Atlus always has to miss somewhere huh.
Vengeance definitely fixes some of the problems the original had such as the characterization, Yoko's inclusion doesn't feel out of place and the interactions between the characters help flesh them out. (Also, Aogami is an actual character now).
Despite that the story is still... kinda mid? The Qadistu didn't really do it for me, and after the third zone the narrative is pretty much nonexistent until the last set of bosses. Law ending was decent though, which really surprised me since the original's endings where pretty lackluster.
The gameplay loop largely remains the same: the press turn system is very good, but the exploration and maps are very samey: large deserts with destroyed buildings in between filled with quests and collectables. The new dungeon is as terrible as the ones in the original, even worse I'd say.
SMT V is by no means a bad game, but after playing the original a lot and beating this one I have the feeling that it could have been much more. The zones are mid, the story is pretty bland except for a few stellar moments, but the presentation, visuals and ost are on point and the press turn system tickles my brain so I'm inclined to give this one a high score. I hope Atlus can do something better in the next entry because some of the steps they took with this game were very good and they can definitely build upon it.
ALSO THANK YOU ATLUS FOR INCLUDING OTHER NAVIGATORS I WAS SO TIRED OF HEARING OH? YOU WANT SOME? FOR 80 HOURS
Vengeance definitely fixes some of the problems the original had such as the characterization, Yoko's inclusion doesn't feel out of place and the interactions between the characters help flesh them out. (Also, Aogami is an actual character now).
Despite that the story is still... kinda mid? The Qadistu didn't really do it for me, and after the third zone the narrative is pretty much nonexistent until the last set of bosses. Law ending was decent though, which really surprised me since the original's endings where pretty lackluster.
The gameplay loop largely remains the same: the press turn system is very good, but the exploration and maps are very samey: large deserts with destroyed buildings in between filled with quests and collectables. The new dungeon is as terrible as the ones in the original, even worse I'd say.
SMT V is by no means a bad game, but after playing the original a lot and beating this one I have the feeling that it could have been much more. The zones are mid, the story is pretty bland except for a few stellar moments, but the presentation, visuals and ost are on point and the press turn system tickles my brain so I'm inclined to give this one a high score. I hope Atlus can do something better in the next entry because some of the steps they took with this game were very good and they can definitely build upon it.
ALSO THANK YOU ATLUS FOR INCLUDING OTHER NAVIGATORS I WAS SO TIRED OF HEARING OH? YOU WANT SOME? FOR 80 HOURS