I'm not in the habit of writing thorough reviews, but anything for my baby SMTVV amirite

TL;DR If you enjoy the gameplay of JRPGs, I can only recommend SMTVV. Despite the darker (some might call them edgier) themes, if you like Pokemon, Persona, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, you absolutely should pick this game up and play it right now.

+ Runs well on any machine due to being the only modern game to have optimization (hitting a stable 60FPS on Steam Deck is wild)
+ Stellar art direction
+ OST is 91% bangers
+ Best JRPG combat system to date
+ Great QoL features that makes any run very pleasant
+ More tools than ever to build your dream team (fusions, essences, demon haunt, lots of upgrade items)
+ Demon writing is brilliant, often very funny
+ If you care about it, this game has a lot of meat on the bone (ratio of playtime to price)

+/- Canon of Vengeance (new story) has great pacing and beats... but the writing is a bit forced at times.
+/- Some end-game secret content is obtuse, good luck solving it on your own
+/- Either a "wet dream" or "nightmare" for completionists

- Canon of Creation is still the same as it was 3 years ago... which is to say a letdown
- SEGA is still a terrible company, day one DLC is a scourge upon mankind
- Convincing your friends to play SMT is Sysiphean, and you will go to the grave knowing that your loved ones will never experience what JRPGs could be