After years of waiting, Atlus’s latest JRPG masterpieceShin Megami Tensei 5is finally gearing up for release this week, with reviews already indicating that the game continues the developer’s streak of incredible turn-based RPGs. The developer has been hard at work on the game following its last major RPG release in the form of 2017’sPersona 5, which was the studio’s first title to achieve mainstream success. One thing many fans who jumped in withPersona 5quickly discovered is that Atlus’s games can be quite the time commitment, andShin Megami Tensei 5is no different in this regard.
Shin Megami Tensei 5was first announced at Nintendo’s very first Switch reveal event in January 2017, where Atlus revealed that it would be developing the next major title in theShin Megami Tenseiseries exclusively for Nintendo’s handheld/console hybrid, utilizing Unreal Engine 4 for the first time in the studio’s history. Typically,Shin Megami TenseiandPersonagameswere developed using proprietary game engines developed in-studio. WithPersona 5’s English release in April 2017, the studio soon shot into mainstream success, putting more eyes than ever on its next major JRPG project, a return to the franchise that spawned thePersonaseries itself. With this in mind, it’s no wonderShin Megami Tensei 5took so long to finally release.
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How Long to Beat Shin Megami Tensei 5
Given that Atlus has a track record of developing incredibly long games, with most playthroughs ofPersona 5coming in at 100 hours, it’s fair to assume thatShin Megami Tensei 5will also be a beefy adventure through an apocalyptic Tokyo.As per Game Rant’s review of the game,Shin Megami Tensei 5’s main story will run most players somewhere between 50-60 hours, but as the review notes, these can easily bepushed past 80 hoursthanks to the wealth of side activities and demon fusing opportunities available to players. This will vary depending on the difficulty mode players choose.
This is mainly on par withother games in the mainlineShin Megami Tenseiseries, with HowLongToBeat noting thatShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneplaythroughs average around 50-60 hours too, and the Nintendo 3DS’sShin Megami Tensei 4coming in at 40-60 hours.
Of course, some of thePersonaseries' titles tend to run a little longer, withPersona 3andPersona 4lasting a minimum of 70 hours, but this is often due to the higher emphasis on story content in those games over the mainlineShin Megami Tenseiseries' focus on atmospheric worldbuilding and brutalizing combat.
Shin Megami Tensei 5will release on November 12th, 2021, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
