After playing Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance for two hours, we'd hoped to be able to deliver a smorgasbord of details regarding new additions, performance improvements, and story nuggets, but truth be told, Sega's preview session felt very much geared toward those who might be playing for the first time over on PS5 or Xbox. In fact, we experienced the game exclusively on the PS5, so while we've got a good idea of how it runs on Sony's hardware, we're sadly not able to discuss how the Switch version fares.
That said, two hours is still a hefty amount of pre-release time to spend with Vengeance, so we can wholeheartedly confirm that if you're a fan of the original, or if you've dipped your toes into some of Atlus' other games, then you can be confident that you're in for a wild ride (if only for the ever-amusing presence of the phallic-shaped demon, Mara).
After listening to a couple of Sega's reps provide a short, introductory presentation, we strolled into a room full of demo stations, popped on a pair of headphones, and got to work. Although encouraged to dive straight into a save state that would provide us with a glimpse at the game during the mid-stage of the story, we wanted to see just how Vengeance's plot would begin and how we'd determine which narrative branch to pursue. So we chose 'New Game'.
As a reminder, Vengeance contains two storylines: Canon of Creation and Canon of Vengeance. The former is the original Shin Megami Tensei V story through and through while the latter is brand new, starting in familiar territory yet diverging drastically during the middle and late stages of the narrative. Your choice comes down to whether or not you choose to take the hand of a shadowy figure during an opening cutscene, and that's really it. Once you've done so, the game clarifies which story path you've chosen before giving you the option to change your mind.
Since the game basically proceeds in the same way as the original, that was quite enough for us, so it was time to dive into the mid-game save state and really get a feel of how Vengeance looks and plays.
In short, it's pretty great. We were dropped back into Da'at, the apocalyptic version of modern-day Tokyo, with a few sidekicks and the newly-introduced female character Yoko Hiromine, and from there we were pretty much free to explore, fight some demons, and soak in the stunning (albeit somewhat barren) environment. Speaking of Yoko, she's an intriguing new addition that we're keen to learn more about. A formidable ally, she boasted skills such as the fire-based 'Agidyne+2', the lightning-based 'Ziodyne', and the dark energy attack 'Mudoon+4' during the demo, the latter of which proved particularly effective against several enemies.
If you've played the original SMTV, then Vengeance will immediately feel familiar. It's very much the equivalent of Persona 5 Royal or Persona 4 Golden in that the game is basically identical in terms of gameplay and presentation, but with some meaningful plot changes and quality-of-life improvements that, largely, weren't really apparent during our session. The game's protagonist whips through the environment like butter when you click the sprint button in, and sliding down steep embankments or grinding across the red, glowing Megatsu Rails to reach new areas is a delight. All of this is made even more palatable in Vengeance thanks to the added ability to save anytime, anywhere, which is nice.
The true wonder of Vengeance lies within its 'Press-Turn' battle system, which remains as deep, enjoyable, and, let's face it, brutal as ever. The section we played came loaded with a whole bunch of demons to assist in battle, which was useful since the enemies were no pushovers. As ever, achieving victory is very much a case of identifying your enemy's weaknesses and exploiting them by switching out your active characters for more suitable options from your roster. When you manage to target an enemy's weakness, you'll get an opening to attack again, so there's ample opportunity during every battle to unleash a combo of attacks against your foes before they even get a chance to respond. Business as usual for veterans, then.
Of course, it doesn't always work out this way. Shin Megami Tensei V is well known for its harsh difficulty, and the tide can turn during battles at the drop of a hat, so you'll want to make sure you're paying attention at all times. Or you can lower the difficulty - up to you. Either way, if you're up for the challenge, Vengeance will surely prove to be one of the most satisfying JRPGs on Switch or any other platform for that matter.
Other than that, everything we saw during our hands-on session was very much par for the course. There's something unusually meditative about wandering around such a beautiful, desolate wasteland and we're eager to explore the new areas, quests, demons, and every little thing that's changed in our own time. If you weren't convinced by the original game's Switch release in 2021, then it's unlikely anything here will change your mind.
All in all, there's a sense of otherworldliness that feels wholly unique to Shin Megami Tensei V and hasn't been replicated elsewhere. It's a fascinating experience, but though we thoroughly enjoyed Vengeance's buttery-smooth 60FPS gameplay on PS5, the jury is very much still out for the Switch version. Since the original's frame rate would often drop below the target 30FPS, we're not expecting any miracles here, but at the same time, we're confident that Atlus will at least achieve performance parity.
