It’s surprising that a game like Shin Megami Tensei V can even exist in the way that it does. It’s a heavily marketed, big publisher JRPG that is absolutely uncompromising in its vision. The game has an intricate and demanding battle system that pushes you to explore its depths at every opportunity. While the series has long been known for these qualities, they’re sharpened to a deadly degree here. Not only that, but SMT V breaks with its own standard, incorporating unconventional exploration that feels very much like it’s from an action-adventure game or platformer. The storytelling does ultimately cling too closely to the well worn SMT template, but its tone feels so singular in the genre that it still carries a lot of appeal.
