One of the best games ever made, but you knew that.

I don't need to explain what Resident Evil 4 is, or the story of its development, or the influence that it still holds over the entire industry nearly two decades later. I just want to talk about what this game means to me, because your own personal experience with Resident Evil 4 is the last unique thing that anyone could hope to say about it in 2023.

Resident Evil 4 came to me when I was a teenager, as I imagine it did for most other people. I think it was the Best Friends zaibatsu that turned me on to it in the first place, but there was an undercurrent running through the gaming zeitgeist that commanded you to play it. That commanded you to enjoy it. Resident Evil 4 was a game that I was supposed to like, and so I did. I liked fitting in. It helped that it was a fun game. I liked being able to tell people on the internet that it was one of the best things ever made (in all of my ignorance; I'd probably only played fifteen video games in my life up to that point) and arguing with anyone who dared say otherwise. I knew that Resident Evil 4 was good, and everyone else needed to know that, too.

Then I got a bit older, and I got a bit sourer, and I started questioning a lot of things. About myself, about the world, about my hobbies. Suddenly, liking Resident Evil 4 felt kind of lame. Like, sure, it was still good, but everyone said that. I thought Dead Space 2 was the better game because it didn't have tank controls and it was scarier. That became the new, hot take that I could hold to my chest. Fuck what everyone else was saying, it was time for me to say something fresh. Something new. It was something I could argue about that felt novel, and I could feel the first tendrils of a personality starting to grow deep within me. Someone in middle school once teased me with the line "where'd you download that opinion from", and it got to me so bad that I still remember it over a decade later. Never again. I had thoughts of my own, now.

And from there, I just kind of passively accepted that as the new way of things. Resident Evil 4 was old, and passe, and Dead Space 2 was the successor to the throne. I never played either of them again after I got into my sophomore year of high school, and I didn't even finish Resident Evil 4 the last time that I played it. The two games have been laying dormant on my shelves and in my Steam library for eight years each. But the news of the Resident Evil 4 remake spurred me to check out the original again. I had fond memories and — with age — I'd become a bit less of a contrarian for the sake of being contrary. It was time for a retrospective.

Walking through the village made me tear up. I was home again.

I beat Resident Evil 4 a lot when I was a teenager. I would come home from school and play it on days when my friends weren't around for Call of Duty matchmaking or miniature Mortal Kombat 9 tourneys. I had forgotten how much I had loved it while I'd been playing it; I'd forgotten a lot about the game as a whole.

I didn't like it just because someone else put me on to it. I liked it because it was good. I liked it because it was fun. I liked it because I could be cool and stylish and slick one moment, and then be shitting my pants over the sound of a breathing regenerator the next.

Resident Evil 4 is still the same game that I loved as a teenager, with all of its pock marks and blemishes. The quick time events are an odd inclusion. Massive, flashing DODGE and KICK prompts can override your fire button, which can make you take an unfair hit. Resources on the mandatory first normal mode playthrough are so plentiful as to make the game trivial with any effort spent on health and ammo conservation. It's sleazy in a way that feels exploitative rather than self-aware. Ashley can be a pain if you end up telling her to wait in a safe area where enemies will later spawn in from nowhere. The economy is completely fucked, what with the fact that you can buy fifteen insta-kill rocket launchers to use against bosses for the same amount of pesetas it takes to fully upgrade a magnum.

And I don't care about any of that. When I played Resident Evil 4 again for the sake of this review, nearly a decade after I'd last touched it, I was a teenager again.

This home isn't perfect, but it's mine.

up there with my favorite games of all time. p3 really feels so confident in what it wants to do and comfortable as a game. the way the interactive experience ties into the story and themes is a real sight to behold. while it takes a while to truly show why its special, the willingness to fully combine every ingredient of the game together is extremely commendable. the story does pace itself fairly slowly for a while, but gives lots of time for the great social links to breathe and to emphasize the isolation that each sees member faces. this makes the emotional payoff from october and onwards truly feel special and culminates in the extremely impactful december stretch. the catharsis from that point onwards feels so earned and perfect. its also hard to explain why without spoilers, but the way the game embodies the memento mori concept is insanely special

the gameplay is amazing as well. as mentioned before, the way the narrative and gameplay tie together is quite special and this relates directly to the battle system with how you go from being quite isolated at the beginning to a well oiled team by the end. not having ai control has a lot of detractors but if you actually buy into the mechanics and use the tactics system it becomes incredibly satisfying and fun, and really gives a sense of growth in a ludonarrative sense. i wont really defend tartarus a ton, its alright but definitely pretty repetitive. but if there was anything in this 80 hour game i was okay with them not really emphasizing it was that. even then, the way the music and visuals evolve and the last climb are pretty damn great.

the ending (to "the journey") is pretty much just peak and represents the boldness that makes this game special. truly feels like a perfect jrpg in how much it rewards you for the effort you put into it, while also never just directly catering to player demand. and im not sure we'll see a persona like that ever again

they should really use the japanese box art pic for this lol

Did not plan to complete this on March 5th but I'll take it lol

No way is this remotely close to P5R or as good as P4G (there is literally nothing to do at night most of the time!!!) but nonetheless still a banger.

Even if a lot of the cognitive elements feel like a blueprint, the concept of the dark hour and its backstory are brilliant and I didn't even find Tartarus as tedious as I initially thought it would be - it has some really cool designs in its higher blocks (especially Harabah and Adamah). The overarching theme of death is beautifully explored too, especially in the more blissful moments of acceptance, and the animations of the cutscenes are so well directed it's a shame Portable doesn't include them.

A bit split on the party members: Ken, Fuuka, and Junpei are just really underwhelming despite the attempts to flesh them out (Chidori, Shinjiro, etc.); however, Mitsuru, Aigis (incredible VA), and Akihiko are all some of the best characters in the series, and I love Yukari a lot too.

So glad I've finally gotten to this one, intrigued to see how much Portable's FEMC route changes things too. Love this series to pieces :)))

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.

It’s just so cool that this exists. Feels like a holiday experience for the phantom thieves but also very much a fleshed-out follow-up to the original’s game events where the two new main characters Sophia and Zenkichi have such beautifully realized emotional arcs.

The levels of intensity this got into narratively really felt so earned and just reminded me of how immersive the Persona games can be once the stakes start to amplify because it truly evokes a deep spirit within each member of the thieves that highlights their growth. This is especially portrayed once the members come to terms with the antagonists' traumas that form the root of their detailed, if slightly unevenly laid out, jails.

I do miss the balance of the social links, however, Strikers still retains so much of the characters’ charm (BEST VA CAST EVER FR) in its breather moments including an amazing sequence that shows a maturation for the phantom thieves as they truly interact with the impressionable impact they have on the youth.

Conceptually there’s a super interesting exploration of artificial intelligence in working with the cognitive world as well as both its befriending and manipulative sides. It did take me a while to used to the hack and slash combat (Nier: Automata becoming a huge favorite probably helped a lot with this) that is prevalent with these warrior games, however, once I did I felt super satisfied with how seamlessly the elements from the Persona games were able to work here (even if it drained my SP a lot lol).

And god the sound team does not miss, love all the Strikers versions of the original songs while Daredevil, Singularity and Counter-Strike are absolutely new all-timer tracks.