Despite mixed feelings, I don't want to recommend this game.
Unfortunately, SMT5V sets out to achieve everything, just to achieve barely anything.
The game builds up many different interesting philosophical conflicts as the center point of the story. Good and evil, order and chaos, freedom and constraint... while also representing these themes with a charming cast of characters.
It starts a bit slow and then gets a bit confusing, but after a few hours of letting it cook, I came to be hooked on the addictive monster collecting and fusing gameplay, especially once unique animations and mechanics started to ramp up to create a more entertaining experience.
I would say the main selling points of this game are the above mentioned gameplay and a story that has significant build up, it keeps you interested in how it will go, especially with some of the unexpected plot twists.
However, that's about it for the positives.
Ironically the list of negatives is relatively short and it can really be summarized in one sentence:
This game fails to deliver on the tension it built up.
SMT5V unfortunately falls very flat when it comes to the resolution of the conflicts and tension it built up, leading to a constant stream of somewhat unsatisfying or even disappointing climaxes within the story. It leaves you with a feeling of "wait, that's it?" over and over and then you are done with the game, congratulations.
The game ends on the most superficial, uninspiring note it possibly could. Very unfortunate, because it built such a strong foundation for an amazing game, even the characters were decently well written, just to throw all that away for a lackluster ending.
It doesn't help the game, that it is fairly grindy and I believed this grind to be worth something, but now I feel like I wasted my time spending hours upon hours on fusing the strongest monsters, just to fight 3 battles and then the game ends. Combine that with the disappointing ending and you will not be surprised that I did not start a NG+ run.
7,5/10
While the core gameplay is decently fun if you are into turn based combat and monster collecting, the story really cripples the game in a way that's hard to describe. While playing you may constantly feel like things are going somewhere, but when the game is suddenly over, you are left with a bunch of unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts, which were the main axis of investment for most people.
SMT5V unfortunately digs its own grave, by making the player expect much and leaving them unsatisfied. The game ends up surprisingly unremarkable considering all the build up it had, so I do not recommend this game, for it has squandered a great opportunity when it mattered most.
