I'm playing *Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance* and it's been a blast. It's nice to play it at 60FPS, like God intended, and it works perfectly on the Steam Deck, with rock-solid performance and a whole bunch of QOL updates and upgrades. I didn't get very far in the original so I'm doing the original route, the Canon of Creation, to finally finish that off before jumping into the new campaign. One thing I've been thinking about that's very interesting about *SMTVV* as I replay it is how it handles movement compared to other RPGs. I think locomotion is an underappreciated aspect of games, but particularly RPGs. [[Spectacle Fighter|Spectacle Fighters]] understand the appeal, which is why it feels so good to sprint around as 2B or turn into a panther as Bayonetta. I even wrote a whole thing about my favorite running animations in games that I might link to here one day. But not much thought is put into movement in most RPGs I've played. The worlds are generally flat and split into hallways. There's no real moment-to-moment decision making that needs to be taken as one navigates a game like *Tales of Berseria*, for instance. Sometimes you might kite around an enemy that you don't wanna fight, but that's usually the extent of it. One branch of the hallways might lead to progress, and the other might lead to a treasure chest. But that's about to extent of it. This makes sense! Most RPGs are invested in the mechanical complexities of its combat. Taking that *Berseria* example further, I never got tired of running around in that game because I got to juggle enemies and do fun combos and everything else that game's combat system has to offer. But that's what makes *SMTV* stand out. The Nahobino in *SMTV* has a run, a sprint, and a jump. The run and sprint are very satisfying alone, but the coolest part about it is how slope effects these two things. Running up a hill slows you down, and running down it causes your blueberry enby to catch themselves, as if they're going to roll to the bottom if they miss a step. And if they *sprint* down a hill they instead surf it, increasing their speed. It's a small thing, but it adds to the sense of physicality as you explore the ruins of Tokyo, making it feel as if you're in a real place and not just moving a token across a 2D plane to go from battle to battle. There's some strategic value to how you maneuver as well. When you're kiting an enemy - which you'll do often in *SMTV*, where level 70 demons are just straight chilling in the starting area - surfing down a hill might be the best option, as the speed-boost can get you out of reach quicker. But the other half of *SMTV*'s interesting locomotion comes from its incredible use of 3D space. I hesitate to say it, but I almost wonder if Atlus was inspired by *Breath of the Wild* when making the game. *SMTV* might be the only JRPG I've ever played that involves such thorough exploration. Each map of Da'at is large, sure, but it also has depth and layers to it. You're constantly looking for new paths above and below you that lead to worthwhile rewards, like items, essences to give the Nahobino new abilities, or new demons to recruit. I'm always spending time in each new area, across ruined Tokyo highways, up the stairs of decaying buildings, and jumping through the windows of shipping containers, just to see what's around the corner next. This is a massive change of pace compared to most RPGs I've played - including other SMT games! *SMTIII* and *SMTIV* are straight-up dungeon crawlers in comparison.[^1] You're moving across flat maps, sometimes up a hill or down a latter, but never with any intent beyond clearing out a bit more of the fog of war and maybe getting a treasure chest or shortcut. Which is fine, by the way! That was the intent with which those games were made, and they're bangers. But if you're going to do an "open-world," I always feel like you should do two things: 1. Make it fun to move around in 2. Give me a reason to move around in it *SMTV* hits both those targets pretty damn well. It's nice not having to turn my brain off except for when I'm participating in a battle. And with the *Vengeance* upgrade, exploring feels better than ever. [^1]: *Strange Journey* is also a *literal* dungeon crawler, lmao