Been meaning to sit down and write a bit of my feelings toward this game on digital paper. Not sure where to start so let's just dive in.

I'm a big Sucker Punch fan, let's get that out of the way first. I count Infamous among my favorite series and the Sly Cooper franchise is a prime example of technical fun ass refinement. Most can probably guess that GoT leans more into the Infamous engine than the SC, and the more I played the more obvious those tricks became. Don't take that as a fault though, I loved Infamous precisely because it created such a fun sandbox to mess around in. GoT has similar open worlds, activities and quests, though with a bit more detail and perhaps a little less vigor.

I think the main fault that I can level at GoT is simply that the story is a plot I've seen A LOT before. Especially for someone like myself whose main love lies in the realm of films. I've seen every Kurosawa film, I'm a major martial arts/samurai cinema fan in general, and I just have a bit more knowledge of the time period thanks to my college pursuit of history. All these things made the game more like a motif of homages than a mold-breaking adventure, which isn't so much bad, but I feel like I dig it because it reminded me of other, better things, opposed to creating it's own feeling of individuality.

All that said I did find a lot of the side quests, especially ones centering on specific side characters, to be great by and large. Even if the story is somewhat predictable I was glad to have a cast of vagabonds running around.

The high point is easily the gameplay. Running around in Tsushima just playing missions, fighting bandits or exploring was a ton of fun. I could easily sink several hours just working to unfog the map and fucking around with whatever I found along the way. In this sense the gameplay runs like a combination of Infamous inspired skill-point systems and Far Cry 3-5 types of activities. Granted once you've found your 30th Fox Den things might be running a little repetitive but these things are hardly essential and if you want to focus more on combat/plot advancement that's totally a rewarding way to approach it.

The combat itself is refined to a T with an emphasis on parrying or dodging depending on a situation. The games stance system reminds me of the first Nioh though much more essential to success. By the time I was hitting the end game stuff though I was so overpowered it wasn't even a challenge on Hard anymore, I though about bumping to Lethal when they updated it but decided I was too lazy.

I'm excited for the upcoming multiplayer expansion which is the main reason I've held onto my physical copy opposed to selling it off but thats probably why I don't rate it higher, I basically did and saw everything you could on my initial runthrough so my yearn to return to the game in general just isn't there, but i'm hoping the Legends add on (I think thats the name?) will bring me back for some more Samurai action!

Personally I prefer something like Sekiro overall but the general influx of Samurai games recently (and in different genres to boot) has been a welcome style for me since I've been into the history and lore of Samurai for as long as I can remember.

On so many levels Persona 5 Royal is such a beautifully realized work of art that goes above and beyond as it progresses. Story-wise it not only takes bold turns that build so much character but also cuts into the meat of its psychologically driven themes in a way feels so natural to its vital rebellion motif. All of its vision is even further fleshed out through the endlessly creative designs of its supernatural elements that paint a bigger picture of sin.

While I didn't play the original Persona 5, I know that I definitely would have had a few major issues with it. With Royal, I have none. Not only is mementos completely revamped, it's a grinding heaven that offers a much-needed breather in between the palaces. Akechi's originally rushed character arc is also fleshed out unbelievably well, and the new third semester has such a refreshingly mature outlook on morality and trauma that just floored me - recontextualizing every single bit of the thieves' journey up to this point and emphasizing the importance of their growth in such an emotional light.

Yes 100+ hours is a huge amount of time to dedicate oneself to anything, but honestly I didn't feel a tenth of that time even with several playthroughs. It just strikes the perfect balance of everything that I want in a game to the point where I genuinely struggle to think of things that feel more investing.

So yeah, I unabashedly adore this

[Edit: here's a big ramble that I wrote cause I couldn't sleep]

Simply put, this is my favorite game and tied favorite piece of art of all-time.

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that there is nothing as uniquely balanced as it. For a game with a lengthy set-up rooted in trauma and injustice as well as consistent urgency prevalent with life-threatening deadlines, it’s extraordinary how seamlessly it contrasts this with the most captivating art style and abundance of fun in its gameplay elements - as if it knows exactly when to reign it in and when to let all just fucking go gloriously berserk (Robbie Daymond’s unmatched voice acting alone captures this). And yes I know it’s around 120 hours long for one play through, however, it has the best pay-off I’ve ever experienced to make it worth such a length - culminating in the most bittersweet perfection imaginable as it shapes the journey of everything that’s been built towards.

Alongside this, it provides the most refreshing breathing space through its social interactions. I love so many of these characters with my all heart and all the little slice of life moments that occur as I build my bonds with them in the game just have so much memorability. The initial formation of the Phantom Thieves feels like a real breakthrough of youthful rebellion and their journey with the international fame and infamy that comes alongside has such a palpable motivation to it that persists. The game’s use of time brings a real authenticity to the interactions as well. It highlights the importance of taking one’s time but also how certain decisions affect certain traits more earlier or later down the line. It seems obvious yet the way its presented here has stuck with me beyond measure.

Royal has also completely altered the way I view dungeons in games because of how it presents them as palaces. These palaces are layered manifestations of the distorted cognitions of increasingly corrupt members of society. The more I explore them, the more I’m blown away by how much detail lies in their surrealism even within just the background elements. Almost all of the palaces are masterpieces in of themselves (god the Tomb and Casino palaces are such a genius constructions it gives me goosebumps just thinking of them) but Royal’s additional palace takes the cake for my favorite as it taps into another realm psychologically.

The Persona series’ overarching conceptual link of improving social elements to heighten combat abilities has always been super fascinating to me and Royal absolutely has the best presentation of that foundational idea. Turn-based combat has never been smoother nor with such a functionality that adds to the game’s overall depth. The staple Velvet Room where the player can fuse, summon or strengthen their personas always has both a sinister and playful aura with how it is evoked subconsciously through a lack of control. Royal heightens this within the lore that lies in the personas themselves, evoking an otherworldly presence alongside the grounded stuff.

For all of these big elements, the little things stick with me just as much. A few examples: I love the goofy voice lines the shadows taunt in combat and even say them out loud myself a fair bit now just to have a laugh. I also can’t get enough of the little social media blurbs that happen after the Thieves do something and how on the nose the public’s fickleness is conveyed. The calling cards are also just the best fuck you ever to the villains, I go crazy in their announcements so much haha.

I gotta mention the soundtrack as well, Life Will Change, The Whims of Fate, Beneath the Mask, Ideal and the Real…this thing is loaded with endless, endless unstoppable bangers, but it's also the more subtle stuff like Sunset Bridge that plays at just the right moments of reflection that hit home so hard. Shoji Meguro is too OP.

Yeah I’ve been rambling way too hard but god there is so much I can gush about it here it’s honestly insane, truly the most exhilarating thing in the world.