The single best game I have ever played. A wonderful, lovable cast of main characters, consistently stunning combat animations, and one of the best turn based combat systems ever put into a game. The story carries heavy themes of the youth rebelling against corrupt power structures, of self discovery, and of learning to stand up for yourself and even to yourself when it seems like the world is determined to beat you down. This is a story that is deeply relevant to our modern world, and a story that changed the way I look at myself and at the people around me. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me reevaluate the way I think about injustice as a concept. Of course, being developed by Atlus, it is prone to some less than stellar anime tropes, including the gross oversexualization of one main female character in particular. Those issues and some brief dips in writing quality during a few side stories aside, this game is beautiful, and you should play it.

On so many levels Persona 5 Royal is such a beautifully realized work of art that goes above and beyond as it progresses. Story-wise it not only takes bold turns that build so much character but also cuts into the meat of its psychologically driven themes in a way feels so natural to its vital rebellion motif. All of its vision is even further fleshed out through the endlessly creative designs of its supernatural elements that paint a bigger picture of sin.

While I didn't play the original Persona 5, I know that I definitely would have had a few major issues with it. With Royal, I have none. Not only is mementos completely revamped, it's a grinding heaven that offers a much-needed breather in between the palaces. Akechi's originally rushed character arc is also fleshed out unbelievably well, and the new third semester has such a refreshingly mature outlook on morality and trauma that just floored me - recontextualizing every single bit of the thieves' journey up to this point and emphasizing the importance of their growth in such an emotional light.

Yes 100+ hours is a huge amount of time to dedicate oneself to anything, but honestly I didn't feel a tenth of that time even with several playthroughs. It just strikes the perfect balance of everything that I want in a game to the point where I genuinely struggle to think of things that feel more investing.

So yeah, I unabashedly adore this

[Edit: here's a big ramble that I wrote cause I couldn't sleep]

Simply put, this is my favorite game and tied favorite piece of art of all-time.

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that there is nothing as uniquely balanced as it. For a game with a lengthy set-up rooted in trauma and injustice as well as consistent urgency prevalent with life-threatening deadlines, it’s extraordinary how seamlessly it contrasts this with the most captivating art style and abundance of fun in its gameplay elements - as if it knows exactly when to reign it in and when to let all just fucking go gloriously berserk (Robbie Daymond’s unmatched voice acting alone captures this). And yes I know it’s around 120 hours long for one play through, however, it has the best pay-off I’ve ever experienced to make it worth such a length - culminating in the most bittersweet perfection imaginable as it shapes the journey of everything that’s been built towards.

Alongside this, it provides the most refreshing breathing space through its social interactions. I love so many of these characters with my all heart and all the little slice of life moments that occur as I build my bonds with them in the game just have so much memorability. The initial formation of the Phantom Thieves feels like a real breakthrough of youthful rebellion and their journey with the international fame and infamy that comes alongside has such a palpable motivation to it that persists. The game’s use of time brings a real authenticity to the interactions as well. It highlights the importance of taking one’s time but also how certain decisions affect certain traits more earlier or later down the line. It seems obvious yet the way its presented here has stuck with me beyond measure.

Royal has also completely altered the way I view dungeons in games because of how it presents them as palaces. These palaces are layered manifestations of the distorted cognitions of increasingly corrupt members of society. The more I explore them, the more I’m blown away by how much detail lies in their surrealism even within just the background elements. Almost all of the palaces are masterpieces in of themselves (god the Tomb and Casino palaces are such a genius constructions it gives me goosebumps just thinking of them) but Royal’s additional palace takes the cake for my favorite as it taps into another realm psychologically.

The Persona series’ overarching conceptual link of improving social elements to heighten combat abilities has always been super fascinating to me and Royal absolutely has the best presentation of that foundational idea. Turn-based combat has never been smoother nor with such a functionality that adds to the game’s overall depth. The staple Velvet Room where the player can fuse, summon or strengthen their personas always has both a sinister and playful aura with how it is evoked subconsciously through a lack of control. Royal heightens this within the lore that lies in the personas themselves, evoking an otherworldly presence alongside the grounded stuff.

For all of these big elements, the little things stick with me just as much. A few examples: I love the goofy voice lines the shadows taunt in combat and even say them out loud myself a fair bit now just to have a laugh. I also can’t get enough of the little social media blurbs that happen after the Thieves do something and how on the nose the public’s fickleness is conveyed. The calling cards are also just the best fuck you ever to the villains, I go crazy in their announcements so much haha.

I gotta mention the soundtrack as well, Life Will Change, The Whims of Fate, Beneath the Mask, Ideal and the Real…this thing is loaded with endless, endless unstoppable bangers, but it's also the more subtle stuff like Sunset Bridge that plays at just the right moments of reflection that hit home so hard. Shoji Meguro is too OP.

Yeah I’ve been rambling way too hard but god there is so much I can gush about it here it’s honestly insane, truly the most exhilarating thing in the world.

The closest you'll get to a definitive version of Persona 5.

One of the most fun and stylish games I've ever played in my life. A lot of the problems from the original are still in tact, and it gets easy to over-level/grind for cash making it signifigantly easier.

The new semester, systems, and areas are a great touch though, and make it worth spending another year in the attic of Leblanc.

Mi JRPG favorito de la generación. Es innegable que se alarga demasiado en algunas partes y que a veces sucumbe a ranciedades anime, pero la fórmula es perfecta, es constantemente divertido, y es imposible no implicarse en su historia y sus personajes.

Tras dejarlo tirado a las 30 horas en su día, me alegro de haber podido pasármelo finalmente en su versión definitiva.

Royal es una versión expandida tremenda que añade una trama final fascinante y muy atípica que funciona como un tiro. Y además viene con una traducción de aúpa.

Pues un Persona, con sus vicios y sus virtudes. Pokemones con forma de pito, waifus, la inevitable necesidad de tirar de guía para minmaxear todos los social links porque si no me sale urticaria... y unas mecánicas más pulidas que su predecesor.

Aquí mi descenso a la locura:

https://twitter.com/aburrido354/status/1277936224158744581

I just played a 120 hour JRPG twice in a row. I loved it even more the second time, but I'm also much more frustrated by its shortcomings.

The characters are great, the gameplay is fun, there is a ton of creativity in the dungeons, but I can't get over how lackluster the story is. Nothing about its themes are profound or interesting (despite how obnoxiously it tries towards the end), for a story all about cognition, it feels like that idea is never fully utilized, there is 0 tension because of how repetitive each palace is, the ending of the base game is awful, and the Royal exclusive content is an okay epilogue instead of a revised story.

The first 100 hours are excellent, but then the storytelling falls off a cliff. For some people that might be enough, but for me, there are too many cracks, and it inevitably breaks under it all.