A long time has passed since theShin Megami Tenseiseries has seen a proper mainline entry in the series. The thirdShin Megami Tenseigame served as a revitalization and modernization of Atlus' flagship JRPG franchise.Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturnebrought the mainline series into a fully 3D art style for the first time, alongside multiple gameplay and design overhauls that not only gave the game a wider appeal, but satisfied existing fans as well. The latest entry in the series,Shin Megami Tensei 5, aims for a similar goal of renewal for the franchise: While the fanbase of 2021 is far different from 2003, the fifth game admirably achieves this goal.
Now that a certain other Atlus JRPG series has exploded in popularity with its own fifth entry,Shin Megami Tensei 5has more eyes on it than any previous game in the franchise. Atlus clearly understood this with an ambitious intent:Shin Megami Tensei 5is a high-budget installment that melds together all of the various gameplay enhancements iterated on inShin Megami Tensei 4, alongside revamped designs similar toShin Megami Tensei 3’s renaissance. Becoming the Nahobino and forging the new world is an ultimately satisfying journey worthy of theShin Megami Tenseiname. New and returning fans will find a lot to love inShin Megami Tensei 5.
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Parallel withNocturne’s opening,Shin Megami Tensei 5similarly begins with an apocalyptic, earth-shattering cataclysm that pushes Tokyo 20 years into the future. The protagonist, a student at Jouin Academy, is nearly killed by demons before forging with another god-like being to form the Nahobino. Described as “neither human, nor demon,” the protagonist is tasked with shaping this new world, making choices and allying with various powers and principles that will affect the future forever.
Shin Megami Tensei 5’s narrative wastes no timegetting players settled into their new god-like occupation. A brief introduction throws players right into dungeon crawling at the beginning of the game’s 50-60 hour runtime, however this play time could easily exceed 80 hours based on factors like side quest and demon compendium completion.
That being said, the aspect ofSMT 5that garners the most obvious comparison toNocturneis its story. WhileSMT 5’s charactersthemselves don’t exactly have riveting backstories, their motivations and the questions they ask of the Nahobino are similarly macrocosmic “reasons” that will decide the fate of Tokyo. The introduction of narrative choice is a subtle and steady burn, making the player’s choices within this world begin to feel like their morality is adequately challenged.
In this brand new Netherworld known as Da’at,Shin Megami Tensei 5is easily one of the most visually striking games in the entire franchise, and for good reason. Da’at’s design emphasizes a colorful-yet-gloomy world, accentuated by a high-contrast art direction that varies in visual identity as the game continues to unfold. Paired with an excellent soundtrack and ambiance also fitting ofNocturnecomparisons, venturing into the world and atmosphere ofSMT 5rarely becomes tedious. Sepia-tone barren deserts make way for bright and oversaturated forests, all accented by dark corners and crevices that are all begging to be explored.
Shin Megami Tensei 5’s Netherworld encourages players to explore its beautiful world just as much as it asks players to marvel at it. Utilizing a fully 3D open world format, for the first time in Unreal Engine 4, players explore the desert riddled with shells of skyscrapers that once formed the Tokyo metropolitan area. It may not be the deepest or most complex open world found in an RPG, but compared to past games in the franchise, it’s a huge step up from narrow hallways. Excellent open world design, paired with no random encounters and demons visible in the overworld, emphasizes the fact thatSMT 5rewards players for exploration far greater than any previous entry.
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Exploration generally involves discovering resources (old world relics, resources, Macca, and Glory currency), but is mostly bolstered by the discovery of demons and combat.The Press-Turn battle system returns, and is for the most part, functionally the same as pastShin Megami Tenseigames.SMT 5also introduces Magatsuhi skills, a metered super ability that varies between demons. Players can activate a Magatsuhi skill to make every subsequent attack a critical hit, force ailments on all foes, or launch a powerful Almighty attack for bonus damage. However, like everything else inSMT, demons also have these abilities and players need to account for that.
Combat doesn’t quite reach the notoriousdifficulty ofNocturne, butShin Megami Tensei 5certainly gets close, much to the game’s benefit. The systemic complexity of demon strengths and weaknesses is still plentiful in this entry, but it provides the tools (on Normal difficulty) at a steady enough pace where the balance between grinding and progression is not jarring at all. Demon variety, in both affinities and skills, allows for a lot of manual customization and min-maxing that JRPG players who prefer a higher degree of combat intricacy will enjoy thoroughly.
Bolstered by the World of Shadows,demon fusion inShin Megami Tensei 5is easily the best example in the series' history to date. Dyad Fusion, Reverse Fusion, Reverse Compendium Fusion, and Special Fusion, all culminate in providing the player all the tools necessary to construct the best possible party. While skill inheritance is not random anymore, Essence Fusion allows players to specifically inherit even more skills to demons. Many of the quality-of-life improvements fromShin Megami Tensei 4, framed in a system similar toSMT 3: Nocturne, have streamlinedSMT 5’s demon fusion systems into an essential and rewarding tool of progression.
This is also the way players customize the Nahobino’s skilllset as well, eschewing Magatama fromNocturnefor a system that allows players to inherit the abilities and affinities of other demons to shape their playstyle. Additionally, players can learn various “Miracle” permanent buffs, which can vary anywhere between extended demon party capacity, to increasing skill “potential,” which is a new system that permanently powers up a selected affinity for the Nahobino. The protagonist quickly becomes a perfectly malleable blank slate, allowing players to imprint whatever combat role the choose on the Nahobino, and form their demon teams around them.
Really, the only possible detractor fromtheShin Megami Tensei 5gameplay experienceis the game’s performance on the base Nintendo Switch. While the impact on gameplay is negligible,SMT 5rarely holds a steady 30 FPS during open world exploration and some instances of combat. The game’s art style and effects take this into account and do well to mask the framerate issues, but during busy cutscenes and combat sequences with heavy particle effects, the game noticeably slows down. That being said, no severe performance issues occurred during the game’s runtime, so this is only a minor visual inconvenience.
However, putting aside slight gripes with performance,Shin Megami Tensei 5is still largely excellent on Nintendo Switch. Returning fans,especially those with a love forSMT 3: Nocturne, will absolutely enjoy the fifth entry. New players and fans of JRPGs will equally find a lot to love with this entry as well.SMT 5plays out like a true modernization for theShin Megami Tenseifranchise, overhauling and revamping the visual and gameplay design in a way that remains both traditional and progressive. Atlus is taking a big step forward withShin Megami Tensei 5, and for the most part, nails all of the aspects that make it a stellar entry in the long-running JRPG franchise.
Shin Megami Tensei 5releases on June 15, 2025, for Nintendo Switch. Game Rant was provided a digital copy for the purposes of this review.
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When a grisly murder scene in modern-day Tokyo blocks our protagonists walk home, an unplanned detour leaves him buried and unconscious. He awakens in a new Tokyo, a wasteland ravaged by apocalypse now called Da’at… but before bloodthirsty demons can claim his life, a savior emerges, and they unite to become a mighty being neither human nor demon: a Nahobino.With newfound power, the protagonist ventures through Da’at, an enigmatic realm filled with mythical deities and demonic tyrants in constant conflict for survival. Searching for answers, the protagonist must forge his own path in a battle between light and dark to dictate the fate of the world.
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