Persona 5 Royal was my most anticipated videogame for some time, so I decided to preorder the Ultimate Edition... was it worth?
The story remains mostly the same, but it's been expanded with 2 additional characters, a new Palace and a third semester, which is undoubtedly the best story arc in the entire game.
The gameplay is improved in almost every way; there are new major mechanics like the grappling hook and the showtimes but there are also minor improvements over the baton pass and the guns, which made the combat system even more fun.
Same with the characters; in Persona 5 Royal, not only there are 3 additional characters, but there's also a reworked confidant and a new arc for a vital character as well.
The Palaces have received some changes; there are new areas to explore, new items to collect and the most frustrating parts have been removed.
The music is even better; Shoji Meguro strikes again with a unique "Royal" touch this time.
Lastly, there are new additions for Mementos, interesting changes to the boss battles, more free time and side-content, a ton of other QoL improvements and even faster loading times.
Unfortunately though, while the story of the game got better, the pacing is still slightly inconsistent at times.
Other than that... what more could I ask for?
Pros:
+ Expanded story
+ Refined gameplay
+ Additional characters
+ Major improvements
+ Minor tweaks
+ More content
Cons:
- Minor pacing issues
Narrative: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Art Style: 10/10
Final Rating: 10/10
- Masterpiece -
Persona 5 Royal is Persona 5 at its finest; by improving upon the original game in every way while adding features that I consider essential to be in the game, it managed to exceed my high expectations.
Persona 5 was already an RPG masterpiece, and Persona 5 Royal is a significantly better experience overall; it's undoubtedly one of the best videogames ever made.
Do I recommend it?:
If you've played Persona 5 before... yes!
If you haven't played Persona 5 before, then it's a must-play.
The story remains mostly the same, but it's been expanded with 2 additional characters, a new Palace and a third semester, which is undoubtedly the best story arc in the entire game.
The gameplay is improved in almost every way; there are new major mechanics like the grappling hook and the showtimes but there are also minor improvements over the baton pass and the guns, which made the combat system even more fun.
Same with the characters; in Persona 5 Royal, not only there are 3 additional characters, but there's also a reworked confidant and a new arc for a vital character as well.
The Palaces have received some changes; there are new areas to explore, new items to collect and the most frustrating parts have been removed.
The music is even better; Shoji Meguro strikes again with a unique "Royal" touch this time.
Lastly, there are new additions for Mementos, interesting changes to the boss battles, more free time and side-content, a ton of other QoL improvements and even faster loading times.
Unfortunately though, while the story of the game got better, the pacing is still slightly inconsistent at times.
Other than that... what more could I ask for?
Pros:
+ Expanded story
+ Refined gameplay
+ Additional characters
+ Major improvements
+ Minor tweaks
+ More content
Cons:
- Minor pacing issues
Narrative: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Art Style: 10/10
Final Rating: 10/10
- Masterpiece -
Persona 5 Royal is Persona 5 at its finest; by improving upon the original game in every way while adding features that I consider essential to be in the game, it managed to exceed my high expectations.
Persona 5 was already an RPG masterpiece, and Persona 5 Royal is a significantly better experience overall; it's undoubtedly one of the best videogames ever made.
Do I recommend it?:
If you've played Persona 5 before... yes!
If you haven't played Persona 5 before, then it's a must-play.