Probably the best SMT-game I have played so far. The game takes place during a lockdown of Tokyo. Military surrounds the area, and it is soon revealed that demons roam the streets. With advanced computer devices ale to summon demons of your own at your hand, you and a group of allies join forces to find the cause of these events and battle against a clock of 7 days, signifying the death of everyone within the lockdown zone.
I appreciated the setting of this instalment. As the lockdown continues, the situation gets crazier and crazier as civilians turn against each other and less positive sides of human nature are revealed. This is supported by a stellar metal soundtrack.
The main strength lies in the combination of tactical RPG and traditional turn-based battle systems. While none of them are as developed as franchises focusing exclusively on one of these genres (e.g. Fire Emblem or Dragon Quest respectively), the merging of these systems results in a very engaging and somewhat unique experience.
Apart from battling, the recruitment and fusion of demons (two main components of all SMT-games, think of it as Pokemon meets crafting games) are handled exquisitely through a demon auction system. Instead of having to make demon's join you in battle, you bid for those you would like with your available money, making more complex fusions where you want to inherit good abilities through several stages of evolution less of a grind. I have never felt so encouraged to actually put time into building strong demons in a SMT-title than in this game.
Finally, story is presented in a visual novel style with some influences from Persona. Interacting with other people within the Tokyo lockdown and engaging in battles leads to 30 minutes passing by. This choice of presentation and time management gameplay fits well into the overall structure of the game, and also succeeds in emphasising the urgency of the lockdown. There are even a gameplay aspect of this, with some choices of what to do with limited time can result in life or death for certain characters.
Characters are not extremely well-written, but far more in-depth than Shin Megami Tensei IV or Strange Journey. I especially like how characters representing different alignments (law, neutral and chaos, classic Dn'D morality stuff) feel somewhat more understandable than other titles in the series, since all of these different ideas on how to handle the ongoing crisis stems from an obvious situation of desperation where time is running low.
There are a few elements holding this game back from true greatness however. Some maps are reused for several missions, and the overall map design could have been more interesting at times (perhaps by adding terrain effects or shake things up with occasional level gimmicks).
The game dialogue also was a tad to much exposition and in-game lingo with ramblings about Demon COMPs, summoning programs and Bels-here and there, it sometimes felt like the Fal'Cie-talk from Final Fantasy XIII. I think that the writing would have been better if characters did not adapt to specialised terminology and instead talked like actual people having to use foreign technology to battle demons would have ("Use that device" rather than "The altered COMPs seems to have a demon auctioning app installed to complement the main programs made by Naoya, now we will certainly be able to battle Belberith the risen demon lord with all the ice skills we have learned").
Finally, I would not have minded a larger portion of the game focusing on the darker implications of a lockdown and imminent crisis within a population. There are some excellent missions showcasing police brutality and criminal uprising, but a bit more insight into the dark nature of man would have helped the overall story arch.
In conclusion, this is one of the best tactical RPG's I have played, with cohesion between storytelling and gameplay, excellent atmosphere and enjoyable battles. Some flaws aside, I heavily recommend this game to fans of the Persona or Fire Emblem-series.
