Summary
Sega and Atlus' recently releasedShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeancecontinues a trend among the publisher and developer’s games of releasing an improved and enhanced version of a title that debuted just a few years prior. LikePersona 5 Royalbefore it (andPersona 4 Goldeneven before that),Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeanceaims to be the definitive version of an already great JRPG by introducing some balancing tweaks, a completely new alternate campaign, and several other additions to the core mechanics and systems. One of the most pronounced improvementsVengeancemakes over the originalShin Megami Tensei 5is its new traversal options.
The majority ofShin Megami Tensei 5takes place within the inhospitable nether-realm of Da’at. Despite Da’at featuring several distinct regions each with its own environmental features and enemy types, it’s all too easy to get turned around or confused on how to make it to an objective even with the help ofShin Megami Tensei 5’s mini-map. One of the bestadditionsVengeancemakesis the introduction of the Magatsuhi rails for quick access to important locations that were much harder to reach in the original version ofShin Megami Tensei 5, streamlining the act of traversal and encouraging thorough exploration of its world.
Magatsuhi Rails Are Much More Than Simple Quick Access Shortcuts
Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance’s most obvious improvement to traversal comes in the form of the Magatsuhi Rails. These new “grind spots” allow players to simply walk up and press a button to initiate burst travel between two points of the map. While it might be easy to pass these off as simple quality-of-life upgrades to the moment-to-moment traversal and exploration inVengeanceoverthe originalShin Megami Tensei 5, how they transform side quests and make exploration more efficient is worth examining.
Completing side quests and then returning to report progress can be easier said than done thanks to the plethora of missions players can pick up and the potential to get lost in the sprawling wasteland of Da’at. Combined with the new improvements toShin Megami Tensei 5’s mini-map and more pronounced icons for tracking side quests and their important locations, the Magatsuhi Rails facilitate seeing and doing everything thatVengeancehas to offer. And, considering how many new rewards there are for players to collect in the form of version-exclusive Demons, Miracles, and Essences, it pays to see as much of Da’at as possible and complete every side quest that comesthe Nahobino’s way.
Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance’s Improvements to Traversal Smooth Over Da’at’s Rough Edges
Along with the new Magatsuhi Rails,Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeanceintroduces several new improvements to the mini-map and main map screen, the new Bird’s-Eye View function, and the ability to save anywhere.
The Magatsuhi Rails inShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeancemight be the most obvious new inclusion to the enhanced edition, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Along with the helpful new quick-travel locations, players also have a much-improved version of the original’s mini-map inVengeance(complete with several new gameplay-specific icons to aid in traversal) and the supremely helpful “Birds-Eye View” function that allows players to scan an area from above at the press of a button. Combined with the new ability to save outside Leyline Founts,Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance’s version of Da’atis much more forgiving than the original.
In just the first area of Da’at that players get to explore as part of the “Lay of the Land” quest, there are dozens of treasure chests, optional tough encounters, several side quests, and plenty of random encounters to engage in anddemons to recruit. It can almost be a bit overwhelming to anyone new to JRPGs or theShin Megami Tenseiseries in general, butVengeance’s new traversal options and quality-of-life features go a long way toward acclimating players to the start of a grand adventure.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
WHERE TO PLAY
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance consists of two complete story paths: experience a brand-new route, the “Canon of Vengeance” – a dramatic tale of revenge by the fallen, centered around new characters and an enigmatic cohort of demons, the Qadištu, who plot their own dark designs apart from the war of those who fight to maintain order and those who seek to defy it. Or explore the original story told in Shin Megami Tensei V, the “Canon of Creation” – an eternal conflict between angels and demons, in which the protagonist fights for the world’s fate.When a grisly murder scene in modern-day Tokyo blocks our protagonist’s walk home, an unplanned detour leaves him buried and unconscious. He awakens in a new Tokyo, a wasteland ravaged by apocalypse now called Da’at… but before bloodthirsty demons can claim his life, a savior emerges, and the two of them unite to become a mighty being, neither human nor demon: a Nahobino.With newfound power, the protagonist ventures through Da’at, an enigmatic realm filled with mythical deities and demonic tyrants in constant conflict for survival. Searching for answers, the protagonist must forge his own path in a battle between angels and demons to dictate the fate of the world.
