Not gonna lie this was a slog to get as far as I did (every main story mission sans final boss). Combat tries to be a spectacle driven muso action game like Hyrule Warriors or Dynasty Warriors and an action RPG like Kingdom Hearts 2 at the same time. It lacks any standout setpieces like the latter or the sense of combat fluidity of the former. The one time the games tries to have a distinct setpiece with a mirror match it just actively shows how shallow the mechanics are as your best solution is to just spam physical Persona attacks. Certainly a riveting solution for a challenge near the back half of the game! Only times I felt engaged in the combat were bosses (use baton passes to increase your DPS),the penultimate fights with the angelic creatures (only time debuffs came in handy). The lack of calendar systems means there is very little reason to not constantly leave dungeons for free HP and SP refills which trivializes the cooking mechanic outside of free bond point events. The environmental moves make for decent crowd control options and give the game some of Persona 5's sense of spectacle I otherwise find lacking in the title. Objectives in dungeons settle into a pattern way too quickly. Investigate a target by just talking to random NPCs. Fight trash mobs/mini bosses or hack into places to take down 3-4 jail keeps and reach the boss. Having a formula isn't a problem in itself but it needs to be executed well on a strong foundation. Something Persona 5 Strikers frankly lacks.
Writing is sorta OK for the lighthearted zero stakes affair its trying to be but like most Persona spin offs the characters end up slightly flanderized. The new additions to the cast are very one note but serviceable for the story they wanted to tell. Character designs and graphics took a notable hit due to the fact this is a lower budget spin off. The original music and sound design fits the world of Persona 5 well which makes the emphasis on remixes so disappointing. You are gonna be tired of hearing "Last Surprise" by the end of the game.
Overall a very disappointing experience I'd have probably been more annoyed if I hadn't used some random Amazon credit I had lying around to knock down the overall price. If you want a good action RPG or muso experience on Switch you have far better options available including several mainline and spin off Zelda games, and countless indie games you can likely get for a fraction of the price.
Writing is sorta OK for the lighthearted zero stakes affair its trying to be but like most Persona spin offs the characters end up slightly flanderized. The new additions to the cast are very one note but serviceable for the story they wanted to tell. Character designs and graphics took a notable hit due to the fact this is a lower budget spin off. The original music and sound design fits the world of Persona 5 well which makes the emphasis on remixes so disappointing. You are gonna be tired of hearing "Last Surprise" by the end of the game.
Overall a very disappointing experience I'd have probably been more annoyed if I hadn't used some random Amazon credit I had lying around to knock down the overall price. If you want a good action RPG or muso experience on Switch you have far better options available including several mainline and spin off Zelda games, and countless indie games you can likely get for a fraction of the price.