It’s been a while since a new mainline Shin Megami Tensei game came out, and a 3D one at that. After Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne launched in 2003, the series transitioned to a more 2D style that fit the Nintendo 3DS handheld with Shin Megami Tensei IV and IV: Apocalypse in 2014 and 2016, respectively. 

While the latter two were fine games in their own right, I longed to see what the series would look like on more powerful hardware and updated character models. We now have Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch.

With its exhilarating landscapes, challenging fights, gorgeous art direction, and stellar music, Shin Megami Tensei V is a sight to behold. It builds upon the foundation of what the previous games in the series had, but adds modern conveniences as well. It’s absolutely one of the best JRPGs released this year, if not one of the best titles in general.

The game starts off in familiar territory as the protagonist goes to school, only to have the entire city of Tokyo completely decimated shortly after. This is something that Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne did, and the overworld map of Tokyo is quite similar to the one used in that game too. Basically, the protagonist is presented as an icon and you just move them around the map.

Thankfully, this is only in modern-day Tokyo. Once the game gets going in full force, the entire presentation of it shifts to open world exploration with fully realized 3D models, ruined buildings, and gorgeous landscapes. The exploration is incredibly similar to a game like Xenoblade Chronicles where you can traverse anywhere within the different zones.

Around every corner there are demons to fight, treasures to pick up, and collectibles to find. It reminds me of a Ubisoft game, given how many different icons there are on the map. However, the biggest difference between this game and something like Assassin’s Creed, is that it’s actually really fun to explore here. The different zones are just big enough to provide you with a sense of wonder and excitement, but not too big that you’re overwhelmed.

The verticality of these zones are seriously impressive. You can hop onto bridges, climb rocks, and scale toppled architecture. This type of exploration actually reminded me of something like The Last of Us when you walk through an abandoned parking garage or jump through a window and find a treasure or collectible. There’s so much to find and explore it’s just so incredibly thrilling.

While almost every other human is essentially dead in the ruined Tokyo, the demons populating the city make it feel alive. Some demons are patrolling certain areas and you can just make contact with them to enter a battle. There are also friendly demons that are just hanging out, such as a group I found in a building around a campfire just telling stories. Some even give you side quests.

Some side quests are fetch quests, but there are definitely more interesting ones scattered throughout. For example, you might come across a demon that wants you to get rid of another who is a cult leader. But if you talk to the cult leader, they’ll say they’re offering the followers hope in the desolate world. You then have the opportunity to turn against the original quest giver demon. Depending on whose side you choose, you’ll receive a new demon to your party, and it might be one that is at a higher level than you are. You’ll always earn items and gain EXP by completing quests, so they’re definitely worth doing.

As far as the story and characters go, Shin Megami Tensei doesn’t place as much emphasis on them compared to its sister franchise, Persona. Shin Megami Tensei focuses much more on the player’s choices. The various main characters represent certain moral choices, and choosing who to side with leads to different endings.

One particular aspect that I don’t think the game does very well is explain certain mechanics. The worst offender of this is how the moon phases work. In the game, there’s a pseudo day and night cycle in the form of moon phases. Demon negotiation is easier under a full moon and fusing demons together under a full moon will cause the new one to earn stat bonuses.

This part is glossed over and isn’t really provided in a more in depth tutorial, so you just kind of have to play on your own to figure this part out. There’s also no option in the menu to view past tutorials either.

The presentation of Shin Megami Tensei V is fantastic. The 3D graphics and animations are stunning, especially when showcasing the exclusive skills that the protagonist and some demons have. These skills are fully animated and unique to that specific demon; the cinematic nature of them are great to look at.

The music is amazing as well. I love how the normal encounter theme starts off somber, but then changes depending on your actions. If you attack, then it swells up. If you try to negotiate with a demon, the track slows down again. The boss themes also have the classic electrifying guitar riffs that the series is known for. 

With a game this expansive and great looking, there are some caveats to its performance on Nintendo Switch, especially in handheld mode. For some reason when pulling up the menu, there’s a second or so delay and it feels sluggish. There are some framerate dips every once in a while, but it’s mostly smooth. Issues aside, it didn’t negatively affect my overall experience that much.

Although what really makes the game feel modern are the quality of life features. The mini map is a welcome addition to the open world exploration. My personal new feature is an item that you receive early on that lets you return to the last save point you interacted with at any time.

I had an amazing time with the game. It’s the ultimate entry in the series so far, keeping true to its roots while also adapting new modern features. The open world exploration really makes the game feel fresh and exciting like no other game in the series did before. Enthralling, fun, challenging, and gorgeous are all words I would use to describe Shin Megami Tensei V. It’s a true masterful JRPG.

Shin Megami Tensei V review code for Nintendo Switch provided by the publisher.

Shin Megami Tensei V is out November 12 on Nintendo Switch.