Shin Megami Tensei V is "what if pokemon sword and shield were good"

okay, hear me out: Pokemon SW/SH transitioned the games into big overworlds with exploration where you can see the enemies and plan out your combats accordingly. now imagine THAT, but (!!!) the combat is actually good. not only that, but the exploration is a lot more fun and rewarding. but wait, instead of cute creatures, your party consists of literal demons all full of distinct personality and dialogue choices required to recruit them. (no shade to pokemon designs, love those little guys)

SMT5 battles are Dark Souls bosses in slow motion. the Magatsuhi charges of your opponents are the attack wind ups and tells, the Dampeners are evasions, the weaknesses are the knowledge gained on each attempt. SMT rewards paying attention and punishes those trying to mash "A" to get through every combat.

the game's pacing is quick. i avoided most optional encounters and ended up at each boss fight at the Just Right level to have a nice challenge without feeling like i needed to go grind. victory is always within your grasp if you're cautious and patient. the game's story is slow to start but quick to ramp up. it's fun, thoughtful, and ridiculous.

i can't overstate how much i used to think i hated JRPGs, save for the rare few like EB/Mother 3, Chrono Trigger, and so on. i fell off of FF7 multiple times about 20 hours in. i bounced off of multiple other series within hours. this game convinced me that i do actually enjoy these types of games, they just have to be compeling and focused, expertly crafted.

shin megami tensei fucking rules