The online game business has habitually repackaged issues and put them on retailer cabinets. Remakes and remasters are one aspect of the dialog, however Atlus, it appears, prefers to launch “enhanced editions” like Persona 5 Royal and now Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. These add new content material and main quality-of-life overhauls, all for the hefty value of a brand-new recreation with no method for homeowners of the unique to easily improve to the brand new model at a lowered value. Once I bought the prospect to play by two hours of Vengeance, I used to be intrigued to get a way of what Atlus has deemed merited a complete new online game. However I’m wrestling with how I really feel in regards to the firm’s methodology of supply.
Vengeance is undoubtedly the definitive model of the unique recreation. It’s prettier, working on extra highly effective {hardware} than the unique Change model (although Vengeance may also come to Nintendo’s system), has a slew of latest summonable demons so as to add to your celebration, and comes pre-packaged with all the authentic recreation’s DLC and plans to incorporate its personal new quests down the road. Vengeance maintains Shin Megami Tensei V’s oppressive environment, trendy character design, and brutal, turn-based problem. However this time, it’s all wrapped in a brand new, non-obligatory story route that may basically change the sport’s latter half.
The alternate route, referred to as the Canon of Vengeance, includes a brand new character, a switch scholar on the participant’s college named Yoko Hiromine. Whereas we weren’t given many particulars about how the occasions of Yoko’s route would diverge from the unique narrative of Shin Megami Tensei V, you make the choice to observe one route or the opposite early on, and it informs the whole thing of the sport. In principle, seeing all the pieces Vengeance has to supply will take two playthroughs if you happen to by no means bought round to the primary SMTV. The unique recreation was wherever from round 45 hours to 100 hours, relying on how thorough you had been, so a brand new participant who by no means performed Shin Megami Tensei V may get twice that a lot out of Vengeance. That’s an thrilling prospect, however I’m nonetheless left questioning if the online game business must be outgrowing this methodology of updating outdated video games.
Within the pre-online period, definitive editions akin to Vengeance made sense as a result of it was inconceivable to ship DLC or patches to a large viewers if you happen to needed to do an enormous overhaul like Persona 3 FES on the PlayStation 2. These days, these sorts of updates can come by digital means for half the worth. Even the Persona 3 Reload remake is getting FES’ playable epilogue as DLC reasonably than forcing a brand new, full-price package deal on gamers. The replace to Vengeance is substantial, and a brand new route is greater than sufficient motive to dive in, however there’s no method for anybody who already owns Shin Megami Tensei V to a lot as get a reduction on an up to date model of a recreation they already personal.
Remasters have gotten higher about this, with video games like The Final of Us Half II permitting you to pay a small charge to get the PlayStation 5 replace if you happen to already personal the sport on PS4, however with a rework on the dimensions of Vengeance, a $10 charge doesn’t really feel prefer it scratches the floor. I don’t care to interrupt down, to the greenback, precisely how a lot I feel Vengeance ought to price for homeowners of SMTV, however I feel there must be a extra consumer-friendly method of delivering one thing prefer it for individuals who nonetheless have a ticket to the trip.
Having performed by Atlus’ definitive editions earlier than, I’ve little question Vengeance can be a wonderful solution to revisit Shin Megami Tensei V, and I’m curious to see how the sport’s new route deviates from the unique story when it launches on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X/S, and Change on June 14.
