The New Classics #27: Shin Megami Tensei V

 

The Backstory: Not gonna lie: the only reason I own that game is because I purchased it before putting SMTIV to the New Classic test. I reasoned that since I owned it, I might as well play it, and see if it fared better than its 3DS predecessor.

 

 

The Game: Of course, I had to have a giant crush on the impossibly stylish and gorgeous MC. My dream anime character would look a lot like that — down to the dazzling blue colour palette. Still, I never played a game just for its MC, and I don’t intend to start today; so, let’s talk atmosphere and gameplay!

 

 

The former is not exactly my cup of tea. It’s all the more surprising as the game opens with a desert setting, and I’m usually very fond of such settings; but SMTV’s arid vistas feel curiously empty and soulless. In fact, the whole game feels empty and soulless, from the menus to the dialogues. I’ve played many dry and barren games, and I’m usually unfazed by such starkness; but SMTV is more than stark — it’s totally devoid of passion, liveliness and charm. 

 

 

From what I’ve understood, this is a staple of sorts of the series: while Persona games are all about glitziness and memorability, MegaTen games are about not lifting a finger to charm the player. I’ll take this as a deliberate choice and move on to the gameplay — and start by saying this: we’re in 2022, and instant save should be mandatory. No exception, no excuses — save points need to die, period. 

 

 

I somehow expected a miracle — and there was none. MegaTen is like Dragon Quest: sticking to a formula despite all odds, for the sake of a loyal and grateful fanbase. Every single thing that bothered me in SMTIV is alive and well in SMTV, from the stupidly hard battles to the elemental affinity system. A mere two battles were enough to deplete my MC’s MP bar, and hits would routinely take away a quarter, if not a third, of his HP bar — all that while playing in easy mode, b*tch. You know I lap up a good challenge, dear fellow gamers; but to me, this qualifies more as an utter loss of time.  

 

 

The Verdict: MegaTen is such a legendary series that I was reticent to admit my true feelings at first. But the truth must be faced: SMTV is no New Classic of mine, and I doubt a canon MegaTen game will ever become a New Classic of mine. We’ll see if the spinoffs fare better!