I should preface this by saying I was a huge fan of the previous entry on the 3DS, so it's going to be difficult to not draw comparisons. I think there are some changes I enjoyed like the more open world, although I did think having set save points, regardless of having an item that can teleport you back there, isn't great. This game can be difficult and frustrating at times and having to go back to save points constantly isn't enjoyable. There's a sequence prior to a boss battle that NOT having a save point nearby requires a lot of retreading cutscenes, mashing through dialogue and talking to NPCs if you die. It's such a massive flaw and kills the flow of the narrative and gameplay.

The story had an interesting idea, but doesn't provide enough time to flesh things out. The hook is interesting enough, but as it went on, I didn't really care what was happening. My final decision was based on which one would end the game quicker.

At the very least, the combat is still fun. Recruiting demons has some funny interactions and provides a nice puzzle to solve. I did enjoy exploring the areas and finding the secrets. It's not perfect, but if the series were to continue and refine this idea, I'd be fine with it. I feel there were a few odd things with demon fusion. A lot of my fusions would end becoming things that had the opposite of what their strengths were. For example, two attack based units would fuse into a magic based unit. You have to get the precise combo of demons to get the right builds and I found that rather tedious.

Is this a let down compared to SMTV 4? A little bit. I had some enjoyment out of the game. The core gameplay is what really holds this together. I just hope if another entry is made, that they can refine some of the decent ideas that were implemented here while also reworking their narratives a bit.