I think it's pretty obvious the writers of this game were inspired by the Persona stories. And while I dont think it comes close to those... for what it is I did like the story and characters for the most part... There were characters I hated for most of the game like Asahi and Toki but then there were the best boys Gaston and Hallelujah. The character development could have used more screen time however they probably didnt want too many cutscenes as SMT tends to be more gameplay focused over Persona. Overall I liked the cast and how varied they were in their backgrounds and personalities but it could've been better. Hearing Asahi and Toki fight to simp over the main character was just so cringe, I dont really like how Toki went from a badass child assassin to... whatever she ended up becoming. I loved Dadga, he's really cool and I love the philosophy he holds in contrast with the "power of friendship" theme the group cast had. I also think all the background lore and how it's expanded from 4 is really sick even if I didnt understand all of it. The story was definitely mixed at times but it had enough stand out moments for me to consider it better than most game stories. And I really did love the ending, it felt satisfying after the climax of fighting Yhvh with Flynn and the original cast from SMT 4. It wrapped everything up perfectly and it was just so sweet seeing a happy ending. Gameplay was about as good as 4 it's just a bit easier, but smirking feels less random and the addition of proper partners that feels like a proper mechanic you have to account for and not just a random annoyance like in 4 certainly makes the battle system to me better. The only problem with the gameplay is the final 2 dungeons which drag on for way too long... other than that though it was great.