I was going to write a very messy and ramble-filled review about this game, but it got too personal very quick to the point I wasn't comfy putting into the internet void. The short of it is: I love it, but it got to me too late.

Had I played Persona 5 earlier in life it would, and I say this with utmost confidence, be one of my favorite games of all time, but too much has happened since the time I first saw it and desperately yearned to play it and the present day. I have become a totally different person, with a totally different view on life and art. I still cherish the good time I had playing it, and I did get something very meaningful out of it, however I suspect it wasn't intentional. I lament to say that for any particularly nosy person reading this, that is the part that is too personal to share. I get you, I can be pretty nosy too.

That said, as a JRPG it is excellent. My only gripe with is its length, but I do get why it is as long as it is. I played just a bit less hours of Baldur's Gate 3 last year and I didn't want it to end. I will guess it was similar to people who P5R really got to, but for me, it started to drag on near the middle only to really capture me again when I was already a bit tired. It didn't help that due to the way the Royal content is inserted and how endings work there are like four times where I thought "It's going to end here, right?" and then it just keeps going and going and going. But now that is over, I can say that the Royal content is pretty good. I overall like what it adds to both characters and themes. It also has some real hype AF moments, I have to be honest in that regard.

I played P4G so I knew coming in I would go wild about the combat. It is just plain fun and with enough depth to keep you engaged while not being bloated by systems. You like turn based JRPGs? Go for the merciless difficulty, it is actually easier than Hard overall, but it makes battle faster to win AND lose. I LOVE IT. It also makes it so you really need to cover your bases in terms of elemental resistances and attacks. AND BUDDY, let me tell you Fusing absolute diabolical Personas had me rubbing my hands like a little cartoon villainess and just seeing the bullshit I could pull off made me laugh out loud every time. Now, if you want that extra tiny bit challenge, go for hard, although the game isn't particularly difficult even then.

And last but not for that of least importance: THE HANGOUTITUDE. We can't forget about the hangoutitude when talking about a good RPG. Persona 5 Royal nails it. It's always lovely to just walk the streets and talk to random people to hear their weirdo little comments. Hearing the nice music those first nights you are allowed to go out at night. Hanging out and getting to know your buds better (Which are the main narrative strength of the game. I may not like the conclusion of certain character arcs, but the characters themselves are all great and I love them, even the secondary ones. Shouts out my dog, Iwai) It's just delightful. By the end of the game I just stopped using quick travel and just walked around everywhere.

I really mean it when I say I Love this game. Some of the characters and ideas (Even the ones I disagree with, maybe specially the ones I disagree with) will stay with me. It's great, but in a personal level, many others rank higher.