After hearing how popular the duology was for old-school SMT fans, this was on the top of my hitlist after completing Persona 5. Going in, I was hearing everyone describe this as a dark and mature game and I was left a bit disappointed, unfortunately. This game has its moments here and there, but I was expecting something way darker than what we got.
That's not to say the game is bad by any means. It's a huge step up from Innocent Sin in terms of characterization and story. I liked the cast a lot more in this one because they felt real and fleshed out. I'm a particular fan of Baofu he's a fun character who gets some great moments with the rest of the party. Also happy we got to see Katsuya as a playable character and his antics with Tatsuya in particular are adorable. Overall, the game's cast is the strongest aspect of the story for me and I think that is due in part to them being actual adults. There's a very cute touch where Tatsuya is unable to purchase alcoholic drinks because he's underage which I thought was delightful.
I think the plot doesn't go nearly as crazy as Innocent Sin does, though, which was my favorite part of that game. Innocent Sin really leaned into the idea of rumor becoming reality using commonly held conspiracy theories and turning them into pivotal story points which I thought was more interesting than Eternal Punishment.
The gameplay's more the same. A bit archaic but I eventually found myself enjoying it. There's a catharsis to blasting an any group with Giga Cyclone and raking in some experience. In particular, I wish they'd bring back Fusion Spells in future Persona games because they make party building more important and interesting. I also love the mutation mechanic that further incentivizes using fusion spells and can often result in some unexpected developments.
While I still prefer Persona 5 Royal I did greatly enjoy myself with Eternal Punishment and I hope Atlus eventually remakes the duology one day because these games deserve to get some modernization for modern players to experience.
That's not to say the game is bad by any means. It's a huge step up from Innocent Sin in terms of characterization and story. I liked the cast a lot more in this one because they felt real and fleshed out. I'm a particular fan of Baofu he's a fun character who gets some great moments with the rest of the party. Also happy we got to see Katsuya as a playable character and his antics with Tatsuya in particular are adorable. Overall, the game's cast is the strongest aspect of the story for me and I think that is due in part to them being actual adults. There's a very cute touch where Tatsuya is unable to purchase alcoholic drinks because he's underage which I thought was delightful.
I think the plot doesn't go nearly as crazy as Innocent Sin does, though, which was my favorite part of that game. Innocent Sin really leaned into the idea of rumor becoming reality using commonly held conspiracy theories and turning them into pivotal story points which I thought was more interesting than Eternal Punishment.
The gameplay's more the same. A bit archaic but I eventually found myself enjoying it. There's a catharsis to blasting an any group with Giga Cyclone and raking in some experience. In particular, I wish they'd bring back Fusion Spells in future Persona games because they make party building more important and interesting. I also love the mutation mechanic that further incentivizes using fusion spells and can often result in some unexpected developments.
While I still prefer Persona 5 Royal I did greatly enjoy myself with Eternal Punishment and I hope Atlus eventually remakes the duology one day because these games deserve to get some modernization for modern players to experience.