TheShin Megami Tenseiseries began ages ago. The first title,Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, was released in 1987 for Japanese PCs. Since this debut, the series has morphed over time and spun off into several directions. Without a doubt, the most popular brand within this franchise is thePersonagames, but the series is far bigger than that.
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The overall series has gone back and forth on evolutions, with the changes betweenShin Megami Tensei4andShin Megami Tensei 5being the most striking in ages. This discussion will also includeShin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse, which was a direct sequel in 2016 for the3DS. Since that game was more recent, most compression will pertain to it. DidShin Megami Tensei 5change more for the good, or didthis lengthy RPGbackpedal too much?
6The Open World
Mostprevious games in the serieswere based on smaller areas. The world map would generally connect to towns or dungeons. This is the first game in the series to truly have an open world. The desert wastes of Tokyo will be at the fingertips of players quickly too, as the beginning of the game only takes about 15 minutes.
The visuals have also been upgraded in this sense. That’s an obvious statement, along with pointing out thatShin Megami Tense 5is on a console, whereas the twoShin Megami Tensei 4games were on a portable system. Though the Switch is technically a portable system as well, it has a lot more power behind it, and has the graphical capabilities of a console.
5Battles Are Back In 3D
Combat is virtually the same betweenShin Megami Tensei 5and the 3DS games, and players can befriend demons by talking to them so that will join the party.. This is mostly true forthe entire series. The presentation is different though, in that everything is back to full 3D. Another change is that players can now see their party in battle, whereas the 3DS games were just panels on the bottom screen.
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The 3DS games did have an advantage overShin Megami Tensei 5:They gave players companions from humans to ghosts. They weren’t directly controllable unlike party members in most turn-based RPGs. However, their presence was a constant reminder that players were not alone in this quest to redeem humanity.Shin Megami Tense 5is missing that element.
4Enemies No Longer Look Generic In The Field
One of the biggest strides RPGs made was allowing players to see enemies on screen. Random battles are now, mostly, a thing of the past. If players did not want to go into battle, they could run away. In the 3DS games, enemies did appear onscreen, but they looked generic, like digitized code fromTronor something.
InShin Megami Tensei 5, every enemy on the map is rendered in full detail. This can make it easier for players to hunt down specific demons for recruitment. However, talking to demons differs between the three games. If a demon accepts a proposal or leaves, that’s the end of an engagement inShin Megami Tensei 5. In the 3DS games, battles would continue even if one demon left or joined up.
3There Is No Equipment
Most RPGs tend to include equipment of some sort; howeverShin Megami Tensei 5hasno traditional itemsfor players to equip. The 3DS games had the whole nine yards, from weapons to armor to accessories. There were even ways to change costumes.
Shin Megami Tensei 5is missing all of that. Normal attacks also came in two flavors: melee and ranged. Players could equip a sword and gun, for example, in the 3DS games. Each weapon type would affect demons differently, similarto elemental spells. This mechanic continued intoPersona 5,but has been eliminated inShin Megami Tensei 5.
2Players Can No Longer Summon & Fuse On The Go
Most gameplay elements were implemented in favor of player convenience in the 3DS games. For example, demons could be summoned and rearranged into the party whenever players wanted outside of battle. Demons could also be fused on the go. InShin Megami Tensei 5, all of this must be conducted in the World of Shadows.
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This area can be accessed at leyline founts. In this subspace, players can summon demons from the compendium, infuse spells into their character or other demons, orfuse demons together. This is also where playerscan spend Gloryto grant their character passive abilities, Miracles, like being able to equip more skills in battle. It’s fine, but it’s not as convenient to use as the 3DS games.
1Save Downgrades
Leyline founts have many uses outside of accessing the World of Shadows. Players cansave, warp between points, go into the shop, and heal the party for a fee.Saving is perhaps the most confusing change from the 3DS games which allowed players to save at any point outside of battle.
The old saving system made it convenient for players to pop on for a few minutes at a time, fight some battles, and then log off after saving. That’s one of the reasons why portable gaming is so popular. The only way to save inShin Megami Tensei 5is through leyline founts and chapter breaks. There isn’t even an auto-save feature. Hopefully, more saving options can be added to the game via patches.
Shin Megami Tensei 5was released on July 29, 2025 and is available onSwitchexclusively.
