SMTV offers some of the best things mainline smt provides, the definitive entry point for players to get to this amazing series, but it falls flat in some departments.
The Exploration for me is the core of what makes mainline smt truly amazing, and in SMTV is the best the series ever had.
The Battle System is one of the best in the entire megaten but on a subjective note, I still prefer the mechanics and the strategy involving the battle system of SMT4 and Apocalypse... and even Persona 5.
On the Fusion and "Team Building" department, V nails on so many quality of life improvements to make the truly definitive cathedral/world of shadows, and the essences and miracles are great inclusions, but its a pain in the ass trying to find a specific skill on the essences that could be better.
However, the main gripe with this game is the story and the characters... what a fuck happen...
First I think the voice acting is Good, sometimes Great not Amazing, the English Dub brings some new names that just started Voice Acting and I think this is really neat.
But the Characters are completely bland, and yes, I know, SMT is not character-driven but these characters sometimes made me completely empty.
At least the SMT3 cast (that I thought was my least favorite characters in mainline) I cared because they were carried by their reason and are they are the only survivors in the vortex world and at least cared about the SMT1 cast because I named them and they were in the team but in smtv... just dull.
I think the premise is great but the writing really needed to "show, don't tell", for example, I'm using one from a really early plot point in the game ((((((((On a cutscene, Tao Isonokami, a friend of the Protagonist, says she is a close friend with the character Sahori Itsukishima and wants to really help her because she is a bully victim and that was shown and she was introduced a scene before. But there's not a single scene in the game that shows the deep friendship between Tao and Sayori the game wants you to believe in, and that could be resolved at the beginning of the game in the first cutscene where the characters enter the school, if Tao and Sayori entered the school together or something, you don't need to be character-driven to make this characters great)))))))) there are more things in the writing that makes the third act of the story rushed and bad but that this is going to spoilers. Overall Great Game, The Gameplay overshines the Writing making this the best RPG this year.