A fresh Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance save file starts with a quote from the Manyo-shu, the oldest extant compilation of Japanese poetry:

When I contemplate the brevity of man’s life, I am indifferent to worldly things: how many are the days I spend in thought!

The above Britannica entry about the poetry describes it as “celebrated through the centuries for its man’yō spirit, a simple freshness and sincere emotive power not seen later in more polished and stylized Japanese verse.” I think this describes SMTV well, both in relation to other Atlus games like the more popular (in the west?) Persona series as well as popular contemporary games generally. Fresh by virtue of being archaic, moving by virtue of being simple.

Anyways I’m about 14 hours into it, I’ll write more about it later.