StarTopic SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI V |ST| It's Not Persona(L), It's Demon Negotiations

[Mercury_Sagit]

Hi. Randomly popping up in this thread to ask something.

I've played some of SMT3 but most of my experience with the IP comes from playing Persona series. However, P5 disappointed me and made me look back on the series, which is when I realized that games I've played, P3-5, have all been... Problematic. I felt like they all tried to say more than they could, along with being straight-up offensive from time to time. P5 points out how abhorrent sexual violence is only to stuff the female lead into a suit that's uncomfortable for her and have male characters make advances on her, and, the Gay Scenes, kinda dropped my opinion about the series from the roof to the point where I don't want to come back to it.

Is there any of this in SMTV? I don't wish to cause a derail talking about this, but I don't want to pay for another game that has some crap like "gay person is coming onto a straight guy! Ewww!"

From my experience playing through the game till one of the endings: no. This game, like the SMT series, has a minimal focus on inter-personal relationships between human characters so I don't think you'd have to worry about such details.
If anything, SMT V is similar to SMT III on this regards: only one main char + demons vs the world, compared to SMT I, II or IV where there are often one male main char + one female main char fighting alongside each other.

 

[pinkpunk]

Is there any of this in SMTV? I don't wish to cause a derail talking about this, but I don't want to pay for another game that has some crap like "gay person is coming onto a straight guy! Ewww!"

Some demons may straight up ask if you're a top or a bottom, which fair enough, there's no Grindr in Da'at. That's about it iirc.

For all my SMTV criticisms, at least I was free to live my femboy fantasy with no judgement.

 

[SammyJ9]

I've finally started SMT V this week, been playing around in area 1 so far still. I'm a bit disappointed with the technical aspects of the game, though. The pop-in can be really bad, and I've also had some rough instances in terms of framerate here and there. I know some will probably say that I'm crazy here, but I actually find something like Xenoblade 1/2 to be less bad in terms of technical execution than this. Sure, it's blurrier, but everything else is better done in my eyes, especially the draw distance.
The constant ... glimmer, I guess, in the desert parts of the area is also something I'm not a fan of.

What's also been a slight letdown is the music, at least so far (as mentioned above, area 1). SMT IV had an absolutely stellar OST from beginning to end, I found, and V up until now doesn't quite catch me the same way. I actually am starting to actively dislike the standard battle theme, which isn't a good sign at all.

To not get across as completely down on the game: I really like the voice acting, they've done a great job there. The animations, especially those of spells, are fantastic as well. Then there's obviously the inherently strong basis of any SMT game: battle system, demon collecting and fusing, interacting with demons throughout the world and quests. All of those are present here, so that's already a really good foundation. I just wish I would like the execution of other elements as much as I did with SMT IV.

Let's see if it'll grow on me, but I'm not going to lie, the thought of dropping it -- for now, at least -- has actually crossed my mind, and that isn't exactly a great sign.

Oh hey, haven't seen you around much in a while! Glad you're finally getting into this game. I ultimately liked SMT4 more, but there's still a lot to like in SMTV so I'll be interested to see what you think.

On that note, anyone know what happened to @AquaWateria ? Last I remember hearing they were going through the game slowly and I was interested in what they thought of it as they got further in.

 

[Imitatio]

Oh hey, haven't seen you around much in a while! Glad you're finally getting into this game. I ultimately liked SMT4 more, but there's still a lot to like in SMTV so I'll be interested to see what you think.

On that note, anyone know what happened to @AquaWateria ? Last I remember hearing they were going through the game slowly and I was interested in what they thought of it as they got further in.

Hah, yeah, been kinda busy with a lot of things other than games, so both Metroid Dread and SMTV ended up on the backlog.
Can't say I'm really in the mood again to give Dread a go, but SMT works well enough for me right now. Or at least I thought so, but I'm not as convinced anymore. :'D
Maybe I should give the game another try once I've got more time, so that I can really get invested in a new adventure. I actually prefer playing Mario Kart or Monster Hunter right now, thanks to their gameplay loops/hop-in-hop-out nature. SMTV might just be the wrong game at this point in time after all.

Here's hoping AquaWateria is doing well!

 

[PixelKnight]

Hi. Randomly popping up in this thread to ask something.

I've played some of SMT3 but most of my experience with the IP comes from playing Persona series. However, P5 disappointed me and made me look back on the series, which is when I realized that games I've played, P3-5, have all been... Problematic. I felt like they all tried to say more than they could, along with being straight-up offensive from time to time. P5 points out how abhorrent sexual violence is only to stuff the female lead into a suit that's uncomfortable for her and have male characters make advances on her, and, the Gay Scenes, kinda dropped my opinion about the series from the roof to the point where I don't want to come back to it.

Is there any of this in SMTV? I don't wish to cause a derail talking about this, but I don't want to pay for another game that has some crap like "gay person is coming onto a straight guy! Ewww!"

There’s none of that in SMTV. You don’t have party skits revolving around that kinda ‘have your cake and eat it’ JRPG stuff which talks about empowerment out of one side of the mouth while viewing half the cast as pin-ups. The human NPCs in SMTV that talk mostly give you missions and exposition, and the demon’s dialogue seems pretty general. It’s a different kind of setup entirely, way less focused on party relationships and opinions and cut scenes and story, way more on exploration, combat and tinkering with your party setup in order to advance. Understandably so as your demon stock is really all just expendable fodder for you to merge into new ones, something that would have made the Persona games I’ve played (and several other JRPGs) more bearable

 

[Leo]

There's a bit of a problematic character in SMTIII, but SMTV doesn't have anything offensive as far as I could tell. There are even some jokes in demon conversations that are signaled specifically for the gay audience (like the top or bottom one) and I loved those. I wanted to know how they were in the japanese original.

 

[Leo]

So... Any tips for beating Demi-fiend without NG+?

I know you can exploit drain/repel phys but I really don't want to play the whole game again just to prepare for this fight. I have null phys on all my demons and I'm hoping it can suffice.

The motherfucker just gets so many turns, it's bs. If he got as many turns as the player, the fight wouldn't be so ridiculous.

 

[Imitatio]

Game's quickly growing on me! I'm happy to say as much.
The only thing absolutely killing me still is the low LOD and resulting pop-in. It seriously takes away from the experience in my opinion. Shame, really, but I hope it'll be less distracting going forward, potentially with a change of scenery or such.

 

[Muffin Awesome]

Thoughts?

Phys Build - Level 48

73 - Str
39 - Vit
37 - Mag
37 - Agi
34 - Lck

At what point should I start alternating and not just placing all points into strength?

Sakangi and Divine Arrowfall are my two go to skills for main.

(this is not a joke post, lol am I neglecting other skills too much?)

 

[Leo]

Thoughts?

Phys Build - Level 48

73 - Str
39 - Vit
37 - Mag
37 - Agi
34 - Lck

At what point should I start alternating and not just placing all points into strength?

Sakangi and Divine Arrowfall are my two go to skills for main.

(this is not a joke post, lol am I neglecting other skills too much?)

I was investing in both Str and Agi until I found out Agi isn't that important in this game, and from then I started investing in Vit, which boosts your defense.

I ended up screwing it and couldn't beat Demi Fiend because I put too many points in Agi, and was lacking Str to hit him hard. Imo the optimal end game build is 150+ Str, 100 Vit and 75 Agi. I was taking hits just fine with 100 Vit, but just could not cause enough damage.

That of course is if you intend to fight the Demi Fiend. For everything else ( even the non DLC super boss), any build will be fine.

 

[Muffin Awesome]

I was investing in both Str and Agi until I found out Agi isn't that important in this game, and from then I started investing in Vit, which boosts your defense.

I ended up screwing it and couldn't beat Demi Fiend because I put too many points in Agi, and was lacking Str to hit him hard. Imo the optimal end game build is 150+ Str, 100 Vit and 75 Agi. I was taking hits just fine with 100 Vit, but just could not cause enough damage.

That of course is if you intend to fight the Demi Fiend. For everything else ( even the non DLC super boss), any build will be fine.

Appreciated, I will keep down the Str track and pivot to others, so far with buffs I have lasted mid game fairly well unless I hit a turn where I have a bad affinity match up and I got caught off guard. Had a few where I put the game down for a few days after losing an hour of progress/grinding lol. True SMT style haha.

 

[El Buga]

Need to get back to this game. Been avoiding turning on the Switch because of Rio's extreme heat in the summer (temperatures went past 100ºF last week).

I'm focusing my point allotment on the MAG attribute, is it preferable?

Also, the Aogami Proto-Fiend essences, is there a way to get them back or they're unique per playthrough?

 

[Leo]

Need to get back to this game. Been avoiding turning on the Switch because of Rio's extreme heat in the summer (temperatures went past 100ºF last week).

I'm focusing my point allotment on the MAG attribute, is it preferable?

Also, the Aogami Proto-Fiend essences, is there a way to get them back or they're unique per playthrough?

I think for late game a physical build is better, but a magic build is fine too. Nahobino's best damage dealing unique skill is physical.

You can get copies of Aogami's essences through the navigators (the demons that accompany you on the map) occasionally. It's usually best to use his essences for the unique skills, you will end up getting more later (not that you will need them, the game will shower you with essences that get better and better).

 

[El Buga]

I think for late game a physical build is better, but a magic build is fine too. Nahobino's best damage dealing unique skill is physical.

You can get copies of Aogami's essences through the navigators (the demons that accompany you on the map) occasionally. It's usually best to use his essences for the unique skills, you will end up getting more later (not that you will need them, the game will shower you with essences that get better and better).

Thanks! Is it possible to prioritize Physical in an eventual New Game+, or reset point allotment?

What is the name of this unique physical skill? Spoiler it if you need so.

I use the Aogami essences exactly for the unique skills, the thunder one has seen constant use haha

 

[Leo]

Thanks! Is it possible to prioritize Physical in an eventual New Game+, or reset point allotment?

What is the name of this unique physical skill? Spoiler it if you need so.

I use the Aogami essences exactly for the unique skills, the thunder one has seen constant use haha

There is no point redistribution, but one of the NG+ options will have you start at level 1 again so you can redo your build from scratch. So yeah, you could do a Str build.

The skill I mentioned is called Murakumo, it's a str based almighty skill that is boosted when hitting a critical. AFAIK, there isn't any other skill Nahobino can learn that is stronger.

 

[El Buga]

Thanks, will keep an eye open for it. Will be useful for an eventual Physical build, assuming this NG+ mode keeps my learned skills.

 

[Imitatio]

Well, guess you got to add me to the camp of those hoping for a PC port (that hopefully enhances my experience to a satisfying degree). After making some progress in the story and somewhat warming up to it, I've at this point lost the will to put up with the things I don't like about (at least) this version of the game. The damn LOD/pop-in issue is still a complete immersion killer, especially in a game like SMT which is mainly about atmosphere for me. I also can't get used to how busy the image looks, while still being as smudgy as it is. A majorly unsatisfying combination, if you ask me. The sand's glitter effect bothers me to no end as well, lol. The music's still only okay, too, to my ears at least. I enjoyed IV's and Apocalypse's OST much, much more. And last but not least, the movement -- I like that we have the verticality and exploration, but I simply don't enjoy moving the character through the world. Movement in itself just doesn't feel right or good enough to me, which is hard to pin down imo. Ultimately I can't help it but say that I don't like/feel it.

A lot of small issues I've got with the game, but they seriously add up; and I simply don't enjoy the other parts enough to help me get over these admittedly (partially) nitpicky problems. Coming from SMT IV, I'm pretty disappointed right now. That one was one of my favourites on 3DS.

Sorry for having to put up with me bitching at bit here, haha. Given that I've had rather high expectations on SMT V, I can't help but feel let down with how it turned out, at least right now. Combine that with other JRPG disappointments of 2021 on Switch, primarily relating to the technical state of things in cases like Ys IX or MH Stories 2, and SMT V just adds onto this. Feels bad. Especially when you've got an example of the other end of the spectrum on the system as well with MH Rise, which kinda makes this one and the others mentioned look even worse. (Yeah, I know there are [probably/more than likely] major budget differences, but then I'd argue I'd rather have these others try to be somewhat less ambitious and instead deliver more solid products in the end...)

 

[Rin-go]

Some demons may straight up ask if you're a top or a bottom, which fair enough, there's no Grindr in Da'at. That's about it iirc.

For all my SMTV criticisms, at least I was free to live my femboy fantasy with no judgement.

To be fair, at least in my play through most of the demons talked about money once I answered the "Top or bottom?" question. And the I think one time I got the sexually implicit answer when I chose middle, the demon said something like "So that's how you like to party?" and joined. No "Ew, gays" or the like.

 

[Deleted member 1615]

Thoughts?

Phys Build - Level 48

73 - Str
39 - Vit
37 - Mag
37 - Agi
34 - Lck

At what point should I start alternating and not just placing all points into strength?

Sakangi and Divine Arrowfall are my two go to skills for main.

(this is not a joke post, lol am I neglecting other skills too much?)

You can go 100% into strength and be fine. This was my late game build:

I put 10 or so points into vitality and I honestly didn't feel any benefit. Just go glass cannon. I beat everyone other than Demi-fiend on the normal difficulty.

 

[Deleted member 2349]

just posting in here to say this game owns

 

[PixelKnight]

just posting in here to say this game owns

One of the best JRPGs on a system packed with them.

 

[Muffin Awesome]

You can go 100% into strength and be fine. This was my late game build:

I put 10 or so points into vitality and I honestly didn't feel any benefit. Just go glass cannon. I beat everyone other than Demi-fiend on the normal difficulty.

Yea I started game with a few spread and since just went all to Str. Appreciate the reply with screenshot, curious to be what I choose final skill layout to be. Did you dump down to easy for Demi Fiend?

 

[uncleoptimus]

Well, guess you got to add me to the camp of those hoping for a PC port (that hopefully enhances my experience to a satisfying degree). After making some progress in the story and somewhat warming up to it, I've at this point lost the will to put up with the things I don't like about (at least) this version of the game. The damn LOD/pop-in issue is still a complete immersion killer, especially in a game like SMT which is mainly about atmosphere for me. I also can't get used to how busy the image looks, while still being as smudgy as it is. A majorly unsatisfying combination, if you ask me. The sand's glitter effect bothers me to no end as well, lol. The music's still only okay, too, to my ears at least. I enjoyed IV's and Apocalypse's OST much, much more. And last but not least, the movement -- I like that we have the verticality and exploration, but I simply don't enjoy moving the character through the world. Movement in itself just doesn't feel right or good enough to me, which is hard to pin down imo. Ultimately I can't help it but say that I don't like/feel it.

Given your concerns sound more abt the direction of the game (and the music), while I anticipate a PC release, I don't think it will fix your enjoyment of the game.

Maybe the SMTV "Apocalypse" game will?

Would love an HD port of SMT4 tho.

 

[Deleted member 1615]

Yea I started game with a few spread and since just went all to Str. Appreciate the reply with screenshot, curious to be what I choose final skill layout to be. Did you dump down to easy for Demi Fiend?

I never beat him tbh

 

[Man God]

Demi Fiend is beatable with a STR build. I did it with Magic.

 

[Imitatio]

Given your concerns sound more abt the direction of the game (and the music), while I anticipate a PC release, I don't think it will fix your enjoyment of the game.

Maybe the SMTV "Apocalypse" game will?

Would love an HD port of SMT4 tho.

Yeah, agreed. I've got fundamental issues with how the game is structured and designed, which a PC version won't fix either. My hope was/is that it at least would do away with the additional technical problems, so that I might be able to (more easily) put up with the rest of what I don't like so far. That's somewhat grasping at straws at this point already, though, haha.
I want to like SMT V, but I'm not too hot on what has changed coming from IV and IV:A, ngl. The open-ish maps for instance haven't really struck me as the right step for the type of game this is. I miss IV's more straightforward approach a lot here.

 

[Sorbete]

uff what a ride I made Artemis a monster and also Cleopatra was great.

 

[Pavolink]

Ok, finally finished the game. Went with the third “option”/“path”.

What a game. After the third area, everything beggin to make sense to me story wise.

Finally, I was overpowered at the ending. I love that!

PS: F&*$ u Shiva. Couldn’t defeat it.

 

[zumaddy]

I bought this game on release date and I'm still not done... I just like wandering around and recruiting new freaks. The final boss has been waiting for me for like a month to show up

 

[Pavolink]

uff what a ride I made Artemis a monster and also Cleopatra was great.

Are those demons DLC?

 

[Sorbete]

Are those demons DLC?

yeah both are DLC