are always easy to avoid. Clearly, these few dungeons are not the strength of SMTV and are desperately lacking inspiration. Emotional thought, during the passage of fans that propel you into the air and bring you back to the beginning of the level to the slightest error... A calvary that made me grow a few swears against the Almighty.
Demanding but never unfair, Shin Megami Tensei V is a beautiful exclusive for the Nintendo Switch. If you fail, do not blame the game; It means changing strategy, team or skills. If some will no doubt be distraught by the freedom offered, where from the first zone, even the cutest demons want your skin, the last born of Atlus offers an atypical and affluent proposition in the JRPG landscape. Few are the titles to show so much intelligence, where the time spent farming is often enough to triumph over all situations. SMTV is a system-to-system role play, where you will have to reveal the finesse of the gameplay to get all its flavor. After the demon's mind tutorial, you are dropped in the big bath and it is up to you to learn to discover everything by yourself. An appreciable radical proposal when one knows the unfortunate trend towards invasive tutorials for an increasingly assisted audience. SMTV pushes you every moment to experiment with strategies against the incombable demons and angels that will block you from the road. The pleasure of discovery, permanent exploration and the satisfaction of triumphing over the Gods is without common measure. A real rise in power that questions in its own way the place of Good, Evil and the autonomy of the will to the test of Faith. Behind the Creator is always a form of tyranny. Will you go pick the forbidden fruit?
For
- Game system of infinite richness
- Pokedex effect of the compendium
- Recruit and merge demons
- Surprising artistic direction
- Rare but successful cinematics
- Many bosses never recycled
- Exploration-oriented map level design
- Excellent English dubbing
- Don't talk so manicane...
- Several different purposes
- Some excellent music
Against
- Pick-up technique
- The rare dungeons missed
- Too many mazes kill the maze
- Draft card and not always legible
- Summary schedules
- Cannot keep camera away
- Rhythm rather hasty
- ...but no Japanese voices!
- High school students seen and reviewed
- Ichiro Dazai sacred head to slam of casting...
Clearly Shin Megami Tensei V is the best J-RPG this year with Tales Of Arise!!! (I will also add Scarlet Nexus that I did on the Gamepass via Xcloud)
We really had a very good year on the RPG side!!!
Very good criticism except... concerning the negative point on the absence of Japanese voices. They are available in free DLC at the exit of the game on the Eshop with another DLC on a more accessible mode of difficulty (because yes Shin Megami Tensei V is a pure J-RPG juice to the old so not simple for beginners.....)
Thank you Killer7 for the quality content 👍👍👍😎😎😎🎮🎮🎮
Oh, thank you, I didn't know about the VO at all. I'll fix that. Thank you Nosphor68. I thought it was strange. Mea culpa! ^^^
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