Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is a pick and mix of my favorite JRPG elements, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get into the series

GamesJRPGShin Megami Tensei 5Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is a pick and mix of my favorite JRPG elements, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get into the seriesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesJRPGShin Megami Tensei 5Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is a pick and mix of my favorite JRPG elements, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get into the seriesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Atlus) Despite being a diehard JRPG fan, I’m rather ashamed to admit that until recently, Shin Megami Tensei has always evaded me. Unless you count the Persona games, which themselves are super stylish SMT spinoffs, the closest I’d gotten to playing one was Tokyo Mirage Sessions – the colorful Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem crossover RPG that first released on the Wii U. As much as I loved it, I wouldn’t say that its musical interludes and pop star heroes were necessarily indicative of SMT’s traditional darker, apocalyptic experience. Now I’m finally playing through Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to give one a go, because it’s basically a tailor-made mix of everything I love in a JRPG. For a start, it’s got a grand overarching plot at play, with multiple routes and endings for maximum replayability. At the moment, I’m playing through the ‘Canon of Vengeance’ route, a new story which was introduced in the re-release, and there’s been a lot to unpack so far. Pretty much right out of the gate, my protagonist was dropped into a destroyed and barren version of Tokyo overrun with dangerous demons and angels, and merged with a ‘Proto-Fiend’ called Aogami to gain fabulous, flowing purple hair and a sword arm. The hair is important, but the sword admittedly more so to make sure those luscious locks stay on his head. A world of trouble (Image credit: Atlus) Star persona(Image credit: Sega / Atlus)Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first JRPG I’ve played that actually feels more stylish than Persona 5 Star persona (Image credit: Sega / Atlus)Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first JRPG I’ve played that actually feels more stylish than Persona 5 (Image credit: Sega / Atlus) Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first JRPG I’ve played that actually feels more stylish than Persona 5 So far, the deadliest of these foes have been part of a group of new characters introduced in Vengeance, the Qadištu. They have ridiculously cool designs, but are very much bad guys hell bent on murdering innocent people – including school kids – to obtain a powerful energy called Magatsuhi. I’ve not made it far enough through the story yet to know exactly what their deal is, but what Idoknow is that they’re no joke in battle – during one boss fight, one of them pulled off a very suggestive special attack to charm my whole party, and then proceeded to one-hit KO everyone. So, they’re definitely not to be messed with. The enemy of my enemy is my friend (Image credit: Atlus) “There are almost 300 to recruit, and the act of actually adding them to your roster is always good fun” “There are almost 300 to recruit, and the act of actually adding them to your roster is always good fun” I still have a lot of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance ahead of me, especially considering I never played the original version’s story. But even if I’m late to the party, I’m thrilled that I’m finally on board, and I have plenty to catch up with. Playing it has certainly proved that Tokyo Mirage Sessions wasn’t a fantastic indication of the rest of the series, even if I do miss its musical interludes. Can we bring those back, Atlus? Be sure to check out ourroundup of the 25 best RPGsfor more games like Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance. 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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid 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vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”