For many years, Shin Megami Tensei has revolved around the conflict between Law and Chaos. These opposing sides manifest in the series’ unique alignment system, which asks players to choose not between good and evil, but order and freedom. While a fantastic idea in principle, its execution is often flawed. Because Law and Chaos are embodied by the forces of Heaven and Hell — which are depicted respectively as merciless tyrants and uncompromising anarchists — it can be hard to see the merits of either philosophy.
With that history in mind, it’s refreshing to see Shin Megami Tensei V take a more relatable approach to the alignments. While the game has many great side-quests, one of its best concerns a dispute between the spirits Apsaras and Leanan Sidhe. Despite being one of SMT V‘s earliest missions, it’s a well-crafted short story that applies the alignments in a practical and understandable manner, summing up what they are, why they matter and what new players should expect as they venture into the Netherworld.
During the opening hours of SMT V, the player character fuses with the demon Aogami for the power to survive in the monster-infested ruins of Tokyo. This, combined with the abundance of enemies wandering around the overworld, immediately sells audiences on the danger of the setting: the world as they know it is gone, and the monsters that rule it live by a policy of kill-or-be-killed. Only those with the power to survive may prosper, and everyone else is little more than a slave or a meal in the eyes of the ruling demons.
In a world as inhospitable as this, Apsaras’s desire to create a peaceful paradise for weaker demons is refreshingly merciful. Her secluded abode is filled with low-level beings, like Pretas and Cait Siths, who struggle to exist in the ruined city and give thanks to her for providing them with a safe haven. While it’s only a simple place, with little more than rock walls for protection and a waterfall for sustenance, it’s positively idyllic compared to the blasted hellscape outside.
It’s also an Elysium under threat. If the player speaks with Apsaras, she will inform them about another demon, Leanan Sidhe, who preaches a philosophy of self-reliance that has begun tempting many of her own followers away. Apsaras argues that the fairy’s plan will inevitably lead to the weak being trampled as they struggle to compete in a world that is inherently hostile to their existence. Leanan Sidhe, by contrast, argues that she is simply encouraging demons to follow their dreams, and that the act of pursuing them (even if they fail) is what gives life meaning.
This mission is fantastic for several reasons. Firstly, it has no easy third option that pleases both parties. Players have to consider each woman’s ideals and pick a side — and both of them are well-intentioned enough that there are arguments to be made for either. Apsaras may provide the weak with water and shelter but, in exchange, her followers rely absolute on her benevolence. Meanwhile, the wasteland is so inhospitable that weaker demons are unlikely to prosper in it, but Leanan Sidhe isn’t necessarily wrong to encourage them to try and do so anyway.
The second reason why this quest is so great is because, for all its supernatural trappings, it’s a story that anyone can understand, and will inevitably have their own opinions about. Most people want to live in a world where their leaders are benevolent and truly look out for their best interests, but many of them also aspire to be more than just another face in the crowd. This tension between hierarchy and liberty has been a persistent social, political and philosophical dilemma throughout all of recorded history — and it’s great to see it represented so well.
SMT V‘s exploration of that dilemma doesn’t just stop with this quest. One shockingly dark later mission touches on the subject of immigration, with players choosing between trusting a host of demons to peacefully live among humans, or refusing for fear of the danger they could cause. Another addresses capitalism by asking players if the wine god Dionysus should have full control over his alcohol or if it should be available through the free market, even if that means allowing someone else to monopolize it as he did.
These questions are all simple on the surface (and it’s fair to say they aren’t all perfectly-executed), but they’re a welcome signifier that the Shin Megami Tensei series as a whole is growing up. While the old cosmic conflict between angels and demons still exists, most of the missions are, at their core, asking players to consider how humans should live. The series has always been about this question, but its post-Nocturne fixation on lore caused succeeding entries to lose sight of that. SMT V brings that subtext back in full force, and the result is a far more-memorable series of quests.
The dispute between Apsaras and Leanan Sidhe is a well-written short story about two women fighting over irreconcilable ideals. On its own, it makes for an enjoyable and even challenging early-game conflict. As the precursor to a much more human and relatable series of problems, however, it might just be one of the greatest alignment quests that Shin Megami Tensei has ever seen.
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