With fantastic voice acting, third person, Singleplayer, and being a turn-based open world, it’s not hard to love it. Welcome to Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, developed by ATLUS and Published by SEGA. Now, let’s dive right in and save the world one demon at a time.

This title expands the original story, Canon of Creation, which had one distinct tale. Still, with this new expansion, two-story paths can now be chosen. Each story is intertwined with the main character’s actions, deciding the outcome with the chance to change the story entirely. This new expansion also centers around a new set of characters, aiming to rid the world of demons.

The game starts you off with a beautiful cutscene that gives you a good insight into the lore of the game and also shows you the difference between good and evil, with the main character waking up in a parallel universe and being given the option to free the woman of darkness or to let her stay sealed away. Your decision will start your path on one of the stories, but you will also be given multiple options and choices to affect each path, which could lead you from the path of the gods to the path of the demons.

Once you have chosen your path, you wake up in the homeroom of your class in school, where you will get to select your character’s name, and learn about students being attacked, so going home alone is not an option.

This is when you meet some of the main characters you walk home with, but an attack at the train station has left you running after Tao’s brother, leading you to a haunted bridge where you are subsequently teleported to another dimension.

Known as the Netherworld, where demons run free, it is up to you and your newfound friends to fight side by side against the evil monsters, noting that not all are bad. As you battle demons, you can talk to them, bring them to your side, and fight with you. It’s almost like throwing a Poke ball at them and capturing them but it’s not for free, as most demons want something rare in return, so finding the best one that works for you is vital, as the more party members you have, the more attacks you will have in your turn.

Controls are odd in this game, with sprint being the left trigger and jump being B. Still, the game does an excellent job of teaching you everything you need to know with guides and steps throughout the beginning when finding new items, a popup with explanations on how and when to best use the item which is handy for getting accustomed to the game mechanics. However, there were multiple instances where I would click the wrong buttons trying to escape and do some tasks, which sometimes got a little annoying.

With the graphics in Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, I found its art style to be very retro. It is almost like being in an anime world, with 240 unique monsters, each with their custom skins and animations, even each spell and melee attack having amazing animations.

Don’t even get me started on the cutscenes, which had fantastic flow and texture, with characters and objects having incredible details for their animation style.

The sound felt incredibly intertwined with the part of the world you are in, being in the Netherworld. It feels very open, with its track giving off the vibe of being in a dangerous environment. Even when in battle, it is getting you pumped for the action that is about to take place. Also, having vast amounts of voice acting throughout the game makes you feel so immersed and invested in the story. Even when demons talk to you, you can almost hear the

trickery or compassion in their voices. Making for a great gaming experience that is almost like watching a movie.

I couldn’t have asked for a more fun and enjoyable experience. Each aspect of the game pushes everything to the limit, and the fantastic gameplay and lore pull you into the world and the characters. Being able to feel the compassion and hatred of each character digs deep. They have done a fantastic job with this expansion, and I can’t wait to see more of it in the future. It’s definitely a game to check out. It has my tick of approval.

Written by: TypicalCambieAU