Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

I, like many others, used to describe the Megami Tensei series as “Pokémon for adults,” but I no longer believe that shorthand is entirely accurate. Megami Tensei is Pokémon for the ruthless, those able to exchange compassion and attachment for the cold reality of spiritual warfare. Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance’s “save anywhere” feature, overworld shortcuts, and shallow storyline, however, result in a too-frictionless and therefore flat experience. The moment-to-moment gameplay may still be as fulfilling as any previous Megami Tensei game when it strikes a delicate balance between new and old mechanics, but Vengeance’s overall lack of texture fails to live up to the important narrative themes of struggle, loss, sacrifice, and rebirth established by the franchise over the last 40 years.