This review contains spoilers
I wish I could talk about this game without just constantly comparing it to Persona 4 Golden but no matter what I try to say I just end up doing it. I'll do my best to just keep the comparisons where it's relevant. Also doing my best to keep this coherent I ramble a lot.
It didn't take very long for me to figure out why this game resonates with so many people. A story about teenagers being fed up with the mistreatment happening in the world by corrupt people in power so they're taking matters into their own hands. It's something that honestly has just grown more personal for a lot of people in the last few years because of all the uh, bad stuff that's happened in the world that more and more people are waking up to. It's not subtle either, like no attempt was made to provide metaphors or subtext here.
The game itself is good, every aspect of gameplay is an improvement over P4G, benefitted by being the extended edition of a PS3/PS4 game and not a sort of port of a PS2 to a handheld console. Visuals also improved (it would be fucked if they didn't) and I'm a big fan of how stylistic navigating menus is and how combat is presented instead of stale menus. Music is good too whatever everyone knows this already. The narrative aspects of this game are really what doesn't work for me.
The social links in this game with the Phantom Thieves cast feel incredibly shallow compared to anything with the Investigation Team, and those aren't exactly GREAT but here it feels like nothing is happening. Everyone on your team in P4G is struggling with something related to their identity or something that at least feels heavy to deal with for anyone regardless of age while half of the Phantom Thieves just have some frustrating interpersonal issues that are rough as a teenager yes but don't really feel like a big deal. Ryuji reconciles with the running team, Makoto realizes shes a stick in the mud, I still don't understand what Ann's whole arc is supposed to be besides being sad about her friend, Yusuke's arc of struggling with his art is closer to something worthwhile at least. Futaba, Haru, and Kasumi/Sumire have some more real struggles. I'll give them credit that the social links outside of the group are a huge improvement over P4G, with some of the characters like Hifumi Togo being much more interesting than Ann and honestly would've made a better partner. The other confidants also having much more interesting arcs over their social links.
Dedicating a small section to Akechi because I really don't get the praise for his character, the "heel turn" doesn't have any impact because FROM THE JUMP he's saying passive aggresive weirdo shit to Joker and similar to Adachi it's not really surprising that he's involved in some capacity because there's only so many voiced characters with unique illustrations. Him having a troubled backstory doesn't get sympathy from me for being a total freak even before the Royal exclusive story content and while he's more enjoyable by being an unhinged freak he's also not redeemed by sacrificing himself working to stop Maruki, it doesn't seem noble that he wouldn't want to live in a false reality like that it's just... him. Maruki's motivations make him more interesting because he's gone through so much hardship he thinks he's truly in the right but he's doing about it the wrong way but I can't tell if the game truly wants me to reconsider it. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance does this kind of message better, and Yakuza: Like A Dragon does the final fist fight confrontation in a JRPG much better as well.
The story is servicable, as I put earlier I understand why it resonates with people. I just wish I got to spend more slice of life casual time with the crew. Maybe I'm looking back with rose colored glasses but I felt like I got to goof around with the Investigation Team more than I did with the Phantom Thieves. The game isn't subtle at almost any point but it ramps up when navigating Shido's palace and the dialogue doesn't even try it's just an evil politician saying "yes I asked shido to help me to a fucked up evil thing... and I'm happy about it! >:)" and one of the thieves going "man this is fucked up, we gotta stop them its bad that people could be this evil!". The third semester is talked up similar to Gen 2 pokemon having all of Kanto where, not really as big as they made it out to be even if the driving force behind it is more interesting. That too falls flat though as this is the perfect opportunity for the Phantom Thieves to really look inward and determine if their actions leading up to that point were justified. I don't at any point think that the Phantom Thieves are in the wrong but man, there's plenty of opportunity for them to have extended legitimate doubts leading up to this final confrontation and not once do they think "are we any better than Maruki?"
The peak moment of the story really is the swerve following Sae's palace. I wasn't completely fooled because it felt like it dragged on way too long to be a bad ending, but having played P4G and getting one of the bad endings I appreciated them going through an incredibly long sad sequence before flipping it around to reveal that everything went according to plan. I wish all the heists also felt this intricate.
the early half of the game when they're solving smaller issues is more my speed and is where I realize what doesn't work about this story for me personally. The scale of it is so big that I'm just kind of floating through it as opposed to the Investigation Team solving a series of fucked up murders and kidnappings that have happened in this small countryside town. Taking down the man who's presumably going to become the Prime Minister, Then Fighting God, Then Fighting God Combined With A Guy Who's Reshaped All Of Reality is so much that I feel like my time with the Phantom Thieves is complete having finished the game. All the characters are moving on too and I don't feel like I need to see anymore adventures from them. I feel bad for Futaba (also because she's the one I made my gf) but the rest of the cast is going into adulthood or working towards their own personal independence which is totally fine. I just felt the bond between the Investigation Team was much stronger.
Hey the game is still real good and I think people should play it if they're interested in it. Left me with a lot of thoughts from just how hyped up it is.
It didn't take very long for me to figure out why this game resonates with so many people. A story about teenagers being fed up with the mistreatment happening in the world by corrupt people in power so they're taking matters into their own hands. It's something that honestly has just grown more personal for a lot of people in the last few years because of all the uh, bad stuff that's happened in the world that more and more people are waking up to. It's not subtle either, like no attempt was made to provide metaphors or subtext here.
The game itself is good, every aspect of gameplay is an improvement over P4G, benefitted by being the extended edition of a PS3/PS4 game and not a sort of port of a PS2 to a handheld console. Visuals also improved (it would be fucked if they didn't) and I'm a big fan of how stylistic navigating menus is and how combat is presented instead of stale menus. Music is good too whatever everyone knows this already. The narrative aspects of this game are really what doesn't work for me.
The social links in this game with the Phantom Thieves cast feel incredibly shallow compared to anything with the Investigation Team, and those aren't exactly GREAT but here it feels like nothing is happening. Everyone on your team in P4G is struggling with something related to their identity or something that at least feels heavy to deal with for anyone regardless of age while half of the Phantom Thieves just have some frustrating interpersonal issues that are rough as a teenager yes but don't really feel like a big deal. Ryuji reconciles with the running team, Makoto realizes shes a stick in the mud, I still don't understand what Ann's whole arc is supposed to be besides being sad about her friend, Yusuke's arc of struggling with his art is closer to something worthwhile at least. Futaba, Haru, and Kasumi/Sumire have some more real struggles. I'll give them credit that the social links outside of the group are a huge improvement over P4G, with some of the characters like Hifumi Togo being much more interesting than Ann and honestly would've made a better partner. The other confidants also having much more interesting arcs over their social links.
Dedicating a small section to Akechi because I really don't get the praise for his character, the "heel turn" doesn't have any impact because FROM THE JUMP he's saying passive aggresive weirdo shit to Joker and similar to Adachi it's not really surprising that he's involved in some capacity because there's only so many voiced characters with unique illustrations. Him having a troubled backstory doesn't get sympathy from me for being a total freak even before the Royal exclusive story content and while he's more enjoyable by being an unhinged freak he's also not redeemed by sacrificing himself working to stop Maruki, it doesn't seem noble that he wouldn't want to live in a false reality like that it's just... him. Maruki's motivations make him more interesting because he's gone through so much hardship he thinks he's truly in the right but he's doing about it the wrong way but I can't tell if the game truly wants me to reconsider it. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance does this kind of message better, and Yakuza: Like A Dragon does the final fist fight confrontation in a JRPG much better as well.
The story is servicable, as I put earlier I understand why it resonates with people. I just wish I got to spend more slice of life casual time with the crew. Maybe I'm looking back with rose colored glasses but I felt like I got to goof around with the Investigation Team more than I did with the Phantom Thieves. The game isn't subtle at almost any point but it ramps up when navigating Shido's palace and the dialogue doesn't even try it's just an evil politician saying "yes I asked shido to help me to a fucked up evil thing... and I'm happy about it! >:)" and one of the thieves going "man this is fucked up, we gotta stop them its bad that people could be this evil!". The third semester is talked up similar to Gen 2 pokemon having all of Kanto where, not really as big as they made it out to be even if the driving force behind it is more interesting. That too falls flat though as this is the perfect opportunity for the Phantom Thieves to really look inward and determine if their actions leading up to that point were justified. I don't at any point think that the Phantom Thieves are in the wrong but man, there's plenty of opportunity for them to have extended legitimate doubts leading up to this final confrontation and not once do they think "are we any better than Maruki?"
The peak moment of the story really is the swerve following Sae's palace. I wasn't completely fooled because it felt like it dragged on way too long to be a bad ending, but having played P4G and getting one of the bad endings I appreciated them going through an incredibly long sad sequence before flipping it around to reveal that everything went according to plan. I wish all the heists also felt this intricate.
the early half of the game when they're solving smaller issues is more my speed and is where I realize what doesn't work about this story for me personally. The scale of it is so big that I'm just kind of floating through it as opposed to the Investigation Team solving a series of fucked up murders and kidnappings that have happened in this small countryside town. Taking down the man who's presumably going to become the Prime Minister, Then Fighting God, Then Fighting God Combined With A Guy Who's Reshaped All Of Reality is so much that I feel like my time with the Phantom Thieves is complete having finished the game. All the characters are moving on too and I don't feel like I need to see anymore adventures from them. I feel bad for Futaba (also because she's the one I made my gf) but the rest of the cast is going into adulthood or working towards their own personal independence which is totally fine. I just felt the bond between the Investigation Team was much stronger.
Hey the game is still real good and I think people should play it if they're interested in it. Left me with a lot of thoughts from just how hyped up it is.