In the cloud sea of terrible dialogue, gross gameplay mechanics, and shitty outfits for most characters, there is a game that is undeniably special and meaningful. The combat is actually really good once you finally click with it, personally it was 20 hours until I finally understood all of the intimate mechanics. It took a lot of reddit, but it is actually super well designed. While the story is basic, it is good enough to keep you playing, especially past chapter 6, once you finally get more information about what you are actually traveling for, it becomes a lot more interesting the further you progress. I love this game to death, it is an important part of the Xenoblade series whichever way you slice it. Hell, even if you only love the OST, the game is valuable even with all of its problems.

This remake is a complete expansion of Persona 3. While it fails to exceed expectations in some aspects, it surprised me in many others. I appreciate the platonic option for female social links, I like the visuals, I appreciate the complete overhaul of the RPG mechanics and quality of life additions that stack up compared to future entries. While I do think price jacking to $70 USD is scummy, I got enough enjoyment from the game to justify the price hike. I personally think it improves enough to be held as the best version of Persona 3, but I completely empathize with people who felt betrayed or think less of the remake for excluding bonus content seen in older rereleases.