Amazing rerelease that expands on the original without doing a single thing worse. I absolutely love the CoV and it’s story additions, especially the new characters of Yoko and the Qadistu. Unfortunately it does share some flaws with its predecessor, the CoC, but with all the stuff it added and improved I don’t mind it. The changes to the gameplay make this my favorite use of the press turn system in the series. It’s fast and satisfying to abuse this system every way to kingdom come. Sadly, for those wanting to experience the original SMT V, they have delisted the game from the eshop, but I hope everything Vengeance brings to the table is more than enough to make up for it. Please, if you are considering beginning your Shin Megami Tensei adventure, this is an amazing start.

Oh. My. God. This is, without hyperbole, the best video game I have ever played in my entire life. Shin Megami Tensei IV was so good that it set my expectations too high when playing its brothers in the mainline SMT series. Its themes of classism, government, and society showed me a world that I love every time I replay it. I am currently on my 5th playthrough of the game and it’s just great. This time I’m getting Chaos and I’m still learning more about the game with all the different dialogue options I’m choosing. If you’re reading this and haven’t played it yet, what the fuck are you doing?? PLAY THIS GAME NOW!!!!!!!!