Following its initial announcement, this game was met with an outstanding and overbearing silence that echoed throughout the lands of the fanbase as absolutely no one alive was hyped for the prestigious release of Persona 5 Tactica.

Well- I lie. I WAS EXCITED! I was so hyped, I went to every DM for every friend who even remotely knew of Persona, telling them that "Persona 5 Fire Emblem finally exists!" I was wrong, but I wasn't right either. It was more "Persona 5 Mario + Rabbids," than anything, but it was a Persona 5 tactics game, and for that: I couldn't be happier.

Persona 5 Tactica is an odd strategy game. Rather than meticulously honing in on enemies and playing it safe throughout each battle, Tactica expects you to play aggressively, utilising skill advantages and 1 More's to decimate opponents, leaving them open so you can wipe the battlefield before a conflict can even begin. For this, the game can be admittedly exhilarating to play. You're always on the move, and when you get the hang of it, it becomes an absolute joy to play! Characters bounce off each other well, and each Side Quest teaches you what each character's toolkit offers, as well as how they might differ. Sooner or later, you begin realising which character works well for what scenario, and you lose yourself in the all-out revolution of war that this game tries its best to tell a tale of.

That was how it was for me, anyway. Being weak in this game is a major strength in battle. What you lack in OH-KOing enemies when being under-levelled, you make up for in being able to push them around the map, allowing you to crowd control a large group before sending them home with an All-Out Attack. It's incredibly satisfying to pull off, and even though I was worried about making certain missions impossible when I was over the level for certain ones: The game still provided me enough versatility to think around the box and use a different character's skills in new ways.

Mind you, everyone is diverse, but not everyone is fair - and I saw this is an issue in what was thankfully the best possible way. The one outlier in the main cast, being Yusuke, is thankfully just a REALLY good unit to have in every battle. With the right skills, he provides extra movement for every battle, and he quickly became a favourite for getting slow-coaches like Haru and Makoto across the map quickly without needing to waste turns positioning them. Speed is the main aim of the game, and regardless of the overall difficulty setting you're playing in, you're ultimately rushing to success with everyone on-board.

You must forgive me, though. Tactica is admittedly one of the few times in a Persona game where I was so incredibly enamoured by the gameplay, that I absolutely lost myself in it without first realising just how good the story could be. Is the story good? If you've played Persona 5's original campaign and the Strikers spin-off, you'll see the ending twist coming from beyond a mile away - and then you'll sigh in dissapointment as the game tries its best during the final few hours to get you on-board for the finale when you're absolutely ready to bash his head in like the ones before him in other games.

The story isn't amazing, but it's not horrible either. What makes it, "not horrible," though? Define it for me, Yoshistar!
Okay, fine. I will: Toshiro and Erina! These two bubbles of fear and absolute delight had me giggle a few times with how silly they could be! Tactica is implied to take place during winter of P5 Royal. The Phantoms Thieves don't develope. They've done doing that. You SAW THEM do that. No complaints here, okay? From here on, Toshiro takes the stage, and Erina joins alongside him!

The two rub off each other like skin and soap, ribbing on one another constantly while also providing aid in their faults. It's incredibly heart-warming to see, and during the final moments of seeing Toshiro coming to grips with who he is, you begin loving these characters for being the way they are. Toshiro for being a goof who has to accept his faults, and Erina for being the #badassgirlboss that doesn't take "no" for an answer. She represents the game's themes of Revolution perfectly, and to that end, the story of the game can be immensely engaging. It's a character-driven narrative, and the characters this time around are the goofballs, Toshiro, Toshiro, and Toshiro, with a side helping of Erina whenever the plot demands it. It's not perfect - but it's engaging, and I loved the game for it!

There are little things too, that I enjoyed about this game. I didn't mind the constant menu navigation because, as always, Persona 5's UI and themes of Revolution hit the nail on the head whenever you even THOUGHT of checking something out before a battle. You could get lost for HOURS fusing Personas in the Velvet Room if you're lucky (I was sadly, unlucky, though: When I had to sit in their for 40+ minutes for a PS achievements :/), and seeing bonus conversations only to THEN mix and match skills in the Skill Tree becomes dangerously addicting before every battle. Now... if only the game didn't notify me EVERY TIME even ONE of the units needed a tiny upgrade for SOMETHING RELATIVELY MINOR- D:

"Yes, I know Haru can get a small HP upgrade for 10 GP, game, but MAYBE I DON'T WANT IT! LET ME SAVE UP MORE DAMN IT- THE FLOOF NEEDS HER OVER-POWERED PSIO SKILL DAMN IT!!!!!"

AHEM-
Sorry about that.

So that's it? That's my only complaint?
Yeah.

I told you all before. I was one of the only few who was excited for Tactica's announcement. I was so excited, I waited for a sale and snagged it when the tide of prices was looking safe to surf on many months later. Call it cheap (it was on my wallet), but it worked. The game receiving such a lukewarm reception has likely damaged any resemblance of more Tactica-like games from ATLUS, which is a shame - but it does make me hopeful we could get Persona Q remasters one day. And even if I WAS the one singing this game's praises enough to Platinum the game on my PS account, I had an absolute joy doing it.

People are getting sick of the Phantom Thieves. They've hit a slump, and they're just not as good as they used to be. ATLUS love them just as much as we've apparently outgrown them, and that's the harsh reality of the world we live in. To that I say: Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm hoping one day people avert their eyes from the fatigue, and give Tactica the 1 More it deserves. It's not a masterpiece of a game, but it's not harmful either. Persona 5 Tactica is a game that excels in what it does, and is a joy to play from start-to-end to New Game+ and beyond. It's not perfect, but it's not a Persona game without polish - and you'll see that more if you ever ever decide to give it the glance it deserves.

The answer to creating the best DLC campaign was Splatoon all along. Where's my singing idols when I need them?

ATLUS heard our cries and whines about Kasumi and Akechi's lack of presence in Strikers and gave us them as paid DLC out of spite to us. What do I have to say about it? I'm thankful.

Repaint Your Heart (RPH) plays a slight bit differently to the main game. Enemies spread paint with each hit they do to the opposition, and generally it's a good idea to have as much of your coloured paint across the map, since it allows you to stagger enemies for a One More if they stand atop your side's colour - even if they're near a wall or corner. This changes things up from the main game, since you'll generally be abusing Akechi and Kasumi voltage's to help abuse game mechanics during tough calls, and even Joker's own one becomes much more useful when certain bosses later on are harder to hit with paint. It's a short campaign, but a lot of the levels got very creative as they went on. A lot of tactics games suffer their final bosses being too easy or too convoluted, but I found this finale a delight when faced with having to think outside the box to paint my way through to the end.

Story-wise, there are some contrived tidbits that no fan can ignore when booting up this campaign! Kasumi isn't herself from Royal's Third Semester, so she lacks a lot of the development that a lot of her fans love her for, and Akechi's joining up with Joker in the DLC story is also done at a delicate point in the timeline of the main game that really offsets things. The main characters who develop in RPH really come down to original characters, Luca and Guernica, and I did enjoy watching them. It was nice to have this side story showcase having a rebellious spirit in a new way, and I think Guernica was a really good shout into how it could be done for a negative end-goal, as opposed to the Phantom Thieves.

Even better was how the game's story doesn't make the symbolism as in-your-face as OG-P5. It's, to this day, one of the few annoyances I have with the original's narrative, and I was really happy to see no one point out the indication of the normal Street residents being rats to do with Guernica's past, or through Kasumi remembering something she dearly forgot towards the end of the campaign - if only for just a little bit. It was times like these I personally enjoyed picking up on things the things the game didn't otherwise tell me so that it could seem smart, and I think it made the setting of The Streets incredibly interesting from a symbolic point of view. I personally enjoy thinking back to a game's story constantly even after playing it, and RPH scratched that personal itch for me.

I won't beat around the bush. I enjoyed RPH more than I thought I would. I'm a sucker for Tactics games, so I was already hooked on Tactica's main-game, but acknowledging Royal was the cherry on the cake for me, and I'm glad they did so because it confuses the timeline of what's real in the P5-verse even more now (Strikers Royal should exist by the the way). I do still think you SHOULD ideally get this DLC if you've at least played through Royal's Third Semester for the most enjoyment, but the levels are incredibly varied and unique to accommodate less narratively-driven players.

It's a good DLC. Day 1 DLC was a little cringe, I'll be honest, but you can do what I did and wait for a sale before swooping in for it. If any of Tactica's DLC packs are worth getting - then this is the one!

A fun spin-off with most of the idol songs from the entire Gunvolt Series. It's a harmless spin-off, and it's nice fanservice for providing us more of the idols. I do wish there were some sort of story interactions. I guess I was expecting a bit more after playing the modern Persona Dancing games, but it's here to just be a rhythm game and it's doing that well. I definitely recommend the Switch version of the game, just because using touch controls are a blessing.

It's worth the cheap price it goes for now, so I have no complaints, really. Pick it up if you like Gunvolt. Otherwise... if you like rhythm games, I guess, but even if that's the case - there might be better versions of it.

For me personally, the bittersweet story of the GV series has always been a large reason why I've loved them so much. Seeing this game fumble that bag has been a difficult experience. Even if the writers did get themselves into a corner with GV2, it still hurts - especially because Kirin herself is such an interesting character. She just barely develops, and a majority of her time spent is done putting down Gunvolt and acting like what he sacrificed in the last two games weren't justified. It's a hard pill to swallow for me, who found the story to be one of the best aspects of the last two games.

What about gameplay? That's why MOST people play these games, after all. I love it, but hate it! Kirin is busted! She's so busted you can speed through levels unqualified and just BARELY get through, but it's always fun as heck. To counter this, the game has a gacha system that requires you to replay and explore the levels over and over till you get lucky. I originally didn't mind this concept, but as each level got more complex and obtuse with how you used Kirin's ability, it became very monotonous to replay stages.

You're not forced to replay the game, of course. Doing what you want should give you a decent time, an. As for the game's presentation, it's a large step-up from the first two games. The new English voice actors do a very good job at representing characters who used to have an amazing legacy, and the game looks fun and plays fun for what it is.

Still, my gripes with this game comes with the story. I hated seeing my favourite characters be left, forgotten, or completely put down upon by the newer ones, and it felt like the timeskip was unwarranted. The game oozes that usual GV charm that the series carried before it, but it sacrificed a lot for me to make it like that.

My favourite Kirby game so far, and by a long-shot! Levels are creatively imagined, the visuals are gorgeous, and saving Waddle Dees is such a fun activity and way to implement an achievement system into the game. I actively wanted to save them just because it went into my moral conscience as I played the game!

Upgrading abilities is also a treat. I really enjoyed talking with my friends and I played the game and experimenting on bosses to see which abilities worked and how I could utilise them. This game oozes so much cute little charm, and then the finale hits you with FEAR! I love it so much!

This review is so higgledy-piggledy but I swear it's such a good game! Play it! Oh my gosh top tier Switch game!

Velvet's character arc and internal struggle is among one of the best things about this game. A lot of the characters are simply far too lovable, and the world building and setting were really intriguing, with the twist of the Therions and how they worked being an especially poignant twist that drew me in as I played the game more.

The combat is clunky. There isn't any denying that. Having to manually test out and switch attacks isn't ideal, and and some enemies did feel a little tanky towards the end, but it wasn't anything too disastrous. I hear a LOT of complaints on this game regarding the map size and walking speed. I'm in the minority for this, but it wasn't honestly a bit deal. I enjoyed it for what it was. Heck, I've played slower games.

This was honestly my first Tales of entry that I properly finished. I'm very intrigued to see the others now, but I'm glad I started with this one. It was a great game through-and-through, and I definitely regard it as a JRPG Enthusiast's Must-Play!

Overall my least favourite Dadish installment so far of the bunch. Levels are much longer now and require more experience. The dialogue does fall a little stiff a bit in the early levels, but there were a few chuckles later on that got me. In an attempt to add variety, levels featuring The Dolphin The Dolphin were probably the most difficult and frustrating aspects of the game, since they were the longest ones out of all the games - but with so few of them, it wasn't too bad.

Play it if you like Dadish. If you're new... I guess you can play the first one, or just try the second one, which was my personal best one.

I played this game with my baby cousin, who's father had bought this game intentionally as one of their first digital romps. Sure, her constantly wanting to be in the lead got old fast, but seeing her excitement whenever she told me her favourite parts, what excited her, what scared her, and what amused her were some of the memories I knew she would cherish. She loved showing me every little thing, and having had over 50 hours on her save file just from replaying levels alone, I knew she was having the time of her life playing this game.

I got what I wanted during my 5-hour marathon for this game, but I know deep in my heart, my baby cousin is still getting everything she ever needs from just this little Kirby game, and I'm forever grateful for that.

I'll be honest - if you're playing this game on a bigger screen, then you're at a disadvantage. This was probably one of the few rhythm games I played where I legitimately had to get used to how the notes appeared, since the basic UI is far too spread out to properly gauge everything at once. Get used to moving your eyes around in main gameplay. It feels awkward at first, but once you get used to it, it doesn't become too difficult a task.

A lot of people will remember this game for the Story Mode, which I can't blame them for. A lot of it is a repetitive bloated mess of the same rescue stories for a group of idols, and had admittedly only gotten interesting for once when the game at one point left the main cast to focus on Nanako and Kanami.

Actually, speaking of - it is nice to see Kanami in the flesh, who used to only be mentioned by name in the original P4. She adds a lot to the story, and I daresay she was what made the story interesting to begin with had it not been for the filler.

The songs, interactions, and even choreography in the game are all charming. The modifiers are also a welcome addition, since they easily allow for someone new to rhythm games to get into harder difficulties without pushing them out of their comfort zones, so long as they're willing to sacrifice a bit of lost change and score at the end of it all. Need I also mention the prospect of an easy Platinum Trophy this game poses? It took me a week's worth of days to get mine, and I had a blast doing it.

This next outing by the Investigation Team is a strange one. It embraces all that is weird about it and essentially uses it as fuel to blatantly add dancing and music at every corner. Normally, this would be horrendously stupid and obscenely strange a thing to do from a series as tonally serious as Persona and SMT - but this time: It gave us Nanako singing to the Junes theme, so I think we should all collectively clap at ATLUS for their almost heavenly gift.