Yacht Club Games spent most of its recent broadcast digging into Shovel Knight‘s upcoming games and DLC, but there was also a brief update in there about the company’s new action-adventure game Mina The Hollower, which draws inspiration from series like The Legend of Zelda.
Apart from a new video (above) showcasing once again what players can expect in this new adventure, the game’s director Alec Faulkner shared some extra insight about this new 8-bit handheld-style adventure running at a smooth 60 frames per second.
Lollipop Chainsaw RePop, a refresh of the 2012 hack-and-slasher about a cheerleader fighting hordes of zombies, finally has a release date: September 25th. It also has a first trailer, showing it in action with the new, less violent “RePop mode”.
League Of Geeks are going “into hibernation”. The Australian developers behind fantasy strategy games such as the animal-themed Armello and hellish remake Solium Infernum said that their remaining staff are going to take an extended break, and they’re not sure “when (or if)” they will revive the studio.
Saturday is officially here, which means it’s time to round up some of the best deals available this weekend! Whether you’re interested in purchasing a new tablet, monitor, or video game, we’ve got you covered with a wide selection of picks that you don’t want to miss. The best deals for Saturday, June 15, include the M2 iPad Pro, Ryzen 9 5900X Processor, GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Xtreme, and more.
M2 iPad Pro for $799
Best Buy currently has the M2 11-inch iPad Pro for only $799. With $300 worth of savings, you can take advantage of one of the most powerful tablets on the market. This iPad is perfect for drawing, rendering, and any task you need to accomplish. Both gray and silver models are available for this deal.
Ryzen 9 5900X for $249
The Ryzen 9 5900X is one of the most powerful processors that you can buy on the market right now. With 12 cores and 24 threads, you can expect top of the line performance in any game, regardless of the demand. Its top speed of 4.8 GHz is excellent for any device. The 5900X features AM4 support, so almost all modern AMD motherboards will support this chip.
Save 44% Off the GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Xtreme WATERFORCE WB 16G Graphics Card
If you have a water-cooled system or are looking to build one, Amazon has an excellent deal on this GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Xtreme that is already prepped for water-cooled systems. The RX 6900 XT Xtreme has comparable performance to the 3080Ti in most instances, with some games even matching the performance of an NVIDIA RTX 3090. With 16GB of GDDR6 memory, you can expect plenty of room for any games or applications you choose to run.
RoboCop Rogue City for $35
Woot has RoboCop Rogue City available for just $34.99 right now. Released in November 2023, Rogue City brings an all-new story to the world of RoboCop that is intertwined with the narrative of the films. Peter Weller even returned for this game, providing an authentic RoboCop experience. In our review, we stated, “RoboCop: Rogue City is the video game equivalent of a B movie in the best way, with the look and over-the-top action to capture the essence of the series.”
Save $28 Off This 100 QT Igloo Cooler
Everyone can use a new cooler, especially in the summertime. Right now at Amazon, you can score this 100-quart Igloo Ultra Marine Cooler for $71.99. The cooler itself is rated for five days of ice retention performance, so your drinks won’t be getting warm inside this item. Whether you spend you summer at the lake, at the beach, or in the backyard, this Igloo cooler is the perfect companion to ensure your beverages stay cold throughout the heat.
WarioWare: Move It! for $30
WarioWare: Move It! is discounted to just $30 at Walmart this weekend. If you’ve yet to pick up the latest title in the series, you can expect to find dozens of fun microgames and shenanigans. This entry utilizes features of the Joy-Con like motion tracking and HD Rumble, which adds new twists and moments to returning and new microgames.
48” UltraGear UHD OLED Monitor for $699.99
This massive 48″ LG 4K OLED gaming monitor is the ultimate display for any gaming setup. Equipped with a 4K OLED anti-glare display, your games will look sharper and more vibrant than ever. There’s no compromise on features either, with a 120Hz panel, HDMI 2.1 support, and G-Sync/FreeSync compatibility. While this monitor is certainly expensive, you’ll be challenged to find a better deal on a gaming OLED monitor. This one normally sits at $1,499.99, which makes this an $800 discount.
As part of Shovel Knight‘s 10th anniversary celebrations, Yacht Club Games will be going back to where it started, with the original game Shovel of Hope – only this time it’s getting the ‘DX’ treatment! You might remember a few titles of yesteryear getting the same treatment after their initial run and now we’ve got Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX.
This is a new “enhanced edition” of Shovel Knight’s adventure that started it all. Apart from Steam, no other platforms have been confirmed (but a Nintendo release seems highly likely given the series’ history) and we don’t have a release date just yet, but we do know that it’s “coming soon”, so hopefully there’s not long to go.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeanceis finally here! Branded by developer ATLUS as the “definitive” version of the game, it promises to expand on the original with iterated mechanics, new characters, and a new storyline that revolves around the Qadištu faction; which consists of demonic women who, depending on who you ask, are either evil or are wrongfully scorned by society. This game seems to be an expansion at all costs, though, as ATLUS is delisting the original Shin Megami Tensei V from the Nintendo eShop on June 13th. This has left many questioning ATLUS’s penchant for releasing enhanced versions of their games and if they’re always good enough to merit the soft erasure of the original version of the game.
That’s why this article is going to dig into every enhanced version of a game in ATLUS’s discography, and sort them from worst to best for some added fun. ATLUS has a long history of releasing games this way, and there have been both missteps and back steps in crafting rereleases that truly improve upon the base game. By looking at what’s worked and what hasn’t, it’ll become easier to evaluate Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance as a new take on the original, rather than assume it’s the new and improved version of the original title.
As a clerical note before kicking this list off, ports from one platform to another do not count as an enhanced edition and will not be included in this list. There has to be a significant material change beyond the device the game runs on for a game to meet the “enhanced” criteria. So the likes of the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection will not be included here, but the reimaginings of the first two Etrian Odyssey games for the Nintendo 3DS will be discussed.
19. Growlanser (remake)
The Growlanser series of games are a consequence of the Career Soft division of Mayasa Games split away from the Mayasa brand, and partnered with ATLUS to create a spiritual successor to the still ongoing Langrisser franchise. They’re tactical RPGs with a distinctly shojo visual style, and the entire franchise is viewed as a bit of a cult classic by people who are, both, way into anime and tactics games.
The Growlanser enhanced remake for the PSP is at the bottom of this list, though, because it BIZARRELY was never released outside of Japan. Growlanser 2, 3, and 4 were all localized but, in spite of their mixed to favorable reception, the Growlanswer enhanced remake remained a Japan-only title. As there’s no legitimate way to play this title outside of Japan, it can’t be discussed further or evaluated higher.
18. Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment for the PSP
The Persona 2 duology (treated here as a single entry as this is already a pretty long list) has always been a bit of a black sheep in the Persona series. While segments of the older fanbase love it for its queer themes, catching art direction, and distinct setting; the games never really got
a fair shake outside of Japan.
The original version of the first game, Innocent Sin, was never released outside of Japan; making the second game, Eternal Punishment, the international entry point. This was flipped for the PSP enhanced remakes, though, where the upgraded version of Innocent Sin was available globally but not Eternal Punishment. Honestly, these games are in desperate need of Persona 3: Reload style remakes, and hopefully this lower ranking will encourage that kind of updated release.
17. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
The Etrian Odyssey series is made up of some of the best games around for dungeon crawling sickos. In a similar vein to Square Enix’s Dungeon Encounters, the Etrian Odyssey games heavily prioritize gameplay loops like exploring and mapping dungeons, turn based combat, and managing the economy of running a guild over any kind of narrative. Which is why it’s strange that the enhanced edition of Etrian Odyssey 2 tacks on story mode that detracts from the focus of the original title.
There’s a reason that ATLUS decided to use the base versions of the first two Etrian Odyssey games for the recent Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, and it’s because the “enhanced” part of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight feels more like an ancillary add-on than something that builds upon the game’s strong points.
16. Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl
Everything about the enhanced version of Etrian Odyssey 2is applicable for the enhanced version ofEtrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, which also focuses on story content. So, go re-read that first paragraph and a half if you want a quick rundown of why this title is also fairly low on this list.
The Millennium Girlbeatus out The Fafnir Knight, though, because this 3DS enhanced edition actually scored a few Metacritic points higher than its original version. Whether this is a statistical quirk or an indication of genuine improvement is unclear, but that’s enough of a reason to rank The Millennium Girl one slot higher than its sequel.
15. Catherine: Full Body
The Catherine series is a bit of a minefield. On the one hand, it’s action-puzzler gameplay, adult cast of characters, and supernatural murder mystery plot make it feel like it was tailor made for older Persona 4 fans. On the other hand, many objected to the casual bigotry levied towards trans characters in the original release, and trans and gender nonconforming characters in the Full Body enhanced edition.
In fairness, plenty of people did find the gender expression of the marginalized characters in both versions of Catherine to be inspiring too. However, this game is also a prime example of ATLUS’s on-again, off-again, “more is better” enhanced edition philosophy; where over-encumbering a game with more story and levels is treated as a superior experience. Bigger, of course, does not always equate to better and this added material detracts from the tighter experience of the original Catherine.
14. Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
As a crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei games with a focus on idol culture, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FEis a game made for very specific segment of the gaming audience. Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encoredoes a solid job building upon the original, even if piled on characters and story content can feel like it’s putting a hat on top of a hat.
The US and Japanese release of this game were mired in a bit of controversy, though, which knocks it down a few ranks on this list. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is the source of the infamous “vagina bones” meme, which is both hilarious out of context and still potent shorthand for localization changes around the sexualization of characters. Additionally, all versions of Encore were based on the Western version of the original game, meaning that the more risque content of the Japanese version of the original did not appear in any version of the enhanced edition.
While that content is definitely a weird thing to be left on the cutting room floor, removing material whole cloth definitely works against the idea of an “enhanced” edition of a game.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a tactics based spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise for the Nintendo DS. Think Persona 5 Tactica, but with an original cast of characters. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclockedis an enhanced port for the Nintendo 3DS, that adds the compendium mechanic featured in most mainline games, and even adds voice acting!
While these more deliberate and mechanically focused add ons are in the spirit of what make enhanced versions of games worthwhile, they don’t quite work cohesively in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked. In fact, the enhanced version of this title actually has an aggregate review score that’s a few points lower than the original version of the game, so it falls to the bottom half of this list.
12. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
The sequel to Devil Survivor, aptly named Devil Survivor 2, also got an enhanced edition in the form of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker. While this 3DS enhanced edition did mostly boil down to additional content after the original game’s ending, this enhanced edition was reviewed more favorably than its base version. Between this higher critical reception, and the fact that characters from the Durarara!! anime inexplicably appeared as DLC characters in the enhanced edition, Record Breakernarrowly beats out Overclocked on this list.
11. Persona 5: Royal
For as much as Persona 5: Royal is seen as the definitive version of the game that brought mainstream acclaim to the long running series, it actually exacerbates some of the original’s biggest issues. While it’s great to spend more time with Akechi after he outs himself as a lil freak, and Sumire’s storyline is certainly moving; Royal tacks on at least fifteen hours of gameplay to a title that already bridged into a triple digit runtime.
While both Persona 5 and Royal are great games, the pacing and repetitive writing are low points and Royal’s tacked on third semester can make the game feel like even more of a slog. While more of a great video game sounds ideal on paper, it’s not as appealing when most of the additional content doesn’t address underlying issues. I’ve said it before, but when it comes to Shin Megami Tensei games, there’s a difference between “more” and “enhanced” and that’s why Royal is in the middle of the pack in this ranking.
10. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Reduxis a pretty standard enhanced edition as far as ATLUS games go. There are some new demons, quality of life changes, an additional dungeon, and a new character that also brings some new endings. What makes Redux a better than average ATLUS enhanced edition is the timing of its release more than its content, though.
SMT: Strange Journey Redux came to the 3DS a little over a year after the original version of Persona 5, and about seven months after the release of the Nintendo Switch. So not only did it capitalize on the growing interest in the broader SMT franchise, but it also breathed a last bit of life into a sunsetting console. It’s important to remember that “enhanced editions” of games are, on some level, marketing tactics; and Redux deserves props for releasing as interest was peaking and on a ubiquitous piece of hardware about to fall into irrelevancy.
9. Maken Shao: Demon Sword
Maken X is a hack and slash game for the Dreamcast and was also the directorial debut of Katsura Hashino, who would go on to direct Persona 3, 4, and 5. The game also received a manga adaptation by Q Hayashida, the famed mangaka behind series like Dorohedoro and Dai Dark.
While Maken X received a mixed at best reception, the Maken Shao: Demon Sword enhanced edition earns a higher spot on this list by transforming the first person action game into a third person action game. While the enhanced edition doesn’t quite come together cohesively, this change had to be a massive undertaking and offers the kind of refreshed experience that makes enhanced editions worthwhile.
8. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax
Did you know that the version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne that most people outside of Japan are familiar with is actually an enhanced version of the game? Dubbed the Maniax edition and often referred to as a Director’s Cut, and included the famed cameo of Dante from the Devil May Cry series. This version of the game also featured the enhanced difficulty that the title, and future SMT games, would become known for.
Is it a little weird to include an enhanced edition that most people know as the default version of the game so high up on this list? Yes, but also Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniaxgot the ball rolling for the slowing growing popularity of the SMT and Persona franchises, so Maniax deserves this recognition and praise.
7. Persona 3: FES
Persona 3: FES is the first enhanced edition of Persona 3, and is the first time a Persona title got this kind of upgrade. Today it can more or less be viewed as the template from which later enhanced editions of their games would draw upon. FES adds story content beyond the ending of the original game, and cleans up a lot of backend technical issues.
While FES is a rock solid foundation from which ATLUS has developed their enhanced game identity, there are better versions of Persona 3 that you can play right now and therefore this game falls a bit short of the top five on this list.
6. Persona 3: Reload
Persona 3: Reload has enough graphical changes and quality of life improvements to make it as much of an enhanced edition as it is a remake of the original game. Also, with ‘The Answer’content from FES on the horizon as DLC, it’s starting to feel more like a refresh of the enhanced edition than just a remake of the original game. This version of Persona 3 is far and away the easiest way for fans to experience the title that would influence the franchise for more than a decade to come.
That being said, some of the changes in Reload work against the intent of the original game. Reload borrowers the peppier visuals of Persona 5, which undermine the melancholic tone and themes of the original game. This enhanced version makes the game more approachable, but less distinct, and an enhanced version of a game should build a title up rather than squeeze it into a popular mold.
5. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
Radiant Historiawas a rock solid turn based role playing game that had the misfortune of releasing internationally in 2011, when global interest in those kinds of games was at an all time low. This means that, despite resoundingly positive reviews, not many played the title; making it a prime candidate for an enhanced edition that could give it another chance to shine.
Perfect Chronology for the 3DS does just that while also adding animation from the famed A-1 Pictures studio, voice acting, and quality of life changes that sped up gameplay. Sure, the new story content felt a bit tacked on, but it’s difficult to pick up on that if you aren’t familiar with the original release. Ultimately, Perfect Chronology does exactly what an enhanced version of a game should; which is to further polish what worked in the original and build upon the momentum of the previous release to take a title to even greater heights.
4. Persona 4: Golden
Persona 4: Golden is one of the best enhanced editions of a game ATLUS has ever made because I can’t think of a single reason why someone should play the base version over this edition. Does the added story content pad out the runtime? Yes, but the game can still be beaten in around 80 hours, which is the sweet spot for these kinds of sprawling RPGs. Golden also adds new cutscenes and character interactions, which is more than welcome for a game that thrives on the quality of its character writing.
Chances are, though, that you already knew that Persona 4: Goldenwas one of the best enhanced games in ATLUS’s catalog. Even as the Persona 5 games have become the new hotness and many people’s gateway into the franchise, Golden remains the gold standard in which all other ATLUS games are measured.
3. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for the PSP
The PSP remake of the original Persona game, titled Revelations: Persona on the PS1, is definitely a strange pick for one of ATLUS’s best enhanced editions, but it’s here for good reason. Did you know that only half of the original Persona game was ever released in the US? No, this isn’t a Persona 2 situation where a sequel/prequel was left unlocalized; half of the story in the first Persona game was removed in the Western release!
Dubbed the Snow Queen route, this storyline leans into the urban legends elements that would go on to make the Persona franchise so endearing. With this content restored in the PSP enhanced edition of Persona, the game is made complete and becomes even more of a gem that new fans should check out. The game’s more grounded, biblical apocalypse setting still feels novel today and this version of the game enhances the base game more than any other title on this list.
2. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir
What happens when one of the best games made by ATLUS and Vanillawear gets an enhanced edition? It becomes arguably the best game to come out of either studio. Odin Sphere was a cult classic that was deeply influential to all who played it, as evident by American folk band sensation The Mountain Goat’s hidden track, “Enoch 18:14”on The Life of the World to Come album. Leifthrasir brought the action RPG to a broader audience as the best version of itself.
In a departure from most other enhanced editions on this list, Leifthrasir makes no story changes to the base game and instead focuses on graphical improvements and refining gameplay systems. In perfectly recognizing what worked and the base game and what could be refined, Leifthrasir is the ideal of what an enhanced edition of a game should be, and is only by an enhanced edition that goes well above and beyond what is reasonable for this kind of release.
1. Persona 3: Portable
Persona 3: Portablelets you play as a girl and date the male cast characters present in the game. While that might sound like a small change, it’s actually a fairly large undertaking from a writing and coding perspective and is probably the reason enhanced editions of later Persona games haven’t had that feature. However, this change indicates that the team behind it knew exactly what was appealing about the original Persona 3, and enhances that experience without any form of detraction.
The main appeal of Persona 3, or any of the modern Persona titles, are the characters. In playing the game you get to experience some of the best character writing in the games medium, and you’re left wanting more time and new experiences with these characters by the end of it. P3P does just that, as giving the player the option to play the game with a character of a different gender identity, lets you see new sides of established characters and connect to them in different ways.
Between this brilliant recontextualization of the game and some battle mechanic updates to make it play more similarly to Person 4, Persona 3 Portable is the best enhanced edition that ATLUS has ever put out. While it would be a phenomenal undertaking for ATLUS to iterate upon other games to this degree for future enhanced editions, no game better encapsulates everything associated with that kind of release than Persona 3 Portable.
Be sure to check out IGN’s review of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance for our take on the most recent Atlus expanded re-release. We’ll include it in this list once we figure out where it belongs in Atlus’ pantheon of re-releases.
With such a wealth of homebrew and aftermarket games releasing for old Nintendo hardware, we thought we’d check out one of the most promising examples in this neo-retro Game Boy review. To reiterate, Glory Hunters isn’t available on Switch, though we’ll be sure to let you know if that situation ever changes.
For review, George played and captured screenshots on an Analogue Pocket.
The Switch has an extensive library of games covering all sorts of franchises and while it’s got plenty of Final Fantasy titles nowadays, one game still missing in this particular series is Square Enix’s massive (and highly successful) multiplayer role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV Online. So will we ever see it on a Nintendo system?
Game director and producer Naoki Yoshida (also known as Yoshi-P) was recently asked by Easy Allies about the possibility of a Nintendo release and mentioned how he wants to see the game available on as many devices as possible in the long run. This apparently includes Nintendo’s hardware, and at the rate it’s going, the new target could potentially be the Switch’s “successor”.
Shovel of Hope DX, DLC, updates… the list goes on!
Alongside the new game announcement at the special Shovel Knight 10th anniversary broadcast, Yacht Club games also announced a whole bunch of other new content on the way. We’re talking about a new enhanced version of the original game, Shovel Knight DLC, an update on Mina The Hollower, and much more.
With so much revealed at this event, we’ve put together this round up – featuring everything you can expect from Yacht Club in the future. This includes some projects which are “coming soon”, some “summer 2024” releases, and even a TBD release. It’s all happening on the Shovel Knight front!
Demons and angels locked in a post-apocalyptic, generation-spanning blood feud to the backing of a hard synth-metal soundtrack… but make it a tough-as-nails RPG – that’s the Shin Megami Tensei experience. I sang the praises of Shin Megami Tensei V back in 2021 because of the way it embodied the series’ ethos in modern form, and as per usual with developer Atlus, we now have a more definitive version a few years later in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Although it doesn’t fundamentally change what already made the original great, its new separate storyline and quality of life improvements are reason enough to play (or revisit) this masterclass in turn-based combat and demonic atmosphere.
The very first thing you do is choose whether to play the original route or go down the Path of Vengeance, which is an alternate path that remixes events with new plot threads, new characters, and some wild new battles. There are no tricky decisions to make or specific choices required to see this content this time. Hell, you don’t even have to consider siding with competing ideologies at any point, as had been SMT tradition – you just pick the Vengeance route and follow it to the end. Since I already spent 80 hours getting 100% completion in the original game, I solely focused on the Vengeance-specific campaign. It took me about 60 hours to finish since I was already familiar with a majority of its challenges and mostly sought out the new sidequests, of which there are a lot. While I do like it more overall, it’s not exactly a significant leap over what was already there.
The story starts off the same in that you’re a high school kid in Tokyo who stumbles into being the chosen one, or a Nahobino – a human who can possess supernatural powers and transform into a demigod. Tokyo as you know it begins to fall apart as you travel to and from a post-apocalyptic future in a battle to determine the world’s fate. For roughly one-third of the runtime, events play out fairly similarly in Vengeance, except for two major points: the presence of both a new villainous group of demons known as the Qadistu and a new ally named Yoko Hiromine. All of these additional characters sport wonderful designs that bring out the best in SMT’s art style and they provide better context for this particular story’s events.
The thing I appreciate most is that the Vengeance path puts more emphasis on its human characters and gets them more directly involved. Yoko is available as a playable party member for a large chunk of the story and often feels like an integral part of it rather than tacked on since she is very much a focus of this route. Existing characters like Tao have a more prominent role as well, joining the party early on and having a bigger focus throughout. While the four members of the Qadistu are more of a mechanism to deliver new plot points rather than fully formed characters, they at least provide an adversarial dynamic that wasn’t previously there.
There’s something special about the attitude of an SMT game that I can simply describe as badass.
Where Vengeance takes a hard turn is in the third region, which is completely replaced by a new one that’s built to encompass the shift in certain story beats. This also leads to a change in the mid-game dungeon that has its own unique aesthetic and set of gimmicks, although you can tell it borrows a lot of design principles from what it replaced. Things eventually merge back onto the original path, so the new mainline Vengeance content isn’t necessarily “in-addition-to,” but rather a detour to better fit the story events. And by the time you reach the finale, it will have treated you to some of SMTV’s best moments, Vengeance or otherwise.
Its larger theme of revenge doesn’t exactly take center stage, though, and the trope of destroying the world to start anew doesn’t get some kind of meaningful examination since it’s missing the connective tissue necessary to make it all work. So as it tries harder to deliver more story, it opens itself up to a few pitfalls along the way. In its grand moments, the philosophical platitudes are what drive its events and that’s kind of the SMT way. Regardless, I can at least appreciate the effort that Vengeance puts into better contextualizing your exploration of Tokyo’s demonic wasteland and the hard-fought battles you’ll overcome there.
SMT has always staked its claim on unforgiving turn-based combat, and there are moments in which Vengeance doubles down on that principle. You’re still honing in on the elemental affinities of your enemies and building a roster of demons who can exploit those weaknesses. But in this version, I got “SMT’d” more often – meaning I’d get absolutely wiped by an enemy in one turn and there wasn’t anything I could really do about it. Of course, in the most tense battles where I needed to carefully think steps ahead to plan buffing spells, hit weaknesses to earn extra turns, or strategically substitute different demons in my party based on elemental affinities, I was reminded that SMT’s combat system has some of the best turn-based mechanics around, even if it can be as punishing as it is rewarding.
You’re still negotiating with demons to capture them, having them fight in your party, and fusing them to create more powerful demons, and the typical flow of building your roster remains one of SMTV’s strengths. There are a handful of new unlockable perks to help you in battle and some of the new demons I earned through fusion are ones that came in clutch in the late-game. It’s that satisfying Pokemon-like nature of cycling through increasingly powerful monsters and staying on top of covering your bases as you level up your main character, and making good use of them in critical moments.
The thing I appreciate most is that the Vengeance path puts more emphasis on its human characters.
Having played on normal difficulty, being at the same level as the bosses alone is not enough to get through them, and you will be tested on your mastery of the system as a whole. Even when you come prepared and think tactically about all the support skills, items, and elements available, your party is going to be fragile. There comes a point where mainlining the story isn’t enough to keep pace, either, essentially encouraging you to seek out sidequests and level up that way. And boy howdy, does Vengeance lay on a thick serving of sidequests.
As far as I can tell, all of the original ones remain in the Vengeance route, and the aforementioned new region is jam packed with its own set of sidequests. Some of them rope you into tough minibosses, require you to find items out in the world, or spin off into short minigames. Big and small, sidequests all feed into painting a more detailed world as you develop a better understanding of the relationship dynamics of the demons in SMT’s mythological multiverse. There’s a humanizing aspect to some of these little stories, so to skip out on sidequests would also be to miss a bit of SMTV’s charm – particularly in Vengeance, where it can get as silly as it is challenging.
There’s something special about the attitude of an SMT game that I can simply describe as badass – much of which comes through in its atmosphere and art direction. From the deranged demon designs that have evolved over the years to the sinister vibe of a Tokyo destroyed by the hand of godly powers, SMTV manages to evoke a unique sense of dread that lingers over its world. It knows it’s cool and doesn’t care too much about being pleasant or palatable; even when Vengeance appeals to our humanity more so than the original, it still maintains a certain darkness the series is known for.
It’s also a credit to its soundtrack, which effortlessly pumps you up for specific battles or sets an unmistakable mood in its overworld, bouncing between synth-infused metal and eerily catchy ambient tunes. The new battle theme is an improvement over what was already a great track, and sometimes I’d sit there mid-battle not doing anything just to listen to it loop multiple times. SMT soundtracks get into thrash-style rock as often as it gets experimental with its instrumentation to create some haunting melodies and harmonies, and Vengeance still carries that tradition.
New music was one of the things I looked forward to most with Vengeance, but on the more technical side it was lovely to replay SMTV as a much better visual experience. If you play on PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S, you’re treated to significantly higher resolutions and frame rates along with better draw distances to let SMTV’s world pop in a way it simply couldn’t when it was a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Vengeance is still available on Switch with all the essential features, of course, but I do think you’d be missing out on one of the best parts of this rerelease playing it there, especially considering how the original struggled in terms of technical performance.
Quality of life improvements don’t end on the technical side either. New mechanics also make the experience smoother without sacrificing the challenging nature of SMTV. For example, the Demon Haunt is a hub area you can visit at save points and talk to demons in your roster, who will then sometimes offer items or get a boost in stats. As you progress in the story, you’ll be able to get free bonus stat points to boost the main character’s attributes in the Demon Haunt as well. Exploration in the overworlds was quite tedious in SMTV (and still kind of is) but now you can pull up a bird’s eye view at any point to get both a lay of the land and a better idea of how to get to hard-to-reach areas. This coincides with the addition of Magatsu Rails which are shortcuts sprinkled throughout the open regions that you skate on to get across the map faster or reach secret areas. And being able to save anywhere now is so much more convenient, because no one wants to lose chunks of progress because they got unfairly “SMT’d” in between save points.
