I'm typically of the opinion that "less is more" when it comes to games, and that a longer playtime does not equal a better experience. I honestly resisted playing this game for quite a while simply because I knew how much of a time sink it was, despite its positive reviews. Well, now that it's all said and done, it was both as long as I expected, and as good as I had heard. In Persona 5 Royal, you play as a Japanese high school student with the codename of "Joker", as he is forced to transfer schools following an assault charge he was framed for (a setup that always felt a bit flimsy. Where are his parents??). The game is half Japanese high school social simulator, as you make friends with other students and people around town to boost your stats, and half turn-based RPG as Joker and his party travel into the subconscious of ne'er-do-wells to compulse them into having a "change of heart". These subconscious "palaces" serve as the game's dungeons, with the day-to-day activities providing much of the plot. First and foremost, I want to stress how stylish this game is. From its animations to designs to especially its UI, this game just oozes flair and is probably a major contributor to its success. The characters are all really likeable, with your party members in particular being very memorable and interesting with their own unique quirks. I do want to give a special shoutout to the voice acting in this game. If you took a look at it, you would assume it would have pretty "anime" acting, a style I'm not really a fan of, but the acting in this game is superb and really elevates the characters across the board. That isn't to say there aren't some unlikeable allies, and the ability to romance any of the female "confidants" leads to some... unfortunate pairings, such as a doctor, a middle schooler, and your high school teacher moonlighting as a French maid. The villains are all pretty compelling too, with their evil ways well exposed to the player so that they feel both a threat and deserving of having their deeds exposed. The extra Royal villain in particular is really interesting, and much less black and white than the others. That being said, I was wary of a long game losing my attention, and near the end it does begin to drag on. It's not too bad for the original Persona 5 content, but the extra Royal chapter, interesting as it was, feels a bit tacked on, and I had to force myself to continue doing the day to day social stuff once more. If I had to give any other criticism, I never really jelled with the combat system. It's similar to Pokemon in a number of ways, such as capturing enemy "personas" for your team and exploiting enemy type weaknesses, but I found the fusing system a bit confusing and ended up just creating a team with a variety of types, rather than focusing on any one persona. This is a minor criticism though, as it easily held my attention, and I'm very interested in playing the other Persona titles... after a break.