Japanese RPG pioneer Atlus have been on a roll for what feels like forever, and they don’t show any signs of stopping. Just earlier this year the remake of their classic game Persona 3, Persona 3: Reload, sold 1 million copies in just week, with numbers likely far higher now. But Atlus is not done with boldly going where they’ve gone before, this time for the more hardcore Shin Megami Tensei enthusiasts with their recent announcement of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.
The trailer features the main character, the Nahobino, airboarding through the demon infested ruins of Tokyo. Many familiar faces show up, such as Yuzuru, Ichiro, Nuwa, Abdiel, and probably most importantly Tao. Alongside these returning characters from the vanilla version is a new girl with short hair who will participate in at least some fights with you, and the help will be much appreciated against some of the new demon enemies that show up in the trailer as well.
Shin Megami Tensei V was a game that many SMT faithful felt was a bit undercooked in a lot of areas, and it looks like Atlus agrees, as they’re selling Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance as the true definitive version of Shin Megami Tensei V, and with several of the cuts from the trailer seemingly expanding on the main cast of the vanilla game while also introducing some new faces it seems that this statement is going to hold true.
Interestingly, it seems that the original storyline of Shin Megami Tensei V is locked behind a choice players can make at the beginning of the game. As reported by rpgfan.com, one being the “canon of creation” route, which is the default vanilla Shin Megami Tensei V experience, and the other is called the “canon of vengeance” which, as its name implies, is Vengeance’s storyline and will feature major changes to the story’s middle and latter parts. Their article also goes over some of the major changes coming for the demon and world as well:
With the addition of new quality-of-life elements, the game brings you a smoother and a more in-depth demon experience.
Numerous new quests have been added as well as a new area of Da’at to explore.
Over 40 new demons added, including first time demon Nahobiho. Demons now possess unique skills to expand on their abilities and the strategy elements of battle. Auto battle is also included for increased playability.
Atlus has a history of taking older titles like these and expanding upon them, one could even say that it’s their entire development strategy. If you’d like to experience the definitive edition of Shin Megami Tensei V, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance will be available on Playstation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox X|S, and on the PC for Steam.