The Tool Desk
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What Vengeance changes
Atlus presents Vengeance as an expanded release with two complete story paths: the original Canon of Creation and the new, revenge-focused Canon of Vengeance, featuring new characters and the Qadištu. The release also adds areas, demons and music, and highlights improved battle systems, greater field exploration and more accessible gameplay. Atlus’ official game page makes clear that accessibility is part of the redesign, not an accidental side effect.
That matters to the friction question. This is not simply the original game with its challenge removed: there is a substantial new route, and the systems have been adjusted as part of a broader package. The central tradeoff is whether reducing hassle helps the game’s strengths come through—or trims away some of the uncertainty that made its demands satisfying.
Where less friction helps—and where it can flatten the experience
Convenience versus tension
Players discussing the game have singled out conveniences such as “save anywhere” and “overworld shortcuts,” with one discussion describing the result as a “too-frictionless and therefore flat experience.” Those phrases capture a plausible reaction, not a consensus or a measured account of how all players feel. The Reddit discussion is useful as an example of that concern, not proof that the changes have the same effect for everyone.
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Convenience saves time when it removes repetition or route-finding that distracts from the decisions a player actually enjoys. It can cost something when a journey’s risk, commitment or uncertainty is itself part of the decision. The same shortcut may feel like welcome pacing in one stretch and like a lost test of preparation in another. The question is not whether a game should be difficult in the abstract, but whether a particular obstacle makes the next choice more meaningful.
Access versus mastery
Making a long RPG easier to navigate can help more players reach its deeper systems. It does not automatically make the combat shallow: a smoother path through the world and a demanding battle loop can coexist. Atlus’ emphasis on accessibility and improved battle systems signals an effort to improve the experience without reducing the game to a passive one, though the official description alone cannot settle how every adjustment feels in play.
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The independent Nintendo Life review offers a useful counterpoint to the “too frictionless” case: it judges the re-release a superior overall experience because of its new story and gameplay and balance changes, while warning that the changes may not win over players who disliked the original’s gameplay loop and difficulty. That distinction is important. A better-paced version of a game can still ask for the same kind of engagement that put some people off in the first place.
Does the new route justify the redesign?
The Canon of Vengeance gives the release a stronger reason to exist than convenience changes alone. It adds a second complete story path rather than merely smoothing the old one, while the Canon of Creation remains available for players who want the original route. For returning players, the new path and additions can make this feel like an expanded experience; for newcomers, the choice between two story paths is part of the package from the outset. Atlus describes the routes and additions on its official page.
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Still, more content does not settle the friction debate. If the original’s travel and difficulty were the parts a player valued, easing them may feel like a loss even alongside a new story. If those demands mainly got in the way of exploration and battles, the same adjustments may make the game easier to stick with. In that sense, the release’s strongest improvement and its most arguable cost come from the same design direction: it asks the player to spend less effort on overhead and more on the game’s core loop.
Who should play it?
- Choose Vengeance if you wanted to try Shin Megami Tensei V but found navigation or its demands intimidating, or if you want a new story route alongside the original.
- Temper expectations if you bounced off the original’s battle loop or difficulty itself. Nintendo Life’s review suggests that the changes may not transform the experience enough to reverse that reaction.
- Consider what you value if the original’s friction was part of the appeal. The added convenience may smooth the very tension you enjoyed, even as it improves pacing for other players.
Platforms and purchase checks
Atlus lists Vengeance for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. The US PlayStation Store listing describes a digital entitlement for PS4 and PS5, while Steam’s listing covers the PC version. Platform listings do not establish physical-edition availability in every region; check the exact retailer listing for platform, region, edition and format before buying.
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Rank #4
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