good game, bad port (would give it a higher rating otherwise)

got it at as a gift from my partner in crime. They like the game a lot, and honestly i wouldn't have played it otherwise. i am so glad i did. the gameplay is really really fun. idk why a lot of people complained about the puzzles (it kinda scared me cuz i'm dumb), but i was surprised to find it the most enjoyable part of the game.

best birthday gift <3

I played this game right after finishing persona 4, and honestly I had no expectations at all, as this was my first mainline SMT game. I remember getting destroyed by the game's tutorial, which to honest, was my favourite part of the game. I had fun dying a lot, and hollyy fuck the tutorial bosses were something else. It honestly didn't feel like a tutorial at all, since it was brutally punishing. The game gets easier later on, so don't give up if you find yourself dying a lot.

Let's start with the good. The game's soundtrack is 10/10 for me, especially the battle music. I just love how with every encounter you have this atmospheric but somewhat tense music, but as soon as you or the enemy hit, it switches to the battle theme. It's the same with negotiations. If you piss the demon off, the negotiation theme stops and turns back to battle theme. Idk why I'm obsessing over it, but I found it really cool. I also loved the story (before the alignment lock at least), and I'm honestly glad I played it after persona 4 cuz it raised my standards. The way your progression affected the world around you and the NPC's dialogue was nice. I enjoyed exploring the map and doing side-quests, and I liked how they gave you some insight about how their world worked. I forgot to add this so lemme say it I LOVE HOW THE MC DYING ISN'T A GAMEOVER (tho wiping is easy in this game xd).

Something I really disliked about the game is how demon fusions worked. I hate how most of the skills your fused demons has are inherited, with two original ones, and one or two more that you get while leveling. Maybe I messed up while doing it. I probably did cuz most of my demons ended up almost identical (didn't have that problem playing persona games tho). Most people complained about how broken the smirk system is (overpowered buff you can get if you crit, block or abuse a weakness), but I honestly like it cuz it makes me pee mid-battle, especially when my AI companion causes the enemy to smirk :) , and god the AI companions suck. You can't pick which one you want or control their abilities. Your companion could keep spamming an attack your enemy blocks and you can't do shit about it. It could make your enemy smirk, resulting into an unavoidable wipe at times :). I hated how the story started out really good but crumbled at the end. I just don't understand how the characters suddenly went full extremist mode. I liked the white ending, but god the chaos ending was just too underwhelming. It felt rushed. At some point in the story, everything starts feeling empty meaningless (won't go deeper into it cuz spoilers). I just wish the quality of the storytelling stayed the same

In conclusion, I really liked this game despite its flaws. I strongly recommend it, especially for masochists. Had a lot of fun playing it