Shin Megami Tensei V

Shin Megami Tensei V is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Atlus, originally for Nintendo Switch. It is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series in the Megami Tensei franchise. It was published by Atlus in Japan, Sega in North America, and Nintendo in Europe. The game follows a high school student drawn into Da’at, a post-apocalyptic realm inhabited by warring factions of angels and demons after Lucifer kills the Creator and triggers a conflict over who will remake the world. The story has multiple endings dictated by moral choices and alliances.

The gameplay features free-roaming exploration of Da’at, a turn-based battle system based on exploiting weaknesses, and a system allowing the Nahobino to recruit and fuse demons to fight alongside them. Coming home from school one day, the protagonist and Ichiro are pulled into Da’at, where Aogami saves the protagonist from a demon attack by merging with him, becoming a Nahobino. After escaping from Da’at and returning to Tokyo, He and Ichiro are met by Yuzuru, who, together with Koshimizu, recruits them into Bethel, where they keep demons from leaving Da’at.

The protagonist learns the current version of Tokyo is not the true one, but a copy generated by the Creator when the real Tokyo was swallowed by a supernatural phenomenon, becoming Da’at. During an attack on the protagonist’s school, Miyazu is briefly kidnapped, and Sahori is influenced by Lahmu into killing her bullies and becoming its Nahobino. The protagonist is mortally wounded by Lahmu, but Tao sacrifices herself to revive the protagonist, who then kills Lahmu and Sahori. The protagonist then travels to Chiyoda and kills the leader of the demons, Arioch. During these conflicts, the protagonist frequently crosses paths with Yakumo and Nüwa, who seek to destroy the Throne of Creation and allow humanity to control their future.

Afterward, at a meeting with Bethel’s branch leader, the Nahobino is revealed to be an existence forbidden by the Creator. Abdiel is defeated when she attacks the protagonist while denying the Creator’s death. The other deities, including Koshimizu, dissolve Bethel to recover their Knowledge and ascend the Throne of Creation. Tao is reborn as a goddess who will lead a Nahobino to the Throne of Creation, choosing to guide the protagonist when the false Tokyo collapses and Da’at overwhelms reality. In parallel, Yuzuru unites with Koshimizu to restore the prominence of all deities despite inevitable conflict, while Dazai convinces Abdiel to merge with him and create a conforming world of peace in the Creator’s name.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a role-playing video game in which the player controls the Nahobino, a fusion of human and demon who explores the post-apocalyptic realm of Da’at. Da’at is fully explorable and divided into open areas with different environmental themes and enemies. In Da’at, the Nahobino can run around as normal, dash at great speed, jump, and slash at objects or enemies with the Nahobino’s sword. The Nahobino can find friendly non-playable characters (NPCs) who have dialogue and can provide quests, hidden beings called Miman which grant an upgrade currency called Glory, and small orbs which restore health (HP), magic (MP), and the special Magatsuhi gauge. In some areas, a companion character will lead the Nahobino to items and treasure.

Completing quests rewards experience points which raise character levels, and the in-game currency Macca. Some areas are blocked off by Demon Abscesses, growths with demon mobs which must be destroyed to progress. Within Da’at, enemy demons roam the open areas, and can be engaged to begin combat, with the Nahobino able to strike first to get the first round of combat. The game uses the series’ recurring turn-based combat, dubbed the Press Turn System. The player party is made up of the Nahobino and up to three allied demons, with each side taking turns to perform actions including a standard physical attack; using skills that can attack, heal, or alter character statistics positively or negatively; guarding, using an item, or escaping from battle. 

An important element of battle is the “Press Turn”: striking an weakness or landing a critical attack grants an additional turn, while missing or voiding an attack removes a turn. A new addition is Magatsuhi Skills, activated when the Magatsuhi Gauge is full and able to be used without using up a Press Turn icon. Magatsuhi Skills grant a skill to the party for a single round of battle, with effects including guaranteed critical hits and full healing. Demons can be swapped or summoned in exchange for a turn, and the player hits a game over if the Nahobino dies. Completing battles rewards Macca, experience points and items.

The Nahobino can recruit demons during battle by talking to them via Demon Negotiation, and giving the right responses to questions based on a demon’s personality type. After answering their questions, the demon may ask for items, money, or HP or MP from the Nahobino, and successfully bargaining prompts to demon to join. Demon behavior and responses are influenced by the current Moon Phase, with the full moon preventing Negotiation while the new moon makes Negotiation easier. Only demons of a lower level than the Nahobino can be successfully recruited, although higher-level demons will remember successful negotiations and join the party when the Nahobino’s level has surpassed them.