Shin Megami Tensei V, the next installment of Atlus’ cult-classic role-playing franchise, will launch exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on November 12. This news was announced at E3 2021 alongside the first gameplay footage of the upcoming adventure.
This game was first discussed as an untitled Shin Megami Tensei project all the way back in early 2017 with a brief teaser before eventually being revealed as Shin Megami Tensei V later that year. Since then, Atlus and Nintendo have provided only brief tidbits about the release, which (perhaps unsurprisingly) takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo overrun by the forces of Chaos.
“The ambitions of god and human clash amidst the horror of a dying world,” the game’s eShop listing reads. “Neither human nor demon, the newly-forged Nahobino and his friends must decide what is worth saving...and prepare to sacrifice everything in its name. In a world without its Creator, which path will you choose?”
As with previous installments, Shin Megami Tensei V focuses on befriending (or, in some cases, subjugating) the demons infesting the new world for use in turn-based battles. Once they’ve outlived their usefulness, demons can be fused together to create more powerful allies. Taking advantage of elemental weaknesses during encounters also remains key to success in this new game, as it increases the amount of actions you are allowed to perform in a combo.
While Persona, a separate spin-off series, gets most of the attention outside of Japan, the franchise’s mainline Shin Megami Tensei games have long been considered some of the most important role-playing games, right up there with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. There’s no telling if Shin Megami Tensei V will reach the same heights as its cousin Persona 5, but it’s already looking like another fantastic and beautiful entry for the underrated franchise.