Japan-based developer Atlus released Shin Megami Tensei 5, the latest in its critically acclaimed series of role-playing games, on November 11, 2021 in Japan and November 12, 2021 worldwide. Described as a fusion between previous series titles Nocturne and Apocalypse, Shin Megami Tensei 5 features a new stand-alone story combined with returning series mechanics including the ability to negotiate with demons, use them in battle, and fuse them together to create even more powerful variations.
The story of Shin Megami Tensei 5 centers around the Nahobino, a being created by fusing a mortal with a deity. As Nahobino, the player is responsible for getting involved in the war between demons and angels and saving modern-day Tokyo from a demonic invasion originating from a realm called Da'at. Like previous Shin Megami Tensei titles, the game emphasizes the struggle between the forces of Law and Chaos and features multiple endings depending on the player's dialogue choices and gameplay decisions.
While many Atlus and JRPG fans were quite excited for Shin Megami Tensei 5, few were as enthusiastic as longtime series fan and YouTuber Food4Dogs, also affectionately known as the "Gaming Grandma." An anime fan, video game lover, and proud pet parent, Food4Dogs runs a YouTube channel featuring a wide variety of videos including game unboxings, play-throughs, console and accessory reviews, and general chat videos. Since launching her channel in early 2018, Food4Dogs has posted new content almost every week.
On November 13th, the day after Shin Megami Tensei 5 saw its worldwide release, Food4Dogs uploaded a video in which she unboxes the Fall of Man Premium Edition version of the game. The Fall of Man edition contains a number of bonus goodies - in particular, Food4Dogs was excited about the sling bag featuring recurring series mascot Jack Frost and the art book showcasing both new and classic demons, frequently praising the series' distinctive art style and the uniqueness of its characters. Perhaps an unboxing video for the recently announced Shin Megami Tensei 3 Demi-fiend figurine might be in her future?
The video, which clocks in at just under half an hour, serves as a surprisingly thorough introduction to the series for new fans. In addition to unboxing the new game, Food4Dogs shows off her collection of previous titles in the series, including Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux and Devil Survivor Overclocked, both for the Nintendo 3DS. The YouTuber expresses her genuine passion for the games, describing Shin Megami Tensei as "her spiritual home in gaming." While she presumably has not yet completed Shin Megami Tensei 5, fans of the channel hope to see more videos discussing her opinions on the game once she has finished it.
"Unboxing Shin Megami Tensei 5" quickly became one of Food4Dogs' most watched videos, amassing nearly 90,000 views in just a few days. With the game rumored to be coming to PlayStation consoles and PC in the near future, there will likely be plenty of Shin Megami Tensei-related news in the future for Food4Dogs to cover on her channel.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is available now for the Nintendo Switch.