A great sequel to Persona 5, and one of the best games the musou subgenre has to offer. P5’s stylish and bold aesthetic perfectly mixes well with the musou genre. The Phantom Thieves’ attacks are consistent to their original kit and are fluid. The new showtime attacks look awesome and are satisfying to use when facing a large enemy mob. Persona skills are still available and give you some time to breath during a battle, maintaining some of the turn-based mechanics from the original game. I feel more encouraged to switch between party members in this game since all of them have much higher utility in this game compared to the original game, where I would have a set party for a majority of the game. The persona elements help make the game feel less repetitive in combat since there’s plenty of combos, abilities, and party members to try and use, which is a problem that plagues games in this subgenre.
The Phantom Thieves finally get some quality time together as they traverse across Japan to, which was much needed in the original game (looking at you Haru). There are plenty of moments during this road trip for fans of the game to enjoy. Zenkichi and Sophia are awesome additions to the main cast and have some of the most compelling character arcs in Persona 5. Villains in this game are more sympathetic than their P5 counterparts since most villains in Strikers were originally well-intentioned people before being twisted due to certain events. It’s a welcome change.
The lack of social links is disappointing. Confidant abilities get replaced with bond skills that are useful, but very grindy to accumulate the points to maximize the skills without the dynamic building between Joker and the confidant. Most of the cast from P5 are nowhere to be referenced, which kinda sucks. I would’ve at least liked the cast to mention how some of the side characters were spending their time in this game as a fan, but it’s ultimately a neutral exclusion.
Persona 5 Strikers is a game I’d highly recommend to people who played Persona 5/Royal. Fans would enjoy seeing the Phantom thieves enjoy their quasi-summer vacation and more moments from their favorite members. Would I recommend it to people who have not played Persona 5 or Royal? Probably not since it’s a direct sequel, but gameplay wise, it’s one of the best musou games for sure.

My introduction to the series. All I knew about the series prior to playing was its iconic boss fights and notorious difficulty. I refunded this game twice before giving it a fair shot a 3rd time. I really struggled the first half of the game, spending up to a couple hours on certain bosses. I paused my playthrough for Elden Ring. When I returned weeks later, I exponentially became a better souls player and breezed through the second half of the game. I haven’t delved into the lore of the series so I can’t speak on the world building and story well, but there are plenty of beautiful set pieces in this desolate world. Gameplay wise, it’s frequently frustrating dying to some Dark Souls bullshit, but also immensely gratifying accomplishment wise. This game works well as a boss gauntlet. Exploration wise, not a fan. I always say in jest to my friends that the Souls series are the worst games I’ve ever played, but the series really is something special for cementing itself in the industry and conducting a genesis of a gaming subgenre. In conclusion, Dark Souls 3 is a ok.