Shin Megami Tensei V is my favorite SMT game, which is really odd to say because it is so deeply flawed. Exploring Da'at is very fun, and the combat is fantastic. Building your protagonist and demons is at its best here too. On the contrary, the level scaling and the elemental dampeners just take away from SMTs kickass combat. The two dungeons are pretty mediocre as well. Even then, the gameplay loop was just so compelling. The Superbosses here are some of my favorites in recent memory.

The story on the other hand has no swag lmfao. While there's some interesting ideas, it goes about them so half-assed. Aside from Dazai, there is zero time spent to develop any of the characters, and even then he isn't that great. The different routes are also very underwhelming, and the implementation of the True Neutral route is frustrating; especially after the shit Atlus got for the Neutral route in IV. Fortunately though, outside of a few exposition dumps in-between regions of Da'at and the finale, it doesn't really get in the way of the gameplay.

If you want to play this game, just wait for Vengeance. It appears to be fixing a lot of issues with SMTV, and it won't be trapped on outdated hardware.

"As fragmented, imperfect beings, yours is a never-ending quest. A quest to find your purpose, knowing your end is assured. To find the strength to continue, when all strength has left you. To find joy, even as darkness descends"

Journey's end.
this expansion means the world to me and more. the loss of a purpose in life, desperation. unfulfillment

"Suffering exists, and we cannot pretend otherwise... (...) Let us carry it in our hearts, that we may grow stronger and know true happiness."

"Endwalker is a tale of loss, fire, and faith, a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment, teaching us to value life and to find joy even in the deepest and darkest of despair."
Anti-nihilism in its purest form. Endwalker is a cathartic end to 10 years of storytelling.

not just another expansion in the list of expansions that FFXIV has but the culmination of all and the conclusion to one of the greatest stories ever told in any medium. I am not going to be reducing this to characters and narrative and music because this to me is much much more

way more than just a game this is a heartfelt tale that resonated with me and changed me as a person on so many inconceivable levels. 700 hours and counting of memories and wonderful experiences with many fellow warriors of light on my way to Journey's end

I can only wish that I could replay this for the first time again because this experience was wholly unparalleled

no words will ever do FFXIV as a whole justice so I just want to say
Yes. it was worthwhile

have a love-hate relationship with this game. it has SO MANY BAD DECISIONS. but it PEAKS SO GOOD TOO. overall it was not a very enjoyable experience when it comes to storytelling and pacing. everything other than that is incredible
music. gameplay. dungeons. SOME characters. all that peak but just the way the story is laid out hurts me so bad. the finale is genuinely one of the greatest in the whole series but once you reach it you get there with a bad taste in your mouth from a lot of the slop you got fed
you thought we were done? here's a pointless epilogue and the game just drags and drags it does not know when to end. cut some parts from the acts and cut some parts of the epilogue and it would have been 10/10 i understand why someone would love this game though

extremely overhyped. play literally any other visual novel.

ive always been curious about this game as i've talked with people who loved it, and people who hated it. but this is. not very good.

and cool concept goes completely wasted in this VN, and MC and saya become so insufferable that i was looking forward to every POV switch, which i think were actually pretty good.

the gratuitous use of rape for shock value, and the excess amount of sex scenes made me stare blankly at the screen for their entire duration.

the breaking point for me was when some pretty good dialogue was delivered in another POV, at MC, only for it to switch back to MC's POV and he was getting a blowjob through the duration of the call. i almost burst a blood vessel.

i liked ryoko and koji. the soundtrack was very good. not giving this a rating. my curiosity was sated but those are hours im never getting back <3

EDIT: i fuckinfg forgot to mention the weird loli shit going on with saya. anyway! blowing myself up

"Are you ready for the sexualising minors in your story lesson?"

Kazutaka Kodaka gulped.

Katsura Hashino nodded.

Nisio Isin blinked nervously.

"Yes, Gen Urobuchi" they said in unison.