Last night I defeated the final boss of original game. And although I still have the heft of Royal content to go through I really want to talk about the game, may even get some things cleared up.
This was a journey. 113 hours invested, 7 palaces and Mementos defeated, all confidants maxed. I'm frankly suprised that I'll be getting the platinum once I complete everything but I suppose the list isn't that demanding. This is a game that while I feel deserve's recommendation it does come with a few asterisks attached. Time invested is one of them, but the same could be said for time management as well. For the latter though I must admit that this game is FAR more lenient than I realized, so I think having a decent mindset on what to do is far more valuable than a guide (which I did use for the most part XD )
Gameplay wise this game and its framework does pretty much everything and more. All the small nuances and changes are exemplary and need to be taken in consideration of when making JRPGs in the future. One of my favorite things studios have been doing in the last decade is finding even more ways to streamline the experience. Whether its by fast travel, making unknowns known (fortune reading, upping affinity etc) or by making grinding feel almost non existant - I'm here for it. Palaces and Mementos provide a wonderful dichotomy at face value. The former giving you personalized dungeons and themes while the latter gives you a tastes of dungeons from earlier in the series. I appreciate that investing in your confidants gives you HUGELY tangible rewards. Mowing down weaker enemies, all the boosts and gameplay additions in battle, Fortune everything etc. P4G already upped the stakes but 5R has definitely added more oomph.
With that said, it does make things easier. This is not a downside for me, managing my time is enough challenge for myself in this game. But I do understand others complaints. Also the palaces and their bosses vary in quality.
Storywise....its good but there's room for improvement. I genuinely enjoyed the themes of rebellion and standing up for yourself. I guessed most of the twists and their pancakey ways, but after watching a discussion with Austin Eruption I kind of agree that its not so much of a whodunit for me; more of a howdonit. My suspension of disbelief was a bit thin for the Joker switcheroo. Like on the one hand I like the idea of the party using cognition to their advantage. But does that make it less silly? The game also seems to like the idea of "plot event where really bad thing happens, here's a myriad of cutscenes where you think you chose a wrong option and your watching a bad ending". Felt like it happened with the already mentioned plot twist as well as when mementos melds with the real world.
I'm on the fence with a few characters and plot devices. Some characters kind of go no where after their arc (Ann) and some I just have no affinity for because they came in late (Haru). Some stuff is a bit cringy. Ann using her sexy taunt in battle, Ryuji everything barring his back story, Romancing adult female characters in general. I'm all for adult characters being confidants, but taking it further than friendship just feels offputting. Also, while I do appreciate Atlus USA trying their best with the two gay NPCs it still gives this weird vibe of "lol non-consent is HILARIOUS". I don't care if they paired it down to just being a drag queen and even if I don't really like Ryuji, he was not living for it and it just comes off poorly.
I enjoyed the confidants for the most part. Some I wouldn't write home about. I did enjoy Emperor for the art journey, Councillor for the take on therapy, Futaba for the social anxiety, Moon for the self worth, Justice because of REEEEE, Hanged because of Daddy, and Sojiro because coffee Daddy. Kawakami...if I didn't want to stop the greedy parents or if she didn't give the best abilities it would just be bunk and creepy.
Random thoughts:
-Most stylish game not featuring Dante from Devil May Cry
- The percentage meter that turned the tides. Like I get it, its like a more on the nose device similar to Nier Automatas meta device. It's a little clumsy but I like it.
- Fuck the boss of the fifth palace. I haven't cursed at a game in quite some time.
- VROOM VROOM run over everything is the best grinding I will ever experience. I'm not joking.
- Baton pass, technical and weakness makes it some of the best SMT battle experiences I've had.
- So the god of control....is it a being/treasure ascended by the people into god status or an actual god? The way I inferred it is mementos and the public have been stewing for some time. It gets created by the sum of everyones desire to let go. It then becomes powerful enough to rival Igor. Is that correct?
-December was literally almost a month solid of Meditation because I ran out of stuff to do. This is very surprising because not 5 months earlier I was worried I was running out of time.
- Best music is best.
-Being able to purchase higher level persona is definitely the number one thing I side eyed during my playthrough. Just felt like too much. I did it anyways.
-Getting money was such a thrill in this game. Start off scraping by, then you upgrade the ability to scam buckloads of money from enemies during negotiation. I did that more than anything up until October/November. At that point a daytrip to memento's could have you running over everything until you get 1-2 million yen. I loved it.
