Summary
Fans of the post-apocalyptic aesthetic are having a great 2024, as this year has already seen a renewed interest in theFalloutseries and the recent release ofStellar Bladeadds to the variety of post-apocalyptic games available. WhileStellar Blademight be the latest title to join the post-apocalyptic genre, fans also haveShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeanceto look forward to later this year. This release putsStellar Bladein the perfect position to prime players forShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, as both feature similar themes and aesthetics.
The original release ofShin Megami Tensei 5already showed players what to expect from its alternate, post-apocalyptic version of Tokyo, andShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeanceis ready to bring players back to that world. However, there are some clear similarities betweenShin Megami Tensei 5’s setting and that ofStellar Blade, with both games capitalizing on the post-apocalyptic aesthetic to enhance their stories. As such, the release dates forStellar BladeandShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeancecouldn’t have been more perfectly timed, as the two games should help support each other in generating interest from post-apocalyptic genre fans.
Stellar Blade and Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance Herald a Great Year for Post-Apocalyptic Games
Stellar Bladehas captured the attention of fans ofgames likeNier: Automatawith its parallels in story and world design. The game follows protagonist Eve as she returns to an Earth overrun by creatures called Naytiba in an attempt to liberate the world from this threat. Along the way, Eve encounters the last bastion of humanity still remaining on Earth in the city of Xion, where she is seen as a savior and is able to develop relationships with these struggling survivors during her quest.
Shin Megami Tensei 5follows a similar approach to the ways the player interacts with its post-apocalyptic world asStellar Blade. As the Nahobino, players are seen as the savior of both angels and demons in their ongoing war in this alternate, destroyed version of the world they came from. The new story being added inShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeancehas the potential to further entrench players in its post-apocalyptic themes by setting them on a quest for revenge surrounding thenew characters of Lilith and the Qadistu, bearing similar biblical parallels toStellar Blade’s characters of Eve and Adam.
How Stellar Blade’s World Design Compares to Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance
The ruins of Tokyo inShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance’s world of Da’at will feel similar toStellar Bladeplayers, as both games drop players within ruined city streets and crumbling ruins. Like theNaytiba ofStellar Blade,Shin Megami Tensei 5players will find the streets littered with the demons who call Da’at their home. Unlike the Naytiba, not all of Da’at’s demons are hostile, with some seeking aid from the player, much like the citizens ofStellar Blade’s city of Xion, and will give players quests that can influence their endgame alignment.
The primary difference between the worlds ofShin Megami Tensei 5: VengeanceandStellar Bladeis influenced by the two games' differing genres. As anaction RPG with Soulslikeelements,Stellar Blade’s world design features a greater emphasis on creative traversal and platforming segments, giving levels an element of verticality and allowing players to directly climb the ruins that surround them. Conversely, as a turn-based JRPG,Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeancedoesn’t have as creative world traversal options asStellar Blade, but still gives players some degree of freedom to explore the rubble of Da’at’s environments within the limits afforded by the game’s movement system.
