2023
PLAYED WITH A CUTSCENE RESTORATION MOD
I realize that comparing this to the other entries is doing a bit of a disservice to all of the games but I can't help it, sorry in advance.
Despite having just finished this game after 90 or so hours, I hope the rumored Persona 3 Remake is happening. There's a lot I liked about this game, and a lot I wanted to like about it but one thing or another got in the way. After Persona 4 Golden I wanted more adventures with the Investigation Team, I'd grown endeared to all the characters and the bond they shared going through the events of the game and the bright path forward they had realizing their true selves. After Persona 5 Royal I felt like my time with the Phantom Thieves had a nice ending, everyone figured out their plans for the future and felt like they'd do well on their own going into the future. After the credits rolled and I hit the title screen of P3P, I wanted to revisit the year spent in Tatsumi Port Island. I get the feeling a lot of the interactions hit differently after having gone through The Journey, and want to see what I missed or what ominious dialogue awaits. More than the others I played Persona 3 really feels like the one to be played through multiple times. I'd love to play it again. There's just one issue.
Tartarus fucking sucks.
Tartarus actively worked against my enjoyment of getting through this game. It was such a draining feeling getting through the month, spending time with social links, taking care of the shadow from the full moon, getting more story progression, and then realizing I had more floors to clear. While Persona 5's snappy combat helped me get through the parts of the story I felt were unsatisfying and did not care about. The combat here is fine, I really enjoyed the full moon set pieces like the Love Hotel which is where I imagine is what Atlus used to eventually design the palaces in P4. The boss fights in this are really cool, even the last boss which had me stressed through most of the fight. I'm not even a guy who thinks you have to rush through the palaces to get back to the social sim aspect of the game (I still do all of it on the first day just for efficiency but I do really like the combat in all the persona games). Tartarus is just miserable. Mementos from P5R makes more sense to me now having run through Tartarus and that was one of my least favorite things in 5. Uninteresting floor design, unresponsive strikes in the overworld leading to constant enemy first attacks that put you at a disadvantage immediately. Tons of enemies with no weaknesses besides Hama and Mudo which even if they're weak it still misses 75% of the time wasting tons of SP. Pseudo-Boss fights every 12 floors or so that are scaled horribly. I melted story bosses but every time I'd encounter one of these fights, even if it was the first one of a new block I'd usually get hit with some OTK combo for the first 3 or 4 attempts before getting some RNG that helped me live past turn one. I'm not even sure how they could fix it in a remake but it really outclasses every other issue I had, and by a lot.
I'm not sure how I feel about the story in this game either. I love December and January, they compliment the themes of the game perfectly. I just wish that April through November carried that same weight. October is where it starts to get there but the wheels didn't really feel like they were turning until the full moon in Dec. It might undercut the idea behind the social link system but I just wish I got more time spent with everyone in S.E.E.S. just getting to be teenagers. It's the same issue I had with the Phantom Thieves. Our cast is so preoccupied with the conflict presented that they don't get to enjoy their time together. Which, with the ending of the game I understand it's about how you use your time to forge those bonds but even then a LOT of the social links are lacking that I just want to hang out with everyone more than I really got to, even with what's there I didn't get enough with my teammates. Part of this is probably by design, and the other part is because half of the team's social links is locked behind a second playthrough as the opposite sex. I hope if that remake is real, I get more fleshed out social links. I would've cared more for the big moments with Ken, Shinjiro, Junpei, and Akihiko if they weren't locked behind a 2nd playthrough. Some of my other narrative gripes would require a restructuring of the whole story and while that would be cool I don't expect it and it's not really necessary. Those last two months are better than anything in 5, and the ending has hit me harder than the endings of both 5R and 4G.
I didn't mind the visual novel presentation of it, I did install a mod that restores cutscenes but otherwise it was fine. I never felt like exploring Inaba or Shibuya added much to the experience, though ymmv. Maybe it is more limiting and affected my enjoyment of it.
If that remake doesn't get announced over the summer at any point I'll be playing The Answer later this year when I can handle hearing BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY again. I also plan on watching the movies to see if I prefer the story presented that way, after sitting with this ending some more. I want to like this game more than I actually did, but that could change with time. Maybe this game would've hit harder if I played it at a different time in my life.
I realize that comparing this to the other entries is doing a bit of a disservice to all of the games but I can't help it, sorry in advance.
Despite having just finished this game after 90 or so hours, I hope the rumored Persona 3 Remake is happening. There's a lot I liked about this game, and a lot I wanted to like about it but one thing or another got in the way. After Persona 4 Golden I wanted more adventures with the Investigation Team, I'd grown endeared to all the characters and the bond they shared going through the events of the game and the bright path forward they had realizing their true selves. After Persona 5 Royal I felt like my time with the Phantom Thieves had a nice ending, everyone figured out their plans for the future and felt like they'd do well on their own going into the future. After the credits rolled and I hit the title screen of P3P, I wanted to revisit the year spent in Tatsumi Port Island. I get the feeling a lot of the interactions hit differently after having gone through The Journey, and want to see what I missed or what ominious dialogue awaits. More than the others I played Persona 3 really feels like the one to be played through multiple times. I'd love to play it again. There's just one issue.
Tartarus fucking sucks.
Tartarus actively worked against my enjoyment of getting through this game. It was such a draining feeling getting through the month, spending time with social links, taking care of the shadow from the full moon, getting more story progression, and then realizing I had more floors to clear. While Persona 5's snappy combat helped me get through the parts of the story I felt were unsatisfying and did not care about. The combat here is fine, I really enjoyed the full moon set pieces like the Love Hotel which is where I imagine is what Atlus used to eventually design the palaces in P4. The boss fights in this are really cool, even the last boss which had me stressed through most of the fight. I'm not even a guy who thinks you have to rush through the palaces to get back to the social sim aspect of the game (I still do all of it on the first day just for efficiency but I do really like the combat in all the persona games). Tartarus is just miserable. Mementos from P5R makes more sense to me now having run through Tartarus and that was one of my least favorite things in 5. Uninteresting floor design, unresponsive strikes in the overworld leading to constant enemy first attacks that put you at a disadvantage immediately. Tons of enemies with no weaknesses besides Hama and Mudo which even if they're weak it still misses 75% of the time wasting tons of SP. Pseudo-Boss fights every 12 floors or so that are scaled horribly. I melted story bosses but every time I'd encounter one of these fights, even if it was the first one of a new block I'd usually get hit with some OTK combo for the first 3 or 4 attempts before getting some RNG that helped me live past turn one. I'm not even sure how they could fix it in a remake but it really outclasses every other issue I had, and by a lot.
I'm not sure how I feel about the story in this game either. I love December and January, they compliment the themes of the game perfectly. I just wish that April through November carried that same weight. October is where it starts to get there but the wheels didn't really feel like they were turning until the full moon in Dec. It might undercut the idea behind the social link system but I just wish I got more time spent with everyone in S.E.E.S. just getting to be teenagers. It's the same issue I had with the Phantom Thieves. Our cast is so preoccupied with the conflict presented that they don't get to enjoy their time together. Which, with the ending of the game I understand it's about how you use your time to forge those bonds but even then a LOT of the social links are lacking that I just want to hang out with everyone more than I really got to, even with what's there I didn't get enough with my teammates. Part of this is probably by design, and the other part is because half of the team's social links is locked behind a second playthrough as the opposite sex. I hope if that remake is real, I get more fleshed out social links. I would've cared more for the big moments with Ken, Shinjiro, Junpei, and Akihiko if they weren't locked behind a 2nd playthrough. Some of my other narrative gripes would require a restructuring of the whole story and while that would be cool I don't expect it and it's not really necessary. Those last two months are better than anything in 5, and the ending has hit me harder than the endings of both 5R and 4G.
I didn't mind the visual novel presentation of it, I did install a mod that restores cutscenes but otherwise it was fine. I never felt like exploring Inaba or Shibuya added much to the experience, though ymmv. Maybe it is more limiting and affected my enjoyment of it.
If that remake doesn't get announced over the summer at any point I'll be playing The Answer later this year when I can handle hearing BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY again. I also plan on watching the movies to see if I prefer the story presented that way, after sitting with this ending some more. I want to like this game more than I actually did, but that could change with time. Maybe this game would've hit harder if I played it at a different time in my life.
As a kid whenever I'd play Super Mario Land 1, I felt something was off. Even at 5 years old I knew that it was a poor imitation of Mario. Whenever I'd be at someones house and I saw the label I'd hope I was putting in Super Mario Land 2. Great portable Mario experience that's still fun 30+ years later, Really easy to speed through as well when you're not a kid who's bad at video games and borrows the most interesting things about SML 1 which are the creative liberties with making a mario world. Big fan of all the themed zones.
give me more levels please
2022
I'll get back to this game eventually. too many times softlocked to want to go through it. Wish it could've released in a better state.
2022
this game is like if the werid uncomfortable feeling i got while watching someone play Riven at 6 years old was actualized
2021
Wonderful game front to back. Touching story, creative environments, puzzles that are simple but don't feel condecending, regularly adds or switches around gameplay elements so nothing gets stale. What other game is a 3rd person shooter but also an ARPG but also a rhythm game? It's fun to take breaks in the game to just explore your surroundings and find all sorts of cute things laying around to just mess around with. Really a must play for everyone.
Hazelight knows how to make a video game damn.
Hazelight knows how to make a video game damn.
This game made me miss the narrative structure of Yakuza 4 and 5. A shorter tightly knit story without much meandering was refreshing after 6 through base Lost Judgment.
The end to this is fantastic, it's far from what I've grown to expect out of this franchise and its so refreshing to get something like it after so long.
The end to this is fantastic, it's far from what I've grown to expect out of this franchise and its so refreshing to get something like it after so long.
2021
The events of Yakuza: Like A Dragon were the best thing to happen to Judgment next to getting a sequel. My biggest gripes with Judgment's story was how often it took breaks to acquaint us with the new cast of Yagami, Kaito, and the Genda Law Office alongside the lead being deeply tied to yakuza politics and the Tojo Clan beyond his partner being a former family member. It came across like RGG didn't feel that Judgment could stand as it's own thing and the audience needed their hand held into trying something new (and with Kiryu coming back after only being unplayable for one entry of the main series shows they still don't have full faith in anything new). Lost Judgment however is a great step in a better direction for the spinoff series.
The dissolution of the Tojo Clan means the story goes in a direction that I was hoping for when I started up Judgment, Yagami getting himself involved in a case that goes far deeper than anyone could guess and learning with the player about a side of the world we haven't seen before with characters from walks of life we haven't interacted with until now. Also thankfully scaled back from how internationally implicating both Song of Life and Judgment were. A moral quandry is perfect for a character like Yagami who's left behind his legal background but works in a weird space thats between the legal system and underground crime.
All the core gameplay issues I had are fixed. Combat is much smoother. Getting SP for skills isn't nearly as much of a nightmare. The tailing mechanic is mostly gone and whenever it's used it's not for NEARLY as long as it was in the first. You aren't stuck on a time limit for street fights. All great!
My only real gripe with this game is how the side content is handled. Far less cases are taken through Yagami Detective Agency which is a bummer, I appreciated that for world/character building far more than taking a break from investigating government sanctioned murder to have a mock trial at a law office. The friendships with businesses and individuals around the city are just gone and the dating aspect (in the base game) is taken down to just one not very fun to talk to girl. Instead of having as many substories they present a larger set through the School Stories paired with their own Minigames that range from fun (Boxing, Robotics, Dancing) to Frustrating (Skateboarding, Biker Gang, Photography) to pointless feeling (eSports, Casino, Girls Bar). I like the overall idea of the School Stories but being tied to playing these minigames is more frustrating that it is satisfying and even if you do things like lower the difficulty settings to make the games easier they're still a massive time sink that had me going through the motions to finish. Also the chatter system isn't as fun as I thought it was in Judgment.
I don't think it deserves a spoiler warning for this but I'm also incredibly surprised and thankful that there hasn't been any major characters from the main line of games to come and talk or interact with or fight Yagami (besides Amon) making it that when it finally happens it's gonna be huge.
Great game! can't wait for more of anything from these guys!
The dissolution of the Tojo Clan means the story goes in a direction that I was hoping for when I started up Judgment, Yagami getting himself involved in a case that goes far deeper than anyone could guess and learning with the player about a side of the world we haven't seen before with characters from walks of life we haven't interacted with until now. Also thankfully scaled back from how internationally implicating both Song of Life and Judgment were. A moral quandry is perfect for a character like Yagami who's left behind his legal background but works in a weird space thats between the legal system and underground crime.
All the core gameplay issues I had are fixed. Combat is much smoother. Getting SP for skills isn't nearly as much of a nightmare. The tailing mechanic is mostly gone and whenever it's used it's not for NEARLY as long as it was in the first. You aren't stuck on a time limit for street fights. All great!
My only real gripe with this game is how the side content is handled. Far less cases are taken through Yagami Detective Agency which is a bummer, I appreciated that for world/character building far more than taking a break from investigating government sanctioned murder to have a mock trial at a law office. The friendships with businesses and individuals around the city are just gone and the dating aspect (in the base game) is taken down to just one not very fun to talk to girl. Instead of having as many substories they present a larger set through the School Stories paired with their own Minigames that range from fun (Boxing, Robotics, Dancing) to Frustrating (Skateboarding, Biker Gang, Photography) to pointless feeling (eSports, Casino, Girls Bar). I like the overall idea of the School Stories but being tied to playing these minigames is more frustrating that it is satisfying and even if you do things like lower the difficulty settings to make the games easier they're still a massive time sink that had me going through the motions to finish. Also the chatter system isn't as fun as I thought it was in Judgment.
I don't think it deserves a spoiler warning for this but I'm also incredibly surprised and thankful that there hasn't been any major characters from the main line of games to come and talk or interact with or fight Yagami (besides Amon) making it that when it finally happens it's gonna be huge.
Great game! can't wait for more of anything from these guys!
2022
glad that this wasn't COMPLETELY just "haha NEETs are cool"
you gotta be on too many unfortunate levels of Being Online for this to be legible but nice that, at least with the true(?) good ending there's stuff about wanting to work out of being stuck in that sort of life habit
you gotta be on too many unfortunate levels of Being Online for this to be legible but nice that, at least with the true(?) good ending there's stuff about wanting to work out of being stuck in that sort of life habit
1994
incredible beat up that deserves a home port
went ahead and bought the upgrade to the Paid version, and the paid version opens this up from a fun little wrestling simulator to something truly special. Somehow they're able to replicate the "One More Turn" of Civiliazation or "After my next plot is finished" from Crusader Kings to keep me playing this for hours whenever I type the website into my browser.
also works on mobile so you can be the Bookerman wherever you go!
also works on mobile so you can be the Bookerman wherever you go!
Much like P5R compared to P4G this is a lesser game in most regards except presentation. Flashier and better looking but shallow when it comes to any kind of narrative or characters. Also the music isn't as good here.
I really enjoyed the way that Persona 4 Dancing was able to apply the themes of Persona 4 Golden to a rhythm game in a way that was still meaningful and it was nice to hang out with the investigation team some more. It would be difficult to apply the themes of Persona 5 to a rhythm game so I don't blame them there but man, leading with the fact that none of the cast will remember anything that happens and then setting up a social link system where characters have revelations about themselves in relation to dancing is really weird, why have that if they're not going to remember the growth?
Still a fun rhythm game but it wasn't as enjoyable to play through.
I really enjoyed the way that Persona 4 Dancing was able to apply the themes of Persona 4 Golden to a rhythm game in a way that was still meaningful and it was nice to hang out with the investigation team some more. It would be difficult to apply the themes of Persona 5 to a rhythm game so I don't blame them there but man, leading with the fact that none of the cast will remember anything that happens and then setting up a social link system where characters have revelations about themselves in relation to dancing is really weird, why have that if they're not going to remember the growth?
Still a fun rhythm game but it wasn't as enjoyable to play through.
2022
Didn't know about this "pack in" game until I got my own Steam Deck. A fun little adventure showing off a bunch of functions on the Steam Deck. Really makes you wish for a new full game from Valve, they still know how to write good dialogue
Nate Bargatze is great as Grady, I immediately knew it was him. Cool to see one of my favorite comics in a neat little game.
Nate Bargatze is great as Grady, I immediately knew it was him. Cool to see one of my favorite comics in a neat little game.
Fun little rhythym game with a short story that continues the themes of Persona 4 Golden while extending it to the public image expectations of being an idol in Japan. A fun thing to play after Persona 5 Royal and it really reminded me of what I liked about P4 that P5 was lacking.
2019
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.